A First Look...

Has there ever been a road you have driven hundreds of times, and then one day you suddenly notice something for the first time? Well I recently experienced a similar situation during my commute home. As I was riding down a road that I use quite often for work and play I noticed a deserted building that I had never seen before - an empty structure just standing about twenty feet off the road, nestled amongst the trees. I was amazed that I had passed this spot so many times yet never noticed something that was just a few feet away. Most likely, I'm normally in a rush to reach my destination and am not paying attention to anything else.

I immediately pulled over and jumped out of my car to get a better look. I marveled at how the town seemed to fill in the surrounding land with convenience stores, gas stations, and local hangouts - yet this one property appeared to be left untouched to wither away at its own pace. I couldn't figure out if this was an old house - it would be a very tiny one since there appeared to be only one room - or some type of storage shed. How long had it been standing? Upon a closer look, I realized some of the wood like looked as if it had been replaced recently, while other boards were so decayed they were about to fall apart. I saw a few chairs and random articles inside, but not enough other furniture or belongings to provide any clues. Unfortunately, as I said, the surrounding buildings were mostly commercial in nature so they did not offer any evidence either. I finally settled on the idea that "the house" must have been part of a farm that at one time stood in this area.

I started to think about other stuff that people might pass on their "daily commute" of which they never take notice. (Sometimes for good reason if you are driving by at 45/50 mph like I normally am on this road...this particular days there was more traffic!?!?) After a while everyone just goes into "autopilot" and misses the oddities that have the potential to turn a traffic jam into a new adventure.

I was so excited the day I took this picture because for the first time in years I was not on the same old, boring "state route" - I was experiencing an opportunity to be creative. And, I hope the next time I'm on that road I have the same opportunity again!

That's the Golden Perspective...what's yours?