Friday 26 October 2012

photo art friday - derelict

One person's derelict is another person's beauty

When I read the Photo Art Friday challenge for this week
over at Bonnie's Pixel Dust Photo Art,
I was thrilled that it came at a time
when I would be heading up north!

As I headed up on Wednesday morning,
I was all ready to photograph my favourite
derelict garage in Minden, Ontario...

: : :

Side note: 
Favourite because it was the subject of the 'outside my comfort zone' challenge 
You can see the explanation of that challenge
and why these photos 'qualified' here.

: : :

As I drove along the highway coming into Minden 
I first noticed the absence of the familiar sign...



and then I realized...
Walker's Garage is gone!!

I asked a few questions of the locals, who revealed that the garage
that I had photographed late last November
has actually been a HUGE bone of contention in the area.

Rumour has it,
that the battle over the future of Walker's Garage
has been raging for years!

So I visited my friend Google for a little recon...
Apparently, some felt it was an historic building...
and others...not so much
... as the Minden Times reported last December:

"The reeve was urging the instant demolition
of an old auto-repair shop that is to be replaced
by a new county building.
The old Walker's garage, she announced, is 'unsightly'."

Unsightly in a charming way, I thought.




Neil Campbell, the reporter for the Minden Times article put it well...

"Unsightly? It might need a shave and a haircut after sitting empty for a while, 
but it looks pretty much as it always has, 
the way service stations have always looked. 
Neat but not gaudy."



I find myself wondering what happened to the really cool stuff that was still inside the garage...


I tried at the time to take photos of that cool stuff through the windows...
(take note of the paint on the walls and wood window frames)

In fact,
trying to take those photos resulted in the accidental 'selfie' 
that is now my profile picture!! 


A little more research led to the discovery of an Engineering firm's report
to the Director of the County Roads Department, on September 17, 2012
where it was reported that:

"The demolition of the Walker building was complicated 
by the presence of lead paint on the exterior of the building. 
Samples were sent to SGS Laboratory and it was determined 
that the levels of lead were higher in the darker green paint 
than the lighter green or blue paint"


Apparently I even captured a photo of leaded paint...who knew?


I am so glad that I got these photos before Walker's was levelled.

When I think of all the barns, sunrises/sunsets, trees and other photos
that I haven't taken while driving back and forth over the past month,
always telling myself that I will have another chance to capture them...
well...
 let this be a lesson to me! 

Be sure to pop over to Photo Art Friday
and see the wonderful art folks have created this week



Janet xo



Photo Art Friday

18 comments:

  1. Great shots. I like the peeling paint in that last one.

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    1. me too! Thanks...and thanks for visiting!

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  2. Love that last shot too! Great texture :)

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    1. Thanks Ruth...it is my favourite too! I love the texture and the variety in the hues of the paint

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  3. Great shots Janet. Fun to go get photos of an old place like this!

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    1. Thanks Jeanne...in the past I avoided photographing anything "man made" but I am rapidly falling in love with them as subjects and, it would appear, the grungier the better *lol*

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  4. oh this is rich!! what a great story and a fantastic telling!!

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  5. I am glad for you that you got your pictures. I love the building..so much character.

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  6. Oh my that is sad that they demolished this building. It had that rural country charm that is so appealing. So happy that you captured that charm before it was too late.

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    1. Me too, Ida! It really was sad and I guess on some level I find it alarming that the whim of a politician can result in changing the face of a small town...

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  7. Wow - the town newspaper might want to use your photos to document a piece of the town's history. You have really made fine use of your photo shoot!

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    1. Wow...thanks Bonnie! I just might take them in to the local museum or send them to the reporter of the original story...

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  8. I'm always upset when they tear down an old 'unsightly' building; I think some people need eye examinations! That was a cool garage!

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  9. Oh, I couldn't agree with you more about that 'eye exam' thing, Wayne!

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  10. this has happened to me also. I learned to snap it when you see it. I'm happy you have these shots to share, they're excellent! this place had a whole lot of character. happy week to you.

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  11. To me there is so much beauty and interest in the old and derelict. Just another a lesson to "seize the moment".

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