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had been looking forward to this. ever since january i had been passing used cars thinking about their suitability . was thinking a saturn or a neon good gasoline mileage and both seem pretty popular on the rock. it wouldn't be used much but would be left so that when one of us was in the new compound in sullivans loop pouch cove we could get around. cars passed, in front lawns, along highways with "for sale" signs, would be considered.

this was to be the triumphant trip to the rock, to the new summer place. ocean on two sides, adding to the artists ghetto that sullivans loop and pouch cove was becoming. i was going to out do robert frank, i was recalling alastair mccloud's writing of cape breton and translating that to the avalon. i could smile knowingly at michael crummey's references.

to feel the distance i was going to drive, drive but not race. i'd play tag with the canada/us border. through michigan to sarnia or windsor a diagonal to penetenguishene to see where the painter john hartman lives - liked his paintings of the north, and always want to see what makes people who make around sense of place.

down to toronto, up to ottawa and montréal , i would take a deep breath and head back in the states to see burlington vermont and maine then back into new brunswick to and the trans canada through nova scotia - want to see halifax africville , cape breton then the ferry from sydney. i'd strain to get the first view of the rock.

wouldn't - although it would be hard - take the road to burgeo the road with only the village at the end has me curious - they'll be plenty of time for that. i would stop in corner brook to say hello to those i photographed then. then the watching the kilometres pass as i make my way to st. john's.

symbolically i should go into st. john's along water street stop at the duke, pass signal hill but being a resident now i could ignore the sites and take the transcanada to the new mile zero just by the wal-mart in stravanger drive.

then it would nothing heading out route 20 to pouch passing bruce's and turning right at points east to the new place.

this was one option. the other fly to baltimore , pick up my mother who was going to summer on the rock, and drive from there playing tag with the coast up through the boston states into the maritimes. 1800 miles instead of 2000 miles of driving but either way a respect for the remoteness of the province.

didn't come to pass. the house wasn't bought am still a transient. monday 30 june will look for the air canada jazz plane pull up at mitchell airport and anticipate walking on the tarmac leaving my bag at the steps and climbing aboard.