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it has been harder than i had expected returning to the ritual of these entries. i am enjoying the post card tag that i was playing with people - a stone age version of twitter - with others exchanging letters there was quite a resurgence in the post. it was refreshing to see the traits of the senders in their choices, their care in the whole package.

at the same time, even though i was teaching two digital classes - imagine - i put mine away and picked up the leiquinhas in an effort to be so mobile that i could make snaps whenever and wherever. leiquinhas instead of the usual medium formats simply because they seem oh so trendy right now. i was correct with lesser weight more snaps happened.

i thought that i would start practising here at the end of march, then 15 april precisely a month before the residency started but choosing postcards and answering real letters took precedence.

the delay came also from looking forward to the summer. the residency, the world cup, sound symposium, and reunions on the avalon.

i am still fretting the sale of sullivan’s loop am grateful to the alioths for allowing me to use it all these years am sad to see it sold as it did feel like home, especially in winter. even though in recent years i used it less and less, it seemed that it would always be there whenever, the urge arose, the improvements, wi-fi throughout, the printer, books left by others. evenings after a day of wander were peaceful there overlooking the cove.

last year i have come to realise that i am more bayman than townie. i am preferring places like cox’s cove, lark harbour, the port au port peninsula. while i still like the duke, hava java and the bagels from the georgetown bakery, i also like granite coffee, java jacks and the legion.

corner brook has become big enough.

i'll miss sullivan's loop but it seems i was drifting west anyway.

i also thought that the closer to the departure date the more i would focus and my tendency to hedge my bet with too much equipment would be quelled. this hasn’t quite happened yet. i do know that last summer was a bit much. with the digital, i was spending more time trying to guess what i would run into and thus what camera to take than simply heading out.

the plan for the residency is to replicate bonne bay - the deardorff, a box of film a day, pmk pyro, and platinotype materials. when i thought of this it was to put a stop to the automatic picture taking. it was an acknowledgement of being in a small place for a fortnight - too short a time but still no need to race through.

like bonne bay i want to be able to show what i am doing while i am there. taking into account the sea change that has happened in photography that was hinted at by minnesota flats and her time in gros morne and in homage to her, i thought about a hybrid version - film, scanner and printer. this was also insurance as i didn’t know the accommodations and the possibility of a temporary lab.

have gravitated back to the deardorff and the hobo - that diana camera on steroids - and platinotypes partly because it will give me practical experience for the 10x8 class in the autumn, partly because in slowing down i find that the days are longer and i have more time.