Friday, December 24, 2010

Photo-Finish Friday -- Gone But Not Forgotten

I took this 25 years ago. It's some outbuildings at my grandparents' farm after they been abandoned for nearly 25 years.  I spent the first year of my life here.
I'm not sure what the buildings are though I suspect the one in the back is a granary and the one in front a shed.  Dad said they had goats for a while and said critters were often found walking on top of  the sheds. The farmstead is overgrown. Most of the buildings are gone. The land was recently sold.
There's no going back now except in my memories.

18 comments:

Reb said...

*Sniff* That is a lovely photo Leah. I will miss being able to stop and take photos when in the area.

David Barber said...

And nobody can take away your memories! That photo is the exact reason why we take them. And there's a story or two bubbling up in my head from that photo, Leah.

I forgot it was friday today, it's Christmas Eve in our house with the kids. :-) I've put a story up. I'll be back with a PFF next week.

Have a great Christmas, Leah, and best wishes to you and your family!!

David Cranmer said...

A fine photo. My charmer and I often take pics of abandoned structures and we're left wondering the story behind them.

Hilary said...

Thank you for sharing this place and time. It's sad that it no longer stands but wonderful that it's forever preserved in photos and in your memories.

Laurita said...

I love photos of old buildings - houses, barns, schools. There are memories attaced that last far longer than wood and brick. Thank you for this lovely post.

Dawn said...

Some of the best and most favorite photos come from old buildings and memories.
Great capture of both of these Leah.

Tabor said...

Live does move on whether we are ready or not...but it does leave those important memories.

messymimi said...

It lives on in your heart and mind, the places that matter most.

A blessed and beautiful Christmas to you.

Leah J. Utas said...

Reb, thanks so much. It looks to me like the granary is screaming.
I'll miss it, too.

David B., that's right. They're mine and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
Have at the stories, David. I'm curious what you've got.

David C., old buildings have so much to say.

Hilary, thank you. It'll always be there in my mind.

Laurita, me too. I always wonder what happened in them and to them.

Dawn, they have such character. The souls of the builders are still in them.

Tabor, everything changes. It's important to have some sort of anchor to the past even if it is only a memory.

Messymimi, that's so very true. Thanks for the Christmas wishes. I hope yours is wonderful.

the Bag Lady said...

If only we had the wherewithal to hang on to the old place......

Great photo, cousin! I actually have a little corner shelf that was in the ruins of one of the buildings there (older cousin told me it was his blacksmith shop - I think not one of the buildings in your photo). The shelf is a rough affair that Grandad must have thrown together, but still a piece of family history.

solarity said...

It's always sad to see all that hard work go to waste: sadder with buildings than with food or clothes.

The foundations of the old house down hill from mine are surrounded with daffodils, day lilies, and phlox. A gardener lived there.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Leah J. Utas said...

Bag Lady, I wish we could keep it.
Glad you've got a piece of it.
Even the stuff he threw together stands up after all these decades.

Mary Anne, yes, it is. The gardener would be happy to know the legacy lives on, I'm sure.

Ron Scheer said...

What's interesting about this photo is how nature reclaims whatever gets neglected for a while.

I have this habit of taking pics of old abandoned buildings as well. I can't help thinking of the lives that were lived there by people with hopes and dreams that may never have come to pass.

Leah J. Utas said...

That's right, Ron. Today you'd never know those buildings had existed.

Barbara Martin said...

Old photos bring nice memories. A lovely photo.

Merry Christmas, Leah, to you and your family.

Unknown said...

I hear ya. My parents are getting ready to move out of the house I grew up in, and I stop by now and just wander around wondering if this is the last time I get to see it

Leah J. Utas said...

Merry Christmas to you, Barbara.

Arc Jerome, I understand.

Cheryl Kohan said...

Memories are everything, I think. I remember going back a couple of years ago to the tiny little town I lived in when I was little tiny. It's not there, anymore. I just couldn't believe it and I was devastated and almost wished we hadn't gone. But the memories are still there.