When Pests Attack

Even more rustic were the old barns near Robby's mom's house. I had a field day walking around these old dilapidated relics, spotting deer tracks, and making the cows curious. The old trucks and tractors reminded me of my grandpa's farm.

And his old hunting dogs.

A walk down to the old pond made me want to grab a fishing pole and spend the rest of the day catching a few whoppers.

Instead, I managed to catch about a dozen or so chigger bites. It was horrible. Itch! And this brought to mind another distant memory of my days at Grandpa's... the pungent smell of Campho Phenique. Ugh!

I guess that's the price one pays for interloping on land that nature seems intent upon taking back. It seems so odd that less than a mile from this place stands the typical generic shopping centers -- Target, Wal-mart, Starbucks, you name it, it's there. Of course all of these stores have been built in the past few years. Before, it was all farm land. And before that.... chigger territory, I can only presume.

I wasn't the only one feeling nostalgic about this place. As we drive past the Panera, Robby remembers the place where he got his first job (working on a farm) as a kid. It's hard for me to imagine it-- all I see is concrete, asphalt, and free wi-fi.

The land I was walking is currently "owned" by Mr. Alexander; a sweet man who has simply gotten too old to take proper care of all these old buildings. I imagine this place will become a shopping mall or a new housing division when he passes. He keeps signs up to keep people from hunting and from tresspassing, but they still do. Don't misunderstand, I was given permission to snoop around, but, while back by the pond, I spotted an intruder!