winter flânerie

It is -12C.

I have the machine, Baird needs to go into town. We plan to head out at 10, he’ll do his chores, I wander and get culcher and we’ll meet at the…Duke.

There is a wind chill. I take Zequinho, and the leiquinha. On the way I head up to Elke’s to give her some of last night’s dinner to prove vegetarian food isn’t boring. Sharon is there having coffee and am invited in but have to rush. It seems that Sharon was headed down to my place next to introduce me to Tracy.
-to-morrow?
--yeah I should be home.

The Volvo is great fun with no winter tyres, I go tobogganing down Sullivan’s Loop turning just before I hit one of Ted’s rooms. Driving it requires a whole new strategy as steep hills have be bypassed. I can go down from Elke’s but to get to her place I have to head out on the Main Road and take the lesser incline.

It is more like the luge where Noseworthy’s Hill meets the Main Road. I park in the street fearing that I will never get up the Pipe House Driveway.

It is determined that Baird will drive.

In town I finish my souvenir shopping, stopping in at Living Planet to pick up some t-shirts and a sweatshirt. They give me a more permanent replacement for my free NFLD sticker and mentioning this pain in the arse north-east liberal, they throw in an “ I CLUB BABY SEALS” Sticker.

I make their photograph and the woman working- Jenny Gear gives me her music CD.

Bought a couple of artist’s books at the Devon Craft House before heading back down Duckworth and beginning to make some Newfoundland formalist snaps in the neighbourhoods trying to hit as many small streets as possible.

Porches, steps, graffiti, building heights, windows, discarded Christmas Trees, ladders.

Down to Eastern Edge and St. Michael’s Print Workshop, passing the bubble and with fog burning off Signal Hill and the Narrows coming into view.

Remembered that the oil tanks on the Southside Hills were being demolished that ikonic Irving Oil sign that was a beacon in the night is threatened. A few attempts as documenting it before they disappear although it looks like I’ll disappear first.

Yea yea yea it was –12C but it was a great wander. It could be the hills that warm me by climbing them but I wasn’t cold.

Headed past the Duke and down Duckworth past the CBC building then behind it with more formalist snaps – boarded building, back gardens, lawn chairs on a roof top, blank wall, satellite dishes.

Time for lunch and I was hungry so to the Duke for a pint of Guinness and my Globe.

The director of The Rooms came in – thought about offering him my condolences. The assistant director is fleeing to New Brunswick. Richard is at the bar. Order my pint from Terry and head to Clarke’s Beach to read.

A section in Baird arrives errands unfulfilled and we move to Baird’s Cove. It then becomes an office away from Pouch as Three of the four members of God’s Last Name come in – one is baffled as I introduce myself as Jim Baird. We are invited to hear them play at Roxxy – better since they stole my images – which supposedly gives the word “dive” a bad name.

Depression sets in as things are planned that will happen after my departure. I am now once again feeling like I live here and I have to go. I had passed the chat with people that I was back and was now into other discussions. Now it is time to prepare to leave – my last day of developing film will be to-morrow as I have to get the tanks back to Ray on Friday, I’ll return the printer on Saturday, etc.

It is a one Guinness lunch for me as it is cold out and I hate having to keep running into Tim’s or hotels. Later in the day it is colder. I decide to head to George Street as I know it is rife with street furniture and am not disappointed.

Asit gets dark I head back to Pouch skidding out of Gower and into Queens street, sliding through Bannerman Park but never the less doing 100 on the straightaway.

The cold has chilled down the house the bedroom is in the 40’’sF. I develop film averaging the beginning and ending temperature but forget about the fix that is about 60F.

Start a fire, move a space heater, make soup and everything is fine.
Head over to the Pipe House to drop off some stuff to find my evil twin shivering and cursing the cold. The joys of smaller spaces easier to heat.