Fading Away

I photographed a street corner last spring that has since changed dramatically in its appearance. There is now a great hole in the ground where this block of shops stood just a few months ago. It reminded me that there have been other places I've photographed that are no longer there.

This barn, for example, was torn down just a few months after I photographed it. I never got to see whether it survived the following winter. (My guess is that it wouldn't have.)

The lot where this truck remained stalled for years and years has been cleaned up since I photographed it. The truck is no longer there, but I think of the rainbow license plate every time I drive by now.

This barn is all boarded up. Haven't seen any horses in nearly a year.

This structure completely fell apart after last winter's record snowfall. The heap that remains is surrounded by chain-link fence and awaits final demolition.

And I can't for the life of me find the location of this goldmine of grunge. I can only surmise that it's been cleaned up, too.

The side of this old building is gone, but only because it's being renovated. Perhaps a sign that things are looking up, but I'll miss its grunginess.


The sign I photographed today stands outside an abandoned produce stand. Who knows how long it will remain there. I'm attracted to run down, derelict places. It's been easy to assume that they'll be around for a long time since, well, they've already been around for a long time. I can't help but wonder if I'm just now noticing that this kind of change takes place constantly, or if it is just a sign of the times.