The Abandoned: Licorice Fern

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Knot Heart - Guest Heart Thursday

The forests near The Abandoned are full of great trees. From a nearby public park, you can walk through a stand of old growth fir and oak. Their beauty is stunning. Some of these oaks are taller than most city sky scrapers. Do you see the heart?

Eons ago this tree lost a branch and now wears its heart for all to see. The licorice fern draping the side of the Knot Heart was once harvested by Northwest American Indian tribes. They used the root both raw and cooked. The root is sweet, but is thin and fibrous and was often used as an appetizer for children who would not eat. Apart from its use as a pleasantly flavored chew, it was seen as a famine food and was harvested when there was a shortage of better foods. Yes, it really does taste like licorice.

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

WARNING: You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker. If you do, 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.