Old building in the fading sun

Never lose the light
Stratford, ON
July 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's a building on a side road in Stratford that wears its years with, if not grace, then a certain sense of honest grit.

It's a single storey of concrete block, weather-worn white paint, cracked windows, splintered wood, and weeds growing out of the foundation. Most folks would ignore it as a decaying example of architecture that was never worth a second look in the first place.

But I'm not most folks, and I think it's beyond glorious.

We've driven by here any number of times over the years, and a little switch in the back of my mind trips itself every time we do. I've made countless mental notes to pull over and shoot some pics, but over the years I just haven't.

There's always a reason that seems valid in the moment: a car full of tired kids, weather, a ticking clock, or I'm just not feeling it.

Wednesday evening was different. I was alone. There was no deadline at the other end of the drive. And I had remembered to bring my camera-camera along for the ride. So I circled the block, parked the car, and wandered on over for a closer look.

The EXIF data says I was there for 9 minutes, and I fought the fading light for every one of them. But that old building seemed to make the most of that fading light - almost as if it was encouraging me to work fast to uncover its secrets.

In the end, I think I brought some workable images home. But most importantly, I had finally taken the time to take a closer look.

And as I got back on the road and headed into the countryside toward home, I wondered why I had waited so long to do so.

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