Weather Beaten Structures In The Arizona Desert
By Peter Tompkins
27 Jun 2012
For some reason I am drawn to very old homes and structures, especially ones that have had their battles with the wind, rain and sun. Here in Arizona the desert is strewn with old and new abandoned homes, buildings and structures.
Older structures from the early 20th century that have been baking in the desert sun seem to "call out" to me. When I see one that has to be photographed I get this warm inviting feeling in the pit of my stomach and I hit the brakes and grab my camera.
Today I got into my car with my camera and began to drive south east of my house towards the San Tan Mountains. Determined to find something to photograph but I wasn't sure what.
After about an hour and 1/2 I drove passed this old abandoned farm house on the side of the road. In an instant I saw that it's paint had almost completely peeled off, windows were broken, yard barren except for a few tumble weeds and random beer cans and trash.
I was traveling too fast to stop immediately so I kept of driving. I drove for about 1/4 of a mile and something told me to go back. So I did a u-turn and went back.
The house was a small structure and looked like it may have been built in the 1930's It was maybe 900 square feet. Behind it was a very small weather beaten barn. As I surveyed the house my thoughts were filled with images of the people that may have lived here. How they got up in the morning to work the land of their farm.
The house looked like it had been abandoned for at least 30 years. I wondered why the owners left. Did they sell their land to the housing developers that had bought out all of the farmers in the area?
The barn was 20 feet long by 10 feet wide. The door and window were gone. It was dark brown in areas and grey in the areas where years of exposure to desert wind and the Arizona sun had eaten the paint away. This barn was barley large enough to store a small tractor and some tools.
A few shotgun shells were scattered on the ground in front of the house. I wasn't certain if I was being watched or if I was going to be approached about trespassing so, I began to snap a few pictures.
When I shoot pictures of structures I look for repetitive shapes and textures. I tried to capture the atmosphere of the home and the barn as it stood. I wanted to get closer and take pictures of the peeling paint but I was unsure if I would be approached about trespassing. Out here the police shoot first and ask questions later so I decided to keep my distance.
Here are a few of the pictures that I took.
