Crash Test Dummies from Winnipeg, Manitoba won the Juno Award for Group of the Year in 1992.

The Crash Test Dummies are a Canadian band, originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wikipedia says they started in 1988. But I remember them mainly from the early 1990's when the Superman Song came out and became huge across Canada. I bought the first and the second cassette tapes as they were produced and out there. But, I have no idea where they are now and it wouldn't matter if I did. I no longer have a cassette player. How is that for making you feel older?

I don't know what made me start thinking about the Crash Test Dummies this morning. I used to absolutely love the deep voice of the lead singer, Brad Roberts. Maybe something poked my memories. I looked up the band, found the website (and a Facebook page which seems to be maintained by Brad Roberts who lives in New York City now) and listened to the latest songs (available on the site). The voice is what I remember and yet softer, a bit mellowed over time, experience and life.

On YouTube I found many of the songs I remember: Superman's Song, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (yes, that is a song), Peter Pumpkinhead, Swimming in Your Ocean, Afternoons and Coffeespoons, God Shuffled His Feet, Two Knights and Maidens, and a newer song I hadn't heard.

The Crash Test Dummies are Still Making Music

I didn't know there were more albums/ records/ CDs out. For me they seemed to drop off the edge of the planet sometime in the 1990's. (I'm not especially musically inclined, usually I just listen to the radio if that). So I didn't know the band had another four or six (I lost track) CDs together and several projects which the band members had done on their own. Ellen Reid who sings back up and lead on some songs, like Peter Pumpkinhead, has a blog where she also sells her CD.

This CD which I found on Amazon is a best of the Crash Test Dummies. You can also get a best of Brad Roberts (see Crash Test Dude below). I'd rather have the whole package though, I enjoyed the voice but the Crash Test Dummies would sound a bit plain without Ellen and the variety of instrumentals too. I ordered the CD from Amazon before I began writing this.

When she sang at the Canadian Olympics the US people watching with my Mom in Florida all insisted K.D. Lang was a man. But, K.D. Lang is a woman. She isn't the typical woman celebrity looking like she just stepped off a glamorous magazine cover.

Get over the way she looks, the way she dresses and the whole beef thing (likely only the Canadians will know about that). The only thing you really need (and will want to) know about K.D. Lang is that she can sing.

She sings like there is no tomorrow and I feel that way when I play her CDs. I wish my machine was one which would just play the same CD over and over until the power finally went out and I could just keep hearing it all in my head anyway. When K.D. Lang sings you feel brought into the music, it becomes sound rather than something comprised of music written by human hands.

Not every song will be that loved but there are enough on this album to keep me happy.

Who is K D Lang? Born as Kathryn Dawn Lang, November 1961, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Now you see where the K.D. comes from.

K.D. grew up on the Canadian Prairies with two sisters and a brother. She is a human and animal rights activist and both have gotten her in trouble in the past.

K.D. Lang sings with famous people: Anne Murray, Tony Bennett, Jane Siberry, Roy Orbison, Leonard Cohen and Elton John. She has won Juno and Grammy awards. She has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. She performed at the closing ceremony of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. More recently, she performed live at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Now the People will know we were here

I especially like the Inukshuk, as a Canadian symbol. Though, it is still fairly new to popular culture the Inukshuk (the plural form is inuksuit) is an old idea which began with the Canadian native Peoples in the far north.

The explanation I have always liked best is that it shows someone else was here before you. In the far north where there really is snow about half the year and people do still hunt for food, explore and get lost. The Inukshuk meant you were not alone. Someone had been there before you and you might be closer to finding other people than you think. It wasn't a homecoming beacon, but it meant you were not alone in the world no matter how far you got in distance.

Every Inukshuk is unique. Made from stones and rocks carefully stacked in order to stand, and remain standing, for (hopefully) generations in the figure of a person. The Inukshuk can be seen in the Canadian Arctic, traditionally.

As they have grown to become popular as a cultural symbol, Inuksuit are appearing all over Canada now. An Inukshuk was used to represent Canada at the Vancouver Olympics. If you drive north in Ontario you can see Inuksuit created everywhere along the highways where there are rocks from the Canadian Shield.

The ancient Inuksuit were created as help with navigation and messages to fellow travellers, hunters and those who may be exploring or lost.

This Inukshuk image (in the photo) is from the latest reusable cloth bag at the PC chain of grocery stores here in Ontario. You can see how well the Inukshuk has become a part of the Canadian culture.

Spelling Inukshuk

There are variations in the spelling of Inukshuk.

Inuksuit - is the plural form - when you are talking about a few Inuksuit.

Inuksuk - is another way I have seen Inukshuk spelled. I don't know if this is just a cultural thing in some areas but overall the spelling is Inukshuk

inukshuk - With or without a capital letter? I don't know what the proper form is. I've seen it both ways.

Inukshuk is still a new part of Canadian culture. There are some details to be ironed out.

• The Canadian Encyclopedia - Inuksuk
• Historica Canada - Inukshuk

When you don't live in the city you can call yourself a rural explorer.

