Book excerpt: If you have ever driven past an old farmstead or building and wondered why it was left to waste away, then you know the rush abandoned explorers get with every new place they come across. That intrigue never really goes away; in fact, it can grow into an obsession of capturing the memories that once were. Nicole Renaud has wandered all over Eastern Nebraska to capture the best parts of the weathered, decayed, and crumbling buildings that hold memories for many, such as Prairie Peace Park, Devils Nest ski resort, and a massive slaughterhouse. Eastern Nebraska is also filled with schools, churches, factories, countless homesteads, and entire towns that have been forgotten.