The day started at five AM when i finally got out of bed and made the first pot of coffee. We had gotten over a foot of rain in the days before the gig, so I was pretty worried about the weather. It dawned sort of overcast and then brightened up. My yard was spongy, and luckily i had been able to arrange parking 200 yards away at a day care center. jdupre' arrived before eight, with ice, toys and his usual cheery attitude. Invite joey to everything, he is a lifesaver. By that time i had the fire in the smoker and five gulf trout enjoying the heat, along with some test stuffed jalepeno's. Next to arrive was Wannabe and Mrs. Bob.......he is a great helper, too, and she brought the best spinach dip i have ever had. It was tough, but she insisted that I share with the others. She brought a big bowl of great potato salad too. Chuck came and brought his over-built, Weighs-a-ton (TM) canoe and his matching camper trailer, dragging along behind his overworked Jeep. (more on that whole rig later). Then, the party was on.
By and by Rpecot, bearridge, Keith, Seedtick, Steve, Kayak Jack and some other interested locals all arrived. Dang, i hope i didn't leave any one off that list.....still pretty groggy here.
The groaning table had to make room for:
spinach dip in a big bread bowl
potato salad
roasted stuffed jalepenos
smoked Gulf trout
southern soo-shee
mexican sushi
brownies
smoked pulled pork
crawfish with potatoes/corn/onions/garlic/mushrooms
soda
coffee
beer
ice tea
chicken dark and dusky (a big surprise hit)
and the all important dish: Etcetera
The live music was provided by Amite River Revival, a husband and wife duo, who do a mix of folk/country/gospel that fit in real nice. Fun people who can talk firearms, music or bible verse with anyone and mean it. they are good friends and great musicians. I had made a big wooden cook's spoon from German Beech wood and we raffled that off for $1.00/chance to pay for their gas. Jdupre' won the raffle, and the spoon.
A local Mexican restaurant gave me an armload of really nice tee shirts to hand out, so everyone (but me) got a shirt. So, i guess, i've been there, done that, and missed the shirt!!
We were visited by Ian and Trey, two local high school guys who shoot archery, make knives and want to make pirogues. They are well on their way to being good men and later on, geezers. I think they'll join the forum here with us. Jim and Suzie visited too, as did several other friends from Diane's bank.
The state wide newspaper, the Baton Rouge Advocate came and interviewed Chuck and the early guys and took pics. When that is published I will post the link here. 'Bout time Chuck gets his 15-minutes of fame.
Have not loaded any pics yet.......stand by. We have lots, as do several other folks, showing all the guys, the boats, the food, etc.
Overall, the day ran from 5 AM till way after 10 PM for some of us. The gathering was over by about 7 PM, when jdupre' headed home and Kayak Jack found a comfy place in my LazyBoy recliner. Great gathering, of course. What else could it be with this great bunch of guys?? Believe me, it was a pleasure meeting all the old and new friends and shaking some hands for the first time, and it is an honor to provide this place and my kitchen for everyone's enjoyment. More later, as things come back into focus.
Piper
