Comments | then_now: An Old Friend

whitetail in then_now

An Old Friend

Aug 19, 2006 07:10

When I first came to Humboldt county, this simple ranch house was the first place I stayed. My friend Kent lived there along with two or three other roommates. It was a vibrant student household, full of life and warmth, and it was here that I came to my decision to leave L.A. and all its comforts and move to Arcata, and start my real life as an ( Read more... )

Comments 13

aibheaog August 19 2006, 15:28:32 UTC

God, that's depressing...(Although the pics are great!) At least the cows in the last picture are cheerful.

melydia August 19 2006, 15:36:11 UTC

That's very sad. What happened to Kent and the housemates?

It's interesting what gets salvaged off old farm houses - we used to visit an abandoned house that had its staircases ripped away as well. Maybe the wood used for the stairs was sellable, I don't know.

lightning_rose August 19 2006, 17:05:29 UTC

Abandoned houses often decay from the top down. ie The roof leaks so the top floor becomes unsafe to walk on before the bottom floor. So the stairs are often removed to discourage people from exploring the less safe area.

melydia August 19 2006, 17:07:55 UTC

That sounds sensible. I wonder why the servant staircase in the back of the house wasn't removed as well. Maybe they forgot about it.

lightning_rose August 19 2006, 17:52:25 UTC

Another theory shot to hell by the facts. :)

If the house was fancy enough to have servants, then maybe the main staircase was worth salvaging.

Thread 5

siraj August 19 2006, 22:16:57 UTC

This may be a sad time for you... but I see potential, even through the run-down state it's now in. That place can yet be revived, given time and dedication to restoring it to its former glory, and beyond.

whitetail August 19 2006, 22:57:02 UTC

It definitely could be restored. I found a back window with the boards off it, so I had a look around inside, and structurally, it appears to be sound. Trouble is, the property is now owned by the State of California and is part of an officially designated hunting preserve, so no one could buy or live in the house ever again. Actually, I should mention - there is still life in the house. It's inhabited by dozens of swallows. There was bird shit several inches deep in places. There might also be den spaces under the house for small carnivores. I think Kent might actually like the idea that his house has become habitat for wildlife, since wildlife management was his major in school... ^_^

siraj August 20 2006, 01:31:41 UTC

Hmmm... is there any way to negotiate with the state to possibly purchase the house and live on the land to help with the hunting preserve? It'd certainly make sense, or at least it does to me.

But it's good that there's animal life in the house at all. Sure makes me happy!

Sentiments hunter_deer August 21 2006, 10:55:13 UTC

You're a very sensitive person, and you shouldn't be afraid to express your emotions. Imagine if you went out there and experienced no emotion at all, it's better to have feelings then no feelings at all. BTW the look on your face with that bag of weed is priceless, how long did it last?

Re: Sentiments whitetail August 21 2006, 12:17:54 UTC

*smiles* It lasted a couplethree weeks, at least. It wasn't that great - it was only shake - but I'd never scored so much for so little. I couldn't believe how little. And to add to it, the girl who sold the bag to me actually apologized for charging me anything at all for it. This place really was heaven on earth! ;-)

black_doll August 21 2006, 13:20:31 UTC

This is beautiful in a very sad way. Thanks for sharing it.