Monday, January 28, 2013

The Abandoned Cabin

I have an overwhelming urge to rescue things and bring them back to life.
 I am sure that is part of the reason why I am forever rescuing furniture and other junk.
 This is an abandoned cabin in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
I was smitten with its quaint charm.

My brother's family has been renting the log cabin next door for a week or two each summer.   

My brother Dave loves old junk and he has been telling me about this cabin for over a decade.
I was excited to finally see it for myself.
I visualized a log cabin not a quaint red and white cottage. 
I was amazed to see the vibrant red paint.
The paint looks fairly new not decades old. 
From a distance it looks like someone just left it at the end of last season. 
But on closer examination you can begin to see the decay.
The front porch is gone and some of the windows are boarded up.
The front and back doors just stand open to the elements and the animals.
I could see a little antique washstand inside the back porch. 
It still had the traces of green paint but
we could see that animals had taken up residence in the drawers.

I heard from my sister in law that the 
family left one year and never returned. 
I guess the owners became too elderly to vacation in Colorado.

 The taxes are paid every year but the heirs haven't been to visit the home nor have they made plans to sell it.
I peaked inside but didn't want to go in. 
The floors looked rickety and there were mouse droppings everywhere 
but
the living room looked like a 50's or 60's time capsule.
 The cabin is buried under the snow in the winter.
 In the summer it is surrounded by breathtaking views. 

I can visualize what this cottage could be 
but it will probably fall down or will be torn down at some point. 
I think the rodents have made it inhabitable.

It is sad that something so cute is just wasting away.
Some day Bill and I hope to fix up a cottage or a cabin. 
  The cottage of my dreams is 
 a cross between my grandparent's lake cottage and a farmhouse.
I hope for a cute white house with a tin roof. 
Bill wants a log cabin with a green tin roof. 
Who knows if either dream will ever come to be
but, 
I wouldn't turn away from a red cottage with white trim deep in the woods. 
What do you think?
Do you feel a pull to rescue a forgotten home?
 Katie  
                            My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia                             
Between Naps on the Porch 
Savvy Southern Style  
French Country Cottage

20 comments :

  1. I feel that pull desperately - I would give anything to get in there and fix that little beauty up - it's full of potential -
    I hope someone else sees that too!
    XXX

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  2. Yes, I feel the pull too! But I live so far away, I would probably just take something with me, like a peace of wood and make a sign and hang on my wall and feel the nostalgia every time I look at it!
    Claudine, www. restory.ca

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  3. Oh yes, I feel it too!!! Guess that is why I love rescuing the old, neglected and forgotten too! Enjoyed this post!

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  4. Oooh, I'd be so tempted to try to convince the family to let you rescue it! What a wonderful dream that would be!

    thanks for sharing,
    gena

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    1. My sister in law said there is not enough land to put in a septic system. I guess that is why they haven't sold it.

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  5. What a beautiful area to spend some time enjoying nature. I, too, love to rescue things and make them better. If you like the place, you just might make the heirs a low offer. You never know...they might say yes!

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  6. The abandoned cottage seems like such a shame. I am guessing that it was used and loved at one time. Perhaps, the heirs will come to visit and realize what a truly charming place it is and restore it to it's former glory. Your photos and words tell a story that needs to have a happy ending. Thanks for sharing,
    Suzanne

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  7. such a shame the owners let it deteriorate like that. my gosh, i'd be using it all the time! hope you someday get your wish.

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    Replies
    1. It won't be that place for me. I would love something closer to home.

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  8. I have that exact same vision. I hope to one day own a victorian house or cottage that is in need of repair and love! Such a great cabin tho, ashame it's wasting away. Came to you via a linky party and am now following!

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  9. Your great post brings back memories of an old (like 200 years-old) ruin of a cabin I used to dream about living in up on Independence Pass near Aspen, Colorado. I wonder if it's still there? Thanks so much for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. What a wonderful place to live. I hope you get your wish.

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