Memories and it is a New Year!

Where once stood an endless parade of contradiction of beauty and destruction, are rows of huge homes where soft lighting and sidewalks reign.

Though I understand the need to rebuild, I miss those days of prowling through the huge abandoned buildings.  I remember the extraordinary architecture and the beauty of overgrown gardens, ponds and trees.  All of that is gone now.

I am happy for the people who live there.  They will likely never know of the adventures we once had.

I am grateful for the memories!  Happy New Year.

Reflections -Guest Heart Thursday

All that is left of The Abandoned are giant hills of rubble.  Each day huge metal bins are filled with debris and removed from this once magical place.

This may be one of the last entries I make on this blog, simply because The Abandoned is no longer in existence.  The surrounding forests still hold their magic--but I wonder for how long?

Will the old growth forests be destroyed in the name of progress?  Or sheer ignorance?  The woods is filled with native plants no one sees anymore.   Perhaps my next task will be to document the forest to keep a record of what was once there.  Unfortunately, people are the forest's worst enemy.

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

Blasted Heart - Guest Heart Thursday

I am always amazed at the beauty to be found in the broken chaos of The Abandoned.  There is a sort of rash beauty to this blasted heart, found in the windows two stories up, looking out over the main entry area. 

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.

Reflections From Above - Guest Heart Thursday

The camera, rather than focusing on the immediate heart shaped glass--sharpened its  eye on the reflection of the ceiling above instead.  This makes for a fascinating photo.  This picture made me blink a few times, until my brain became used to looking at it!

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.

Green Goat Glass - Weekend reflections

Sometime back, Sissy and I visited the old Dammasch State Hospital Dump.  Not many people know where it is located these days.  There was an incinerator at the hospital which melted and burned most of the hospital's garbage.  That waste was then dumped along a ravine, now hidden by trees and undergrowth.

Today one can find beauty amidst nature's attempts to cover this scar.  Hidden in the moss and forest flowers you can find all kinds of things at the dump -- twisted glass, vintage jars, tiny glass bottles, along with spoons, knives and forks.

The melted piece of glass above reminded me of a mythical creature--sort of like a goat with a unicorn horn!  What do you think?

To see more wonderful reflections from around the world, visit James at Weekend Reflections!

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

Under Glass - Weekend Reflections

This looks like an underwater shot complete with seaweed!  However, this is actually a tiny piece of broken glass no bigger than my thumb, pressed against the moss where it had fallen.  I thought it perfect for Weekend Reflections.

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

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

Through a Glass Darkly - Guest Heart Thursday

I was focusing in on a pile of glass with interesting reflections.  I love how this turned out--the focus was on the reflection of trees instead of the actual glass--which just happened to be in the shape of a heart. So perfect for this week's 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:   If you visit The Abandoned, without permission from the owners, or the caretaker, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Molten

Sissy and I walked through The Abandoned, then puttered along neglected paths where flowers raised their scented faces to the sun.  There's a place in the chain link fence, one can walk through to reach a rutted old road.  From there we made our way through the woods to the old Dammasch State Hospital dump.  Though the place where Dammasch Hospital once stood now sports snazzy homes--there are still remnants of the hospital if one knows where to look.  Places like this dump.  One can find all kinds of fascinating treasures there.

I find myself wondering about the lives of the people who once lived there, walking the halls of the hospital.  What stories lie buried here in this dump?  We will probably never know.

The photo above is of a bottle which was thrown into the Dammasch incinerator, melted and discarded--now molten and glorified in that rare bit of sunshine.


WARNING: If you visit The Abandoned, be sure to get permission from the owner, or caretaker before you come, otherwise you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Spring in The Abandoned - Weekend Reflections

I am inspired by this bit of nature springing up through man's destructiveness.  I love the reflection of springtime beauty in the broken glass.  But if you look to the camera's left hand side--it looks as though someone, or something, is thrusting a fist up through the earth behind those flowers.  Perhaps a wayward fairy?  Or maybe a long lost dwarf?  What do you think? 

These walks with Sissy through the shards of vandalism are eye-opening to people's complete disregard for the property of others.

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

WARNING:  Those who come here without permission risk arrest for trespassing.

Through a Glass Darkly - Weekend Reflections

There is an almost cathedral-like feel to this skylight glimpsed in a reflection from a shard of broken mirror found on the floor of The Abandoned.

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


WARNING: Anyone wishing to visit The Abandoned, must have permission from the owners.

Reflections in The Abandoned - Weekend Reflections

Last week I had the privilege of introducing my Sister Clytie, to Linda--her biggest fan!  We had a marvelous time together.  Sissy and Linda hit it off wonderfully.  It was such fun to see The Abandoned through Linda's eyes.  She said it was all she thought it would be and more.  We spent hours looking through the old place.

