Dire Straits

My Posts this week focused on documenting Central Maine during these dismal economic times. The precipitous drop in the stock market and the evaporation of my personal savings prompted me to take my camera and go out in search of images that describe the state of the nation as found in central Maine. I wanted to focus on classic images that have endured hard times yet retain their aesthetic appeal and functionality.

I contrasted these enduring images of New England with burned down and deserted mobile homes and houses. These images are a stark reminder of how fast life can change and destroy the illusion of financial security and protection. (I suspect that some Mainers may have burned down their houses in an attempt to escape foreclosure). In many instances it’s cheaper to relocate to another dilapidated house or trailer than rebuild a burned down one. These burned down dwellings litter the Maine countryside like deserted cars in Mad Max or Escape from New York.

This burned down mobile home had a fresh replacement fifteen feet to the right of it. Could you imagine waking up every morning and seeing your old, burned down house?

These burned down dwellings also signify that this is no short-term problem. Many of these houses burned down years ago and won’t be fixed until real estate prices increase enough to make it feasible to tear them down and build something new. Like a broken glass on the kitchen floor, these skeletons will remind of us of the failure of the sub prime loans and the end of an American era.