Sinking barn

from flickr user Michael Raleigh
The photographer says: "This collapsed labor day weekend. It's an iconic barn and I actually didn't hear about it sinking until the day I went to take some pictures with the fall leaves. I am part of a facebook group and was about to ask how it looked out there when I saw someone post a picture of it, in this condition."

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Minnesota Valley Township School

from flickr user ballclub40
Surrounded by tallish grass and corn fields, this Minnesota Valley Township School has been restored with modern materials but still maintains at lest a portion of its old world charm and mystique.

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Golden Heritage

from flickr user Henry Hintermeister
An unused barn sits ringed by a golden, healthy harvest, its days as the main player over. It's a joyful sight in life to see grandparents surrounded by happy grandchildren of all ages.
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Surrounded By Gold

from flickr user Henry Hintermeister
Golden tones surround an abandoned barn and its two companions, only a hint at an illustrious past. Hard to imagine that one day not long ago this barn stood at the center of a farmer's daily life. Grandchildren often sort through black and white photos of their departed grandparents and see a life they never imagined.

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Winter Fence Post - Rural Minnesota

from flickr user Adam Johnson
Taken in sprawling Sibley County, MN, this fence line in between farms acts as a windbreak as it stops snow blowing across the open fields. Taken before our blanket of snow began to melt, there is definitely an air of peace and serenity in this winter scene.

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Hidden Granary - Renville, MN

from flickr user Adam Johnson 
With corn taller than even the tallest Minnesotans, this secluded granary near Renville, MN appears to be playing a bit of a game of hide and seek.

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Sun-drenched hay bales - Alexandria, MN

from flickr user YT Blue
With a backdrop of a couple small runways, these round hay bales in Alexandria, MN seem rather surreal as the low summer sun drenches the entire landscape in a warm, golden glow.

One small issue I have with this photo, though, is some apparent doctoring of the sky with the selection artifacts along the tree line in the background being a dead giveaway that some processing has taken place.

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Lonely Barn - North Mankato, MN

from flickr user Henry Hintermeister
A majestic, unused barn sits surrounded by new life growing all around, its past usefulness no longer relevant. There is a lot of wasted wisdom and talent that is untapped when people grow old and are ignored in families, churches and businesses.

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Storm clouds approach rural Minnesota

from flickr user Peter Stratmoen
Some wickedly ominous clouds approach over a silhouetted line of trees and adjacent farmland as the sun sets on an approaching evening of storms.

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Small Town Thunderstorm - Alden, MN

from flickr user Darcy
A quick, early-morning thunderstorm resulted in a brief downpour but, more importantly, a fabulous lightning show over the small southern Minnesota hamlet of Alden. Alden, with a population around 1,000 sits on Interstate 90 west of Albert Lea, MN.

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Minnesota Farm Scene, Arlington, MN

from flickr user Adam Johnson
A well-used barn sits among a field of bushy, green soybeans near the southern Minnesota town of Arlington. It's hard to believe that harvest typically begins a bit over two months from now.

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T in the lake - Wright County, MN

from flickr user photodog42
A gloriously stark, gray photo after the recent snowfall depicting a desolate rural intersection with roads rising above a small, ice-covered lake. It sets the mood for this time of year when it can be snowing one day and 70 degrees the next, or vice versa.

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Minnesota Northern Lights

from flickr user Michael Aguirre
The Minnesota landscape was alive in the predawn hours of St. Patrick's Day 2015. A Minnesota farm comes to life in the blackness of the night. It's like the Leprechauns were were spreading green upon us all!

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Best of MinnPics - December 2014

from flickr user Aaron Groen
Wow. I don't even know where to begin to describe the stunning quality and skill that comes from the photographer behind the Best of MinPics for December 2014. Aaron Groen (the photographer) seemingly spends many nights each month stalking the perfect location (mostly rural) and matching that with the perfect celestial sky which makes for art (which he rightly sells). This photo of a rural church in Jackson County, Minnesota is that rare match of perfect skies and location. A signature of rural life -- the country church under a sky filled with a galaxy of stars.

Here we are, the last entry to the Best of MinnPics 2014. It's been a long journey through 2014. A year full of firsts and lasts. June brought historic floods to the Minnesota River Valley while January saw the deflation of the Metrodome. I showcased 192 photos here in 2014 and while that was less than in previous years, it was the best year yet as I brought in some fun with the Minnesota State Fair Bingo Cards in August and played around with a rural twist back in April.

Be sure to keep checking back through the end of the year and maybe even into 2015...

Thanks for being a reader of MinnPics!

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Supercell sunset - Carver, MN

from flickr user Chris Lundberg
Taken as sunset closed in on the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis, this supercell was simply exploding in the distance as much of the area received some much-needed rainfall.

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F. Shott Stone Barn - Johnson, MN

from flickr user LakeVermillion1
While the roof is now gone, this piece of history remain a landmark on the prairie near Ortonville, MN outside of the village of Johnson, MN. This stone barn was once part of a working farm but all that remains today are the walls. I hope that this structure is being actively preserved as it would be a shame to see such a unique structure continue to collapse.

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Abandoned home in Minnesota

from flickr user Don Deckert
An abandoned house on what I can only assume was once a thriving farmstead slowly crumbles but at least the yard surrounding this humble home is still maintained by the property owner.

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Wind farm in Southern Minnesota

from flickr user terry houle
From the ground at this angle, the wind turbines which dot the farmland of Minnesota and surrounding states look to be an almost manageable height. I love how perspective plays tricks on your mind like this.

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Southeast Minnesota Farm

from flickr user Derek Bakken
A small dairy farm, complete with well maintained buildings, tucked away in the rolling hills of snowy southeast Minnesota.

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On the Farm - Marystown, Minnesota

from flickr user Jim Teske
The photographer says: In this particular scene, I liked how the white barn contrasted against the dark sky. As I parked my truck along the side of a gravel road, I noticed just a tiny, faint rainbow, and then it disappeared quickly. Just as I was framing up this shot and was ready to press the shutter button, the rainbow appeared once again, only this time with more intensity.

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