Links: Capturing What's Left Behind

   Here is a collection of links across the web that showcase the mysteriousness/awesomeness of abandoned places. Some lead to amusement  parks, some lead to long-decrepit hotels. Look through and try to find meaning in these empty places. Let loneliness and curiosity fill your heart, and intrigue fill your mind. How we inhabit the world is stunning and strange and these are the things left behind. Maybe they were left to decay over time, maybe a hurricane took them down. Sometimes bad location is the reason for desertion, sometimes it's nuclear radiation. All of these places have a history and I encourage you to discover them.

"Towards the entrance and the the sunrise."

This is Nara's Dreamland located in Japan, photographed by Michael John Grist. It's an amazing park that was closed in 2006 because it couldn't compete with Universal Studios Japan. Learn more about Nara's Dreamland and the photographer at www.michaeljohngrist.com. He takes stunning pictures and tells ridiculous stories. He also has prints available.

The Kingston Lounge is a favorite of mine. It was one of the first blogs I started reading. Unfortunately, posts are less frequent now, but I hope you will rummage through the archives. The Kingston Lounge has extremely thorough biographies of each building. I first learned about Typhoid Mary through the Lounge. Oh, and the pictures will blow your mind. The photographer takes great pride in not adjusting any of the scenes he photographs, making them all the more haunting. 

For Disney fans, may I present, Imagineering Disney. Pictured is from one of their series of posts titled Then and Now. Specifically, the picture above was from a post about the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. (Also, that post links to a post about the Carousel of Progress, which is pretty cool.) There are several posts all around Disneyland showing the differences between the Disney of today and yesterday. And, fitting with the theme here, there is a series titled Abandoned Disney, which gives us a look at what happens when a park closes or animatronics retire. 

Spreepark

Pictured above is a ride from the long deserted Spreepark in Germany featured in a list of "8 eerie, abandoned amusement parks". Every amusement park featured is accompanied by a short description and a link to more pictures. If you are a movie buff, Spreepark may look familiar; parts of the film Hanna was shot there. It is one of the most beautiful abandoned parks. 

And, finally, "The Town that Spent 25 Years Underwater". My mom directed me to search of this town, and I was not disappointed. How did get underwater? What happened to its' residents? What does it look like now? Find out.

All pictures link back to their original source. 

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How to: Dry Flowers (and what to do with them)

   Every time we have a bouquet of flowers in the house I get excited. I get more excited when they start dying, then it's DRYING TIME. I like dried flowers because I think they add this weird mysteriousness to a room. Also, I get to keep bouquets from special occasions. It's pretty cool to have the roses from my junior year drama performance. So, I'll show you the two ways I dry flowers, show some of my flowers, and link up to other tutorials that use flowers in awesome ways. 

Pressed Flower:

• Cut off stem to base of flower
• Lay it face down, so the petals won't bend, in the back of a book. (Be sure to use an old book that has no meaning, petals can potentially dye pages and wet petals could cause mold.)
• Place something heavy on top of the book. (I use Little Women, you know like the book, not actual women.)
• Practice patience. It takes 2-4 weeks for a flower to dry completely.
• The less wilted a flower is, the more b-e-a-utiful it will be. 
• If you want to get fancy, put a layer of tissue paper between the flower and book on both sides. Replace the tissue paper every 3-4 days. (I don't do this, and I've never had a problem.)

Drying Flowers:

• Take flower stem out of water
• Cut it down to the preferred size
• Place it into another vase without water and set it in front of a window or on a back porch
• Wait for it to dry aaaaaaand that's it! 

Some of my dried flowers:

What to do with them:

• Rose petal butterflies & Decorated Tea Lights: The tea lights are so cool. Putting that on the list of awesome things to do.
• Glued Pressed Flowers: A guide to gluing pressed flowers to make an insanely awesome arrangement on a page.
• Make Coasters: Seems pretty cool, I think it'd need a trial run.
• Flower Words: Tutorial on using your flowers to make a word print.

   I used my dried flowers to create this illustration. I arranged my flowers on a scanner, and simply scanned them in. Simple as that. I love flowers and I like being able to preserve them. 

   Some people find it weird, or sad, to keep dead flowers. But, I think I'm giving them a new life. I'm still appreciating them and I find them just as fascinating as alive flowers. Dried flowers aren't flowers that are left behind. They're still here, being beautiful. 

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Photo Post: Left Behind

Some places speak distinctly.  Certain dank gardens cry aloud for a murder; certain old houses demand to be haunted; certain coasts are set apart for shipwrecks.  

Robert Louis Stevenson

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Outfit # 18: Left Behind

   On the way to my Grandparent's house we stopped at this abandoned elementary school to take pictures. I've stopped there once before by myself, but was too afraid to explore. This time my mom was with me and she reluctantly watched me stomp through decade old weeds. Unfortunately, there wasn't a way to get inside. I would have been a bit hesitant anyway because there have been homeless people living inside the old school. This school was last used, from what I can tell, as a sort of flea market. Inside the windows there is organized chaos. Old machines are outside and inside. Before that is was some sort of mechanical supplies/trade place.

   Also, we went to a classic burger place in town. It was delicious. This place inspired my outfit. I was going for soda shop girl. My mom used to go to Floyd's when she was in high school, and even though it has moved locations it still has a special meaning to her. Moving around a lot hasn't given me places like this to cherish, so I'm glad we get to come here together. It can be a place I cherish too. I also love the open burger above the sign. I find it hilarious. I'm glad this place isn't left behind yet.

Stick around, tomorrow I share all the photos from the elementary school exploration.

Do you like exploring abandoned places? Are there special places that you cherish?

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