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THE BOAR HOUSE

This house has been on my list for some time.  There’s a good chance you’ve seen it before.  I will tell you that as of yesterday, November 23rd, the owner called me to make sure I had been out there as he was burning it down!  Cade and I are heading to Winnipeg this week and it’ll be different not seeing it there.

A month ago when we had our big snow storm, I called about getting onto this property.  I was told by the first person I spoke to that under no circumstances was I allowed onto the property as it was unsafe and wild boars lived behind the house in the bushes.  The idea of meeting up with a wild boar should have been enough to scare me off but I don’t typically like to be told no so I kept calling around.  If I couldn’t get onto the property I was going to fall back onto the good old Sigma 600mm.

A couple weeks later the owner called and said that I could go on to take whatever photos I wanted but that I was not to go into the bushes as he wasn’t sure if the well was covered and he did advise me that he has seen boars around the house but that they typically come out at night.  His biggest concern was the state of the home and the fact that the floor was caving in.  He advised me that because people continue to trespass he had decided to burn it down, soon.

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Last weekend I called him to find out that he was planning on burning it down but that the wind was to high so he would give me the weekend to get out there.

Cade and I drove out last Sunday.  I have to admit that I was afraid of every little noise and was on high alert.  I didn’t get close enough to see what was going on inside.  I was just happy that I was given the chance to take photos before it was gone.

The owner of the home purchased the land in 1982.  The house has been vacant since 1971.  He couldn’t tell me much about the home or its history and I couldn’t find anything about its history.

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As I write this post, I realize that there may be a way for me to find out more about this home.  I guess I’ll leave it as stay tuned!

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CLICKITY CLACK

Mr., born in Crewkerne, Somerset, England in 1884 came to Canada in 1902 and worked at Pilot Mound.  In 1908 he moved to Glenboro but went back to England when the war started and as enlisted in the Royal Artillery for 5 years.  While there he met and married his wife.  They returned to Canada from Liverpool with their two children on March 27, 1925 upon the S.S. Montclair.

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I can’t say for certain that they built this home but research tells me that after the sale of this property, it was mostly used as farm land and not a homstead.

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Mr. & Mrs. & their children were active in their community and were members of the local Church of England.

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The family fondly remembers Christmas Concert and picnics held by their school.

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Their son worked for different local farmers in the area but when his father was no longer able to farm the homstead, he took over the farm in 1947.

The farm is now home to a new owners and his herd of cows.

On the property, there remains a lot of the old equipment, much of it overtaken by trees and barely visable.

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Mr. died in 1984 at 100 years of age.

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THREE LITTLE PIGS

I found this house this Summer, on the way to the fallen house.

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This I stopped again for a look around.  From far away I thought the “brick” on the house was asphalt siding.  It was real, red brick.

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Oddly enough, the brick is only missing on the North and South sides of the house.  I did not have permission to enter the house but was happy with the exterior shots.

I could see from a distance, two Corel coffee mugs hanging on the side of the house.

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On the property there was also an old stone foundation but I couldn’t tell what it was.

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Again, I could not find any history on this house.  I do know that the first registered owner was George Robinson who claimed this land in 1894.  He sold the house 6 years later in 1901 to the Towns family.

 

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WE ALL FALL DOWN

Cade & I found this house in April.  I settled for a road shot, made a note of its location and started the search for its land owner.  I couldn’t wait to get closer for some better shots of this house.

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I went back a couple weeks later and the crop was already sprouting so I decided I would wait and not attempt to cross across the crop.  I would wait until the Fall.

One late Summer day the sky was fabulous and since this isn’t far from my house I went for a ride to take some more photos.  This is a completely unedited shot.  I LOVE this photo.

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This weekend, I went back and she’s gone.  All that’s left is a small pile of rubble where she used to stand.  Tonight while searching the history of this property, I didn’t find much and really can’t confirm anything except to say that the first land owner took possession of the property in 1894.  6 years later land owner number 2 took over.

