Urban Exploration! A term I had never heard before. Well, not until I met Copy Six.
It was late one night, after my burlesque show. I was needing to wind down and grab some air so I snuck away to the back alley behind the theatre. I was adjusting my garters when I heard a noise behind me. I turned and there was a man in black, just oozing mystery. I asked him for a light and he said "here ya go dollface". Well we got to talking over our ciggies and somehow the conversation turned to what this man of mystery did for "fun". He looked left, he looked right, then he leaned in close, so close his breath tickled my ear and gave me goosebumps. And whispered............ "Urban Exploration".
So either my introduction to UrbEx went something like that, or some way different altogether, but the important point is, I was introduced to UrbEx........ and I think I may just be hooked!
November 11th, 2009
Once upon a time, Funky Punky lived in a, reportedly haunted, farm house on Weston Rd, just north of Teston Rd.
The farm house dates back to at least 1875, according to newspapers found in the walls that were used to insulate the house up until my parents first moved into it in the late 1970's. I have a few select memories of the farm as a child. I lived there from birth until I was 5 and remember random things like the orange shag carpet in my room. And that the circular driveway had a huge dip in it that would fill up with water and I would then play in the giant mud puddle. I remember the huge corn roasts/barn parties my parents threw. And that I awoke to a bat flying at my head at the age of 4 and am still terrified of bats. AND the stories that the house was haunted!!!!!!!!!!!
These stories actually brought me back to my childhood home about 8 years ago. So apparently I'm not new to this UrbEx thing after all. I've just never thought to bring a camera with me on my adventuring. Well, that visit 8 years back resulted in much spookiness and uneasy feelings as well as amazement and sadness at what animals, squatters and the elements had done to what was once my home. The visit this remembrance day, the decay was amplified a thousand fold!
The yard is completely overgrown. The barns have collapsed in on themselves. The circular driveway can barely be found beneath the wild terrain. Broken down and abandoned cars, cars that were once beautiful like the house itself, litter the lot.
The poor beautiful windmill now lays a bent up, useless heap of scrap metal. :( This brings a tear to my eye!
Mine and my brothers old play house. It is now the home to trash and empty beer bottles.
The kitchen has seen better days. And so has the back porch. Although 30 years ago, my mom's foot went through that back porch, so I guess we should count ourselves very lucky that none of us went through.
The front room was once a "games room" complete with ping pong table. It then graduated into an office when my parents started up their own business.
The spooky stairs up to the bedrooms.... where the ghost inhabits the nursery. My first few tentative steps up these very decrepit looking stairs were met with thumping/banging coming from upstairs. A do not enter warning, possibly. I heeded the warning, chickened out and came back down. JFK, being the braver of the redhead adventurers went on up and drawing on her bravery, I followed. So glad I did!
And the "haunted" nursery. Covering the window with insulation didn't help at all at making this room seem, less spooky.
Copy Six, JFK and I made beautiful music together that fine Wednesday afternoon.
My daddy made that wall look like that.
Decaying stuffed bunny and raccoon feces.
Something that looks like it was once alive. Ewwwww. Found this one in the bathroom. Upon further examination of my pictures, I found many more of these lil mummified fur balls.
And............... Young Grasshopper learns quickly, she does.
