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December 27, 2008
watching
In the mountains, whilst squatting in the attics of a chalet in Saas Fee, Switzerland, during the winter of 1980, I watched and I waited. And so I had, during the long dark winter evenings, time on my hands.
a long dark winter evening, Saas Fee, Switzerland
My needs were simply met, a mattress and duvet under the eaves, two pans for to cook macaroni cheese, and a sketchbook plus scratching tools. Mind you with nothing better to do after dark the term sketching, and it’s previously described connotations, was far from the truth. I took a lot of time over the drawings, they were, I suppose, to be more accurate, objective drawings.
I drew what I had, and I had, at the time, as well as a tangle of climbing gear [more of which later] my father’s watch.
The dial took many hours, and is accurate to every minute of the hour and every five seconds of those minutes.
During the day, with complex laminated plastic planks clipped to my feet, I would rush headlong down the slopes, all the time watching. I was watching the mountains. I was waiting for the weather.
Posted by john at December 27, 2008 01:50 PM