I’m happy that I didn’t find anything more as not getting closer kind leaves its history as a mystery that will always keep me wondering.  I’m happy for the shots I got though.

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BUBO SCANDIACUS

This Snowy Owl, which I have been referring to as a “he” in all of my other postings is actually a “she”.  How do I know this?  The male Snowy Owl is mostly white while the female has more flecks of black in its plummage.

Cade, Makenna and I were out and about, touring around for houses that I had permission to shoot.  We pulled up to my final stop of the day only to discover that I would be soaked and covered in mud after getting through the ditch and then across the section of land to the house.  Cade started to drive around the section of land to see if I could get in easier, from another angle.  While driving around and contemplating just making the trek to the middle of the section Cade spotted this Snowy on the pole.

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I got my camera ready, lens extended and Cade slowly turned the car so that I could roll down the window.  I thought for sure I’d get it on the fly, the shot would be blurry and I would be pissed.  She didn’t move.  In fact, she wouldn’t turn her head and look at me.  I started to make noises and whistle.  I walked some distance and was pretty much under her when I got this shot.  I wanted her to fly.  She finally did and it wasn’t until we were driving away and I went through the shots that I found this.

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This was worth my numb fingers and sore shoulder from carrying my 600mm and trying to support it and hold it still in the wind.

Once she flew away I figured our photo shoot was done for the day but nope, she landed on an old fence post off in a field, not out of reach of my lens.  At this point, Cade had to drive back to get me, I had followed her that far by foot.  And of course, I didn’t have mitts and my hands were frozen.

We ended our session with this.  Cade figures this should be framed and displayed in the house as well.

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If I were to have this printed, I may crop it a tad.  What a day.  This is exactly why I bought this lens and I’m sure happy I did.

 

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INTERNATIONAL ABANDON

Yesterday after PD, Colton wanted to head down to the USA to pick up his mail. I used this as an excuse to have take out for supper instead of cooking on a Friday.

I’ve driven by this place a couple times but there is no was no way to get in with crop on the field and yesterday I didn’t feel like knocking on doors to find the landowner and settled on a road shot.

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PRIME OF THE MORNING

Earlier this week, on my way to work, running a tad bit behind, I came to the infamous bay in my small town to find this.

Of course, I didn’t have my Canon, so iPhone, through the window was what I settled for.

Can’t say I’m at all disappointed with this amazing sight.

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FALL IS MY FAVOURITE COLOR

Who doesn’t love this time of year, and all the stunning colours Mother Nature shares during this season.

And the perfectly calm waters on the bay in town and your bound to catch an eye appealing image.

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PETER, PAUL & MARY

Born in Jugovka, Samara, Russia, in 1905, Peter and his family moved to Siberia when he was four years old.  Fluent in both Russian & German, Peter and his family moved to Canada in 1926, settling in the Margaret area.

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He married Elizabeth in 1944 and for a few years they rented land in the Minto area.

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In 1948 they bought this land and lived here until 1971.

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They raised two girls on this farm and upon retirement, moved to Boissevain.

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I stumbled upon this place while driving around aimlessly in the area.  The sun was just going down and every angle gave me different lighting.

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It was a beautiful night but the skeeters were AWFUL and my family kept calling, worried that I had fallen in a well or rotten old floor.  To add to my fear, I have now been told that an old house I’ve been waiting anxiously to photograph and just got permission for, has wild boars living across the road in a wooded area. Ya, that’s not scary at all.

 

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HERON, AGAIN

All Spring I tried to get this bird. And it won every time. Until yesterday when I spotted it (I want to call it a him) on the public dock and went home for my camera. When I got back, gone. But I knew it didn’t go far.

While taking a photo of the die hard fisherman and the Killarney water ball, he, see I did it, it flew out of the trees, over my head and just over the top of my Jeep.

I don’t like this photo because of the tree but I got the bird, in a half ass decent shot, in flight.

He then settled on the shore of the bay and let me take numerous shots. I sure waited a long time!

There were many to choose from, including several with its reflection in the water.

