If you wander into this site and stay more than a second or two, you may wonder why its here at all. This site began as my first personal site (I'm not sure what year that was now) then the domain was sort of hijacked. The person who was hosting the domain forgot to pay for it on time. So, I lost the domain. For many years. I did keep running my own sites, personal, for other people and some on other networks:  Suite101, Lockergnome, BackWash, BellaOnline, HubPages, Squidoo, and others I can't think of right now. But, when I typed thatgrrl.com into the domain search and it showed up as available (no longer owned by anyone not using it but asking thousands of dollars for it) I bought it again. So here it is.

Meanwhile, I had several other sites and domains which I was burnt out from trying to run. Plus, there are very few people still keeping sites for personal reasons rather than monetizing, commercializing, tracking, spying, and you know the rest if you have been around online awhile. Most of the software for making websites has become customized for people making cookie cutter sites for clients and selling it as professional websites. I did not learn a lot of HTML, far from much when it came to software, scripts, etc. But, I still work on my sites, by myself with the help of software developers and others when I search for it online.

I had this domain almost 20 years ago. Let it go, or had it taken, I forget which really. But, it came back up on the domain search and I thought it would be fun to have it again. I might dig up my old HTML files and put up the old site again. (Minus the links to other sites, which will mostly be broken now). But, I have a lot of posts saved from so many sites I have written for or created myself. They could have a new home, a central location. An archive of myself for however long I last.

For those who want to know something about me, well, why? I'm no one really. Born and always lived in Ontario, Canada. Except for some years and months living in the Dominican Republic and the United States (married a US man and immigrated there awhile).  I really like Canada and being Canadian. Not perfect and there are things I would change if I were some kind of world domination ruler sort of person. Outside of my own fiction/ daydreams, of course. Overall, Canada is a good place to be.

At this time I am over 50 years of age. Not senile. Not especially physically fit but not near death. I can sew, cook and clean but I don't have an obsession with cleaning or germs. Some say I may be a hoarder but I think its lack of space. I live in a small house with my Mother, helping her for the last dozen or so years. I live in one room with a lifetime (or thereabouts) of stuff. So much I've let go of, had thrown out, lost, and etc. It's kind of nice to forget things, harder to remember them when they are gone. Like people.

Anyway, here we are. I've been online since 1996.

Laura Brown

I had an older account on Blogger but I deleted it (during my divorce) and the contents of the sites I wrote. I've tried to find them, no luck.

Blogger profile - one and two.

It is a good idea to be friendly when there are dragons around.

My name is Laura. I was born in the year of the dragon, more than 50 years ago, in a large city in Ontario, Canada. I've been online since 1996, mostly meeting people in IRC. Later I began making ASCII art. I've published with and for various online publications and networks.

I don't know why anyone would want to read about my early years, my education, my career and all that stuff. My Daddy wasn't very nice to me. I attended Centennial College at the Warden Woods campus, the building has since been demolished. That's a far more interesting fact than anything else here, in my opinion. It's eerie to remember walking through those hallways knowing they no longer exist. Since not quite graduating college (I was working as well and ran out of money to support both college and my apartment) I have worked in factories, stores (cashier and customer service) and technical support. I have also built and maintained all my own websites while never quite learning enough HTML (in my opinion, few people making websites for other people really know enough, or much).

Now I should tell you my biggest failures and achievements. I failed to have children, I would have liked one to five of them. I had my fortune read once and I was supposed to have five children. Where did they end up? Just never born? Kind of gruesome to tell you where I really think they ended up. There are so many things people don't want to hear these days. Their tender little ears, their over sensitivity to everything. While ignoring things that matter. Have you ever read the story of The Emperor's New Clothes? Biggest achievements? How can I know, I'm not dead yet.

Do I sound mean? I'm not. I've always been very nice, kind, sweet, and have looked after other people a lot in my life. I don't like it. Being nice means you end up doing things you don't want to do, quite often. But, it does not mean you are stupid or a door mat. It also does not mean you get rewarded for it. A thanks is nice but I'm kind of past that too. When I am nice it is by my choice, not because I'm not smart enough to make some other choice.

The guide to writing your About page, which I have been following along with as I write this, says I should add social testimonials and proof now. I'm sorry but that's just not going to happen. I am not one of those bushy tailed young people selling stuff or making videos and podcasts online. No, my life is more like a modern fairytale. I always felt one of the worst things was to end up looking after other people and not really have a life of your own. How did this happen to me? But, it has. I did get married. I'm divorced, not a spinster. I'm the oldest of my siblings and I look after my Mother. She doesn't need a lot of help and she isn't senile or anything like that. Mostly she wants company and I'm an introvert with delusions of being the only person left on the planet. I've even picked out where I would live and planned how I would grow my own food and everything. Alone.

