For this installment of my “Meanwhile Back In Peoria” contribution, I chose to go back to the “basics” of some of my photography. As I mentioned on some of my early posts here, and as some of you here who know me, I have found a new “addiction” the past two years in photography. I find a great deal of peace behind the lens, and try to get out as often as I can to capture some images. My photos are “less conventional,” as a lot of them feature old abandoned cars and buildings that I have stumbled across, and often wondered about the history of each of them.

Be it the rusted out hulk of a 50's family sedan, to abandoned buildings and houses, each has their own story and “beauty in decay” as I have come to call them. While seeking out "new" places and locations, I have noticed other debris along the way, some on the sides of roads and some strewn about the countryside. Thinking about it, and using the old adage, “every picture tells a story,” I realized that even the most insignificant bit of “trash” indeed has a history, whether it was a long forgotten toy, some bottle, can or cup thrown out of a moving car window, they all came to rest somewhere. I'm not an advocate of littering, but I have become somewhat fascinated by some of what I have seen, and began to take photos, when I notice them, documenting it. To my amazement, these photos began to take on an “artsy” feel to them, their contrasting colors, the broken shapes and weathered appearances all a part of their story. I'm certainly not being overly philosophical here, but in all reality, all things begin and end somewhere.

I considered calling this column “Roadside Distractions,” as they have become one of my favorite “unconventional” types of subject matter, and have since, all fallen victim to my Canon. Some of these photos are taken purely due to the “unlikely setting” they are found in and I have never moved any of them. Nothing is ever staged when I shoot photos (I wouldn't touch some of this stuff with a stick, while wearing a HazMat suit). Keeping my sense of humor throughout, others I would take just for the sake of “naming” them something amusing just to humor myself. Some of those are included here, others, I will leave to your own imagination. So, here are some”'Roadside Attractions,” sit back and wonder about them, perhaps as I have.