Monday 23 May 2005

victoria day monday

the cheque from the rooms corporation of newfoundland and labrador arrived to-day. $500 half the honorarium with the second half coming when the residency is completed.


with officialdom comes some relief

Saturday 14 May 2005



the plans are going so well that the mind runs rampant, now that i have conquered the fear of arriving late in rocky harbour and the chance of leaving early, once again i go to maps.google.com and type in pleasant prairie – happy valley/goose bay. to my surprise i find that it is closer than pouch and even more to my surprise that is it only a little more than a day away by whatever calculation they use. would it be possible to actually go in the “back way” up through québec and across the trans labrador then down to the strait of belle isle? st anthony? the great northern?

don’t get greedy…

Wednesday 11 May 2005

nl

nl
nl,
originally uploaded by molequinho.


j, k, and i were going to go on field trips when school was out. problem was coordinating the times and making sure that they could get up by me in time to explore the upper midwest. since one other was already on board, we couldn’t see why this couldn’t be an extended outing to the maritimes and beyond.

this could be even better sharing the long drive means a faster arrival again j was informed that this was a race to the north sydney ferry.

she was fine with that…only… well there was that problem with the summer term and she having to be back one day before i planned to arrive to t.a.

motoring along the transcanada, or summer at the school of schools. i lost out. a pity i think that she would like the trip even if it were a rush.

about now i realised that travelling up would be great with company but what would coming back alone be like. i am expecting a long trip – still don’t think i really know how long it will be – but there will be company and in this case the driving is secondary. it will be hard enough to drive away from the avalon, across the island i cannot imagine the trip back on the mainland –even worse when i get to bushworld again.

while i am fretting about the trip back and wondering exactly how much time is needed to make the midnight sailing on the 11 july out front on the steps of the ‘tute, k comes up and says that her parents will fly up to pick her up in st. john’s.

about this time i realised that the race was to get me to rocky harbour, once i settle in i can go to st. john’s to pick up the film and since k doesn’t have to be back and is in no rush, well…a slower drive across the island.

meanwhile, it occurred to someone that if one can drive out and fly back and the opposite is also possible j will fly out and drive back with me. i am worried about how well everything is going. the stress is gone. rocky harbour makes the trip eight hours shorter. if she doesn’t have race back, k can tool around the great northern for a couple of days before heading out.

j is planning on arriving a week before the departure enough time for the duke or maybe this time i’ll venture into the ship, back down to the barrens, in search for the type of landscapes she likes around the avalon before the race back.

i also feel better as now both will be able to actually see the rock that both will have time to relax and calm down, the road race will be rewarded with a road trip at a great time of year.

Tuesday 3 May 2005

money and mouths

don't park deer lake
don't park deer lake,
originally uploaded by molequinho.
it was the first decently warm day of the year and i was taking up the habit that i had to abandon late last year. i had my coffee and was sitting out on the steps glad to be outside and with a bit of quiet before having to enter the hallowed halls.

while i was reading the new york times i had picked up, left on the train by one of the commuters, k came up with her coffee and sat down to have a ciggie.

- do you think after the term ends we can go on some trips?
- it would have to be in june as from july on i am on the rock and actually i am thinking of driving to rocky harbour...¦
- i'm in!
great i thought as i meant that the drive wouldn't be such a strain i could get farther as we could take turns driving and i would have company alleviating the impending boredom and impatience when entering day two i would still be in bushland.

panic as now i had actually act, it was out of the realm of fantasy, now i had to really plan. it is one thing to back out when it is only me but now that the plan included another...¦

i keep going to maps.google.com to try to understand the distance,los angeles is closer than pouch cove, vancouver is closer. i keep looking at the marine atlantic site to see what ferry we should plan for. how far can we get in one day so that we can slow down when we enter the true north and slow down more on cape breton, i could now really pass robert frank's place.

stressed that this trip was about me, i want to get there it is the old stereotypical family type of outing in which one is always trying to make time. we were not stopping.

-no problem.

the motor will be stocked with my crap, everything i need to last photographically in gros morne.

-fine i have the pentax, a small bag a dv camera and tripod.

went to carol mentioning the money we would save and the car standing in her father's garage with only 40 000 miles - i admit i would prefer to bomb around in a saab 900 than a 95 gold saturn - and since he cannot drive.

the outing is a go.