Take me to church

Up close, personal, and historic
Empey Hill, ON
January 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When you get lost-but-not-really-lost in the countryside, finding the right spot to stop and gather your bearings is key. Thanks to some pretty sweet connected-GPS tech in the car, I knew exactly where I was, and I wasn't exactly worried they'd find me in a snowdrift three months from now.

But the cops had closed the highway because of a massive truck fire, then dumped us off an exit in the middle of nowhere with no additional guidance. I turned right when I should have turned left, and found myself wandering around alone, looking for a way west on some alternate road, preferably with asphalt on it. I needed to stop and figure out where the detour route was, and this friendly-looking church offered a safe place to park the car while I played with my tech toys and plotted my next move.

Of course my mind raced as I carefully parked Stella well off the road. Of course I started composing photos in my head before the car stopped moving. Of course this was going to be far more than a mere blip in a long day at the wheel.

As I walked right up to the Empey Hill United Church of Canada and sized the building up through my lens, I thought about how weird this must look, a strange guy taking random pictures of a building. For a brief second, I thought I heard sirens in the distance, called in to deal with this sketchy-looking dude. Thankfully, the place was empty, and I figured if I was my usual respectful-storyteller self, the greater good of sharing this moment justified my being here. At least that's what I often tell myself to justify an activity charitably classified as trespassing. Well, they DID say "Everyone Welcome" on their sign.

This place was built in 1912, long before any of the technologies that brought me here were even in some kid's dreams. Somewhere along the way, we learned how to expand our horizons. I may have been temporarily lost, but I was apparently exactly where I needed to be.

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