She was mesmerized by the broken windows found at the top most office areas of the building.  As you can see from the photo above--the struts of the ceiling are very close!  This window looks like some amazing artist's painting.

 

Here you can see some of the broken glass in the window pictured above.  What is wonderful about this photo is, I actually caught Sissy's profile in the glass, from where she stood behind me!

This is me--taking a "reflective" photo in the broken window of a building near the infamous Cabin 5, where some people speculate a murder took place.  Such are some of the more gruesome stories behind this amazing place we call The Abandoned.

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


WARNING: Anyone wishing to visit The Abandoned, must have permission from the owners.

Shattered Reflection- Weekend Reflections

As Sissy and I walked over the glass littered floors of The Abandoned this Shattered skylight caught my eye.  At first I thought it was a stray bit of sunlight sparkling from the ruined skylight, scintillating up into my eyes.

But later as I viewed the photo on my computer screen--it appears there is a face at the shatter point in the glass.  A child's face?  Perhaps one of the shadow people written about in the scrawls on the walls of The Abandoned?  We may never know.

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



WARNING: Anyone wishing to visit The Abandoned, must have permission from the owners.

Shards - Weekend Reflections

One never knows what one may see, or find--or what dangers one might step into when roaming The Abandoned.  I thought this photo was striking.  Here vandals have broken out windows, leaving behind sharp shards, delicately suspended.  A dangerous obstacle to those who slip through these buildings in the dark of night.  An accident waiting to happen.

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


WARNING: Anyone wishing to visit The Abandoned, must have permission from the owners.

Love in The Abandoned - Guest Heart Thursday

 

Tuesday evening we invited Larry and Julie over for dinner.  We've been friends for almost 20 years, but I had never heard the story of how they'd found one another.  

What a small world!  In the early 1980's, they met in rehab at The Abandoned! They were both injured on the job and stayed at the facility when it was owned by the state.  It is a sweet love story! 

This magical crushed glass heart, reflecting blue skies and sun, is perfect to honor this sweet couple still married, still obviously deeply in love after all these years. Fancy that--someone found Love in The Abandoned.

For more wonderful randomly found heart photography and artwork from around the world, check out Clytie's Guest Heart Thursday!

GUEST HEART THURSDAY

NOTE: If you intend to visit The Abandoned, be sure to get permission from the owners first. If you do not have permission, you may be arrested and prosecuted for trespassing.

Suspended - Weekend Reflections

Along long darkened hallways within The Abandoned, one can sometimes catch a glimpse of unexpected beauty.  In a slotted window looking into the place where children once played, I caught this suspended piece of broken glass glowing in the sunlight.  Unexpected it was in that dark place.  One didn't expect sunlight to come slipping in through the shattered windows above.

For more incredible photos of reflections around the world, visit Weekend Reflections.

NOTE: If you intend to visit The Abandoned, be sure to get permission from the owners first. If you do not have permission and are caught, you will be arrested and prosecuted for trespassing.

Crystalline Spiderweb - Skywatch Friday

One finds many broken windows in The Abandoned.  Nearly every door and window has been shattered by vandals.  Oddly enough--the glimmer of this broken glass, spiderwebbed across blue sky is strangely beautiful.

For more incredible sky pictures, visit Skywatch Friday!


NOTE: If you intend to visit The Abandoned, be sure to get permission from the owners first. If you do not have permission and are caught, you could  be arrested and prosecuted for trespassing.

Heart of Glass

This shiny little heart is smaller than a fingertip.  Sissy and I were walking along a pathway in The Abandoned where shards of glass from the shattered windows lie everywhere--I was startled when I spotted this tiny heart gleaming from its bed of moss. 

Beauty can be found nearly anywhere!

For more wonderful hearts from around the world, check out Guest Heart Thursday at Clytie's wonderful blog, Random Hearts!
 
NOTE: If you intend to visit The Abandoned, be sure to get permission from the owners first. If you do not have permission and are caught, you will be arrested and prosecuted for trespassing.

Broken

Walking through this place is a moving experience.  Everywhere shivers of glass cover the floors.  Awful language and dirty pictures cover the walls.  Sometimes one can find exquisite artwork there, too--and sometimes--once in awhile one can find an interesting reflection.

Somehow this photo--with my own face reflected back through all that brokenness--has a special meaning to me today.  I am grateful for the broken places in my life.  This brokenness has made me who I am. It will influence my life for the rest of the years yet to be lived.


NOTE: If you intend to visit The Abandoned, be sure to get permission from the owners first. If you do not have permission to visit this property, you could be arrested for trespassing.