Where did they go?

We drive past houses like this out here all the time. Houses that were most certainly adorable at one time or another and are now vacant. Sitting there lonely and bare. The children and I have been talking a lot lately about who may have lived there, why they moved, and how that must have felt. We talk about it being cold here, the beautiful miles of farm land, and what life might have been like living in these houses.

Something that amazes me about my older children is how much they actually care. They care about where the families are now and why they left. In truth, so do I. We have taken a new interest in photographing these homes when we drive through the countryside. They each love to find new abandoned houses and start the conversation rolling. For some reason, I find them stunning. Beautiful. There is something so interesting about all the stories that remain hidden under the mossy roof. Honestly, I can't wait for summer when we can walk the country roads and take a glance in the windows. No tresspassing signs were meant for good reason but surely a few country folk showering love upon a lonely abandoned home would be more than welcome, right?
They seem so simple and so plain but they have become some wonderful dreaming in our house. Also, a beautiful entry to discovering history for our children.