Coral World

Resembling a partially sunken building straight out of The Jetsons, the abandoned Coral World Underwater Observatory sits in Delaport Bay, just off Crystal Cay in Nassau, Bahamas. This intriguing structure completely captured my curiosity and inner urban explorer. I can’t help but wonder what it must have looked like in its prime, and what remains of it now. Are the inner workings flooded, or can you still observe the waters beneath the bay? It's a shame such a fascinating building has been left to decay. It would be incredible to see it repurposed or revitalized, though I say that with the understanding that hurricanes, which often wreak havoc on even the most well-planned projects, pose a real threat.

SS Selma

Built in Mobile, AL in 1919, the SS Selma was the largest of a unique class of concrete ships. She remained in service for only a few years before striking a jetty in Tampico, Mexico, in 1920. Towed to Galveston for repairs, she was ultimately abandoned in 1922 and allowed to sink just off Pelican Island, about a mile north of Galveston. Today, she remains the only permanent shipwreck in the Houston Ship Channel, a lasting relic of maritime history.

Indoor Pool

 

Working on the weekend can be surreal sometimes because the building is mostly empty.   

I went to one of the convenience shops for some water and someone apparently left in the middle of a pool game.  The balls were still laid out waiting on someone to take a shot.  

I wonder if they intend to come back and finish the game. 

Bus

Sitting behind the house of a friend just outside Greensboro, NC is a relic… a relic of a time gone by.  This old school bus sits protecting not children but firewood from the rain.  When I first saw it I was mesmerized… it was something different, with a beauty all it’s own. 

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Part of Wordless Wednesday.

Silence

Part of Wordless Wednesday!

Pictures of You, Pictures of Me…

Back on 3 November, 2007 when I first created this blog after being inspired by a friend of mine.   I never knew I would still be doing it for so many years, it just never occurred to me.   I remember when I was still coming up with the concept for the Uncertain Horizon, I knew I wanted to include photos and make it different from any blog I have maintained in the past.   I wanted it to be personal, but I wanted to write about how the photos made me feel… and sometimes the photos make me feel completely different from what is actually in the photo, and in more recent times I have taken to some of the many “Day Meme’s” that exist, and have experimented with them.   I also know that from My very first post (3 November, 2007,) all the way to 26 January,2009 my photo’s mostly came from my Samsung Sync phone, and since then it has been maintained with my Sony Cybershot with a sprinkling of photos from my phones since.

 This photo was actually taken with my Blackberry Curve; it was of a small photo that I found on the road.   I think it really symbolizes the reason that this blog was centered around photos to begin with.   You see, when I was about 10 years of age I went to a flea market and found several family photo albums from an estate sale.   I had no idea who the people were, but I found it very interesting, these were moments in these people’s lives, moments captured forever.   However while it was very sad that a family lost these captured moments, I was inspired to capture my own moments, and from that moment on I loved photos intensely.   And while I have no idea how this small piece of a photo found it’s way onto the street, or who the people are in it… or who took it originally… I find it fascinating, and mesmerizing.

Home

We hold these places to be sacred, for the most part they contain all that is us… our possessions, our photos, and our memories. They are never perfect, they may have cracks, and we may keep the doors locked to keep the bad people or, or us in… as Tim Minchin would put it. But the fact is, it is home.

I often wonder who once lived in homes such as the one shone here. I know someone once found shelter within these collapsing walls, I wonder if they are still around to walk among the ruins of their once sacred place. It is a sad thought, but at the same time there is something beautiful about the circle that is life. What was once someone’s haven is now shelter to the many creatures that roam the forest and need their own place to feel safe.

Inside the Door.

Inside the window.

This abandoned house is located on Airport Road outside Mendenhall, MS.

