The Abandoned: December 2011

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Red Leaf Heart - Guest Heart Thursday

Our last trip to The Abandoned was just as Fall ended and Winter began. Fall's heart lay upon the mossy ground. Such a lovely contrast of colors--so very perfect for Christmas and for Guest Heart Thursday.

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

WARNING: Think twice about visiting The Abandoned without permission. You risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Past and Future - Weekend Reflections

There is something so warm and friendly about home. This is home to me. Our home is over 100 years old. I often reflect upon the woman who once cooked there over a wood stove--the one still outside our kitchen door. I think about the bread she baked, rolling it out over the green marbled surface I now use as my desk top. The aroma of baking bread would have filled the entire neighborhood. I wonder what Christmas was like here, over a century before I arrived.

Reflections of past and the future interlaced here in my home.

When I walk through The Abandoned, the contrast between home and this place strikes me. Emptiness reigns in the present. One wonders about its past--and what the future will hold.

For more wonderful reflections from around the world, be sure to visit James at Weekend Reflections.

WARNING: Think twice about visiting The Abandoned without permission. You risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Bursting Green Hearts - Guest Heart Thursday

I found these beauties across the street from The Abandoned, where the magic still lingers from my childhood. These dainty leaves are lovingly tended by our darling Mumsie. She has a way with plants. I think they like the way she talks to them. How she lovingly tamps the earth snug against their roots. But beware should the stray weed grow there--unless it is pretty. Then perhaps Mum will let it stay awhile!

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

WARNING: Think twice about visiting The Abandoned without permission. You risk getting arrested for trespassing.

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.