Stiles does it Suburbia-style.

The drive to London, Ontario was a real treat because all of Toronto's highways were closed on the day that every single motorist in the GTA decided to take their cars for a spin.



A few hours later, we finally arrived at mom's 2400 square foot, 4-bedroom house in the north end of London. Her house is just a little bigger than my beloved SKYLAB. In my room during my first night, I decided to go to bed hungry as opposed to fixing a snack. SKYLAB's kitchen was a mere 10 paces from my room. In this house however, the bedroom-kitchen distance is much, much greater.



Fortunately, a larger living space comes with larger closets! I donated 5 or 6 bags of clothes to charity and the clothes that I actually wear fit in nicely into this standard 6' x 2' closet.



While exploring my transitional accommodation, I came across this fence that's actually taller than I am. The neighbours erected the fence a few years ago, ignoring my Mother's concerns about its monumental height. Its massive scale evokes a couple of questions: 'What are you hiding from?' or 'What are you hiding?'



This photo answers the first question. While I almost understand the suburban mind's desire for complete and total privacy to the point of isolation, the only glazing on this side of Mom's house appears as a garage window and a laundry room door window. Now, as comfortable and as lavishly appointed as these two rooms are, there are nicer rooms to enjoy in the house. Now I know what the planners are wondering, and yes, surprisingly this fence does comply with the city's bylaws and yes, I have a LOT of free time on my hands right now. Clearly, the neighbours are hiding something. Perhaps I will use the next three weeks to get to the bottom of this mystery.