Waiting

Sometimes things do not go the way we expected, and then we feel abandoned. We lay collecting dust and twigs, rusting waiting for something new, but if we remove the feelings… and we realize just how beautiful we really are, then life will be laqarik again, and we will see just how wonderful life can be. I’m certain that if objects were able to speak this old farm piece might say something very similar… as it sits under a tree at Brandon Park in Rankin County, MS just rusting… waiting for new life…

Katrina Ruins

Water is one of the most magickal elements on earth. It exists in such a wonderful abundance, and it is where all like sprang forth unto the land. However it is also a destructor, it can take just as many lives. Mississippi has seen more than it’s share of death and destruction from water, Hurricane Katrina being one of them. There are still Hurricane Ruins on the Mississippi coast, and elsewhere. This is the remains of the Presidents Casino, just ruins along the beach, it stands as a testament to the destructive power that is water.

Water may destroy, but from that destruction comes new life… it is this that we need to nourish after such events. Hope can never fail, we must never allow that. There are still people on the Mississippi Coast without permanent homes post-Katrina, if you would like to help visit AdoptaKatrinaFamily.org.

This Post was a Retro-Thursday post on 8-25-11.

Bridges

I love bridges; they are something that I feel are some of the most wonderful parts of human architecture. They bring together what was once impassible, this is something we could learn to do on our own, as a species we have forgotten the basic lesson we learned when we were young. Unite. We have lost ourselves so many times in another unfortunate human trait… this is a trait we need to forget, one that is a scourge for all of mankind. Destroy. We have lost our way and we have succeeded in uniting the world in many ways, now we seek to isolate ourselves from one another based on differences, and we destroy many of the wonderful gifts that Earth has provided.

Yes I get all this from looking at a bridge… and it makes me sad to know that this bridge may very well have a short lifespan before it too is destroyed. It stands at the Dallas Zoo in Texas, and it was a wonderful surprise for me to see when I arrive in Dallas. I snapped several photos and was very pleased with the outcome. I am not sure what other people get when they look at a bridge, but I hope that they carry something away with what is presented here, in both word and photo.

Long Live The King Edward!!!

The King Edward Hotel in downtown Jackson, MS was once the grandest hotel in the area… until its doors closed in the 1960’s. The building sat in a state of decay in Jackson for forty years; it was the symbol of what Jackson had become. In recent years there was a call for either demolition or renovation, and I was all for renovation. It was a historical building that was a symbol of Jackson’s lost potential.

Yesterday I had the distinct honor of walking into the now-opened lobby of the king Edward Hotel. I was amazed at the beauty they had managed to coax out of the once decayed structure… I was very impressed... Now I can’t wait to stay in it… or afford one of the penthouse apartments!!!

For more information on my past discussions of the King Edward Visit:

19-Mar-2008: https://enduringhorizon.blogspot.com/2008/03/hotel-king-edward.html

Lost

Often we forget about things that once meant something to us, and we leave it where time can ravage it and take it for its own. It is not done for any reason; it just happens… we tend to cast things aside until we realize that it’s still there. The problem with this, is the fact that when we usually realize what we had, it is too late to save it.

The trick is, to hold on to it as long as you can… and cherish it… before you lose it.

Byram Swinging Bridge

Through my life there has been many times where I have realized that as we grow older we are replaced with something new and better. This is one of the most unfair realities of life, and it applies to landmarks and in many cases people. It pains me to see something forgotten and left to the ravages of time, especially when it still has so much to offer.

This photo is of the historic Swinging Bridge in Byram, Mississippi and its newer replacement. The Swinging Bridge was at one time the only crossing across the Pearl River at this location, until the 1980’s when there was an incident involving an 18-Wheeler that damaged the bridge beyond repair for vehicular traffic. However the bridge does bring back memories for many people who remember riding across it and feeling the entire bridge sway beneath them, in fact an adult walking across it can make the bridge move. The bridge itself is unique as in that it was built during the Second World War by German POW’s located at one of the POW camps in the state. It is the only example of a suspension bridge to my knowledge in the state of Mississippi, and if the state/ any government agency were smart they would preserve this historic landmark and repair it to the degree that perhaps a park overlooking the river could be built and the bridge could be enjoyed for many generations to come.

