Simple Entertainments

Nancy on the path to the Silos

As a teenager rowing up in Paducah, KY, my friends and I were starved for entertainment. Going to the Silos was one of the places we would go that took us out of the world which surrounded us. It had a kind of simple magical quality to it. It was used by stoners as illustrated by the graffiti and by young couples as evidenced by the spent condoms. But considering how many people used to hang out there, we never ran into any other people when we would park the car alongside the road and walk down the overgrown pathway.

We assumed they were the remains of two grain silos. There was no evidence if they were part of some farm or other structure. The whole surrounding area was thickly wooded.

I took this picture when I was a senior in high school using an old Argus 35mm camera. I was also the photographer for the school newspaper, The Oak K. I had no idea how to use any of the settings, would just point and shoot and hope something came out. I love this photograph. It has absolutely no relation to how the town of Paducah looked, or anything else in that part of the world.