This Old House that WAS.
I left the pictures large to preserve the detail.

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I took these picture on a coyote hunt last February. The weather was wet but the roads were open. I didn't call in a coyote, but I am sure glad that I took time to take the pictures because the house is now gone.

In February of 2006, I went coyote hunting to one of the ranches that I have access to. This old house has been abandoned for a number of years. I had a new camera and took pictures of the old house. It recently burned down to a black spot. Here is a tribute to an Old House and all the memories that are lying there in the ashes of today. The pictures are in the order that I took them.

The old driveway. The house had a number of almond trees and one China berry tree. Olive trees line the driveway. 

The nearest power line is a mile away. The old house was located in a very quite and scenic spot.

This is the front door with the porch. The door was already open so I walked in to take more pictures.

Somebody had broken most of the windows out. The lighting was poor on this view.

Inside the front room. The easy chairs were still there.

The cupboard for cups and dishes.

The old fireplace for keeping warm in cold weather.

Three horseshoes had been hanging on the wall. I have heard that they should be hung upside down so the luck will not spill out. Looks like these three didn't bring the old house any luck.

This is the back porch and the shower stall. The shower curtain is gone.

Looks like the plumbing contractor didn't follow code. But obviously there was hot and cold water. It must have been a wood fired water heater but I didn't see it anywhere.

Nine years of disuse and the birds and rodents made a mess of the back porch.

This is the back deck. The item might have been the stove or water heater.

I think the person's name was Art Thomas. Art moved over to the base ranch and was the caretaker for a number of years before he died of cancer. Art was an excellent gardener and grew the best tomatoes and squash in the area.

This is the entertainment center. An old 12 volt car radio. Art must have had a generation and a 12 volt system for lights.

The kitchen sink. 

This was the tack house.

Inside the tack house. The old washing machine. This is where the tools and saddles were stored.

I walked in to get a better picture of the insides and....

This cottontail came out of a hole in the floor. I hope he was able to get out before the fire.

I have no idea who DG was.

The old tin roof. The front porch is on the right. The awning wasn't holding up very well.

Another view of the back porch and the stove or hot water heater. When I was taking the pictures, I didn't notice that there was a cellar. The hole in the corner must have lead to the cellar. There was a large hole evident when the house burned down that must have been the cellar.

Another view of the back porch.

This out building is still standing to mark the spot.

I was surprised to see that The Old House was gone when I was entering the property on May 27 2006.

It even killed the old China berry tree that was near the house. There was no grass fire. I have no idea how the fire got started or exactly how long ago it occurred. The pickup truck was not there in the earlier pictures. The pile of bricks next to the burned out pickup truck is what is left of the fireplace and chimney. 

There are still a few green leaves, but I think the old bent-over China berry tree is a goner. The old pipe survived. This is the hitching rail for the horses.

The Old Barn is still standing, but is a bit tired.

There is a good place to call coyotes up the draw about half a mile. There is an old windmill and another barn about to fall. What we build does not last forever but the memories of This Old House has turned into instructions on how to place a few million pixels in the correct order on your screen.

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Last Updated: 02/10/2012
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