Most of the abandoned places I find are coincidental and those usually turn into the best photographs. This house on 40th and Hamilton, in Omaha was no exception. We were on our way downtown to photograph M’s Pub for someone.
The sunset pictures inserted are from another evening, added for color contrast. I have a slight obsession with trees, especially the skeletal branches of winter against the brilliant violet sky.
My absolute favorite part of this house was this snow-covered sofa. The afternoon light hit the front face of the house, shading the couch, casting the perfect shadows for my photographs. This happened to be my first attempt at taking pictures without crutches since my fall in December, so it was tricky, but I did it! 🙂
Perception has always intrigued me to no end, and is the reason none of us can ever assume anything. Truth is different for each of us. Looking at these pictures, I was reminded of a story. I am an only child, (not the spoiled kind, the weird, creative kind) and my mother recalled a tough year to me recently, and felt she could have done better. From her point of view, it’s a time of her life she is least proud of and wishes she could go back and change. She wondered what my life would have been like if she would have made different choices.
As I listened to my mom talk about her regrets, I thought back to what I remembered. I envisioned a magical year of adventures with thunderstorms, lizards, making up stories and running around in the fields with my Irish Wolfhound. It was the same exact year; two completely different points of view. Granted, I believe I was only around six or seven, but the point is I don’t remember a horrible year. I remember the good stuff. Each of us see everything from another view, and every day, even from moment to moment we look at things in a new light. We also can choose to see the positive or the negative.
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” –W.B.Yeats
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” -Oscar Wilde
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 House, Abandoned Nebraska, Abandoned Omaha, Abandoned PLaces, NE, Nebraska, Trish Eklund