Chances are you already know the first place you want to explore. There's something that catches your eye on the way home from work every day, each time you drive to visit your Mother, when you go on the backroad into the next town... There's a place out there which you'd like to stop and get a look at, if only you dared. Let's not say you need to find the time. The time is there. It's not easy to stop the car, get out with your camera and make that first step into being an urban explorer.

Or, a rural explorer, as I see it. I don't live in the city. I've lived in the city, in a small city and a range of towns around Ontario. I started exploring abandoned farm houses with my Mother and my Aunt, before I ever knew other people were doing the same thing. I didn't go looking for antiques, old hardware or anything like that. I wasn't hoping to see a ghost or wanting to get creeped out. I wanted to see a relic from the past, the old woodwork, the way the bricks had weathered and whatever mysteries might be lost, forgotten and buried under dust, debris and wild plants. The best thing I found myself was an old iron key. I still have it in my jewelry box.

The first time I explored on my own was years later. Right after I got my first digital camera. No co-incidence there. The digital camera is a wonder for anyone into exploring. Now you can take all the photos you want and not think twice about the cost of getting them developed or how many rolls of film you had packed into your purse.

The photo in this introduction is the very first house I explored, alone. Just my digital camera and me. That was the year 2006.

Don't Pass up a Great Chance to Explore

Access All Areas: A User's Guide to the Art of Urban Exploration I bought this book just after the author died. Not from falling off a building or any kind of exploring accident. I met his wife when I bought the book, at a zine fair in downtown Toronto, Ontario. I still have Access All Areas, even though I have not visited all the places he did. Mostly because I live farther north now. The book is a guide to taking a chance, some risks and visiting places mostly unknown, unseen or where you may not be welcome. I hope people continue to buy Access All Areas for all the same reasons I did years ago.

Photo taken in 2007. This house is now gone. Burned down by vandals, then demolished.

The Real Dangers of Urban Exploration

You may expect the top danger for explorers to be people. It's not!

I've been exploring, often alone, and the biggest danger I've found is from wild animals. Not that I have been attacked by wolves, raccoons, rabid squirrels... no. I've been threatened by birds and attacked by bees. I've had toads and frogs scare the pee out of me - I still think I stepped on one poor toad when I was walking through very long grass and couldn't see where my feet were stepping.

Birds can be territorial and may dive bomb you. The only solution is to tolerate it or hide. I've yet to have one actually strike me. But, the closest to do so were blackbirds (those smaller versions of crows) and hummingbirds. Don't laugh!

Bees are pretty self explanatory. Rule number 1: don't step in between the flight path of two beehives. Just don't do it. If you really must, duck down low and make sure your hair is covered. There is nothing like having a bee lost in your long, curly hair - near enough to your ear so you know you're in danger of being stung and you're not really keen on finding it with your fingers.

People will sometimes ask you what you are doing. In all but one case I have never had any trouble at all with people. They are curious. If they know something about the history of the house/ building/ location they will usually tell you about it. Volunteering all kinds of historical information. Which is great. I do like to hear it. Sometimes people want to talk more than I want to keep listening, but I do appreciate their time, their interest in the place I'm looking at and... the fact that I'm a woman and they are likely telling me all this because I don't seem like someone who would be getting into trouble, or making trouble.

Only once, I had a woman who was suspicious. But, it turned out she was the owner of the house I was photographing - it was a ruin but not abandoned. In that case I liked it for the ruined look. But, there are cases where you will find out (later hopefully) that the abandoned house you're photographing isn't actually abandoned after all. It's kind of funny, later.

Getting back to animals... watch for animal holes. You might hurt your leg if you step into one. It is a good idea not to go alone just in case you do get hurt and need help. I do not explore inside the houses, hardly ever actually. I will go inside if I'm with a group, or at least one other person. Safety in numbers, when it comes to injury or... getting caught as a trespasser.

This has not happened to me. But, it is on my mind each time I stop and get out of the car at a location I want to explore. I feel I am keeping myself out of trouble by not entering the premises. If I just walk around outside taking my photos I'm not breaking into the property. Also, I just don't feel right about entering a home this way. Most often they are pretty gutted by other explorers or people looking for hardware and such to steal and sell as vintage. So, in theory, I feel I am not trespassing, or really missing much.

I was asked to leave one location by the security people. This was a time I was not alone so that was nice for me. I had already taken the photos I wanted too. I think they left me alone to wander around for awhile before they finally approached me. But, I'm sure they would have come on the run if I had been trying to do more than take outside photos.

If you do enter any abandoned, derelict or ruined building you must know you are at risk. You can not be 100% sure about anything in that building. Even a place which does not look badly derelict can have structural damage. Don't be an idiot about exploring inside. Wear decent footwear, bring a flashlight (even in daylight). Have someone with you or at least make sure your phone is charged and with you so you can call for help.

Taken outside of Barrie, Ontario. 2011.

Shipwreck on Lake Ontario, 2007.

