DUSK AT THE PAVILION WITH NATTY BOH IN THE DISTANCE

I had reached the peak. The outing to Bullneck – who couldn’t want to see Bullneck – the number 10 runs between Bullneck and Paradise but seeing Paradise NL I thought I’d give it a pass. Peak because I was aware of the brevity of time and the number of places that I wanted to see. Each outing didn’t help as it would remind me of new places. I tried to be mature and make notes for the next time. Being east of the Balamer, I wanted to go beyond Dundalk and explore more the points – Sparrows and Sollers – Fort Howard.

Passed the lost and found for the MTA and wondered about my hat, passed a Latino barber and thought about my hair – after seeing the snap I made of Uncle Lloyd and me where I came out the loser.

Worried about whether I had taken a rush hour bus and would have to walk back into Charm City.

Strange nice area. The river was being used for everything – boys leaping of the buoys in the middle, a couple fishing, the expressways in the distance. The wasn’t the inner harbour, except for those mentioned an a kid racing up and down on his bike there was no-one.

I felt fine as I got down from the bus. There was one waiting and another pulled up. I wouldn’t be stranded in Dundalk. Oh so I thought. Did a wander until dusk then headed back to the terminus where there wasn’t a bus. Getting darker and no bus, I gave myself a time limit before I would walk down Dundalk Avenue.

I had forget – or was spoiled by the bus coming out, being Baltimore the bus it seemed was only running now every thirty minutes.

Hopped down in Eastern Avenue before the park entered the barbershop. Chose it because there was a Brasilian flag out front. It was closing in 15 minutes the place was packed I was waiting watching the Spanish language porn – which made for a slower cut all around as everything stopped when the “good” parts showed up.

A friend – a barber who was off came in told me to sit down and asked how long I wanted it. short – he took off a swatch - well not that short but.. well since Bruce can pull it off...

Later I left doing a Toshiro Mifune in the Seventh Samaraí constantly feeling the back of my head. I though it looked better no more tufts no more trying to pretend that I am balding faster than the Earth is warming.

Walked down Eastern Avenue by Patterson Park but before I could it could really sink in that there were people out and about after dark, the bus the was arriving.

Liked Butcher’s Hill better than Canton people out on their marble stoops, the houses are not what some developer thinks a row – sorry town – house is, the most diverse area that I had seen so far.

I simply had to get out the last day. it was more due to my cabin fever than anything else, I feel entombed if I don’t get some air and in the hermetically sealed buildings of to-day it is even more necessary.

Really didn’t have any place to go as it was late and being in Park Heights Avenue was getting on my wandering nerves Too late to walk to the metro, but hate waiting for a bus.

One last phone call to the lost and found for the MTA revealed nothing about my lost Baby Leafs cap – the new one sucks too dark too stiff – so I thought that I would head over to Canton where it was last seen hoping that it would be someplace near Toone and Conkling Streets. Number 7 there as it was faster than the 13. People were gathering under the Pagoda in Patterson Park for a concert. Others were strolling the park with their dogs. Cops were driving along the pavements.

Of course there was no cap there. decided to explore and realised once again how small Balamer was. Headed west along Boston street which changed my mind a bit about Canton – a bit too chain chic for me – Starbucks, Safeway, Starbucks in Safeway, but at least I saw people, Before I knew it though I was at the most eastern point of a January wander when I was in Fells Point – Aliceanna Street. Ah no wonder it is more populated. But ah how compact also.

Headed north to zig zag in the neighbourhoods in the waning light a few conveniences photographed, some Balamer formalism, up Patterson Park Avenue, before heading west to photograph the Orthodox church from the alleys – formalism with a bit of Atget – and more alley boundaries. Racing the light I kept going off course – I was supposed to be heading back to the bus stop – when I found a house devoted to sending all abortionists to hell. Pretty dark which isn’t Joãozão’s forte but tried some oblique snaps. Up Port Street to head across the park, to see the concert.

The perfect ending to a Balamer stay heading up to the Pagoda I turn around to look over Highlandtown. In the distance, in the waning light the giant Natty Boh was becoming a beacon of East Baltimore. Walked passed community gardens, a woman bringing out supper to a group who are out front of their place in Baltimore Street. Photograph a church then try to do something with the balance of interior and exterior light before walking to the Johns Hopkins metro station.