Curiosity Killed the Cat...Or So They Say

A couple of months ago I posted this photo over on Facebook of an old abandoned house in my area.  I told how it sits close to the road and there's no other houses around it and I've been tempted many a time to sneak in and take a peek around.  Last week my ever hungry curiosity was satisfied.

I had taken my kiddos out for a long 4-wheeler ride and our route "just happened" to take us past the house.  I hadn't originally planned on exploring it with two little ones in tow, I didn't have my good camera with me like I had planned, I didn't have on jeans and boots like I knew would be prudent in such a situation, but I decided not to squander the chance so I just went for it anyways.  We braved many a cobweb and fought off several nasty looking banana spiders with a stick.  My daughter was not a happy camper.

I found it interesting that looking under the house I discovered that it was set up on wooden blocks.  Not cement like you typically see with raised homes in Florida, but wooden blocks and wooden beams.   There's no possible way this house could have been sitting level at any time in it's life I would think.

On the edge of the porch, near the overhang, were a couple of strings for hanging laundry, or maybe drying flowers or herbs.  I like to think that's what it was for anyways.  Who knows, maybe it was really the only thing keeping the porch from falling off.  : )

Looking down along the side of the house.

The side door leading to the summer porch.

Lots of windows along the back of the summer porch, and lots of beautiful weathered old wood.  

I hadn't planned on actually risking life and limb by going inside the house and potentially falling through the floor, BUT...when I spied this cupboard through one of the windows I just knew I had to go in and see it up close. 

It was old, and rustic, and red...it was worth a broken leg for a closer look I reasoned.  I blocked out the old adage of "curiosity killed the cat" that was running through my brain.  I told my kids to stay put and not to follow me,  I took a deep breath and tip-toed in.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't wishing I had my Smith & Wesson with me for a little added protection.  There were signs of squatters in the past and I was pretty sure there was probably a snake or two around.  It would have been a tad more comforting than the skinny branch I was holding.  But I forged on despite the lack of firepower.

This view is from the front steps looking straight through the house to the summer porch in the back.  It had this main wide hallway with lots of little rooms coming off of each side.  I stood there just imagining the many cool breezes that must have blown through here.

Most of the rooms looked pretty much the same as this one, small and nondescript.  This was the only one with what I was assuming was a fireplace, though there's no chimney so I'm not exactly sure what it would have been.

I finally found the red cupboard.  I didn't get a very good picture of it seeing as it was dark in there and all I had was my cell phone.  But it was very basic, no shelves on the inside and it was built into the two adjoining walls.  If it had been free-standing I would have been severely tempted to commit theft.  I was pretty sure God has some kind of fine print in the 10 Commandments for situations like these.

In the back of the house I found this cute built in cupboard on the porch.  

And that doorway there on the left led to a pantry.

I couldn't get the door to budge any further so I had to just stick my phone in and hope I could get a good picture.  It was quite dark in there so this grainy shot is the best I could get of the shelves that were obviously built for a large supply of home canned jars of goodness.

Back outside and behind the house I could see a smaller building through the trees, maybe a chicken coop?  Or a storage shed?  I really really wanted to explore it too, but my children were on the verge of mutiny by now and one more colorful spider might have scarred my daughter with nightmares for life.  Maybe someday I can make it back when I'm by myself.  

Well, just me and Mr. Smith & Wesson that is.