Once Somebody's Dream

We get to see so many cool things out here that it's easy to forget about the other side, the side that just makes you sad. I'm a pretty optimistic person, and generally a fairly happy guy, and I tend to shy away from writing about stuff that gives me the blues. My emotions tend to be a little too close to the surface and...well, anyway, this post is about the sadder side of what we see.

This photo of the old Michigan Central Train Station was taken several years ago as we were returning from Canada, about half way across the Ambassador Bridge. Yeah, you can see right through it. There was a time when it was the face of Detroit (my hometown for those of you who have not been paying attention). There are rumors it's going to rise again, but given the recent $$ problems Detroit is having, I wouldn't hold my breath on it ever approaching its former greatness (when it was completed in 1913-14 it was the tallest train station in the world).

It was 1920s-30s-40s gorgeous. It was Detroit's Grand Central Station...marble, crazy busy, enormous and unnecessary crystal chandeliers, opulence, decadence, several sets of tracks, a Terminal Diner (RIP George Carlin - if you don't get the reference, look it up), and international trade and commerce in a city that was in its heyday. I last saw the inside of it in the 1970s and it was still awesome. At the moment, it's a footnote.

But that's only the most visible symbol of what I'm talking about in this post. I have taken a lot of photos of buildings that are in serious decay. I can't help but try to picture some woman or man standing there, looking out over a piece of ground and saying to him or herself: "I see a building that needs to be there." They believed what they thought, and then made it happen. And then many years later, some guy in a truck came by and took a photo of what was once their dream, but is now a structure that deserves only the dignity of being burned down. [sigh]

I have been fascinated for a long time now about older houses and barns. They have character, they have a life of their own, they breathe a uniqueness, and in their own special way, they make me sad. Well, maybe sad isn't quite the right word - how about melancholy. Anyway: here are some photos of places that are way past their prime. Places that were once somebody's dream, but are now something far less than that. I have stories in my head about these places, and stories about who lived there, and what their lives were like. I invite you to make up stories of your own....

OK, confession, the last photo, JR's place, still exists as a functioning Bar/Grill. We've been there, it's in Belvidere, South Dakota (yes, that spelling is correct), not far from an Indian reservation. And, we actually met JR himself - that's another post coming soon to a computer or smartphone near you. It also has a campground right next to it, as the 1/2 -sign might suggest (but I'm not sure I'd ever camp there, unless it was with a small contingent of Marines).