I have to admit, I am drawn to lonely places.
I took these photos while on a photo shoot with my sister, but as I was snapping away, I started to wonder whether my attraction to these out of the way, lonely places is connected to my love of ghost stories.
Do I secretly wish to discover a pale and ethereal face looking out at me from one of the windows of these buildings?
I remember when I was a little girl. My mom and dad took me canoe camping in Upper Michigan...Sylvania. It was often chilly up there, even in June, and unable to swim for long periods of time, we would often spend our days canoeing to different areas across the lake and exploring.
One day as we were exploring, we came upon the shell of a house in a clearing, out in the middle of nowhere. In my memory, it was a white Victorian farmhouse (which is only important only in that I have always wanted to live in a Victorian farmhouse, and I am sure I projected my love of one onto the other), but I cannot think that my memory is accurate, because what I also remember about it was that it was partially burned down. You could still see the outer walls and some of the window frames but you could also walk around the wall to the inside. Sun poured through the bones of the house onto the lush grass growing all around the foundation and inside it, like it was the ruin of a great sun temple. I remember being fascinated by that house, wondering who could have lived there. Who built it? Why did they leave? I made up stories in my daydreams about it.
There are abandoned houses all over this area of Upstate New York. Legally, one is really not allowed to step foot on these properties, but it is hard for me to see them crumbling, pieces of their history and story chipping off day by day, and not want to stop and capture a moment of it. There is such sadness, but also so much dignity as these ghostly abodes hold their ground and refuse to be defeated by the elements. For me, there is something about capturing the moment in time as I see and experience it that projects hope and remembrance upon a spot so clearly forgotten.
I've been to and shared this location with you earlier this spring, here, but this time, with a photo buddy at my side, I was a little more bold about my forays onto this forgotten land.
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Originally, I had planned to only post the first picture at the top of this post, but there is something I like about the bottom one. I would love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment for me below.
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For a less abandoned house, please visit Adventures at Weathertop.
