Vacant Home

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vacant home© 2014 Michael Fiveson

This appears as if it might have been a beautiful home once upon a time. Now abandoned, it just fades away, forgotten and hidden by trees. Memories must have been made there.

(click image for added detail)

58 thoughts on “Vacant Home”

      • Does it mean that nobody is left in the family and there is no legal owner? Does city or village take it sooner or later? What do you know about it, Mike?
        I hope you understand that I like your photo and it just opened memories and random thoughts. 😉

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      • I do understand that, and I thank you. It probably means that after it was abandoned (death, taxes, too many repairs, loss of job), it became the property of the bank (if money was owed), or the county (if taxes were owed) and given the poor condition of the home it was determined that it had no value. As such it will waste away unless it is torn down. That’s my best guess.

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    • Wife was waiting in the car, and it was all boarded up. It’s not too far from me and I may re-visit. Always good to hear from you Vincent, and thank you.

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      • Well, ……she is my wife but more than that she is my lover, partner in experience, mother of my only child, friend to animals and the insane, gifted with high IQ and much luck, and favorite human of Pumpkin.
        Now, wouldn’t all of that have been awkward in the context of someone who was waiting in the car?
        Shame on me? May I remind you that until you move into your castle, land and titles are not a done deal.

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      • It was your lordship that I was speaking of. One of my subjects quite recently doth referred to your lordship as “mad.” If I could remember who that was I would have them cleaning the royal stables for a year.

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  5. Just a superb B&W photo, Mike! Very poignant. Here in Alvarado, TX there is a similar relic of the past, slowly slumping to the earth. I’ve been meaning to take some shots of it but we’ve had rainy weather off and on and I just can’t find a good time, Maybe today! Thanks for sharing, Mike.

    Ron

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      • Mike, I finally found an opportunity to go take some shots of the old abandoned house in Alvarado, TX. Two of them are in my post for today:

        http://wp.me/p2GyyJ-XF

        No pro here, not even a skilled amateur! No DSLR either! My Canon SX-230 will have to do until I win the Powerball Lottery!

        Am sooo glad I’m following your blog! Not only the photography but some da*n good writing as well! Bravo!

        Ron

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      • Thanks Ron. I will be following your fine blog as well. That is quite a house you posted! Fine haiku as well.

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  7. I imagine warm evenings with folks on the porch chatting about what the weather will be like tomorrow. Love the wave like look of the grass. I feel the breeze. Another great photo coming alive in my mind Mike.

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    • That house has many acres sitting behind it and was farm property for sure. Extended families and picnics on the lawn. With home grown corn, lettuce, and tomatoes too.
      Thank you Sue.

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    • I imagine that has has been empty for some time and yes, it is a pity because it marks a bit of sadness when someone had to move out, for whatever reason.
      Thanks Marilyn.

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  10. There is something very sad about abandoned houses. Like you, I could envision it as a ‘living’ place with families, stories, history.
    On my long bike rides I would find many abandoned houses and it really troubled me because I assumed there was hardship that resulted in the abandonment and I was concerned because there were so many.
    It was some time before I learned that the homes were in fact appropriated by the government in their plans for road expansion. People were actually “forced out” of these homes to make way for the new roads which are to be built. I say forced out because the homes were being leased and the owner sold under the terms of the appropriation. It is a multi-year process and the properties sit empty for years while the road planning is finalized.
    Quite frankly, learning that made me feel even sadder. I can understand now why some people hate ‘progress’.
    Sorry this comment was so long. I’ve never had a chance to vent my unhappiness about this before now.

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    • No need for apologies, I appreciate your sentiment very much. Of course it started with the native peoples when whitey and friends took their homes, lands, and pride. We are not really a worthy species, and climate change will wreck our world as we know it. All brought to you by……ourselves.

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  13. Never forgotten. The energy of memories linger, even when loved ones aren’t around to retell the stories.

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  18. Okay Mike, for once I didn’t read any comments … here goes:
    My instinctive response was “I want to live there”! What a neat home this must have been! I can imagine making a special hideaway in that upstairs room, even though it was probably hot up there in the summer! Love that you are preserving these homes through photography

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    • Realtors today would have to dig deep into their bag of euphemisms to come up with something. Fixer upper? But I agree, Boomdee, it had to be a charmer its time.

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  22. Pingback: Vacant Home (from Mike’s Look at Life) | the HOME project

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