1 Comments Posted by ro

motts, thank you, your site is so important, these pix are so moving and your photography is masterful! plus, credit due to the unspeakable beauty of the place itself. i don't know why i never went in to explore, lots of friends did, though. i did venture into one house, ( john mac, maybe you would know it, more towards the river in the woods, almost a ranch style? on hospital hill side, i mean the sledding part of the hill). the floor was warped like ocean waves & we heard probably what was a racoon & left...
i used to sit in the shadow of those buildings for hours in summer w/ sketchbook and snacks. & camera- it was so quiet, and eerie too, in bright sun. i love that place. my mom taught me to drive there. my friends were arrested there. another friend used to be a resident there. ah, the memories!
"would that this odd dreamscape be preserved, impractical as it may seem, as a living museum of the element of uncertainty-- a reminder for those who find it helpful to be reminded that we are never really in control of our lives."
sorry for the schmucky prose, but i wrote it about NSH for an essay assignment. highly romanticized, my apologies to those in human services & those who experienced the real deal, it's purely from an artistic observer perspective.
does anyone remember suntan man, chief joe 3 hats, or beauford? i believe they have all passed on. and unfortunately i believe many folks only knew them by those monikers... altho beauford's name was beauford. all guys who were let go when the hospital started closing.
i've not been back since the demo started cuz it's hard to watch things change.
thanks motts
do you know about the olmstead house at jamaica pond in jamaica plain, boston? please come & shoot it, i think it's coming down soon.