Little Time Machines and Dildo · Week 31
By Luca Bonafede · August 4, 2026 ·
A lot can happen in a week.
This week, I walked into the bank and saw “31 July” written on the wall, and I stopped. July was over, and I had not seen it leave.
That is the thing about a month like this one. It doesn’t pass. It disappears. Not because I was wasted, but because I lived it intensively.
For six weeks now, I have been writing these recaps. It is my way of keeping memories week by week and not month by month. Not because my months are a blur, but because when Life is filled with meaningful moments, incredible people, breathtaking places, and enough plot twists to rival a movie, every week deserves to be remembered as its own chapter.
This one ran from Sunday, July 26, to Saturday, August 1. It was split between my two usual work locations: St. John’s, the almost tropical weather of Twillingate up north, Bay Roberts, and Dildo.
Last week, I left you with a promise: a fun final twist that, deep down, I had hoped to find. Here it is.
On Friday, in Twillingate, I noticed a girl in a souvenir shop. She had unique features, and I noticed. The next day, in the crowd on the final night of the festival, I saw her again. And somehow I felt there was no need to talk to her.
The day after that, I was meant to leave very early for St. John’s. Somehow, I stayed a bit longer. I decided to go for one more tour. When I came back from my lunch break, I was walking through the building when a colleague said, “And by the way, this is Luca. He will go with you on the boat tour.”
She turned around.
It was her.
Great connection, very natural. And I loved it.
I had felt that it was my last time in Twillingate. It turns out the place had one more surprise. Life has a strange way of conspiring for things to work out for you, at the right time, and in the best way possible. Even when something feels like it isn’t working out your way, it may be exactly what is best for you.
After that, the week took me somewhere a little more... peculiar: Dildo.
Yes, it’s a real place. And yes, there is a Hollywood-style sign on the hill that proudly says DILDO. We can thank Jimmy Kimmel for that, as much as I personally do not like him for what he said after the murder of Charlie Kirk. In 2019, the late-night host made himself the town’s honorary mayor, declared Hollywood its sister city, and sent the sign. A joke turned into an attraction. Add a famous brewery and an unforgettable name, and it is one of those places that instantly earns a spot on your Newfoundland bucket list.
I went with a local from St. John’s, and unfortunately the weather was not great. To be fair, I think Dildo is pretty overrated, and it has way too many tourists, the type I do not really like.
Back in St. John’s, the weather was gloomy across much of the Avalon Peninsula, but the city came alive with the annual George Street Festival. Rain or shine, the music played on, people filled the streets, and the atmosphere was exactly what summer is all about.
One small, unexpected moment made me smile. At The Merchant Tavern on Water Street, one of my favourite restaurants in St. John’s, with a fantastic bar and counter setting, I had a glass of Frangelico for the first time in almost a year. I hadn’t had one since the Dominican Republic. It is amazing how a single drink can take you back, and how certain tastes, smells, and songs can become little time machines.
I found a new one this week: “Better” by Khalid (2018). I discovered it in the middle of the week, and I played it again and again, all through my nights. I think it will stay forever in my favourite playlist, because sometimes nothing really feels better than this. Years from now, one chorus will put me back on those evenings, and I know exactly where it will take me.
Somewhere between the road trips, work, and plenty of laughs, I realized something else: 35 is a fantastic age. Every now and then, it still sounds like a pretty big number, even to me. But the more experience I get, the more I appreciate that Life isn’t measured by the years. It is measured by the stories, the people, and the experiences you collect along the way.
Which means the month did not disappear after all. It was collected.
I am writing this three days late. I woke up on Monday, and it was already August 3rd. So here I am, trying to catch up.
One more week. Another chapter. Another week worth living.
A lot can happen in a week.
Thank you, and ciao for now.
Luca Bonafede
Twillingate, St.John's, Bay Roberts, Dildo, NL, Canada 🇨🇦
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