If I had a limitless supply of money...

...I would buy all the old, deserted houses I find that can be saved and I would restore them.

I don't know what I would do with them after that. Perhaps leaving them upon the land where they were built would simply delay their demise. Maybe I could move them...after all, I have a limitless supply of money...to a town full of old houses that once graced the rural Iowa countryside.

I'd start with this place.

Politics

In this political season, I am struck by how easily our society is influenced by emotional ploys.



With that in mind, I offer an image that symbolizes to me our responsibility to the generations that follow us. We offer them a great disservice when we respond emotionally or based on personalities instead of logic. Logic requires critical questioning. While it is easier to be told how to think (ok, for many people...probably not the truest statement about me), we have a greater responsibility than to follow blindly.

Please, go find out what you think. Find out what is true and don't believe the emotional ploys politicians use to draw out feelings that blind your logic.

My Favorites on Flickr

I have a bunch of photographs 'favorited' on flickr.
Above is one example. I did not take the photo, this guy did.
I wish I took it, but it's in Michigan and I'm not.

This is only one of many, so go see these pictures.

They're awesome.

Textures

Textures make photos more tasty. Don't you think?

Iowa Landscape

Photographed 8/8/08

Drive-By Photography

All of the abandoned, dilapidated, decaying, neglected, deserted, and to me completely magnetic houses I find are from the seat of my car. I sometimes do not even leave the car to photograph them, as was the case with this house.

Flickr Explore

I have an account on Flickr, a photo sharing community I joined very nearly a year ago. I have had the good fortune to have had 69 photos in Explore. Following are these photos with links to their Flickr page.

Enjoy!
1. A Deserted Farmhouse, 2. life, once, 3. the farmhouse, 4. looking to the past, 5. rural nonfiction history, 6. stop your motor, and by the way... no smoking, 7. past, rural living, 8. geese and gulls,

9. it seems like something from a sad story, 10. one of a kind, 11. Decayed Details, 12. cold house on a cold day, 13. A Grand Stucco, 14. A Room with a View, 15. Church, 16. life around the abandoned,

17. slowly joining the earth, 18. a deserted winter house, 19. out of reach abandoned house, 20. fogotten house, 21. house long abandoned, 22. Once a Dream, 23. Side of the House of Pain, 24. Ola and Peter Johnson,

25. Halfa Church, that is Church in Halfa, 26. peering inside the abandoned, 27. Milkweed, 28. chilly memories, 29. Season's Greetings, 30. CAFE, 31. car and house, overlooked, 32. roaming the halls,

33. Picket Fence Symbolism, 34. Slighted, 35. Tattered Reflections of the Past, 36. A Sliver of Poetry, 37. Washing Machine, 38. deserted but not alone, 39. still watching, 40. intriguing abandon,

41. hiding wildflower, 42. watching, 43. red shed in hiding, 44. not quite clearly, you can see.., 45. sun setting on the old farmhouse, 46. October Barn, 47. Neglected House, or House of Pain, 48. uninhabited,

49. if you look close, 50. shed in a bean field, 51. harvest time in iowa, 52. room with a view, 53. yellow water lilly, 54. once a public school bathroom, 55. out of reach abandoned goodness, 56. Old Baptist Church,

57. Swinging in the Sky, 58. Building, Alone, set against a Blue Sky, 59. purple in the wild, 60. flowers, fog and abandonment, 61. New Beginning...(Thanks Karen.), 62. naturally curly, 63. barn and silo, 64. once a home,

65. on the edge, 66. building peeking over corn, 67. whaddya want, 68. Weathered Abandoned House, 69. Deteriorating House

For more information on Explore, visit www.flickr.com

Gravel Road Exploration

I found a new house last week. I am surprised I had not discovered it before, since I have explored much of the area north and west of Graettinger, Iowa, and photographed many abandoned homes. This one was a joy to find, photograph, and dream about. Once decorated with red trim, the detail of the exterior woodwork shows a great investment in the once-family home.

Beauty or Beast

The beauty of our rural landscape is emphasized, I think, but the abandoned structures I am drawn to. Is this why I photograph them? I would be deceiving you if I allowed you to believe this. I am lured in by the details, the evident thought and perhaps love that was invested into each structure. Yet, it wasn't enough. The attention, thought, and love was not enough to keep a family or a community. The Great Depression and the years that followed created an environment toxic for the family farmer and relatively few survived. I understand the choice to leave a once-cherished family home was likely not one taken lightly, yet... I still wonder about the stories.

Some would call these structures ugly, reminders of hard times. While they may represent to some the events that led to their abandonment, I only see the beauty of their beginnings.

Photo: Church or School where Halfa, Iowa once existed...perhaps even thrived.

A music suggestion:
Iris DeMent "Our Town"