I cannot resist following a path- especially when it seems to lead to nowhere- because in my explorations I have found that every road exists for a reason, no matter how hidden...

This abandoned old house was at the end of that road, frozen in time and lost in the deep dark pine barrens of New Jersey. One dark window seemed like the heart of the house now stilled & unbeating. Paint peeled from the porch columns... while birds made their nests along the peaked lines of the upper stories...

I could only wonder at the secrets this place would hold forever.

The green that was once cheerful decorated jagged edges... and the shadows & the trees conspired to play tricks on my eyes. After a brief connection with something lost, the sun began it's descent behind corners & window panes and stole my light.

As I retreated from the scene, the dying sun gave me a final brilliant display, fire through the tangled foliage that hid this forgotten place.

(I tried to go back for more later but the place was completely gone, demolished, these photos left behind to testify to it's forgotten presence. I do have more shots & background story on this find on the following page, for those interested: http://www.lostdestinations.com/treehse.htm)

Today I brought my Rebel for a walk down memory lane to the places my little feet once played.  I was hoping to stir up those exciting memories of being 10 years old in the world I once called my own.  Instead, I walked away with a feeling of disgust.  

This is the smallpond I once caught frogs in and skated on.

This factory building was once someones pride and joy.  Why was it so easy for someone to leave it for time to take its toll?

Here is one for the forgotten Cora Anna who died at age 19.  I found her grave stone thrown in the woods, left there to be forgotten by everyone.

All of my young friends and I once played near this building.  Now, someone has posted a warning sign, not that it helped this raccoon who cannot read!  I have to wonder what is in the barrels behind him.  

Time changes everything, but often times, not for the better.  

I finally gained limited permission to walk over this bit of property that is absolutely filled with buildings and old trucks. My access is limited only because they are afraid that the buildings might collapse, but I am permitted to return any time I like.

I found a lot of old equipment 1,  2, and  3. Some things are at least familiar antique ringer washer, oven 1? oven 2?, wheel and these.

Many things were just left,  unused.. Some were quite large and I don't really know why all of them were left there. This obviously fell because it was rusted through.  

The buildings are in different  stages of disrepair. It's strange how people will dump anywhere. Some provide air as well as   light.  

And this was a combination of two views of one photo, and I even prepared a little rental blurb for you entertainment. "This rustic apartment is within walking distance of Historic Old Town Spring. Rich foliage blocks the sound of nearby roads. Unique windows offer the view of historic buildings and a lovely lullaby is often provided by passing trains. The apartment offers all natural plumbing. Installation of Lightning rod suggested in order to channel electricity for power. Stairway is out of order, a ladder may be provided upon request."

And for those of you who have been following me ;) I have a spot of good news. I finally got a job :)

The sun finally came out today, and so did I! There is a working Ferry across one arm of Bull Shoals.  The lake has 1050 miles of shoreline, so what you see in the shots I take from my house are just a tiny piece of it.  The ferry holds six cars, runs sun-up to sun-down, and it is free.  The Pilot took over the job when his father retired.  Wonder if they ever have to use those Life Preservers?.  It is about a 15 minute ride across, and the only way to get across the state line between Protem, Mo. and Peel, Ar.  The sign says Toad Suck , but nobody remembers where it got the name.

I also stopped along the way at this abandoned post office at Locust, built in 1908.  Somewhere along the way, it lost its  Roof , and closed the Door .  When I stopped to take these shots, this beautiful Horse came up to see what I was doing.  It was a good day to be in the sun!

The dreary clouds lit up nicely for a great Golden Sunset

This fellow will soon be shedding his winter coat.  Scottish Highland

I liked this old  Homestead. Too bad it was left to go downhill and deserted over the years.

Yesterday, Kay pondered what theold depot I posted would look like in black and white. So, I made a couple of non-color attempts.

 B&W
 Sepia

And one new shot from a small town.  These really hit me because someone somewhere once called this place home, not his building per se, but the place it inhabited in the past.  And now only brick and memories remain.

You Can't Go Home

Another Train Depot - this one in downtown Augusta - no longer in use, even the tracks are gone but massive and classic.

Lost Views

 Yin and Yang, Life and Death - a scene from the old city cemetery

 Heaven's Storms - another from the same cemetery - the clouds were really interesting that day.  

While on the venture of the tractors I found some other interesting sites.air pump farm house gas pump red farm house water wheel Enjoy.

Time

The 2nd batch of pics from my trip to India...

The view from my apartment. Traffic comes at a standstill every morning, especially if some politician shuts the road so he can get through to the airport with his motorcade.
Commercial St in Bangalore.
Cops in Bangalore. Their weapons are bamboo sticks, and they hurt.
A cricket game - India vs. India. This is where I missed out on not having a cam with more than a 3x zoom!
We hired a car and driver to take us on our little road trip, because we wanted to come back alive. If you're thinking of driving in India, forget it!
Dam.
Mysore Park.
Ooty's only street.
The empty hotel we stayed at in Mysore.
Steps.
A checkpoint close to the Karnataka - Tamil Nadu border. In India you need to pay a tax to enter another state in your car.
Some abandoned hotel, or it seemed to be when we went in it.

