Dirt Clod Heart

This is one of the last hearts I found at The Abandoned before they began to build houses.  A sort of bittersweet tribute to the magic which once was.

Sidewalks and Streetlights

Next to the snazzy homes being built along the street, where sidewalks and streetlights abound, the forest stands silent.  When the wind blows--I am sure the history of this once beautiful place whispers through man's progress.  Huge homes stand so close together, one could shake hands across the small divide between them.

Sissy says these are California houses.  The very kind of neighborhood which, if it somehow caught fire, would leap from house to house.  I hope that never happens here.

The New Abandoned

When I visited Mumsie, I was taken aback by these houses.  They hadn't been there a month or so before.  They are like mushrooms, springing up everywhere.  What once was abandoned, is now a swanky neighborhood.  Still--the houses are so close together, one could nearly shake hands with one's neighbor through the windows!

Above you see what it looked like after demolition.

Above you see what the inside of the huge main building that once stood where all these houses have sprouted.  I miss its mystery.  

I call these new homes Mushroom Houses.  You would not believe how quickly these hones go up.  It is just extraordinary. I question whether or not they are built well.  I've seen the construction, and I really wonder about that.  I have a feeling this neighborhood would not do well in a storm. 

Tree Sap Drip

Here  you see the sap of the tall fir.  This is how the tree heals its injured spots.  We call it pitch, others call it tree sap.  It is sticky, fragrant and beautiful in the sunshine. 

Have a lovely day and if you get the chance, take a walk in the forest.  There are all kinds of wonderful surprises to be found.

Skylights

This amazing building is now leveled.  Where it once stood one can see rows of houses set close together.  They are high-end homes, each selling for around $400,000.  I can't even imagine that much money.

What a shame.  And now, just across the street a large area of the old forest along the canyon where Oregon's endangered native frog and native salamanders once lived, has also been leveled.  Their habitat has been destroyed.

The folks who bought the land are building a mansion and are putting in a filbert orchard.  It is a crying shame--I was sure the land they bought was a green way which could not be touched.  Mom says the frogs are gone.  All gone.

They were abandoned.

I will post pictures when I can get them.

Old Growth Beauty

This is one of the incredibly beautiful Cedar trees which grow in the canyons and woodlands surrounding what once was The Abandoned.  It is beautiful.  The trees grow big and graceful.  If I were to stand next to the cedar tree you see here, I would be dwarfed by it's sheer size.

I love this place--these forests.  There is such incredible hidden beauty there. 

Forest Pond

This is the pond Daddy built.  It was a dream which came true.  It is still there, near my childhood home across from where the Abandoned once flourished.  It has a new name now--El Grande Point. 

I love the forests which still grow undisturbed in the canyons and hills which surround what used to be The Abandoned.  I hope this progress of building houses will not destroy the pristine beauty of the existing woodlands and wetlands.

Have a sweet weekend, dear Friends.

Mama's Garden

This is a picture I took of Mumsie's garden last Summer.  It is so beautiful.

I was visiting there a few days ago, and you would not believe the construction that is going on where The Abandoned once stood.  There are houses everywhere!  Those houses weren't there the last time I visited just before Christmas.

I call them Mushroom Houses, because they pop up like a flock of shrooms.  It is almost frightening how quickly these houses are being built.  And they are HUGE homes.  The next time I visit, I'll take a picture to show the incredible progress they've made.  It is abandoned no longer.

Have a lovely day, sweet Friends!

Icy Prickles in The Abandoned

This is the purple star thistle, which in the summer grows to over four feet tall.  It has a lovely purple brush-like flower and the bees enjoy a tasty meal when it is in bloom.

Here you see that winter has covered this stickery fellow with a few icy points of its own. 

Happy New Year, dear Friends!