An old house crumbles in a cruel and irreversible battle with time. From disrepair to rot to ruin, it decomposes before our eyes, its elements returning to the Earth, inch by inch, splinter by splinter.
How did you end up this way, Old House? Who lived in you, and why did they leave? Why did they stop repairing you? Do they still drive by? Do they remember living comfortably, protected from the elements by your once-viable roof and walls?
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| Dilapidated House - Eastern Sierras |
We are compelled to look and to wonder. Perhaps this old house, disintegrating into the elements of a remote and unforgiving wilderness, serves as a metaphor for our own inevitable decline.
Of course I wanted to take a photo as I drove by, but I told myself to keep going. I didn't have much time. The drive to San Francisco would take most of the day. I had to keep on schedule.
But a mile down the road, I made the decision to turn the car around. I couldn't leave this old house forgotten. I needed to make the photograph, to capture the dignity of this lonely, crumbling house while it still stood.
Thank you, Old House, for sheltering a family, for being someone's home, and for capturing our imagination.
Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S
(Shot handheld while leaning over a fence)
Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!
Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
This old house refreshes my memories of my childhood when I was just about 6 years old and went to a farm house with my grandfather. That farmhouse situation was same as this old house. We never go back to this farm house after that. Now after reading your blog I have decided to repair it after my west coast tours.
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