Hi again, I guess!
I didn't know whether I'd ever be present on this forum again, after certain 'disagreements' a few years back. But recently after a pure chance conversation with Ojay on Facebook one thing led to another and here we are. Life is too short to be caught up in aggro and politics, we all are out there to explore and share experiences and whatnot. With this current generation of video camera noobs who seem hellbent on screwing up everything the community should stand for, those who have been in the game a while like myself need to pull together.
So I hope to bring you some different stuff, a lot has happened in the five years I was absent. Don't worry though I won't fill up the entire forum with five years worth of posts, just a handful of my most favourite and memorable explores that I've been on in that time - time spent exploring both here in the UK as well as (currently) six exploring trips to the USA which, if I'm honest, is where I see myself permanently in the future.
I thought I'd start with one place that completely captured my heart as soon as I saw it. I don't often find a location that I fall in love with but this was one of those rare occasions where it pained me to leave.
The Selma Plantation House in Leesburg, Virginia was constructed in 1902 on the site of the original Selma mansion which burned to the ground in the late 1890s. In 1976 the estate was bought and used as a hotel/wedding venue, but after passing through a number of other owners the mansion eventually fell into dereliction in 1999. A year after my visit, in March 2016, the house was bought by a couple who have undertaken a massive restoration project and have almost finished turning it into their family home. I've followed their progress on Facebook over the last year or so and the transformation is absolutely incredible.
Thanks for looking, and it's good to be back
I didn't know whether I'd ever be present on this forum again, after certain 'disagreements' a few years back. But recently after a pure chance conversation with Ojay on Facebook one thing led to another and here we are. Life is too short to be caught up in aggro and politics, we all are out there to explore and share experiences and whatnot. With this current generation of video camera noobs who seem hellbent on screwing up everything the community should stand for, those who have been in the game a while like myself need to pull together.
So I hope to bring you some different stuff, a lot has happened in the five years I was absent. Don't worry though I won't fill up the entire forum with five years worth of posts, just a handful of my most favourite and memorable explores that I've been on in that time - time spent exploring both here in the UK as well as (currently) six exploring trips to the USA which, if I'm honest, is where I see myself permanently in the future.
I thought I'd start with one place that completely captured my heart as soon as I saw it. I don't often find a location that I fall in love with but this was one of those rare occasions where it pained me to leave.
The Selma Plantation House in Leesburg, Virginia was constructed in 1902 on the site of the original Selma mansion which burned to the ground in the late 1890s. In 1976 the estate was bought and used as a hotel/wedding venue, but after passing through a number of other owners the mansion eventually fell into dereliction in 1999. A year after my visit, in March 2016, the house was bought by a couple who have undertaken a massive restoration project and have almost finished turning it into their family home. I've followed their progress on Facebook over the last year or so and the transformation is absolutely incredible.
Thanks for looking, and it's good to be back