I tried to be a writer, horror, science fiction, mysteries and non-fiction too. I like photographing old houses, old buildings and things. I don't especially like organizing them, writing about them or sharing them. Taking the photographs is the part I like. The rest feels like an obligation. I make ASCII art. I wish I could get over this version of myself and make more of it. I used to draw stick figure cartoons which a few people (not related to me even) thought were good.

These days I've kind of given up on everything. If you one day say, or think, "it doesn't matter", know it is an unending sinkhole. If one thing doesn't matter where does it end? Does anything matter? Does a thing matter?

I don't want to write any more about myself. I used to be much more optimistic. I wonder if that will ever come back. Maybe this is just what happens to dragons as we get older.

The name, Wrecky Rat Bird, comes from my nephew, Zack. When he was a little boy we told him about the old, abandoned buildings as we stopped to take a look at various places (or made notes to come back and see them later). He began calling them "wrecky rat bird" places because they were wrecks with rats and birds living in them.

The name stuck. The nephew is almost 19 now (October, 2014) and he explores and takes photos too.

This site began as a place to post about my urban exploration photography from rural Ontario, Canada. Photographing ruined and abandoned places in Ontario. Mainly farm houses.

Urban exploration is an activity for photographers, amateur city planners and history buffs, intrigued by the decay of the built environment.

• abandoned places
• industrial decay
• rural exploration
• haikyo
• wrecks
• ghost towns
• cemeteries
• ghost signs
• underground
• under water
• rooftopping
• drain boating
• modern ruins

Not everything is urban exploration (as I see it): skywalking, train surfing, graffiti, salvage, or vandalism.

This is the first house I explored (on my own) with a digital camera. I had to duck under a gate and get a little snow covered. I didn't have any extra memory with my camera (it was that new!). Sadly I only got 16 photographs before I ran out of space. Getting back to my car I realized my keys were somewhere back there.

From those early days I learned a lot about how to explore, how to photograph and the history of old houses. Exploring an old house is just the beginning. The best parts are being there and then coming home to take a better look at it through your own photos.

I took this photo in 2006. The house was demolished sometime later. I still drive by the location and most of the time I still look at the void where this house was. I'm not the only person who noticed this house or stopped to take a picture of it. But, there is nothing like viewing your own photograph and how you remember being there from seeing it all again: the sights, smells, wind, rain, snow and dive bombing birds.

Take only photographs - leave only footprints.

I've been an urban explorer before I knew the name for it. I love history and old buildings and architecture in particular. People ask "did you go inside?". I seldom do. It doesn't feel right to enter the house where someone else lived and not be invited or permitted. I don't feel the same about places which were once open for the public, but these tend to be locked up once they are abandoned. So, one way or another I seldom enter the ruined places I photograph.

Note: The photos I post here are for people to enjoy seeing. No commercial use. Find your own adventures and take your own photographs, these are mine.

See also:

• Flickr: Ontario Rural Ruins - Flickr group for rural explorers in Ontario, Canada.
• Flickr: Canadian Rural Ruins - Flickr group for rural explorers all over Canada.

I want to know everything. Knowing I'm not immortal to see the future, or able to create a time machine to look at the past and the future... bothers me. How can I ever be satisfied when there is so much I don't know!

Of course, the more I find out about the more I want to know. Knowledge is bottomless, endless and I will run out of time long before I run out of viable brain matter, and that bugs me.
The future is out there. I can see some of it, imagine more of it. I look at what we have and try to deduce what will come. Without immorality or a time machine, that's the best I can do.
History is alive in our words, our traditions, our beliefs and our lifestyle.

I'm interested in: retro science, utopias, spirituality, traditions, the pioneering spirit, the paranormal, science fiction, survivalist theories, folk tales and vintage ideas.

I enjoy history. But, so many people think it is dull when you present it as a topic of conversation. I think they are assuming history is all about long winded tomes in the library under attack by dust bunnies and cobwebs. History is right now, each second passes into history. History is how we can see into the future.

