The Abandoned: February 2018

Friday, February 23, 2018

Lotus Flowers in the fields near Home

I love these flowers. It took a bit of research, but I discovered their formal name is lotus corniculatus. Though they're actually native to the temperate grasslands of Eurasia and North Africa, they were introduced to the Willamette Valley in Oregon in the mid 1940's.

Seeds were offered to local farmers like my Grandparents and were said to be good for the cattle--and indeed, from what Mumsie says, the flowers grew everywhere and the cattle loved to eat them.

Last summer I came across this beautiful little flower--and oh, the memories which flooded into my mind... As a little girl, I believed they were fairy's dresses. I would like to find some seeds for these--and scatter them around my flower garden! They do not grow profusely as they did when I was small.

Have a lovely weekend--take time to smell the flowers--that is, if the snow has melted!

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Heart from another time

This place no longer exists... And in some way, this photo represents the lost love of my life... It is my third Valentine's Day without my Beloved.

For some reason it hits me a bit harder today. I am realizing he really truly isn't coming back. Though I KNOW I will see him again, I know it won't be in this world.

So sweet love to you, my Beloved, my heart. You are deeply missed.

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.