It's a Beautiful Day!

Centralia, PA, originally uploaded by B.B. Bellezza.

Centralia, PA, Highway 61, where it's closed now because of a big sinkhole that formed in the highway.

The sky was perfect in this photo - I love the big fluffy clouds and the gorgeous blue sky! Much like today.  A great day to walk down an abandoned stretch of highway, take photos or have a picnic.  What are you doing in this beautiful weather?

Old, Abandoned Places and Objects

 I took this shot at Mt. Zion Cemetery.  African American soldiers who fought in the Civil War are buried here.  They were featured in the movie "Glory."  For more photos from the cemetery, see my flickr set.

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you probably know that I love to take road trips to Outta the Way places.  I love historical places, old abandoned buildings and areas and basically any place that is not on the beaten path or is interesting and odd.  I especially love old cemeteries and graves.

I also love old "stuff."  I love old hardware, a vintage chandelier that has fallen apart, manual typewriters, etc.  

While I am drawn to these places and items, I have never really thought about why.  Mostly, I believe that we need to preserve what we have left of our natural habitat.  I love when I am in an old building that is still intact or has been reused for something else.  (A barn that has been around for hundreds of years, an old factory that's now a restaurant and store, a covered bridge....)  

I hate when I see a beautifully wooded or grassy area that is stripped away for a business...or worse...a strip mall.  I get angry.  I wonder why they don't use an empty building somewhere else instead of destroying what little untouched land we have left.  I think about how much more interesting it would be if they would have fixed up an old abandoned building.

Additionally, I think that I just love history.  I never liked it in school because it seemed so "boring."  But, when you are looking at actual items that were used, or are in an actual historical building, or at the grave of someone who helped make our country what it is, it really makes history more real. 

Finally, I think there is something about the actual look and feel of old things that just cannot be recreated in new objects.  It's more than the rust and the peeling paint.  That can actually be recreated.  These items have a past and a history.  Maybe we can't actually hear it, or even know what that history is, but the history is there nonetheless and we can sense it.

What are your feelings about old abandoned places or objects?  What do you love (or hate) about them?  

Old Buildings

As some of you may know (although many of you may not, I am realizing), my boyfriend and I love to go on road trips to weird and historical places. We also write a zine about our adventures (well, my boyfriend writes it, I do everything else, though!) called Outta the Way.

I love old buildings, especially those with a history behind them. I also love to take photos. Usually I have more than 100 (usually more like 150-200) for every road trip. Honestly, they are not all gorgeous pieces of work. Many are for reference - we were there, this is what we saw - that sort of thing. But, sometimes we take really beautiful photos.

I took the photo used in the pendant above. It's of the Star Barn in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. I think it is a nice photo but mainly because of how beautiful the sky was that day. Also, the architectural of the old star barn is simply stunning.

I have started, and plan to continue to make pendants from my photography. They will most likely be featuring old buildings, cemeteries, etc. from the places we visit.

I really like to try to use recycled pieces in my jewelry as much as possible, but the glass pendants such as what you see here is not. However, in this piece, for example, I am featuring a photo of a building that is trying to be saved from the wrecking ball. I think that is important, too. I think that it can start a conversation and spread the idea that we don't have to tear down every old building to make yet another strip mall. Or even just "hey look at this cool building" and then people won't want it to be torn down.

Just in case you are interested, this piece is listed in the Outta the Way Etsy Shop.