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TWEET

Over the weekend we had a nasty winter storm with approximately 40 cm of snow. It was windy and miserable. How the ducks and little birds and migratory birds that missed the memo to go before the storm arrived, survive, is beyond me.

On our way home from supper I spotted the Heron on the public dock at the beach so I sent Hubby home for the camera and back we went. I didn’t find him right away and when I did, this little guy waited patiently until I noticed him, then left.

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BEAUTIFUL SKIES

It’s not often I’ll stop for an old barn. On this day I decided to stop for a roof I spotted a week before. I didn’t have permission so road shots was all I could get.

There was some other smaller building on the property but I wasn’t convinced it was a house and I couldn’t get a good shot of it without trespassing, which I won’t do.

This barn and the sky was good enough for me. It is heavily occupied and the tenants let me know that they were aware of my presence.

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ALONG THE WAY

If you live where I live, you’ll know this house because there is a good chance you’ve passed it on a road trip to Winnipeg.  An easy capture from the side of the highway.  And a bonus, on this particular day, it wasn’t raining.

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WAITING FOR NIGHTFALL

Last weekend, the Northern Lights were reported to be highly visible in our area. I thought this would be a good time to check out my new 50mm lens that I bought specifically for night shooting. I got my gear all set up outside, checked and double checked my settings and then waited.

The sky was full of stars and I was hopeful. I could also see the Milky Way to the South.

At about 12:30 am I went out and took my last shots.

I didn’t get the greens that everyone else did but I’d say it was an okay attempt.

Clearly, night and star photography is something I need to work on.

That and photo editing, which I not a fan of but am coming to realize is something I am going to have to embrace if I want to take my photography to the next level, so to speak.

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WELCOME BACK

I have been keeping my eye on this place since I found it.

I was given permission to enter after the crop had gone in and thought I’d wait. That and the grass was a bit to high for my liking, given that I have a fear of wells.

On this particular day, the clouds were something else so I thought I’d drive by after I cased out another house on my list that turned out to be nothing.

This place has quickly become one of my favourites. This is completely unedited in anyways and truthfully, I was shooting in auto, something I’m trying not to do!

I am told now the crop is off. Guess I’ll be seeing this one again in the near future.

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ANOTHER #2 BARN

We travel highway 2 in our province, a lot. I have driven by the barn many times. I don’t stop because I do not like hydro lines and I am not proficient enough in Photoshop to element them.

It was miserable outside, we had just driven through a storm and like any other road trip, I had hauled my camera gear around and not taken a photo. So, I stopped.

Some of you will know this barn.

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ROADSIDE TREASURES

I’ve passed this barn a million times.  Barns aren’t really my thing but I thought I’d stop and see what I could get.  I couldn’t get very close but thought this was a pretty decent shot nonetheless.  I think with summer coming to an end and with the limited amount of shooting I’ve done this summer, I’ve decided I have to stop at whatever I see.

red barn on highway 2 emailRegardless, I like the gold of the cut crop, the faded red of the barn and the blues in the sky and the contract they make together.

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CLOUDS

I love clouds.  In fact, last summer I would go out on any day to take photos, blaring sun, hot as heck, didn’t matter to me as long as I was taking photos and crossing off old houses before they were gone.  I’ve matured.  I wouldn’t say that its for the better though cause now I want clouds and I don’t care if there’s a little rain or lightning involved.

Here are a couple photos taken on our ride home last week from Winnipeg as we were heading into a storm.

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These were roadside shots and didn’t have permission to enter closer onto the property.  While this is a beautiful old barn it was really the clouds I wanted.

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I also found this little building as well.  At first I thought it might be an old school with all those windows but historically, schools did not look like this.  I will assume this would have been a workshop.

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FINALLY, A STORM

If you know me, you know I love a good thunderstorm. So last night when it appeared that after countless incorrect forecasts, we were in fact going to get it, the camera bag came out.

Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of town and didn’t get to see the shelf cloud that had formed over there but the clouds forming over on my end were a real sight.

The sun was trying to peak through too. It truly was amazing.