Here be dragons.
This is the post I wrote about tree stump fences for the Ontario Barn Preservation newsletter, June 2022.
Thinking About Tree Stumps Today
I seldom see those old tree stump fences now. They used to be all over rural Ontario. Do you know the fences I mean? They were tree stumps pulled up (after the tree was cut down, of course) and lined up in rows as a border at the edge of the land or field.… Read the rest
I found this quote by Amy Tan:
“I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years washing away my pain, the same way carvings on stone are worn down by water.”
People ask if you are sad or tired. I could say yes to those but neither is quite right.… Read the rest
I think the idea that walking through a cemetery is scary or should be, is created by the media. In reality, its usually quiet, tends to be damp, among the trees, or windy if there are few trees. I’ve photographed an old cemetery which was on the edge of a farm field, only one tree. It was very cold and windy.… Read the rest
The lost art of found objects. (It sounds great as a phrase but I don’t think beach-combing (or urban combing) has ever been lost).
Every where you go there are little things to be found. Most people would call it bits of junk. But, its all in the eye of the beholder. An assortment of bits of things found while urban combing can build a whole story, or maybe become part of a creative project.… Read the rest
I’m an urban, rural and industrial explorer. Mainly, I venture out, trying various roads in rural Ontario and look for abandoned houses, old buildings ghost signs, stone flowers, and other interesting (and usually old) things which I then photograph.
As an explorer I take along a few things, travel light is always a good idea. So I bring my map book, better shoes than sandals and my camera.… Read the rest
People who test positive for Covid are sent home. No one calls an ambulance to take them to the emergency department or the isolation room in the hospital. No, they are left to their own devices, sent home in whatever mode of travel they used to get to the Covid test. No one even makes sure they got home ok, or are self isolating.… Read the rest
A house on a hill. I think this was along Jane Street if you travel long enough north of Toronto. I haven’t been keeping track. Not remembering where places are is the best way to not share location information and see the old places vandalized. This one will be torn down at some point. The real estate is too desired for an old ruin to be left alone for long.… Read the rest
Note: I do know there is a virus. But, there are a LOT of viruses we could be having a pandemic for. Bigger things could have been pandemics around the world: AIDs, polio, the flesh eating bacteria, SARs, swine flu, bird flu, and so many, many others – but they were downplayed. The public was told not to worry and just go on about their business.
I applied for the Paranormal topic at About.com today. But, I tried 3 times over the afternoon, the site keeps giving me a 404 error when I send the application. So, for personal posterity, here is what I sent.
Time travel, mad science, aliens, cryptozoology, the supernatural, lost worlds, the unexplained, weird science, history, and magic absorb me.… Read the rest