One evening after work on a particularly fowl day, I decided to take my oldest daughter with me to the first really magnificent abandoned place I discovered in Nebraska. The Beetison Mansion is a frequently visited and photographed house, one of the places I visit often. I’ve taken my other daughter, but this was our first time together.
We arrived later than I had hoped, the sun tumbled over the horizon, spilling its light over the knotted branches. Most of the photographs ended up being of the sunset. Once I started shooting I could not stop.
The issues of the day melted away from behind my lens as they always do. The Nebraska light transformed from tangerine to saffron, and ended with fiery crimson at the base of the trees.
“Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience, at least the ones worth something, in any case.” -Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
Just when everything feels impossible; the mundane everyday tasks are weights you strap to your back, that is when you see something breathtaking. Life is heartbreaking, unfair, tortuous, and wonderful all at the same time. It owes us nothing, yet if we only open our eyes, there is endless beauty embedded in the ordinary.
Trish Eklund is the owner and creator of Abandoned, Forgotten, & Decayed, and Family Fusion Community, an online resource for blended families of all types. Trish’s photography has been featured on Only in Nebraska, ListVerse, Nature Takes Over and Pocket Abandoned. Check out the new Bonanza Store for AFD merchandise! Follow on Instagram and Facebook. Trish is regularly featured on The Mighty, Huffington Post Divorce, and Her View From Home. She has also been featured on Making Midlife Matter, and The Five Moms, and has an essay in the anthology, Hey, Who’s In My House? Stepkids Speak Out by Erin Mantz.
Categories: Abandoned Buildings, Abandoned House, Abandoned Nebraska, Abandoned PLaces, NE, Nebraska, Nebraska Abandoned House, Rural Nebraska, Sunset, Trees, Trish Eklund
