Bushong, Kansas – The high school stage is gradually collapsing beneath the great piano. Classrooms to the west have long forgotten the rustle of books, their window glass now scattered crystal shards. In the rough mix covering the floor I see the title To the Ends of the Earth. These places get that eerie humanity-long-departed feeling. Yet, there are still lives being lived in this little ghost town. And I imagine former students pass by occasionally on a weekend drive, pausing to study the school’s slow decline. But far back in the shadows of the auditorium she patiently waits, her tightly strung piano wire still flirts with felt hammers, slendor ivory keys still outstretched.

This is a revist to the site (I often circle back to favorite places). An earlier photo of the piano is available at this link.