Now I remember,

it was the day that I found out that Josh was killed, I was wandering about in a daze with too many surreal things happening at once. I had also run into someone who worked at the WGAS at Auntie Crae’s.

I was back at Wordplay as my evil twin was leaving but as he was leaving he introduced me to this woman whose name I forgot but I managed to get a snap off anyway. He raced off leaving us to small talk before parting.

As was the case back then, of the many snaps that were sent off one went to my bayman brother who at the time was living in the Battery - in Chris Brookes’s place but this is another one degree of separation story.

It seems that my bayman brother from Port Kirwan had someone over when this snap of a woman appeared in the post who was the woman he was beginning to date and finally in a bout of insanity leave the Battery for Portugal Cove Road.

I heard about this when from the twin but it seems that it had gone around St. John’s. It turns out that this person was Beth - yet another from away who at least is lucky enough to call the rock home although she is really an upper Canadian from the GTA - fellow Gros Morne residency person - long before me - now the bayman brother’s partner.

Knowing that Beth was an artist with whom we are still trying to collaborate on a show - my idea for a working title is PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS. - due to the fact - mentioned this summer that I photograph the things that she would pick up to put in a sculpture. Anyway knowing that she is an artist I got this call for artists for this gallery for a group show.

She sent in work. It was accepted and she now was in the process of trying to have it make it from the edge of North America to the Mid-West. If she could get the piece here she would follow spend a few nights in Chicago - I said it being the second city of the states was sort of like Corner Brook without the culture.

The problem was the skittish paranoia and the fear that some official would make a serious error and let some terrorist in the land of the free had all in power deferring to others.

To back up the piece in question was a chandelier made of bullet casings made because she has two son’s of the age that get sent to Afghanistan.

I have already wrote about the gallery, now it is ATF’s turn. When finally she had the piece crated, it was shipped and arrived at customs in Chicago where it sat because no one wanted to say that the bullet casings - no caps no powder - were harmless. So they held on to it. They wanted a real gun dealer to come out look at the piece and say that it wasn’t nor never could be a weapon. This was Monday the show opened Friday. She was still in St. John’s.

I had a student - who at one time lived in Baltimore as she owned one and was fascinated with them. She put Beth on to buddy in Elmwood Park who called the ATF to see what was up only to find out that he could do nothing.

Beth was on the phone to this bossy person from ATF who told her to shut up and listen all the time but did come up with ways of getting the work into the country and finally one worked.

Beth got a hunting licence on line and being a hunter could now import the chandelier.

She arrived at the WGAS Thursday evening after passing through our own passport control and heightened security I believe the level was carmine.