Even though I was following the Newfoundland habit of going to bed at 3AM, I was up at six the day of the kiddie workshop. I panic every time I have to depend on the sun to make a workshop successful and while this time I was using the light box, I wondered how patient 5-12 year olds would be. I wanted to make sure everything would go smoothly – coating 16 sheets of paper with argyrotype chemistry – didn’t want to poison the little darlings – making sure I got the exposure times down correctly – five minutes would do.
Was pacing about the place in my usual hyper caffeinated way when Kendra gets up early, pours coffee, sees the frenzy, dumps the coffee back in the carafe and heads back upstairs.
Walk over to the Discovery Centre and get there by 9AM as usual 30 minutes before the workshop was to start. There were to be 12 of them, three I knew. We were to walk from the Discovery Centre to the house via the path – Jessica telling them that they were off of Parks Canada property so they could pick what they wanted.
It was her idea that the walk would tucker out the tykes and they would be more manageable. No need it seems that they had just woke up and were still groggy.
Asked Amanda at Pete’s about this later. She said that this is summer no one goes to bed before midnight and rises before 11AM. Another Parks Canada disconnect with the communities it surrounds. I also heard that the next Kiddie Workshop will be poorly attended as it is the day of swimming lessons.
Walking over and not knowing how to pace themselves, they all picked things within 50 metres of the Discovery Centre. One kid picked up rocks to make photograms. We hinted that this may not be the best thing to use – Jessica even drew silhouettes so that the kids would have an idea. It started to drizzle
The workshop went smoothly. They were patient as we had to do each photogram one by one, they amused themselves by ganging up on me with feats of strength, most of the work while looking the same – how many images can one make with ferns, flowers and pine needles, oh and rocks – showed some sort of decorative sense, I promised the prints the next day – again I didn’t want the little dears to put their fingers in the rinse water or the fixer.
It was heading back where they became tired, too far from the house to turn back but not really on the path yet three were thirsty – tirsty – one was tired and didn’t want to make the climb. Tried coaxing, saying that there was water at the Discovery Centre – for a fee at the lunch counter, carried one kid up the hill, and tried generally to distract them. Jessica shared her water which perked them up and they were back to their usual hyper self – races through the grave yard, wanted to see moose.
Walked back to the house at 12:30 and with a dinner commitment it seemed like a good day to stock up on provisions one last time in Corner Brook. Kendra also wanted a book so it meant entering the world of the mall for the first time in a blessed long time.
First to the old mall by the Sobeys. Gutted out, the Coles was gone it had moved up the hill. Of course in this being a small place, we ran into Shirley our neighbour in Bonne Bay coming out of the mall and yet another person from Bonne Bay waiting in a car, driving up to the other mall we passed the Bonne Bus bus again we knew the driver. Western Newfoundland is certainly small.
Buying a book was harder than buying the food as the Coles is stripped down if you don’t want a best seller or self help buy online.
Getting the food we raced back to the Trans Canada and Deer Lake once again didn’t see the Man in the Mountain and then the road up the Great Northern.
Relaxation came with the turn off to Woody Point and the 35km drive to the house. Hate going into Corner Brook but it was drizzly and it was the best use of the afternoon that I could think of.
Dinner/supper was at Kris’s place which was George’s (of the Seabreeze) aunt’s place in Shoal Brook.
We drove over, parked at the top of the steep incline to her place and me thinking that I had parked to closely decided to try to get out to see if it were possible. I put the machine into reverse and went up the incline then stopped.
I had stopped because only three wheels were actually touching the ground the passenger side rear wheel was in the air.
A man with a British accent was the first on the scene. He suggested that we all sit on the rear bumper to get the car up – once it was up I don’t know what we would do as that would mean that the other three wheels would be off the ground.
More people show up even some that we know from the Seabreeze. Now to them it looks as if we went over the cliff rather than backed up and got stuck. In the end we had about a dozen cars stopped and willing to help.
Kris in the meantime saw us but thought that we had planned it to photograph more people.
Finally sense prevailed and once people were out of the way I was pushed down the hill. While this was happening I had the presence of mind to photograph the people – after all I had met them – I only hope that I had the presence of mind to take off the lens cap.
The crisis diverted, the crowd dispersed as a thanks I said that I’d buy them all drinks at the Seabreeze.
The house is nice on the bay but with trees blocking the view – we reasoned that with the amount of trees here they could be thinned a bit. there was a nice view of Woody Point from the living room window. Big deck on the back, it was a nice size. Her daughter – Rhya – and I made pictures with the digital for a bit. It was too cold to eat outside a pity – not only had we wanting to make our own dinner after we once again had food from Corner Brook, but it is now strange to sit inside.
Dinner was uneventful in comparison. Kris had made a curry dish. The table talk was around our involvement in the community and our unofficial home being the Seabreeze. It seems that Kris prefers dinner parties and some of the other Parks Canada people like kitchen parties.
These are all nice an good but the people allowed in are controlled and because of that the possibility of meeting someone new and interesting is limited. There is no “quality” control at the Seabreeze so anyone can come in. Sometimes that could be problematic but in my case it only broadens the knowledge of the area from what I hear from the diversity of the crowd and their state of inebriation.
Due to the Kendra couldn’t wait to get back there, so we thanked Kris and Jessica at about 10:30 and headed over so that the story of my parking could be told complete with pictures. A good time was had by all - well almost all. Cannot complain about Elaine’s driving and her attempts to run me off the road anymore.
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