I'm native to this region...

The Southern Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern United States. I traced my genealogy and found that my ancestors have lived in this region since the 1600s. Same story with my wife, but hers goes back much farther.... her ancestry is Cherokee Indian.

Understood but Sad

Seeing scenery like this makes sense why our families stayed put and why so many others move to this region. However, in the last 10 years we have had exponential growth in the area which has also changed much about the place. I've seen farms sell and get converted into massive apartment complexes, massive tracts of forest turned into mini-cities of themselves with hundreds extremely high priced homes, and nostalgic local treasures dozed to make way for another generic commercial building or retail store.

My Tiny Bit

With this in mind, I've tried to consciously capture local scenery or notable structures in my own little effort to preserve them for viewing later. Below is one of such photos. This barn was sitting quietly alongside a dirt road, but dangerously close to a large (new) school. In fact, I parked on the side of the road on school property to get this photo. This isn't very close to my home--about 45 minutes away in a smaller mountain community, so I haven't been back through since then to know if it is still standing. Despite its fate, at least it is preserved here for us all to see.

Of Interest?

If the interest exists, I will happily share more photos, just let me know in the comments below. Perhaps this can be an ongoing series? If not, that's okay too. I'll still do my thing and snap the photos as I can.