Travelling around California I kept finding great old ruins. Many were defunct roadside businesses and there was something remarkable about these places. It took me a while to figure it out, but I think it was the level of preservation and a unique quality to the way the time has worked on these old buildings. I’m a lifelong New Englander and the hot, dry climate in California seems to age buildings differently. The construction plays a role in the impression these building left on me, too, as there is more masonry and stucco than the typical wood structure in my home state. The character of these buildings was so strong that they struck me as looking like movie sets waiting for the crew to arrive.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t always stop and make a picture but Lemon Cove, CA, was worth getting out and stretching my legs for. Here, blocks apart from each other, were two amazing old filling stations.
Just east of Fresno, CA, a man selling cherries out of the back of his truck caught my eye and I quickly realized his place of business had a past life. I stopped to take a few pictures and ended up buying some cherries. I don’t like them but he was a nice guy trying to earn a living on this desolate, hot corner where clearly others had failed.
These photos are really terrific, Joe!
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