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I keep fooling myself and am surprised on how often I do this. The AM ritual was in effect but it was a supposed to be a short wander. I was going to retrace my steps from the day before but only in Pouch as I wanted to make the snaps that were iffy on the negs.

Saw Henry coming out of the Post Office.
- a lot of miles on those legs.
- -about as much as on yours,
- got to use them or they’ll freeze up
- yep am thinking of walking into St. John’s
- naw it must be 17 miles.
He heads to Bruce’s, I head south.

Stopped along the Main Road as I saw Richard, one of the first people I had seen back in 1999 and I never had made his snap. he accommodated by greeting me chatting about how great the weather is exchanged names and he was off to Bruce’s.

I really meant to only photograph those images that looked marginal, A caravan under the tolt, a formal image of roofs meeting at the old Bark Pot, the back hoes, I didn’t even bring the Leiquinha for those envy snaps.

Before I knew if though I was heading up Meetinghouse Road toward the tolt. Thinking that if the short way was too wet there was the long way and I would simply see and photograph along the way.

This was the less picturesque side of Pouch. The city dump is up here. There is a quarry. The new cell phone tower is between the tolt and the saddle. But I was going to try to find the ponds that were hidden in the woods.

An 90 minutes later I turn back as – the excuse was that I had to descend and I would come back when I had more time – pissed off as the sun had come out and there were these great views – again the cape, bay verde peninsula but also toward Flatrock.

Into St. John’s for money, drop off film, food, a stop at St Michael’s to ask about book making materials, Auntie Crae’s for a Globe and to see what breads was on offer then back.

Stop in to know the estimated arrival time of Kennedy. He hadn’t rung but the Pipe House kitchen was to be turned into CBC studios as Paul was going to cook a Newfoundland dish – in conjunction with the exhibit of Mary Pratt, and his soon to be published, since 2001 book and he had to be there soon.

Drop off the film at Dominion and run into Kennedy buying the provisions and being frustrated as he cannot find caviar, nor pumpernickel bread.

-tried Auntie Crae’s?

I head downtown he tries to find his rental before heading into the liquor store.

Buy gift certificates at the Tim’s for the people who helped with the machine.

My luck is no better. At St, Michael’s, which is a printmaking co-op, when I ask where in town I can get bookbinding materials, I am told that it is shipped in but there is a person who works with Tara Bryan who may know.

Yes bring it with you, I could go out to and beg some book board from a publisher in town…

Someone honks and waves in Gower Street as I go back to the car.

Head back, pick up my film, stop in at the Garland Body shop, hand them the Tim’s certificates, and make their photographs.

When I arrive at the Pipe House Kennedy has just got his machine out of a pot hole and the CBC crew have arrived and are setting up.

It is to be a traditional Newfoundland dinner but we have to get all the booze off the table. Everyone notes the irony. Angela Antle is nervous but not as much as Paul as the atmosphere is charged enough with the evil twin and me when Kennedy arrives the barbs just start to fly and we are threatened with being banned to the lower studio.

Chat a bit with Angela - although she has interviewed me for the week-end morning programme some years back - she sees a book and Niterói and asks if i lived in Brasil. It seems that she was on the same type of government exchange for Canada as I was for the States. She lived in São Paulo.

Baird attempts to launch an olive at the set. I am amazed that they can make the kitchen look presentable. The place fills with smoke when they pull the dish from the oven. It takes three takes before the cameraman can see anything.

Things calm down. They leave, Angela says she’ll try again to get in touch.
-when do I leave?
I won’t hold my breath. We talk about the Rock, sense of place, the creative process, etc. before Kennedy has to run off to another party.

Develop 10 more rolls of film and would have done more but I had to fulfil a duty as a board member of the foundation writing a long letter of reply to someone from below the 49th parallel. Culture shock as differing outlooks on the world clash, good will efforts versus the bare minimum needed to be done.