Lord Baltimore’s Mistake

Am in the second colony of Avalon - Baltimore Murderland – my birthplace to help my mum after her back surgery. I had also come to see if I could make some sort of work about the place. After a semester of being a true member of the full time photographic faculty – in making nearly no work, even worse I didn't even have a higher paying second job to have to worry about – I had finally focused. Plane travel will do that to you. Being forced to only two bags this was to be the analogue trip with Ubaldo and Joãozão and the surprising amount of film that I had left over from the summer when in any other case would have been long gone by now.

I was looking forward to seeing how my mixed feelings about Harm City had modified after the short trip out here after Yanksgiving. I wanted to see if I had got over the overly paranoid city and its inhabitants. I was wanting to photograph another North American water based colony with a unique accent hon. I wanted to deal with the wetlands and wooded areas that abound in the city I wanted to get lost in twisty streets with real neighbourhoods.

The weather was perfect for this – at least coming from the Frozen Tundra south – about freezing and at times as much as 10C, I could have coffee outdoors wander at will it was like spring.

I can see why Lord Baltimore would have left the first colony of Avalon after a year having to put up with gale force winds off the North Atlantic for Avalon South has a better climate. But if any of his relatives are about I would hazard that they would set sail north and east again.

Despite the warm weather there was no one on the streets, except around the Inner Harbour, There were a few souls at the Starbucks in Mount Washington but the streets were deserted. It seems that Balamereans don’t walk. There were traffic jams everywhere but no one without a car.

The constant vigilance supposed to make me feel safe made me feel uneasy. I felt more safe in Rio/Niterói where at least the vigilance was a human and the streets crowded. I imagine a crime in Baltimore will be video taped but not stopped as there is no cop about.

It is truly a gun culture, as I am waiting in a bank and see three inch Perspex protecting the tellers from the customers. This goes for gas bars. Receipts are checked when one leaves shops, i.d is needed to use a bank card, Nothing is ever left unlocked ever.

Wanted to visit the places my father worked but it would be safer visiting Cidade de Deus.

I think back to the summer when nothing was locked ever.

It is a pity Balamer could be a liveable city, again the parks, the rivers, the harbour, the bay, and the neighbourhoods. Want to photograph just south of Ravens Stadium, Along the Jones Falls, just have to build up my courage.

On the return after Christmas – am driving out so I ‘ll lose that focus one has when flying and can pack the machine am thinking – will I ever learn? – the Hobo. I want all the film from the summer gone by the start of term.