Fort Massachusetts

Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island (Offically known as the Fort on Ship Island) is part of the interesting history of the fascinating barrier island. It was originally built after the war of 1812, and only saw actual battle once when confederate solders on the island engaged the Union Ship Massachusetts in the civil war. It is home to a mortar oven that was used by solders to heat cannon balls to red hot temperature and fire them at enemy ships in hopes of catching them on fire. The fort had once been the center of many military buildings that were once on the island, including a hospital barracks, and mess hall, all of those have since disappeared, and for a time all that remained were the fort and a replica of the Ship Island light house, Hurricane Katrina took care of the light house in 2005. The Fort has been out of service since 1903 and most cannons were removed in 1908. It is currently maintained by the National Park Service.

One thing that really fascinates me is that barrier islands grow longer and not wider, when the fort was originally built, it was in the middle of the island, and now it is on the edge of the water, and the National Park Service has the Army Corps of Engineers pump in sand when they have to dredge shipping channels, just to keep the waves from hitting the fort. But the island is a mile longer than when the fort was originally built.

I Can Still Recall...

Although it has been a long time, thoughts of you still flood my mind,
I still feel as I have committed a crime, but only because It is you I want to find.
I’m trapped in this maze I call life, hoping to catch a glimpse of you.
Suffering through the pain and strife, waiting for something new.
I can still recall what it was like, to have you near.
And now when I like awake, I know that I have nothing to fear.
Memories of us may fade as time goes on, but I will always have you in my heart.
And I know that now you are gone, but we are never truly apart.

Relics

Ever just feel like you’ve been forgotten? And no one remembers that you exist? Most likely it is just paranoia getting the best of you, the chances of someone’s friends actually just deciding en masse not to acknowledge someone’s existence is a horrible terrible thought, so the chances of it happening are minimal. That is unless you are a someone of special character… Something about these two places just reminds me of a forgotten friend. The Bon-Ton Café and the Peoples Café were once a part of thriving Capital Street in Jackson, Mississippi, both known for being great places to go eat. I sincerely hope that with the revitalization of the King Edward that these two places come to life as well!

Hotel King Edward

The King Edward Hotel used to be one of the crown jewels of Jackson, Mississippi… that is until it closed in the 60’s, it has since remained closed. This relic of the heyday when Jackson was a bustling town, as sat falling apart since then, becoming an eyesore and home to drugs, prostitutes, and many others. There have been many plans to rebuild or demolish it, me personally I wanted it rebuilt… there is something about it. Finally last year several companies and our own favorite son Deuce McAlister started renovations. I’m not exactly sure what it will be, but I know anything is better than the pigeon home that has rotted in our back yard for forty years.

AWESOME NEWS!!!

Ghostly Tour

This image is off Highway 49 North at the North Bentonia Exit. It used to be something of a school, or other important building. It has been abandoned for many years and the roof has collapsed in several areas, it was odd approaching the building through a cow field with a lone flag pole at the center.

Not sure if this was a receptionist desk or what… I liked the colors.

This was another office, the floor has collapsed and there was a nice easy chair in the hole... someone forgot to take everything.

This was an odd bathroom, either the toilets had been removed (I saw no sign of their being there) or it was a science lab with a sink to wash hands.

This photo was taken through a window, it was of one of the areas where the roof had collapsed, the chaos inside is oddly beautiful, gives a new meaning to outdoor classroom.

Life After Us

One thing that has fascinated me is what would
happen to our infrastructure if it we were to disappear. This has led me to have an insane interest in abandoned buildings and places that people have allowed nature and time to take control… places such as Chernobyl, Ukraine or the Varosha Quarter in Famagusta, Cyprus. It’s really a fascination I can not explain, and it must be one that I share with many people, especially with the book The World Without Us by Alan Weisman or the History Channel Event Life After People: on January 21st. I would love a chance to explore a city abandoned for thirty years or so, basically just to take a few thousand photos and document what I see… I think it would be awesome.

I got a glimpse into what would happen to some of the smaller areas throughout the country today in Bentonia, Mississippi. There is a rather large two story building that is nice from the outside, perhaps a little rundown… not unlike many of the buildings in the city.. .but this one has been neglected to the point that the inside has collapsed, and there are small trees growing inside… the mess is magnificent in a way… makes you wonder….