How to Find Locations for Urban Exploring

I find places to explore by driving around and looking out the car window. These are the times it's important to have someone else driving the car. You can't navigate the car and have most of your attention focused on catching sight of weathered wood, boarded windows or a driveway overgrown with plants.

Urban Exploration Photography Tips

My new (new 2 years ago) digital camera has a great feature for urban and rural explorers, zoom. I've got 10x zoom. This makes a big difference in what I can get into a photo without having to be physically closer. You can't always get close up when there are fences, animals, and etc in the way.

Frame your photo and use the rule of thirds. I like to photograph a foreground of weeds/ wildflowers in front of a house. Sometimes I scoot down to the ground so the house appears to be on a hill. (It helps if it actually is on a bit of a rise). I like to get trees on the sides of my photos. It gives the photo a real, living edge. Then I take a photo where the house fills the frame.

Be creative, try different angles, try getting high (the roof of another building, a tree?) then get down low for a different view. Using a tripod is nice, if you have one. I did buy one but I have yet to actually take it with me.

I do have a camera strap. I always keep it on my wrist when I am using the camera. It is so easy to have some little thing trip you up and next thing you drop the camera. If you have that strap over your wrist, your camera has a much better survival rate.

Focus on details. There will be little details you miss, You will notice them once you upload the photos from your camera. As you get practice you start noticing details easier, while you are still on the site. Train your mind to look for small things, the trimmings, the cracks. There will be details which especially appeal to you of course.

Don't be stingy with your photos. Take extra. You can delete any you don't need later. Or, you might find one of your extras just happened to catch the light and the angle just right.

Try different times of day, different seasons too. Sunset adds a glow to your photos outside. Winter makes everything look mysterious and silent. You should explore night photography too, what works for taking photos in darkness. Bring a flashlight, shine it on a window and get a photo of the beam inside the house.

From 2009. Car and house in the background. Ruined by fire.

Another idea is to join Flickr. You can get a free account. Search for local groups with explorers who are already adding photos. Some of them will put directions and locations on the photos. Not everyone will. I tend to leave it ambiguous. I like to protect the places from vandals and people who just want to grab whatever they can sell. So, I am cautious about giving directions. But, that doesn't mean I hoard them all. If you can join the local group, get involved in a discussion, share any photos from old places you already have - you might find a place in the group. Try to attend when people plan an event - meeting at one site. It's a lot of fun plus you make real contacts and become someone they will share information with.

Flickr has a lot of local groups but it isn't the only source. Search online and see what you find.

Read local history. Read the news. See which buildings in your own town are historical and may be in danger of being demolished. Read about the history fo your area and see what has already been lost and what is still left.

Check real estate listings. Some places have been for sale for years, empty. Some of them are being sold due to fire or damage from something else. Some are being sold in order to be knocked down so the land can be farmed or have housing developments built over them.

On a busy road into the town, in 2008. A baby deer was also at the house when I began photographing.

UER Huge site for urban explorers. Having an active membership gives you some prestige and access to extra features. Membership is free, but donations are accepted.

Painting by Michelle Basic Hendry

Women Urban and Rural Explorers - I have met the women explorers on this list through my years of running the Flickr group: Ontario Rural Ruins. If you are a woman urban or rural explorer send me a note and I will check your links and photos and add you to the list.

Flickr: Female Urban Explorers "This group is a place for UE girls to get together to talk about our explores and experiences and a place to share our images. Let's celebrate the fact that we are female Urban Explorers....and proud of it!"

msDeKay Ontario urban and rural explorer. Lots of photos, not all locations in Ontario.

KateKnevil Ontario rural explorer. Not a lot of photos but very good photos.

Lee-Ann Licini Ontario rural and urban explorer. She also runs the Creepy Ontario group on Flickr.

The Navigator Ontario urban and rural explorer. I've actually met Carla, face to face once.

Michelle Ontario rural explorer and artist. Now moved away from Ontario and living in the US. Her paintings of rural ruins are available on her site.

Abandoned on a Lake, 2010

Take only photos; leave only footprints.

Pauline Gedge is a Canadian fiction writer of ancient history. Most of her books are about ancient Egypt. But, the book I most remember is the very first of her books I ever read: The Eagle and the Raven. It was a book about the British Queen Boudicca. At that time I just had to know more about this ancient Queen who commanded an army and sacked a city. Her husband was killed, her daughters molested and yet Boudicca fought on. Rome had to step up it's game to defeat the Celtic Queen.

The book is about other important people in history at that time and place. Caradoc, the leader of another British tribe and the soldiers and leaders sent from Rome too. I do remember the character of Caradoc (I even got a little fictional crush on him while reading the book). None of the others can hold a candle to Boudicca. She stayed with me and has never stopped being an interest of mine every since I first read her story in Pauline Gedge's book.

But, that is all ancient history. Boudicca, Caradoc and the others are all long dead. I wish the book had become a series of books as Pauline has done with her books about people and times in ancient Egypt, but it didn't turn out that way (so far).

If you like reading historical fiction I highly suggest you pick up The Eagle and the Raven. It was an epic story. I read it when I was still a school girl and then read it again 30 years later and just found more to love about it.