Winter 2011 - Decatur, AL
Driving the back roads between Huntsville and Florence, my wife and I saw this 1950's era farm house. Despite the storms and tornadoes that frequent the region, this little brick house seemed to have been much loved. It sat forlorn on the side of a busy highway in the February chill. Road improvements cut off the driveway and raised the roadbed nearly 2 feet (.6 meters), so I had to park my vehicle a little ways from it and walk in.
Nature seemed hesitant to try and reclaim this sturdy warrior.
.. but Nature is hard to be denied...
Carefully noting there was no signs barring entry and many doors and windows open, I cautiously stepped onto the porch.
Looking inside, the gloom was oppressive so I had to use flash to break the veil.
The living room and hallway was highlighted in black. Tasteful yet a little creepy, this had the effect of sucking the light out of the room even in mid-afternoon.
The small dinning room area had cheerful blue highlights
The single bath, mirrors to the past..
The owner or their family made a halfhearted attempt to renovate and add some modern conveniences to the place, but the warped floor and cracked foundation/walls, meant that more serious repairs were needed. It didn't appear that anything serious had been done with the house in over 8 to 10 years from the receipts and "use by" info on the paints.
Stepping back out into the cold February afternoon, the mood and sky had lightened. It was as if the old house had breathed a sigh of relief that no ill had come from the visit or that someone still appreciated it.
