13 posts tagged “decay”
I went to an Estate Sale yesterday. Granny called to tell me about it, she went earlier and thought I needed to come and take pictures of the place. LOTS of garbage. Two decrepit old out buildings and a wine cellar I would never climb into. I bought a few creepy relics, will photograph them later after I was the dresses. Here are a few of the back yard though.
I told myself I was going to work out this week, I did go for a long bike ride on Monday, but that was the extent of that. sigh, so I will start today! I will go for another ride, the sun is out, it looks like it will be a decent day. This weekend is going to be yucky, but whatever. Here are a few of the pictures I took of my town while on my bike ride on Monday. These were not on manual, I let my camera think for me.
I used this to my advantage to ask a few people if I could take pictures in the back yard. Two people accepted, the third was not home, but I so want to go back there, there is a HUGE decaying barn there. It is Gorgeous!
Anyway, the alley pictured here with the fence of many panels, with mean dogs that wanted to chew me up behind it I met two lovely towns people. They have lived in their houses since the 1950's. Both houses date from the 1920's (early). Gordon told me of his sons shooting at a target on his now leaning garage, the BB's are rusted in the weathered wood. They received these guns for Christmas in the 1960's. I thought of Ralphies red rider BB gun. He allowed me to take some pictures of his leaning garage, a wrens nest that was built in the middle of a rug that was hanging on a wire, a rusting blue bike, and he told me personal stories of what it was like living here long before I was born. He was very friendly.
Then to his neighbors home, she lives alone and she is elderly. Out on her porch sunning herself. I look at her gutters and they are growing a lot of plants, they look like little window boxes. It must have taken ten or more years to get that amount of growth on there. She must have leeks in her roof. I would like to go back and clean those out for her. I ask her if I can go to the back yard and take pictures. Her back yard is basically paths between bluebells and ivy, littered with rusty antiques. She said "it is not very pretty back there" I told her to me it really is. I plan to print out some pictures and bring them back to her. The last 4 pictures are from her back yard, they barely show all the stuff she has back there. When I was leaving she was inside, I suspect
I hope you all have a great weekend and If I do not pop in this weekend, please, all of you Mothers, Have an amazing Mothers day!
Some of my fondest childhood memories are from this local park. Point Defiance. There are Rose Gardens, Duck pond, Reflection pond, large hills of grass we used to roll down, the 5 mile drive through the woods where you can hike, several places to park for beautiful views of the Puget Sound, the Zoo and aquarium, Owen's Beach where you can look for shells and agates (my uncle found an old arrowhead there), The trains in the old logging area (pictured yesterday and the day before), Fort Nisqually, and Never Neverland.
Never Neverland was a place you paid $1 to go in and wander along wooded paths that lead you to Mother Goose themed houses and statues. Old Mother Hubbard was inside her house looking in a bare cupboard while her dog stood on his haunches hoping for a bone. The old lady who lived in a shoe looked out at the playground equipment that was all around the giant shoe. Billy Goats Gruff hid behind some painted trees while you passed over the bridge with water pumping below. The Gingerbread house looked yummy, and you could push a button to make the mouse run up a clock while the canned sounding music sang Hickory Dickory Dock. I remember feeling too old for it around 6th grade, but it was still magical for my younger sister.
I remember My dad and his younger brother taking us kids up there, They drank Rainier beers and we sat in the bed of the truck on the freeway there. (It was the late 70's, these things were not a concern) We would be so excited to watch our fathers climb the clay cliffs at owens beach, and to see the fort. Never neverland was colorful and fun. We would eat at Frisco Freeze and head home.
This is what it used to look like (not me or my family)
After years of decline, vandalism, and stolen Humpty Dumptys here is my park now.
Goodbye Never Neverland, through your stacked book entrance I was able to leave my mom and dad yelling at each other, my sisters fearful crying, my mother telling me that if I let my dad leave I won't have a daddy anymore, my mean teachers, anxiety, responsibility for adult things, the snide comments people made towards me, the church that told me who I was inside was wrong, and my shoes in the car. I was able to cross through that doorway and be a kid full of wonder and freedom. Thanks for that.
I know, the title is more poetic than this post will be. Haha! Just another walk about town and some pictures.
Music soft and motivating
helping my soul relax and REALLY see what was around me. Experience every curve, every sun ray, every line. It felt so good, but today it is raining once again. So here are some of the things I saw.
That store, what we always called the "little store" was where I would walk my baby brother and sister to to get candy, soda, and milk. I would walk with their tiny hand in mine, crossing streets cautiously together, excitedly choosing candy to bring home. Then I would carry their tiny body home on my back, they would be too tired to walk all the way home. I did this with such joy. I was in high school, sister was in elementary school by then, but brother was still a toddler. I did not go out with friends, or attend school dances, I played with them. I would babysit them and watch these amazing little people grow up. Now my Sister is in College, she wants to be a fashion writer for Vogue, my brother is in his last year of high school and wants to be a musician, he plays guitar and writes songs. I am SO proud of them, I feel so fortunate that I had the chance to hold those tiny hands in mine. To be a part of who they have become.
Thank you.
I knocked on the door the next day, my heart pounding, my feet creaking the old wooden porch boards. A man answered the door, he had long scraggly hair and his eyebrows were tattooed on along with tattoo eye lids. and he had an enormous smile on his face. I introduced myself and asked if he would not mind if I went and took pictures in his backyard. He asked why, I said I am teaching myself photography and his backyard is very interesting. Especially the old building. He said OH, the battery house. Is that what it is made of? Batteries? He said yes. In the early 20's and 30's it had been a battery manufacturing shop that went out of business when the depression hit. He said that they were not allowed to build on this lot until they cleaned it up, back in the day they would just dump the lead and battery acid right into the ground. Now he is stuck with millions of dollars in clean up bills. All very interesting. The batteries that make the walls of the building are not made of plastic, I think it is asbestos. I was shocked to see green beans and other veggies growing out there. A huge apple orchard too.
There was so much stuff out there just rotting into the poison soil. So here is the Battery house and a teeny bit of history. : )
