Off the Beaten path

Let me take you off the beaten path to an abandoned home somewhere in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. These photos were taken in the spring of 2022. Returning a few years later, I didn’t venture beyond the front porch. The floor had caved in, and the house was no longer safe to enter. (The house wasn’t safe to enter in 2022 either, but we’ll gloss over that tiny detail.)

 

The property has since been purchased, and the new owner appears to be making changes. Cheers to progress, but also to the old and abandoned places…and the memories they leave behind. 🏠

Inspiration Everywhere

Scrolling online to learn more about the wildfires threatening Minnesota’s Boundary Waters this past week, I stopped short at this photo of canoes submerged for safekeeping in lake waters near Ely. The staff at a YMCA camp loaded the boats with rocks and lowered them into the lake to protect them from the flames. Hopefully the canoes can be raised and paddled again once the fires have passed. 🔥

 

I am trying my best to avoid purchasing this Edward Gorey collectible art toy. I discovered Gorey many years ago through his best-known work, The Gashlycrumb Tinies. His iconic pen-and-ink illustrations create a world of strange rooms, tangled gardens, and unfinished stories where something has happened…or is about to. Learn more about Gorey's dark whimsey in this eight-minute segment on YouTube. 💀  

 

Champing™ is the unique concept of camping overnight in historic churches. With this organization, you can spend the night inside one of 34 historic churches across the United Kingdom. And you get the ancient space entirely to yourself! Beyond being an unusual overnight experience, each stay (brought to you by The Churches Conservation Trust) helps preserve these buildings for the future. ⛪

Summer Doldrums

I have always had trouble focusing during the month of July. So instead of making new collages, I’ve been sorting through and attempting to organize my art supplies. (It’s a much larger undertaking than I had bargained for.) However, I’ve managed to finish up a few pieces along the way. I hope to have something entirely new to share with you in my August update! 🎨

I'd love to hear about it and include it in a future update. 

 

I will reply back or answer it in a future update. 

 

Drop me an e-mail at Carmen@StrangeFarmGirl.com.

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Until next time, all the best to you!