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UER Forum > Archived US: South > Who left the door open? (Viewed 487 times)
FireworksOrStars 


Location: New Orleans via Shreveport, Louisiana
Gender: Female




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Who left the door open?
< on 11/14/2007 8:52 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
This is probably the only time you'll see me disappointed over the fact that I arrived at a location and a door was wide open, mainly because I never even thought of this place as an abandonment until yesterday.

I went up to the northern part of the parish, near Arkansas, with two friends to photograph two of my favorite places. While in the area I decided to drop by my best friend Kate's grandmother's old house to get a photo of the exterior in the evening sun. The house has been empty since her grandmother died several years ago, and it's fallen into a state of disrepair. When we arrived, we saw that the screen door to the side porch had been broken in several places. We ventured up onto the porch (all the while dodging the the wasps that have taken up residence in great numbers over the past few years) and found one of the French doors on the side wide open.

We went inside to see if whoever broke in had done any damage. The family had cleared out most of her grandmother's belongings over a year ago, so there wouldn't have been much to steal.
We first went upstairs, where we found that some of the glass and wood in the door to the balcony had been broken out. The door was still closed and locked.



There were a couple of beer cans on the floor in a few rooms, and a crystal ashtray had been broken (the glass left scattered around, which we picked up and later put in the downstairs trash can). For the most part, that was the only damage upstairs.

While up there we did find several years worth of National Geographic magazines stacked in a corner of one room.



In another room, the top half of a window had been left open. I had planned to close it, but apparently it had been open long enough and caused enough water damaged that when I stepped inside, the floor sank a few inches and groooaaaaned. I don't think I've ever moved backwards so fast. It didn't do that the last time I was there (the window had been closed then).



In another upstairs room, there had once been wallpaper on the ceiling (don't ask, I don't know). It was hanging down in sheets, only attached in just enough places that it wasn't quite yet all on the floor. I'm thinking this was probably just the work of time, not of the jackasses who messed up everything else. The wallpaper on the walls was also peeling off like in so many other rooms.
The wallpaper in this house is some of the weirdest stuff I've ever seen. I could probably do an entire series on it. It goes from tasteful, old-style, small floral prints in some rooms to large, garish, tacky prints in odd colors in others.



We went back downstairs, where we found that the outside door to the kitchen had been completely busted out. The door was nowhere in sight, but there were wood splinters everywhere and marks on the frame where the hinges had torn off. Whoever did it obviously ignored the all-too-polite note left taped to a cabinet.



Also in the kitchen we found a priceless masterpiece, probably done by Kate's brother (I don't think Kate's that talented, haha). Sadly, there was no name on it anywhere, so I'm not completely sure which of the grandchildren actually did it.



Thanks to getting sidetracked by the open door, I don't have the exterior shot I originally went there to take. By the time we got back outside the sun had gone behind the trees and thrown a big shadow over the house. We were also more concerned about getting back to civilization (and, thus, cell phone service) so we could call Kate and give her a heads up on the break-in. Her brother and boyfriend are supposed to head up to the house today to board up the broken out doors so everything won't get rained on.

Hopefully the remoteness of this location will keep break-ins to a minimum, though having seen several other locations even more remote than this, I know that's really just wishful thinking.

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Wiccan 


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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 1 on 11/14/2007 9:38 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Thanks for sharing this,I imagine that it must really suck when you have a somewhat personal attachment for the place.

ShatteredAutumn 


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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 2 on 11/14/2007 10:49 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by FireworksOrStars
Hopefully the remoteness of this location will keep break-ins to a minimum, though having seen several other locations even more remote than this, I know that's really just wishful thinking.


Put some land mines in the yard, that will keep people out. That or booby trap the house everywhere.

Oh and, do you plan on going back? Some pictures of the rooms would be nice. I like to see big open empy rooms.
[last edit 11/14/2007 10:51 PM by ShatteredAutumn - edited 1 times]

goldenmoon 


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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 3 on 11/15/2007 2:57 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
not cool.
i would love more of those wallpaper pics sweet pretty please. they're beautiful.

daughter of chaos
Happiedaze 


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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 4 on 11/15/2007 4:19 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Wow.. awesome pictures, great write up... I enjoyed this thread. Good job

'Our plans are all laid out,
take all these unmarked roads,
we blaze the trails to places no one goes, yeah!' -Rise Against
istakebroad 


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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 5 on 11/15/2007 2:54 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Wonderful story to accompany the pictures. Sorry to hear about the break-in, though.

War is an intergalactic language. We're all fluent, but some of us speak it natively.
Lord 




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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 6 on 11/15/2007 4:17 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by FireworksOrStars






they were probably hiding in the cabinet and wrote that note while you were looking around



I will defeat that which was once untouchable only so that I may now move on
FireworksOrStars 


Location: New Orleans via Shreveport, Louisiana
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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 7 on 11/15/2007 7:08 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Thanks guys.

goldenmoon: I will certainly take more wallpaper pics next time I'm there.

Lord: Here I was thinking that rustling sound was just mice... I think I could take 'em. Those are some pretty small cabinets. They'd have to be about knee-height on me to fit (and I'm pretty darn short).

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blackhawk 

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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 8 on 11/20/2007 9:15 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Interesting shots of a forgotten life... just be careful when shooting residential locations especially if they were recently B&Eed.
Walk softly and carry a big camera

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Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
FireworksOrStars 


Location: New Orleans via Shreveport, Louisiana
Gender: Female




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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 9 on 11/20/2007 11:42 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by blackhawk
Interesting shots of a forgotten life... just be careful when shooting residential locations especially if they were recently B&Eed.
Walk softly and carry a big camera

Welcome to UER


No worries, a couple of big cameras and a big tripod are always at hand. Having accidentally whacked myself in the face with my D80 and 80-200mm attached, I feel pretty safe with it, haha. In all seriousness, we did peer into the windows on the ground floor and hung out by the door for a while before venturing further in, to make sure no one was around. We certainly didn't want to be caught way out in the boonies with no cell phone reception and an angry transient.

http://www.flickr....arlsieshaver/sets/
blackhawk 

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Re: Who left the door open?
<Reply # 10 on 11/21/2007 2:48 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by FireworksOrStars


No worries, a couple of big cameras and a big tripod are always at hand. Having accidentally whacked myself in the face with my D80 and 80-200mm attached, I feel pretty safe with it, haha. In all seriousness, we did peer into the windows on the ground floor and hung out by the door for a while before venturing further in, to make sure no one was around. We certainly didn't want to be caught way out in the boonies with no cell phone reception and an angry transient.


In many places squatters have the same legal rights as a home owner; you would be the intruder. If someone inside or outside a house observes your peering in, the results could be quit nasty for you.
I would try to avoid these types of confrontations at all costs
Cops are generally easy to deal with as long as you don't test their sensibilities. The law places a very high value on a man's house and his right to privacy.
It's best to avoid residential dwellings for the most part.
Of coarse some abandoned ones are interesting, and not a problem to explore.



Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
UER Forum > Archived US: South > Who left the door open? (Viewed 487 times)



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