I enjoy maps. I don't know why but I've liked maps since I was a kid and started seeing them in school. Physical maps showing the landscape are my favourite. They aren't as practical as the political maps with cities and roads but they are prettier.

Should #ghost signs be restored? It gives me a funny feeling, as if something important is being lost, or faked or ruined in some way. I don't think a ghost sign can be restored perfectly. Even if it can be, should it be? Does it lose it's history when we try to restore it. Like patina on antiques, is a ghost sign something which keeps value once it gets updated or cleaned?

Eddy's Bread Ghost Sign Restoration Project

Salisbury, NC Ghost Sign Restoration Project

Sign Collectors on Facebook inspired me to write about collecting signs. I don't collect them myself but I will photograph old signs I see along the way.

I also found a Facebook page about fake signs. How would you know if an old sign was really old or just made to look old and weathered? I wouldn't even have thought about someone creating fake old signs.

Take Only Photographs; Leave Only Footprints

Urban Exploration is about exploring in all areas, not always with permission. You might stand on the street and take photographs from a safe distance. You might wander into a storm drains, tunnels and sewers. You might climb to the highest rooftops and take a photo of your feet hanging over the edge looking down at the world below. You might go inside abandoned industrial buildings to photograph huge and mysterious machinery. You might go looking for signs of ghosts (and find raccoons) in a ruined farm house. You might venture into hidden, forbidden or just unknown areas of a city and photograph sites unseen. You might love finding a ghost sign, or a ghost town. The adventures are endless. Just dress accordingly, wear reliable footwear and pack your map and a camera into your trusty backpack before you start.