A soft sound at the window, like rain, but sharper this morning. I opened the curtains. Hail? Freezing raid? Snizzle?(= snow + drizzle).



Gord closed up his cell phone. "The tent is about to collapse." Pascale was late, with all her lighting gear. Erik, Marielle, Gord ready to go to Niagara on the Lake for a day, while JC, Jaz, Tim, Eliya and Bosco move plates, paintings to the big tent. Let rush hour pass, Gord suggested, we'll head out closer to ten. But now to the urgent matter at hand: the tent housing our paintings in Niagara on the Lake is about to collapse.



Here they are, after phoning Stacey. After, on the worst day ever to travel, deciding that Pascale doesn't have to drive three trips (to/from NOTL/T.O.) for her lighting gear -- just because it was the only trucking comnpany the Icewine Festival had an account with. Rent a truck from Toronto! Use our charge card. No sense risking your life on the roads today. Sometimes it's right in front of you, & you just can't see how simple it is. And the tent? They got a crew there just in time to stabilize it -- weather and wind - winter finally!



While 100 inbound and outgoing flights at Pearson airport were cancelled, due to a backlog on de-icing, after Gord scraped the ice off the van and loaded it up, JC and crew began work in the tent, making way for the big move into the big tent. On the outside it says, American Express Ice Gallery presenting Gordon Halloran's Paintings Below Zero.



Hundreds of pedestrians and skaters pass it daily. On the weekends, thousands. It's a big tent. Over 300,000 people will see this exhibit. The heat is on.



Then at dinner JC told me the electricity hasn't been properly connected in the tent,(three different guys are working on it; it's a turf thing) so he had to close down at dark. We missed 3 hours of work time today. Mike Brisbin has gotten us out of a lot of scrapes -- but can he solve this one in time? We can't afford to lose another day. Last night at dinner Gord said, "No more late nights until we open." Two . . ahem . . crew members are fighting colds due to weekend nights outs. Luckily we've got the truck. Everyone wants Nancy here, if but to say, "You handle this. . . " I need design here(prints order card + website), docents in Niagara; Jaz can only work double time for so long (crew by day, design by night). He's fed up.

Let's just be civil and let's just get through this week. Niagara opens on Saturday!