Grand Isle

As another sports season is upon us, we decided recently to try to fit in one more weekend trip with the family.

Grand Isle, Louisiana was the decided upon destination - Grand Isle being one of the southernmost points of Louisiana.

At the mouth of Barataria Bay, where it meets the Gulf of Mexico.

A fisherman's paradise!

Now, not being a fisherman, I have really had no interest in visiting Grand Isle over the years.

Nontheless My Better Half and I, along with daughter Allyson, son-in-law Jimmy, and their 3 sons Randy, Tanner and Carson loaded up the Family Truckster and headed 3 1/2 hours south to Grand Isle.

And I must say that it won't be our last trip to Grand Isle!

No, the beach isn't the pristine white sandy beach like you'll find in Florida.

But who says brown sand can't be pretty too ??

If it works for Galveston, why can't it work for south Louisiana ??

My son-in-law taught me all about crab-fishing.

Which basically works something like this:

Get two pieces of PVC pipe, about 8 feet in length.

Drill a small hole at the top of each piece of pipe.

Tie a piece of lightweight rope about 25 feet in length between the two pieces of PVC pipe.

Then tie pieces of heavyweight line from the piece of rope (which now connects the two pieces of PVC pipe) about 5 feet apart.  Those pieces of line will dangle from the rope into the water.

The rope connecting the two pieces of PVC pipe is then stretched out to its full length, and the pipes are stuck into the sand on the bottom of the ocean in about 3-4 feet of water.

Next, the fishing professional (HA!!) ties chicken necks from the pieces of line that dangle into the water.

The chicken necks should then be dropped into the water, where they should just barely touch the bottom of the ocean.

Next, the fishing professional (again, HA!!) heads back to his tent on the beach and proceeds to drink a cold beer, a dacquiri, a wine cooler or some other adult beverage.



Jimmy, in preparation before checking crab lines



At this point the fishing professional then has to decide if one adult beverage - or two adult beverages - is sufficient before heading back into the water to check his crab lines.

Usually, it takes 2.

Then it's time to head back to the water to check the lines.

He slowly pulls up each line to see if a crab has attached itself to one of the chicken necks.

If so, he slides a small fishing net underneath the crab and drops his prey into the net.

And that's it !

Of course it takes many, MANY trips back and forth between the crab lines and the adult beverages

tent during the course of the day before one has enough crabs to make it worthwhile.

Yep, it takes dedication and hard work !



Dedication and hard work

We spent a long weekend in Grand Isle.

Didn't do much of anything except fish for crabs, cook, eat, cook, drink adult beverages, cook and eat.

Crab and shrimp boil



Allyson



Enjoying the fruits of our labor

So, another GREAT weekend with family.

There's absolutely nothing I'd rather be doing!

OK....I'd also like to play some occasional golf, but even that pales in comparison to spending time with family.

Especially in God's Country - South Louisiana !

Until next time... 

Smart Phone

I THOUGHT my BlackBerry was smart.

Or maybe I thought I was smart because I used a BlackBerry.

Apparently neither was true.

Due to the fact that my "company" recently decided to discontinue its support of the BlackBerry operating system, I was forced to change cellular devices.

Which meant that, if I didn't change to either an iPhone, a Windows-based device, or an Android by August 1, I would no longer be able to access my work emails or my on-line calendar.

I had no vote in the matter.

No surprise there.

I had been a loyal user of the BlackBerry for the past several years and had become quite comfortable with its keyboard, its ease of navigation through the various elements I use on a daily basis, and its compact size.

Yes, the BlackBerry had its limitations, but for my purposes it was the perfect work device.

Or so I thought.

As of Sunday I am now the owner/operator of a brand new Samsung android device - the Samsung Infuse 4G smartphone.

And it's pretty amazing!

It is FAR smarter than a BlackBerry.

Indeed, it is FAR smarter than I am !

(Which isn't saying a whole lot).

I have now been "on the smartphone system" for the past 3 days and I can already tell that I will come to love my new device.

(Maybe you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!!)

It is FAR superior to the BlackBerry from the standpoint of the number of applications that are available for quick and painless download, the size and resolution of its 4 1/2-inch screen, and its adaptability to my company's system.

No, I am not a fan of the keyboard on the new smartphones, but I will quickly learn to live with it.

I DO know this...if I need any help trying to figure out my new device, 4 of my 6 grandchildren will probably be able to tutor me !!

One of the biggest adjustments for me, however, is the SIZE of the new Samsung device compared to my BlackBerry.

Wearing the new device on my hip is akin to carrying around one of those dorm-sized refrigerators! 

When I plugged the Samsung in to charge its battery at work yesterday, I swear I noticed the lights dimming in my office!

I have laid the old BlackBerry to rest in a large Ziplock bag, alongside all its accessories.

RIP BlackBerry; you lived a long and productive life.  Thanks for the memories !

Until next time....