For over 30 years, the old Circle Line V has sat rusting away at the mouth of the Ohio River; a nearly forgotten vessel. First departing in 1902, coming from Wilmington, Delaware, the ship was captained by railroad executive, J. Rogers Maxwell – a passionate yachter. Originally named the Celt, this 180-foot-long, steam-powered boat would experience many name changes throughout its wild and interesting life.

Seeing the stadium in such a decayed state was heartbreaking; all the while, still beautifully surreal.

All of the technology we had dreamt of having in the 60s, 70s, and in today’s case the 80s has come partly to creation in reality, but at the same time it has broken us down as a community, causing just as many problems as it has created innovations.

The thing is, the attraction to these somber scenes – the strange, emotional draw from standing within the eerie atmosphere of all of these abandoned spaces, or even seeing them visually represented is still a largely unexplained emotion called Kenopsia.

The fire burned on as streets filled with smoke. An apocalyptic aura was drawn over the neighborhood as smoke billowed from broken walls.

Ohio is a beautiful place that tends to be largely overlooked by far too many. Sure, there’s tons of empty space in the state, can’t argue with that – our corn is on point though.

Now, I’ve been to Kansas – and I can tell you one thing for sure – I’m not going to make a ridiculous joke about no longer being there – we were somewhere a great deal stranger tucked away in these North Carolina mountains.

Over 2 million sunflower seeds were planted here in Avon Lake, Ohio in memory of a little girl who suffered brain tumors, eventually passing away. Her mother now cares for this field every year in memory of her daughter, raising more awareness of these conditions.

I have watched it for years now, deteriorating in such an incredible, beautifully destructive way. From the initial abandonment when all was still fairly pristine – shop windows intact – to looking like a bomb dropped – windows smashed and glass tossed all around as trees begin to grow wildly throughout. This is definitely one of the most bizarre “forests” you will ever take a hike through.

How can we care about something so much for a moment, but in a moment’s notice just drop it like we never even owned it? How can we continue to leave so much behind and broken when there’s 3.5 million homeless without a place to even feel safe or call their own when they’re out in the cold frozen? Life is a fragile topic…difficult to grasp and nearly impossible to open…