I live in Ontario and I like old buildings, forgotten places, etc. If you have looked at a few urban exploration sites you know all the usual stuff. I'm not going to be amazingly different. But, I do have my own perspective and I take my own photographs. Sometimes I will post about places I want to see, places demolished, and places I can't visit but did find (online, otherwise I would have taken my own photographs).

I keep a directory of links to other explorers, groups and the odd location. I very seldom share locations myself. Vandalism being the main problem. I have shown filmmakers to a few locations so I can officially call myself a location scout, which is interesting on a resume.

My name is Laura. Hello. Season's Greetings (There are four seasons, year round). So greetings of the season to you!

Welcome to Wrecky Rat Bird Strange Ontario

The name, Wrecky Rat Bird, comes from my nephew, Zack. When he was a little boy we told him about the old, abandoned buildings as we stopped to take a look at various places (or made notes to come back and see them later). He began calling them "wrecky rat bird" places because they were wrecks with rats and birds living in them.

The name stuck. The nephew is almost 19 now (October, 2014) and he explores and takes photos too.

This site began as a place to post about my urban exploration photography from rural Ontario, Canada. Photographing ruined and abandoned places in Ontario. Mainly farm houses.

Urban exploration is an activity for photographers, amateur city planners and history buffs, intrigued by the decay of the built environment.

• abandoned places
• industrial decay
• rural exploration
• haikyo
• wrecks
• ghost towns
• cemeteries
• ghost signs
• underground
• under water
• rooftopping
• drain boating
• modern ruins

Not everything is urban exploration (as I see it): skywalking, train surfing, graffiti, salvage, or vandalism.

This is the first house I explored (on my own) with a digital camera. I had to duck under a gate and get a little snow covered. I didn't have any extra memory with my camera (it was that new!). Sadly I only got 16 photographs before I ran out of space. Getting back to my car I realized my keys were somewhere back there.

From those early days I learned a lot about how to explore, how to photograph and the history of old houses. Exploring an old house is just the beginning. The best parts are being there and then coming home to take a better look at it through your own photos.

I took this photo in 2006. The house was demolished sometime later. I still drive by the location and most of the time I still look at the void where this house was. I'm not the only person who noticed this house or stopped to take a picture of it. But, there is nothing like viewing your own photograph and how you remember being there from seeing it all again: the sights, smells, wind, rain, snow and dive bombing birds.

Take only photographs - leave only footprints.

I've been an urban explorer before I knew the name for it. I love history and old buildings and architecture in particular. People ask "did you go inside?". I seldom do. It doesn't feel right to enter the house where someone else lived and not be invited or permitted. I don't feel the same about places which were once open for the public, but these tend to be locked up once they are abandoned. So, one way or another I seldom enter the ruined places I photograph.

Note: The photos I post here are for people to enjoy seeing. No commercial use. Find your own adventures and take your own photographs, these are mine.

See also:

• Flickr: Ontario Rural Ruins - Flickr group for rural explorers in Ontario, Canada.
• Flickr: Canadian Rural Ruins - Flickr group for rural explorers all over Canada.

I want to know everything. Knowing I'm not immortal to see the future, or able to create a time machine to look at the past and the future... bothers me. How can I ever be satisfied when there is so much I don't know!

Of course, the more I find out about the more I want to know. Knowledge is bottomless, endless and I will run out of time long before I run out of viable brain matter, and that bugs me.
The future is out there. I can see some of it, imagine more of it. I look at what we have and try to deduce what will come. Without immorality or a time machine, that's the best I can do.
History is alive in our words, our traditions, our beliefs and our lifestyle.

I'm interested in: retro science, utopias, spirituality, traditions, the pioneering spirit, the paranormal, science fiction, survivalist theories, folk tales and vintage ideas.

I enjoy history. But, so many people think it is dull when you present it as a topic of conversation. I think they are assuming history is all about long winded tomes in the library under attack by dust bunnies and cobwebs. History is right now, each second passes into history. History is how we can see into the future.

I live in Ontario and I like old buildings, forgotten places, etc. If you have looked at a few urban exploration sites you know all the usual stuff. I'm not going to be amazingly different. But, I do have my own perspective and I take my own photographs. Sometimes I will post about places I want to see, places demolished, and places I can't visit but did find (online, otherwise I would have taken my own photographs).

I keep a directory of links to other explorers, groups and the odd location. I very seldom share locations myself. Vandalism being the main problem. I have shown filmmakers to a few locations so I can officially call myself a location scout, which is interesting on a resume.

My name is Laura. Hello. Season's Greetings (There are four seasons, year round). So greetings of the season to you!