It was within those days around Christmas, where very little is happening and you comedown with the initial symptoms of cabin fever.
The option to head out to Essex just for something to do, even though there was blowing wind and negative temperatures, was met with a resounding yes.
So I left for a walk and decided I needed a picture of Essex's fine train station. I had heard those silos in the background were demolished, so I was happy to get a picture while they're still there.
I would go on one of my Kent County drives as well.
You know, since there's a few too many towns in Essex County & I like to get to the rural scenes of Kent County, with their sprawling farmlands and abandoned, charming farmhouses.
Taking pictures of one house, I was startled as someone stopped at the road and began yelling about trespassing.
Once cooler heads prevailed, I was allowed to take some exteriors, but that I couldn't go inside the house since it was condemned.
I certainly wouldn't want to go in a condemned house.0
I found an even prettier house as I continued along the lakeside highway. Wading through the shin-deep snow, I loved this late afternoon winter's light shimmering on the red bricks and white ground.
The interior of this farmhouse surprised me in its beauty. Walking up the stairs and across the rooms of the top floor, I found another staircase on the other side of the house leading down - was this two separate houses at one time? It was an awfully large building to be one single household.
There were signs of renovation, but sadly they seemed to have stalled. She didn't seem in that bad of condition overall, but you simply can't have open windows in the freeze-thaw climate of Southwestern Ontario.
The sun was falling towards the horizon as I maneuvered outside and through the snow.
The winters here don't bother me like they do in places where they last half of the year. Instead, it makes me almost nostalgic for these days of exploration and beautiful, brisk winter evenings. To be finishing up your business, hurrying to the warmth of your car and eventually a warm, familiar home.