Month: August 2013

My sincere congratulations with Victory Day!

Here, we have one more reason to say thank you to veterans of war, as if it was not for them, the war  could burn wooden houses not just due west from Moscow, but also due east and further on… And it is for sure not us but someone else would admire pieces survived. So, we must keep all they have saved for us. (This beautiful house is from Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast )

At those early days when my interest for window frames was just dawning, it came to my mind that they only could not satisfy me and I started making photos of attic windows and whatever else was available.

By the way, their shooting is much more complicated procedure, as “point-blank” photo is just impossible. That was why all the photos were made at different angles: some from below and some  from a side.

One more thing was I could not understand what I would do with these heaps; now I have this website, and the Facebook with vk.com,  but then I could not tell why I needed them all.But these days it is so pleasing and interesting to reveal details like this small balcony and fashioned roof shield of a house from Kimry.

…

– Young man, can I help you?

I am in GAVRILOV Yam, skipping at a fence and holding my camera with an extended hand, in a hope of photographing window frames put against the garage wall. I turn my head and see a woman with a chopper in her hand; she went out of the gate and for several seconds has been curiously watching me.

-Oh, yes! – I reply – Can I take photo of your window frames? Those removed ones?

-Window frames? But why?

-For a photo exhibition, and just to remember

-To remember…It’s good. Yes, go ahead, – she says about to shut her gate.

-Can I shoot in your yard? – I ask, without much hope, though

-Oh,you are welcome. Do come in!

I am coming in. Beds, swing, firewood,as everywhere. I take a couple of pictures and ask about the age of window frames.

-These ones are not old. The master carved them, just about 40-50 years ago.

I take one more pictures and is going to leave when she adds:

-By the way, their story is not very usual. The master carved them with his one hand only.  One of his hands was paralyzed, he could not work, and it was then when he was carving these frames…

While exploring Yaroslavl Oblast I had caught myself at a feeling that I could not admire the beauty of the window frames any longer because they were everywhere.

In this sense, I was lucky that we had begun from Tver Oblast, then went to Yaroslavl and Vologda Oblasts and returned to Yaroslavl Oblast again  – that let us to diversify a visual row. I suspect that when you shoot within some region and the same style of house carving, it is very possible that sooner or later all window frames begin looking very much alike.

So today, for those who like diversity, I offer window frames from the town of Balashov, Saratov Oblast. They have an autumn, not a spring look. And they have shutters

During my trip, I hardly had time to send even one picture from each place. Somewhere Internet was not available, and sometimes I was too busy.

This beautiful wooden house from Uglich is here to correct the situation.

It looks so nice that even the advertising cannot spoil it:)

Located in the very center of the town, it arouses respect of everyone.

It was my saddest mistake to hope that Yaroslavl might have window frames showing the most interesting trends Yaroslavl Oblast has to offer.

Art nouveau window frames like this probably make the majority here. And they can only be found at the outskirts, at small houses, but not at the central large buildings by famous architects. This one stands at the left bank of the Volga River.

After three towns of Vologda Oblast: Cherepovets (lacking any window frames), Vologda (painstaking search discovered only a handful of them) and Gryazovets (with its 1:20 proportion of window frames and planks), a return to Yaroslavl Oblast was like a gasp of fresh air.

A tiny town called Lyubim has many things to offer:

One terrific house built in 1899;

Two styles of window frames carving;

An old woman who told all her life in 5 minutes;

And much more in stock!

Vologda Oblast desperately lacks it all!

This picture shows an attic window at a house in Lyubim.

Now we are in Danilov, and tomorrow, the last day of our trip, will surely bring more adventures!

Vologda made us happy with its wooden houses of stunning beauty. They have everything: columns, carved balconies, small steps, you name it!

Just a fairy come true!

But…They have almost no window frames. I was offended, and the place paid me back: last night supper had poisoned me so heavy that only at the mid of today I could stand back on my feet.

Now I am a little better, so we are going to do a brief search in Vologda, and then move off to Gryazovets!

…may I take photo of your window frames?

We are in a place called Poshekhonye, at the bank of Rybinsk Water Reservoir

A man rises his head of something under the car bonnet and answers:

-Windowframes? Whyevernot?

-Look nice,-I go on. – Old, aren’t they?

-They are. We came here in 1959, and as early as that they had already about 50 years of age. But why do you ask?

– Doing a photo exhibition. Thank you, as for some reason all owners do not allow me to shoot.

– Well, not a tall. I don’t care. This is the house of my neighbor…

Yesterday, we had time to shoot window frames in Uglich, and today we are already in the town of Tutayev, at the right bank (Romanov).

Two types of window frames are available here: local ones are more intricate, and the ones brought from Mologa have simpler looks.

These ones belong to the first group.