There are a lot of things about the house in Wurtsboro that I saw last weekend that caught my attention, and one of them was the idea of having a basketball hoop in the woods. I’m not sure how practical this hoop and “court” is in its current state, as there’s an uneven surface below it, which would make dribbling almost impossible. But the idea of being able to fix this up and shoot hoops in the woods (surrounded by 11 acres with deer and bears) sounds like an appealing activity to me!
I think I’m also drawn to this visually because it makes me think of a favorite photograph by Joel Sternfeld: “Near Lake Powell, Arizona,” August 1979. It’s from Joel’s “American Prospects” series, and the vantage point from which Joel chose to photograph this basketball hoop made it look like it was all by itself in the middle of the desert. I would guess that if one were to stand about 100 feet forward, turn around and take a picture in the opposite direction, one would probably see a house or some other building. But Sternfeld framed it perfectly to make it look like an isolated and lonely place to shoot hoops.
I’d like to think that I’ve captured a very unlikely place to shoot hoops with this next picture: this basketball court includes an old car battery, a concrete block, some big sticks, and a metal trash burning can, like the vintage kind that used to be found on the Lower East Side (where bums would start bonfires to keep warm) or like what my grandma used to have at her house in Gladbrook (Iowa) to burn leaves every fall.
It’s an environment and world away from my current living space in a clean and contemporary condo in Belleville, which I think is why this property in Wurtsboro appeals to me – it would be a complete change from the suburban NJ lifestyle I’ve lived for the past 25 years. But would I get there and think to myself “what the hell have I done?” Or would I embrace it – and the local bears – and have fun? This little composite Photoshop image shows the positive thoughts of connecting with nature and the “locals” in Wurstsboro.
