On Easter weekend when we were visiting with my nephew and his wife, in order to get ourselves out of their hair, Mom and I went for a drive.
I’m not terribly familiar with the area around Pickering, where my nephew lives. Rather than poke around town, Mom and I drove North to see what the countryside was like.
Straight North of Pickering is the town of Claremont, Ontario.
Claremont has the dubious distinction of being smack in the middle of the long-planned Pickering airport. This project has been in various stages of planning since at least 1972. Proponents claim that a new airport is needed. Opponents point to existing airports which easily have the capacity to handle both existing traffic and increases in traffic for he foreseeable future. They further claim that the expropriation isn’t really about an airport but is a land-grab for the GTTA (Greater Toronto Airports Authority).
Whatever the motivation, houses and farms sit empty, boarded up, and awaiting demolition.
As photographing old and abandoned buildings is one of my hobbies, I set about taking photos of as many of the buildings and the town as I could.
Here are some of the photos I took.
Bella said,
May 8, 2009 at 8:33 am
Abolutely wonderful photos! I too LOVE to photograph things that reminds me of times gone by…
Your fourth photo is stunning!
Anneke said,
May 8, 2009 at 9:33 am
Thanks! That one is a favorite.
They look a lot lighter on this page than on Fotki. Usually, it is the other way around.
azahar said,
May 6, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Yes, melancholy rather than sad, I think.
Rambling Woods said,
May 5, 2009 at 7:55 am
Those are really striking photos..sad and beautiful all at the same time
Anneke said,
May 5, 2009 at 8:07 am
Thanks… Yes. I find them so sad. You see someplace that once was home to generations left empty and falling into the ground. So melancholy….