The photographer wears work boots

No matter how hot it is, I wear blue jeans and work boots when I walk around old buildings to take pictures. While I try to watch my step, I’m not always able to avoid every hazard. And I can’t avoid walking through tall, scratchy weeds.

I was especially grateful for the boots Saturday.

I intended to photograph this white house on our way to Dad’s house.

I became very sleepy while driving and needed to stop. I saw another abandoned house and turned off.

While walking around this house, I felt this nail penetrate my boot sole. I was so grateful I was wearing work boots. Otherwise, I would have had a puncture wound in my foot. (Later, at the white house, I stepped on a box spring that was hidden in those tall weeds. Thank God for thickly soled boots.)

Boards came from the second floor. Nearly all the siding has fallen off that second floor. Much of it remains on the porch roof, but some has slid to the ground to catch the unwary.

So much siding has fallen off that the house reminded me of one of those mountain resort homes with the huge picture windows in front. But this house did not look out onto any mountain view. It looks out to rolling prairie.

I was very careful to stay under the porch roof as much as possible. Note the window near the roof’s edge. I definitely would not like any piece of that pile to fall on me. Maybe I should wear a hard hat, too?

I am careful always to check the soundness of any floors I might walk on. Falling through the floor would be a bad idea. If I have any doubt as to the floor’s soundness, I stay away. Floor was sound in most of the “Ozymandias house”, but the back porch felt soft when I tested it. I did not enter the back porch. My husband was glad to know this. Most of these abandoned buildings are a long way from any emergency rooms and he’d rather not have to take me to one of them.

I’d rather avoid those places myself.