Take Me Back Tuesday | Roadside Gems & Aging Glory

As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with old and rundown things. When I was a kid, we would be on long cross-country road trips and I would see abandoned buildings/barns/houses off the side of the highway. I’d immediately think to myself, ‘I wonder what the story is with that house. Who lived there? Where did they go?” That shouldn’t be surprising though, if you follow the blog, because it’s easy to see that I am a sentimental soul and I LOVE a good story. Well, that intrigue hasn’t changed. I still am fascinated by old abandoned things which is one of the many reasons I love traveling and am grateful my job allows me to do it frequently. You just never know what roadside gems you will find. This past weekend I found a super wonderful Roadside Gem that I just had to share. On the way to my wedding in College Station this past Saturday, my assistant and I passed all kinds of roadside finds and were ooing and aaawing the whole time, just desperately wanting to get out an explore. However, a ceremony start time took precedence so we journeyed on. There was, however, one super great spot right off the road that we agreed to visit on the way home. An abandoned gas station.

If it weren’t for the two pumps outside, you would never know it was probably once an active stop to fuel up because it held no resemblance to the massive stations we frequent on road trips these days. It’s white wash siding had faded to a cool vintage appeal, the building was collapsing in on itself after years of neglect and the summer time weeds had claimed control, making themselves well at home. There were at least four abandoned trucks that decorated the lot surrounding the place, their frames rusted from years of too much weather exposure and not enough use. It was a gorgeous autumn day, with a cloudless sky and warm crisp air. Everywhere we looked, there was some bit of character that showed itself and caught our attention. To some people, this might be an eyesore…but to me? This was a gem. You see, I’ve come to learn that with age comes the sacrifice of what is immediately seen as beautiful. Age will inevitably strip you of the seemingly perfect attributes of youthfulness. However, if you look a little closer, with age comes a much more significant kind of beauty. The beauty that has seen its fair share of days. The beauty that has character. Proven character. The beauty that, with its imperfections and wrinkles, has a story to tell. And with that story comes wisdom. A beauty that is defined by aging glory.

So, in the name of roadside gems, proven character, and aging glory,

I Say, Take Me Back!

31 cents. 31 CENTS?!?!? If only…

The outhouse. That dates it. 

Now, if you read last week’s TMB post, you know that I got some super cool boots. Well, being in College Station for the weekend, we had to bring along our boots…just in case. This proved important because in all of this tall and potentially snake-filled grass, we didn’t want to take any chances. So…yes…we slipped on our boots with our athletic clothes so that we could explore worry free. Don’t judge.