2:18AM -i'm back (cue the ode)

Faced with a four hour wait in Milwaukee even after taking my time drinking my coffee and having the driest apple Danish on the planet, even after the fact that security only had one line open for checking baggage and passengers meaning a 30 minute wait to get through. Once again I was expecting trouble – the four double bagged lead line bags, the two boxes of PMK PYRO – and had none.

Getting to the gate I noticed that there was a flight leaving for Newark in 30 minutes. I asked saying that the airport there was more interesting than Milwaukee’s. She agreed and I was on my way.

Played tag with Canada as the plane flew down Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie.

The Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and in the distance the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, nice I guess but I am looking forward to Signal Hill and The Narrows.

How I know that I am still in the States, even though the plane was empty I was placed beside another passenger. Promptly moved

13:00 EST - I find a row of empty seats at EWR and find a paper no sooner than I set a section down than a man with his wife asks if it is my paper sits beside me and starts to read it. His wife sits two seats away. They yell back and forth to each other.

No sooner than they leave than yet another woman ignores the row of empty seats and fills the seat vacated by the loud talking Albany bound passenger.

15:00 EST - Three hours to go. Flight isn’t on the board yet. In Milwaukee the entire day’s flights are up. Try to pace myself -when to eat, when to have tea, I cannot wander as I have to tote everything with me. I wonder how Gary Winogrand did it. It is too early to start to listen for accents or other clues, but do hear Brasilian Portuguese. Don’t go into the Borders as it is too much trouble. I am banging into everything. I buy some outrageously expensive postcards and practice my handwriting. No stamps to be found so they will be sent from St. John’s.

Have a fresh mozzarella pesto pizza and a large drink. What I think is grated parmesan is garlic powder, am thankful that I have a seat to myself on the flight.

The electric points have no seats near them to plug in a laptop one has to sit on the floor. Two bored kids practice capoeira tripping over me. The father scolds them the boy cries. I feel guilty.

16:00 EST reckoning that the flight will now be posted I look at the board. It is there with a delay of 90 minutes. Beside the board there is a weather map of the States. It is clear. Even the parts of Canada that are shown is clear. It seems like air travel is trying to replicate the service of Marine Atlantic. Getting to the rock is always and adventure.

This means that I won’t have a ride to Pouch as the plane will get in at 1AM NT and my evil twin will be fast asleep. The debate now what is cheaper a taxi the 20km to Pouch or the airport Hotel for the night.

18:00 EST I should be on the plane instead the departure time has been moved back to 20:15.

18:10 EST the flight has been moved back to 20:30. I ring up to say forget it. don’t pick me up I figure out a way that evening. I ring Angela hoping that I can be put up at Rennies Mill. Doesn’t catch the hint. Ring the alcoholic in training asking him to get in touch with Elke to let her know that I will be really late.

Will do. He’ll also leave the pipe house open the bed in the lower studio is made up. So I have options now I cannot be cheap. The money left over from the last time should pay the taxi ride to Pouch.

I go to ask about the flight.
-it is delayed
-but why weather ca…
-yeah weather
the assistant looks up the flight it is coming from Kansas City – KANSAS CITY? is that in the Burin? – and will arrive at 8PM.
I go to have a coffee.

This is the time that I was all ready to wax nostalgic and compare the romance of leaving YYZ heading north east over Montréal then black as we follow the St Lawrence to the gulf it seemed fitting that one fly over water most of the way. I also liked the safety of Canada no half mad presidents who speak to god – and supposedly she speaks back (Harper is a blip).

I liked getting a double double before the plan scanning the old terminal one for every paper I could find – THE GLOBE, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Star, Le Devoir, The Gazette before settling in and waiting.

I liked using money that doesn’t smell. In the plane I would plan my sleep so as to wake up seeing the black and blacker pin pointed with lights.

I was going to state that I was only going via Newark because, I didn’t want to race through customs and immigration to the new terminal. I was using Newark because I was lazy. I was also hoping that this plane won’t be packed the way that the night flight from Toronto is with those returning Fort MacMurray Newfoundlanders.

To me it cannot be the same flying over Connecticut up over Boston with no real dark for any length of time as I imagine as soon as we are out over water there will be Halifax.

This was to be tempered with the fact that while YYZ – YYT is great being there is better and I would hope that the plane would bank down the Narrows the way it did last then out toward Greenland before turning around and having the lights 19:10 EST accents picked up. come up on the horizon.

I was going to marvel again at an airport that is bustling at 2AM and empty again at 2:15.

I am past that now.

19:30 ESTcheck the board once again to find that the gate has been changed. Needing a change of scenery I walk down to the new gate with the idea that we will be sitting there less than an hour.

20:00 EST I am Newfoundland well am really still in Newark finally but now we are all speaking venting our frustrations. I mention that I have been here since noon but loose to a woman who has been in the airport for 24 hours.

Since they have spoken to me I have to make their snaps but am not sure how they will turn out as it is a dimly lit airport.

One person works for the government and lives in Kilbride, he’ll trade a snap of Danny Williams for the one I took of him. The woman who has been in the airport for 24 hours is a student at MUN and originally from Brasil - Portuguese with a Newfoundland accent anyone? Another knows Hansen’s place in Kingman’s and the Tibbos whom I have photographed.

The time is pushed back another 30 minutes. The woman at the counter says that the plane to Saint John will be here in 20 minutes – great we all say like we wanted to go to New Brunswick she gets her capitals confused as did all the air hostess who also thought we were going to Saint John.

23:00 NT I have been upgraded to an exit seat all by myself, , moving me away from a screaming baby and giving me more leg room but the light doesn’t work. Except for the exit rows the placne is packed.

Fine I am tired so I can sleep through the boring Boston States and wake up over the Atlantic.

The pilot comes on and says we are 16 in the queue and there’ll be a 20 minute wait to get airborne.

Leaving United States airspace was as bad as I had imagine endless lights no dark what so ever.

1:30 NT dark finally then the glow of the Avalon. The second best approach to the island that I have had. We fly over Come By Chance into Conception Bay Bell Island on the left, then bank CBS, Paradise Mount Pearl and the South Side Hills. I can see the harbour, basilica, the Narrows and Cabot Tower, we bank over the Atlantic giving me the view of the Harbour Above Signal Hill and the runway.

Over the Wal-Mart, Kent’s Torbay Road and the landing.

Being Newfoundland the plane makes a U-turn on the tarmac and heads to the terminal.

Am out in St. John’s a taxi driving me to Pouch. Like the first time He takes Torbay Road and Route 20 like a pro – 110 k/h on the straightaways and only slowing to 80 on the curves of Torbay. We speed down the Pouch Cove Highway talking politics, why he is working so late – there is another flight due in at 4AM – but I go quiet at the hill before the descent into the village, a magnificent view at night the orange lights going into the dark of Cape St. Francis.

The pipe house is alit. He drops me off $40 is paid I walk in Jim says the bed is made up down stairs if I want to crash, the keys are on the table if I want to head over to Elke’s and pick up the keys to Martin and Gabrielle’s.

Want crash will go over to-morrow, besides it is perfect symmetry that I stay in the lower studio the way that I did in 1999.

Too excited to sleep.