a bit of culture shock

it is strange to have a practice run, especially since time is so short but there was a bit of culture shock leaving me in the machine heading into st.john’s and then wondering where to go.

ding dong ditched - photographically fogosarge and beth and ray.
i had planned on heading down he southern shore but on the goulds bypass having fought my way along the torbay road, i wasn’t in the mood to join another car conga line to fermeuse. turned around. was less enthusiastic about heading back on the transcanada as i would be on it for some time in a few days. i needed a road that ended but not that far exit 27 seemed ideal, i could go through towns snake across the tch and then head back.

which is what i did, again i was reminded that the focus was on human presence that i was looking for sign of concerted efforts on staying and used the usual spots for this - harbours, conveniences and now parks.had quick chats with people while i was photographing one woman owned the closed convenience in front of her house in norman’s cove.

-pity the sign has been painted over.
-nope there is a ghost image.

mentioned that it was closed as people were heading to the closest walmart which i didn’t understand as it had to have been in clarenville.

a milkshake in long cove -wanted a slurpee but this was fine. it seems they don’t get a lot of call for them as they had to start up the machine. this was the opposite a general store with a sears catalogue branch.

-you must like taking photographs.
-i must now take yours.

the images were less stark to-day at the beach in long cove - a laundry line, melding the sheds into formal arrangements but also letting objects be. a party in a community hall had two balloons hanging from the railing for the party inside.it was about now that i realised that i left with little film, i had 15 rolls i was down to five and i wasn’t even to my first option to turn back,

an open convenience in bellevue.

spent the rest of the time in chance cove, for the placement of the houses over the tickle.

-what telephoto is that?
-it’s not it is a fixed lens medium format.
-nice.
andré was then part of the series by the camera he was coveting.


jim and i head over to sullivan’s loop for dinner with kennedy before he leaves for toronto. we marvel at his potatoes, he shows us the chantrelles he picked and will dehydrate to take back and he talks about the early evening colour shifts with paint swatch names. he says he couldn’t live here but hates leaving, gesturing toward the sea.

place bets on whether he’ll be able to clean up and pack in time.