abandoned Motel masthead and grounds
Acrylic on panel, 16 x 20 in. (1998)

There was an abandoned motel west of Perth Ontario (near the Salmon River) called the Land O' Lakes. It is a rather pleasant combination of grass, trees and a lodge-style environment, complete with a diner. The painting title refers to the irony in the masthead, that there is indeed a vacancy, a vacancy of proprietor let alone tenants.

Time, rain, snow and sunshine have dried out the lawns, bleached and peeled the paint, and oxidized the iron in the masthead. The lack of someone to care for the place has opened it to vandalism and other animals seeking home or shelter.

There are a number of motels along Highway 7 that have suffered the fate of the Land O' Lakes. It must be extraordinarily difficult to run a small motor hotel business and attract the modern traveller for an overnight rest.

Update 2012: The motel has now been demolished and the pieces hauled away. Only the stone base of the sign remains.

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