Rural landscapes: Abandoned to the elements
LA GRANDE HERMINE, NEAR ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO, CANADA
This is a burned-out replica of the ship used to bring French explorer Jacques Cartier to Eastern Canada in 1535, where he founded present-day Quebec City. According to Wikipedia, this replica, which served as a restaurant, was bought by a businessman “with the intention of moving it to Ontario and re-opening the restaurant.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t have the funds to realize his dream, and the ship sat in Jordan Harbour, near St. Catharines for years, unused. In 2003, the ship was destroyed by what police called a suspicious fire, most likely the work of arsonists. The burned-out hull still sits in the harbour.”
The derelict is easily visibly from the busy, nearby Queen Elizabeth Way highway and I’d seen it for years without doing anything to photograph it. Finally, on a recent trip to Ontario, I got up at 4 a.m. and drove to the site. As you can see, it was well worth the effort.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, enhancing filter. You can see a horizontal view of this scene here: http://bit.ly/UEpEvH
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
