Another Demolition Heart

I walked alone amidst the rubble ...

And found I wasn't really alone after all.

I carried in my heart ...

All of YOU!

(This heart is exactly as I found it - I only lightened the background to make it pop out a bit more)

"Orange You Glad It's Friday"

Another Demolition Heart

The demolition crew at the former mega-church has been hard at work - but not on the weekends. I took advantage of the quiet time yesterday, and went for a walk.

Rubble - cement and rebar, giant wooden beams, pipes and wires ... in piles strewn across the property - some higher than my head.

I was nearly overwhelmed with the scope of the destruction.

Then I looked down. A small piece of insulation nestled next to a piece of broken concrete caught my eye.

And my heart.

Insulation Dedication

I spent part of yesterday wandering around the abandoned church (across the street) with a veterinarian from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. You see, I found some birds. Dead birds. Four dead owls and a Cooper's hawk. I was very worried that something or someone was killing these beautiful birds.

Turns out the owls were fledgelings and probably died of natural causes - most likely starvation. They came out of the nest too early and wandered around the massive building. The parents couldn't find them to feed them, and they died. The hawk apparently tried to exit the building through one of the few remaining windows and broke its neck.

I thank Dr. Vandenburg for driving all the way out here to investigate. He was patient and kind, and taught me much about the beautiful birds of this area. He also took the birds with him to further investigate ... just in case.

During our walk, I found a piece of insulation and couldn't resist the heart. It helped dry the tears in my eyes.