Grant's General StoreVirginia City, NV - Karen Hutton | Life is Light Photography

Found only in The Old/Wild West!
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Off U.S. 395
All rumbly weather, rustic, grandeur-style goodness.

This was one of many u-turns we spun on U.S. 395 on our way to other places. Y'know... that thing where you're headed north, but the cool thing that kinda makes your toes curl just flew by in the other direction? Cue the u-turn! Lotsa those.

This was one of two houses just sitting there with their memories, just next to the highway. All abandoned, with no note. I imagine they were there long before 395 was the zippy thoroughfare it is now. Who lived there? Ranchers? Sheep herders? Early video game makers? (just checking. heh.) Whoever they were, their old house was the star of my mental movie moment... complete with the theme songs from "The Big Valley", "The Viriginian", "Bonanza" and "Gunsmoke" all rolled into one strange fusional medley set to a vaguely middle eastern rhythm overlay. But I digress...

I loved the textures, layers and that tingly otherwordly-ness that I felt when I stepped out of the car. It can be like that, down U.S. 395.

Layers Of Time
This is from the wall of a home in Bodie, CA. It may not look like much, but it fascinates me. As some of you may know (but others may not) Bodie is a old west ghost town maintained today in a "state of arrested decay". Yes, I took scads of town building and outdoor shots, all ghostly and such... but this one speaks volumes.

Y'see, the town sits at 8000 feet in the Sierras. Miles from anywhere. They get about 20 feet of snow on average in winter. No Eddie Bauer down shirts for these folks. Nope. But somehow they survived each year. They were born, grew up, went to school, attended church, played baseball on their own diamond, mined gold here. The walls of their homes were plain wood. No insulation. No sheet rock. Just part of a tree, a bit of fabric and some nails between them and the elements.

So what gets me right here are the wall coverings. The layers of it. So thin... nailed into place... changed from time to time as suited her fancy. Seeing the fabric, the evidence of these loving hands and hearts that wanted something more than bare wood surrounding them tugs at my heart. The colors and patterns of fabric that speak to the times... and the choosing. A lady picked these fabrics so her home would FEEL more like a home out here in the middle of nowhere. I sit there and imagine how she felt, stepping back to survey her new wall decor. Aaahhh, just right. That refreshed, "start anew" feeling. Maybe she swept the floor an extra time that day. Maybe rearranged the furniture as she glanced at her walls more often for awhile, that tiny smile creeping onto her face. It just does something to me. The town is amazing. But right here, I suddenly feel the intimacy of the people. Like I might know them, just a little.

Grant's General StoreVirginia City, NV

Saint Mary of the MountainsVirginia City, NV

Wrinkles of TimeCashier's Mine, Death Valley, CA

She didn't try to hide those wrinkles of time anymore.
To her, they held her life story.
She loved her life so.

Grant's General Store

Virginia City, NV

Grant's General StoreVirginia City, NV

Grant's General Store

Virginia City, NV

Canon EOS 5D Mark II |

More details: exif |

Original size: 6100x4040 |

Current: 800x530 |

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Keywords: statues west boardwalk storefront virginia city hdr. karen hutton

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