The Abandoned: Heart of the Matter - Guest Heart Thursday

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Heart of the Matter - Guest Heart Thursday

What fun to walk the halls, rooms, forests and fields of The Abandoned once more, with my sweet Sister. Along the road, where the vegetation thickly contests its right to be there, we found this wonderfully unusual flowering tree.

As you can see, the centers of these beautiful blossoms are filled with tiny fragrant flowers. I am sure faeries must visit here.

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

WARNING: If you visit The Abandoned, without permission from the owners, or the caretaker, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

4 comments:

Clytie said...: Oh Sissie ... The heart is so much more perfect here than I could see on your camera!!! I know the fairies play here ... and someday I will find out what kind of trees these are!; June 9, 2011 at 7:38 AM
Laura said...: so beautiful...I love that you live close to each other and spend time together...my sisters live far away and I miss them so.; June 9, 2011 at 12:00 PM
teri said...: A really lovely photo! Glad you were able to have such a nice walk.; June 9, 2011 at 6:19 PM
Dani said...: very beautiful, Beth; June 13, 2011 at 5:21 AM

The Abandoned

Years ago, I dedicated this blog to The Abandoned, a huge complex of abandoned buildings in rural Oregon.

Surrounded by wetlands and old growth timber, The Callahan Center was built in the 1970's by the State of Oregon as a rehabilitation center for people recovering from injuries on the job.

In 1992, the property was bought by a mega church. However, the Living Enrichment Center closed in 2004, amidst financial scandal and the property was abandoned.

The buildings stood empty for many years. Over that span the property was vandalized and looted. Yet the beauty of its rare architecture shone through the shambles of abuse and disrepair.

In the summer of 2013, the complex was completely demolished. We were all sad to see the buildings go, but because of trespassers and vandals, it was necessary to take them down.

The area where The Abandoned once stood is filled with $500,000 mushroom houses (homes built so fast they pop up like mushrooms) built on postage stamp lots. There are sidewalks and tall lamps where I once watched the foxes of the field leaping above the grass, hunting rodents.

The surrounding woodlands still survive. It is my prayer the wetlands and forests with their pristine creeks, native trees and flowers, as well as the wildlife which shelter there, will be protected.