March 16, 2009

it was calling my name.....

we had driven by this property many times
almost stopping
but never hitting the brakes completely
~
sunday
we did
~
"no trespassing"
signs
~
there were none
~
there was
a big fence that we had to jump over
though
and
we kept looking around thinking maybe the farmer
across the hundreds of acres owned the property
and
would show up on his 4-wheeler
with a shot gun
but he didn't
houses like this fascinate me in a way I can't explain
~
I wonder who lived here
and
why they let it go
~
it looks like it was loved
once
~
the pink walls
the green ceiling
the light fixture I covet
~
yes
someone loved this place
I think about the hands
that opened and closed this door
for years and years
day and night
through brutal winters and soft springs
~
was it just adults who lived here
~
maybe a young couple who couldn't ever have children
or
maybe a family with lots of children
who slept in tiny rooms on imperfect mattresses
who
shared stories around the warm fireplace in the evenings
while dad
after having spent hours tending to the farm
finally joined them while smoking his pipe
and
what room was this I wonder
~
I think maybe the kitchen
but
there was nothing inside to tell me so
~
it was filled with tires
and
rusted springs to bed frames
and
pieces of wood and debris that I couldn't even recognize
~~~~~
this is how I like to spend my weekend days
~
driving around with my hubby
looking for houses and barns
that are barely hanging on
yet still
maintain a beauty
that
not everyone can see
~
can you see it
?


19 comments:

  1. I loved how you "wondered" about those things, the room, the door knob. I find I do that alot. Great post.

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  2. My kindred spirit, indeed...

    I ventured into an old house just like this back where we used to live and found one of those antique red velvet with woodwork trim couch. It was a beauty. There was no way to salvage it, or I would have snatched it right up.

    I often wonder the same things about these forgotten homes and the lives that were sheltered within their walls.

    Hauntingly beautiful pictures Beth. Well done!!

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  3. I can't believe you went in there! It's awesome... funny that you mention the door knobs, since I've thought of that any time I've gone through old houses, buildings, tours, etc. I love that you and your hubby do this, sounds like a great way to spend a weekend!

    xoxox

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  4. Oh- I love it! I think the same things...I wish houses could talk. Beautiful pictures- so interesting!

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  5. This is so cool! I love old houses like this. Oh, the memories those boards hold....

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  6. i'm not sure why, but i love photos that show deterioration. so cool. i would have stopped, too.

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  7. gorgeous find - the texture, the colors, the memories. how wonderful

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  8. I opened your blog tonight and said aloud, "Oh, my. Look at that!" Gorgeous. Yes, I do love abandoned homes, farms, barns, sheds. We poked around in one last summer and it killed me to leave behind all those yummy glass nobs and milk glass light fixtures. They were bound for the wrecking ball....

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  9. How wonderful! I love the photo journey you take us on. Yes, that place was loved once...

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  10. Fantastic post! I love how you've taken us thru the memories..all of the cherished lives and 'things' this house once held.

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  11. I'm all over places like this, and I love your story line/mental process -- it's the same thing I do, all that wondering -- who, how many, when, what ... inventing lives, faces, laughter, knowing the walls know ... have you ever seen a movie called A Trip To Bountiful, with Geraldine Page? lord, you would love it I think ... it's hard to find and usually only the VHS version is out there, but well well worth it. She is an elderly lady stuck living with an indifferent son and obnoxious vain wife ... all she wants to do is take one more trip back home, to Bountiful, her family house there ... check it out, Beth, if you can.

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  12. Beautiful photos and lovely post. Count me in as one that loves thinking about these abandoned places and who may have come and gone before me.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  13. What beautiful pictures....and the story you tell is priceless. I will never ride by another old house and not think the same thing you did.

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  14. Hello Beth,

    Relyn mentioned on my blog that you had been photographing an abandonned building. I must admit that the thing I wonder mainly is "why has someone let this place decay"?

    Sometimes it's because a new road has encroached too close for comfort. More likely that the house is too far from mains electricity and water services that most of us would now consider essential. But the waste is a great shame.

    In the UK we have a register of "significant" properties at risk. There are some people who would be willing to restore a property but the owner won't sell. I think they should be forced either to sell or restore it themselves!

    Lovely photographs!

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  15. Gorgeous photos and beautiful prose. I have been doing the same thing since I was a kid. Making up stories for every deteriorating home around. Everyone thought I was weird! So did I but I have finally found my tribe out here in blogland! Great post and wonderful blog!

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  16. oh, i really love old abandoned houses like this as well. i don't have anything like this around here, it's nice to see your photos here.

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  17. i love these photos. oh that house... swoon. i always want to go inside abandoned houses to see what was left behind...to notice what is still there.... just like you are doing. there was one that was by my house where i grew up, i always wanted to go in so badly, once my mom and i tried to get in, but we were both too chicken... when you come visit we have to do this! please? kevin knows just how much i dream of doing things like this, but he isn't into trespassing so much... grrrr.
    you are so cool, you do know that right? oh i adore you! xo

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  18. you are so brave and so curious ...I really admire that and it shows in your photos!

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  19. I adore photographs like this, and your imagination is just like mine, wondering...pondering what was and why? I love abandoned homes for the reason they strike the philosophical questions...why why and why??

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth