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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, January 4, 2013

On the eleventh day of Christmas - Mysteries.

When they closed  the freeway acces road nearest my house for a year-long improvement project, I, along with a lot of other commuters, was not pleased.  However, having to drive across town  has presented some interesting scenery.   There are whole areas of land that had previously been neighborhoods that are now vacant.  Interesting.  It's fun to imagine what might have happened to the homes at the tops of these staircases now going nowhere. 





Reminds me of the show "Life After People."  


There is a staircase under there somewhere.


What happened to this whole block?  Some of the trees remain.


The other side of the street - more vacant land.

What lives were lived here?  What gardens tended and dreams dreamed.  Does this place still live someone's memory? 

This was a particularly interesting block.  In the center is one beautifully maintained home.  Right next to this home is one that looks like it may have been as grand at one time but now is boarded up with "Do Not Occupy" stenciled on the boards.  What caused the remainder of the 1870 - 1900 era homes to vanish?  

This was a street leve concrete garage or maybe coach house, foundation?  You can see the tar paper on the roof but the front is totally obscured by this Hedera helix.


Later in the day, on my way to the Vet's office, I passed this, another mystery:

Do you suppose that a new roof would help?   



Are the roots of this shrub or tree growing in the seat of the truck?  How long will this work for the tree? 


Did this happen all at once or was there a gradual slowing down of the farm enterprise? (After the ailen abduction, Jeremiah lost interest in the family farm.)  Can you come up with answers?  The most creative responses win the adoration of all who read what they've written!

Update:  The last three pictures were taken near Parkland, Washington and these buildings are on the national register of historic places.  This was originally known as the Peter Smith Farm, a Donation Land Claim.  Later, it was purchased by the Schibig family and was renamed Lakeview Dairy and was also known as the Schibig Farm.  The farmhouse which is not pictured is still a private residence and in great condition.  You can learn more about this site here

24 comments:

  1. Fine pictures, Peter. Beautiful stairs going nowhere..Those scenes remind me of English landscapes.

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    1. Thank you, Satu. Our climate here is similar to that of parts of England.

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  2. I had no idea there were parts of Tacoma that looked like this. Looks like it's near the Dome? Sorry I have no answers. Great photos, though, especially that first one. I'd love to have that arch in my own garden.

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    1. There used to be a lot of river rock arches, retaining walls, pillars, even garage walls in our area because there are so many of those rocks lying around. It's a treat to see some of them still standing! This area is up from the dome, not far from UW Tacoma. I read something in the paper about it a few years back & I think it was originally part of an historic trail or something like that.

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  3. It's true- mystery! I think people went away and left all their things. But why and where to?

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  4. Weird...very weird. Reminds me (for some reason) of the freeway ramps here that go nowhere. Projects planned and then abandoned. Maybe the neighborhood was slated for some development that never occurred. Or maybe there was a fire?

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    1. I know that I read about this at some point & will try to find the answers.

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  5. Wild. But imagine all the possibilities of epic gardens that could be grown there!!!

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    1. Yes indeed. Just up the street a block is a house (for sale if you're interested) with a parking strip full of trachycarpus fortunei and large rock sculptures. The yard itself is way up on a hill behind a chain link fence but it's full of palms, yuccas & pampas grass. I'll post about it next week. Maybe you'd like to move down?

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  6. The houses are still there, but you need the magic key to actually see them.

    I finished my homework.

    http://rockoakdeer.blogspot.com/2013/01/reflections-on-blogging-and-answers-to.html

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    1. Oh, I get it, this is where all the Romulan immigrants settled & they simply utilize their cloaking technology in their new homes. You are so smart!

      Heading over to your blog to read your reflections right now!

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  7. There's something romantic and haunting about that last photo, I'm trying to imagine the story that went with it.

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    1. The family just stopped farming I guess but you could come up with a much more interesting story than that.

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  8. Stairways to nowhere. It strikes me as rather sad. I hope all who lived here moved on to better things.

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    1. It is kind of sad. In many parts of town, when an old home ceases to exist, a new one is built in its place. Just up the hill from here there is new low income housing which is lovely. Maybe the city is planning something similar here.

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  9. Beam me up, Scottie...house and all.

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    1. Dammit Jim, I'm an engineer, not a house mover! There won't be room for a house on the floor of the transporter!

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  10. So now I have to know - what happened? Did people just drift away and abandon their homes? Was it some kind of government decision? Lots of very eerie pictures.

    PS, I also hate road work. They say here in Chicago we have two seasons, winter and road repair.

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    1. I'm going to find out!

      Road repair in a cold winter climate like yours with the frost heaving, slow plow damage, etc. is probably more of a frequent necessity than it is here. Here they seem to have decided to do quite a few repairs/projects at the same time so our routes become quite limited at times.

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  11. It reminds me of the scenes from Love Canal back in the 70's when people had to abandon entire neighborhoods due to toxins. Or that town in Pennsylvania where there is an unquenchable fire burning underground and the fumes seeped up through the basements forcing everyone to leave. I hope the is a more pleasant answer though.

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    1. You're right, Les! I remember the news stories and pictues of both of those & this looks much like that. The only difference is the one occupied and well maintained house in the midst of all of this vacant land. I'm thinking that it would make a wonderful public garden.

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  12. Zombies are the only plausible explanation. They're horrible drivers, so no need to take the truck. They stumble a lot so they prefer homes without stairs, and once they moved in everyone else moved out.

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    1. You solved the mystery! The Zombie theory makes total sense! I did notice a certain cranial emptiness after visiting.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.