I always thought the origins of red barns had something to do with mixing blood and milk (the casein serving as a binder), but before posting and looking foolish I thought I would look it up. I was wrong.
"Historically, these structures were painted with a mixture oflead oxide (known as red lead) and solvents such as boiled linseed oil or turpentine. Lead oxide was the pigment with the lowest cost and a barn required a great deal of paint. Red lead was also durable and didn't fade as fast as other colours. Red barns are a good symbol of just how common lead-based products were in the past."
Source: Muir M & Campbell M. (1995). Why barns are red: the health risks from lead and their prevention. A resource manual to promote public awareness. Toronto: Metropolitan Toronto Teaching Health Units and the South Riverdale Community Health Centre.
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/health/pubs_index.htm#barns Here is another source, suggesting that I was not entirely off-base:
"Barns were originally painted red because back in pioneer days there wasn't much choice. Farmers used to make their own mixture, consisting of a nauseating blend of skim milk, lime, linseed oil, and iron oxide, better known as rust. "Hmm," said the anonymous inventor of this concoction, "this is not the milkshake I hoped it would be. But it might make a pretty good paint.
It was even so. The mixture hardened quickly and wore well. The red color was a side product of the iron oxide."
Whatever the origin, in the dead of winter you have to appreciate the aesthetic of them. Red in the middle of winter is very much appreciated. Way too many barns around here are white - of course, that probably keeps them cooler in summer. I am looking forward to seeing some living green myself.
BTW, the Ftb was my first SLR. I loved it and still have one. Built like the proverbial tank. You always make yours sing, Gene.
