With my bike on the fritz, my plan to visit France (yes, France!) tomorrow is dashed. Instead, I’ll be going to St. John’s, 300 kilometres away, to get it fixed. It’s my good luck that there is a shared taxi, for only $60, that can take me and my bicycle there. My bad luck is that I have to hang around Marystown for a day. A romantic village with colourful houses tucked hither and thither between sea and cliffs this is not; it’s got a Walmart! I ask the lady at the front desk of the hotel as to what I should see in town. She outlines the following itinerary...

I head out first to the Firefighters Museum located, appropriately, at the firehall. It consists of a fire truck from way back in 1967, and about 30 or 40 picture albums of school kids standing in front of said truck. After two to four minutes of poring over these, I have to drag myself away; I know there is still much to see.

I amble past the town hall, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Compassion Home Care Main  Office, Mary Brown's Chicken and Taters and, finally, Walmart. I'm intrigued so I saunter in. There is the stationary aisle, the diapers aisle, gallon tubs of salt beef and riblets, and mattresses sold in cardboard boxes. There is George fashions, a whole section on pink Barbie stuff and so, so much more. I end my tour with a visit to the washroom and a quick piss.

I hurry on, past the road construction, and into the residential part of town. It's a good part of town, with nice duplexes. It's on a hill so everyone has a nice view of all the other duplexes. A few, from the right angle, have a good view of a distant Home Hardware with a sliver of sea behind. 

I stop to chat with an old lady who's got her ass in the air inspecting something on her lawn. She is holding in her hand a pair of scissors, the blades stained in green. She tells me she has just come from her son's across the street where she was trimming the grass from around the tree in his yard.

Further on is the Convenience Plus and they've got soft ice cream! The door is open so I go in. There is nobody there but I stand around and yell and bleat and finally a large lady shows up. I get the baby cone, for $4 (!) and continue on my way.

It's hot! I'm way overdressed and I feel sweat forming in my armpits. I walk a while with my arms away from my body, like a cormorant, so as to stay dry and fresh.

I pass a lovely park with a pond; a flock of ducks almost bowls me over in greeting as I approach. There is a pretty sign exhorting people to leave the painted stones on the path for others to enjoy. Another sign points out the 4-foot-wide trail so you don't get lost.

It's been over an hour now that I'm walking,  though it seems much longer, and I'm getting tired. So, with barely a glance, I push on past the Canadian Tire, Subway, Shopper's,  Fairstone Financial, Tim Hortons and many other sights. There is still much more to see, I  know, but I will return to my room where I can rest up before I go out for the evening and start drinking. 

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