Memory Lane

Memory Lane, originally uploaded by Uncommon Depth.

We had a small family reunion this weekend. Part of the days activities was a visit to the original homestead, or what's left of it. The original farm land was sold off a few years ago when my uncle passed away, but the home site acreage is still owned by my cousin. If the main farmland hadn't been sold it would have been in the family for a hundred years already.

It is disappointing to a lot of the 4th generation that the land was sold upon my uncle's death. Especially since my cousin would have dearly loved to have purchased it had he been able to afford it; or had it been willed to my two cousins instead of their step-mother.

I photograph and post about abandoned farms and the resulting loss of tradition in small family owned farms a lot. It is a very personal project. This small pocket of our family history will mostly likely be gone soon too, providing no strings to our ancestors past. No visible reminders of where we came from or who we originally were.

There was much laughter and reminiscing about childhood days spent at the farm with grandma and grandpa. We kicked at the cement sticking out of the freshly mowed grass where the original house stood. We peered through the doors and windows of the barns and other buildings. We fought our way through the overgrown brush and trees to find the remnants of the tree house we used to play in. Just a few boards and nails attached to the limbs of a broken tree are all that's left......