Pre-demolition.

I’d forgotten about this set of photos. I suppose it would have made more sense to publish these last month, but that was before I knew I’d have the opportunity to go back and see an empty space.

Too many times I have an inkling of an idea for a post, and know what photos I want to use, but then the rearranging and editing down gets put on the back burner. I don’t want a wall of photos, or a wall of text. I’m neither that good of a writer nor photographer to put anyone through that. So, I have 31 drafts started in my folder. A for effort, D for follow through.

Many years ago, a friend (both of us night owls) would call me in the middle of the night, cause he knew I’d be in that place between awake and dreaming, and lay these fantastical ideas on me. If I’d followed up with even one of them, we’d both be infamous. D for follow through.

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Here they are, photos of the building next door while it was still there. My coworker and I finally trespassed on the next to last day of work last month. He quickly squeezed through the brush and scrambled up, as I tried to follow, putting one foot up on the stone ledge that nearly reached my hips. Between some outstretched kudzu around a broken iron railing, and some clingy grapevine reaching out from a chain link fence, he grabbed both of my arms and pulled me up like a ragdoll.

Finally inside, this is what we saw.

I took way too many photos, but I was just excited to have finally breached the gates.

Entire walls of the building already gone.

The remains of a rotting wooden pool deck and a fallen blue spruce.

Insulation waving, scaffolding and heavy machinery inside.

The ecosystem had already been taken over by invasive species, but the landscaped plants still mostly stood.

An old spa overtaken with weeds and grass, and lumber strewn.

Vines tangled in the tall decorative grasses.

Metal entrails spilling out from the inside.

Stones askew, nature creeping.

I still really don’t know what was going on here.

Invasive ivy, and one of the largest outside lights I’d ever seen.

Opposite side, looking in, and seeing through.

Kudzu and grapevines fighting it out, and the remains of an outdoor grill/pit?

Crumbling stone facade, loose wires, and lots of fiberglass.

One last look back at the broken path, as we headed back to finish out our last days. A much needed brief reprieve.