I recently took a trip to visit family in Colorado. The view from the top of moms_house. We took a road trip along the south west corner of the state. We stopped at the Cheyanne Mountain Zoo. There were Giraffe to be fed and pet. There was a rare  White lion, and a  Gorilla. We then ventured onto the Royal Gorge, where they have a rare   white buffalo. Then we went to the  wolf sanctuary where we met Ned who unfortunatly had cancer, but was getting the nesessary treatment. Then it was on to Moska where there was a Gator farm, and a crazy guy who wrestled alligators for a living. We then headed north through the mountains. Where we saw beautiful skylines everywhere. Then we saw a random tower. Then much to our suprise out one window there is a  double rainbow and out the other is an awsome sunset. Along the many open roads there are tons of abandoned builings. We then stumbled across the CLinton Gulch Reseviour  Mt Lake Mt Lake2. And what trip through the mountains would be complete with out houseback riding. And so with a soreness that would last a week we returned to civilization.

This is the story of Marcus, our 10 year old kitty. We adopted Markymarks at the beginning of this year from the Seattle Animals Shelter. From what we could gather of his history, his first family brought him to the shelter as a young cat. About 5 years ago, he was adopted by his second family, but was unfortunetly abandoned. During these years he lived on the streets, managing to survive by being a big lover boy. He does have some battle scars though, and contracted FIV from a deep bite of another FIV+ kitty. Because of this, he is an indoors kitty, though he is leash trained and I take him on walks, (no pics of that - but let me tell you it ain't like walking no dog!:-). We've really enjoyed getting to know Marcus Williams and him accepting us as his family ;-). (sorry about the couple of blurry/outoffocus pics, I wanted to convey marcus's attitude more then anything:-)

While these shots were taken before the assignment I thought they would fit nicely. This first one is determination not to be caught by the camera.Don't do that! While this one is both strength of law and determination not to forget. court house with statueThe rest of these are the start of a project of mine titled "The Forgotten" Let me know what you think old and abandoned very old with sentinal old but not forgotten

I see that doors and windows are a popular subject matter here (I thought it was just me) so here are a few from my camera.Black and White Windows Danger Door Barn Window Abandoned Motel Torch Window

I was riding around town looking for some good shots of the sunset over a lake when I came across a small abandoned building.  I took a few pictures of it's door, windows, and fence.  I decided to go ahead and try using the negatives for a creepier look.
door
window
window 2
fence

If you guys haven't noticed I love taking pictures of flowers.  I thought that the tulips were gorgeous and the tree trunk was pretty cool also.  These were all taken at an abandoned house near one of my aunt's house.  The white flower is my fave. The greenery picture is pretty wicked too!
DANDELION
PURPLE FLOWERS
GREENERY  
TREETRUNK
PURPLEFLOWER2
TULIP1
 TULIP2
TULIP3
WHITEFLOWER

There's a park in town that was divided about 40 years ago by Interstate 90. The main park survives, but the part that was a covered walkway leading up to a gazebo that overlooked the park has been let go--just the supports and steps are left. The grass has overgrown the area and lovers have stopped coming here. Now, abandoned stairs lead nowhere and walls stop you from...nothing.

As promised, driving 2 hrs from my home to Orlando for the week. Though there are many unique roadside attractions across the USA, like the largest ball of Twine, etc.,Florida has many. We have a place called Dinosaur World Dino and I was wondering what if they were real.Dino 2 Then the bad boy showed up. Dino 4 So please drive safely.Dino 5Now I was glad that I was driving instead of flying. Plane Plane 2 I finally made it to Orlando, but somewhere between Tampa and Orlando, they were drilling for oil and thus... Orlampa 1st there was the Worlds greatest Gift ShopGift Followed by a mystic gift shopGift 2 Then the worlds largest OrangeOrange In the 80's someone built Xanadu, home of the future. In 2005 it is now abandoned used by vagrants Xandau Xandau 3 So don't be caught up a treeTree and look out for the gatorsGatorFinally there was Electric Mickey. Electric Mickey I hope you enjoyed the trip.

Yesterday was the planned annual family garage sale. However, the rain and heavy thunderstorms forced us to abandon our plans. So after the rain stopped and everyone was sleeping in, I got bored and went for a walk. I spotted a grainElevator In The DistanceFrom there I found a good opportunity for some abandoned and not so abandoned subjects. Here are a few to look at. Wild Flowers Lost Along The Way Holding It Together Rusted Machinery Rail America 105 The Color Of Money Hard Worker Railroad Crossing Abandoned Elevator

One of my great interests is exploring and photographing what I think of as forgotten places. These are the abandoned homes, the empty factories, and other places that have been left by the wayside.

But beyond the interest in the places themselves what can be found inside is even more fascinating. I've walked down staircases littered with rubble, found condiment and cracker packets next to a Black Sabbath tape, seen kitchen cupboards which seem to have been raided for food, and order windows which now take only the orders of the wind. There have been broken windows and broken doors. Filthy bathroom sinks and missing fire extinguishers.

I have found much beauty in these places, even amomgst the filth and decay. Outside empty and abandoned houses I've found green ivy growing over red brick, inviting warmth and color, and old rusted pick-up trucks resting in scenic landscapes.

Exploring these forgotten places is a reminder that life is impermanent and change is inevitable. As George Harrison once sung, "All things must pass...All things must pass away..."