1173 County Road 7

"The cost of admission was steep: A half dozen bee and hornet stings, over a dozen mosquito bites, and poison ivy from thighs to ankles that is still irritating the shit out of me as I type this post. Still, it could have been worse. When I emerged from the long grass after exploring the house, I did a tick check, which I always do when exploring in areas known to be tick infested. I found a few of them on my legs, which I promptly flicked off. Ticks are often found in long grasses in locations such as this, in many areas around Ontario. They can carry lyme disease, which can be fatal when left untreated. Before now, I'd yet to encounter them, but I remain vigilant, and on this day, that vigilance paid off, and may have spared me a hospital visit.

The dense bushes and trees out front conceal much of the house. But two red brick chimneys peak over the cedar tiled roof and white painted wooden siding of this gorgeous home. Stinging and itching from the stings and bites, I poked around the first floor with my flashlight lighting the way, as most of the windows were boarded up. Ascending the stairs, I looked back at Ninja standing beside the bright red door, and smiled, waving for her to follow. At the top of the stairs stood a bright red desk, and then another desk. Over my shoulder, in a bedroom, I spotted four bright red chairs. This was the only colour in the house: Bright red. "Beautiful banister." Ninja said. I responded silently by passing her the camera. A wooden barrel in the hallway became the focal point for a few minutes as we passed the camera back and forth. Then we repeated that process in the room with the peeling paint on the slanted ceiling, and then in the room with the bright red chairs. And then we did what the previous residents did at some unknown moment in the past, and we left this house behind us."

-jerm IX