Northward expansion

Note: I didn't originally intend to write what I did below. It just kind of happened. It's not directed at anyone, it's just my opinion, and it's what I happened to be thinking when I decided to post the above photo. Don't worry, I won't make this sort of thing a habit.

At the edge of used to be a field. It had trees, bushes, and wildflowers.

Then, not so long ago, development began. What you see above is only a small portion of the houses, and more are currently being built. That old field is now filled with houses and yards, with parents and kids, with cars and bikes, with roads and sidewalks. It now contains a lovely little park which I featured back in June. Some businesses, a retirement facility, and a gas station also moved into the new area. New businesses are going in.

In between some of the houses are signs to remind us the area is a wetland. When it was still a field, it wasn't uncommon for it to flood during heavy rains, even spilling out onto nearby roads on occasion. A field just across the road still floods. Residents call the area Stayton Lake, because that's what it looks like.

But like most towns, Stayton is constantly growing. When there isn't enough room in town, the people have to go somewhere. So boundaries are expanded, new roads are paved, new houses are built, new businesses are opened, and fewer fields can be seen. It's part of what we call progress.

In the background of the photo you can see there are still some fields, mostly used for farming, and there are trees dotting the landscape. It makes me wonder what will happen a year, five years, ten years down the line.

I don't really have a point to all of this... no dramatic conclusion, no words of wisdom to weather changes to come. I apologize if I ruffled any feathers with what I've written, or bored any of you readers. Tomorrow I'll be back to my (ir)regular self. Stay tuned.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog