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Louisiana Fried Brains
This recipe will be famous in my family for some time to come. At my age, I should know better, but hey, I was like a German Shepherd going for a ride in a truck.
1.Start with a Louisiana Cajun woman who hasn't stepped in a boat in over thirty years.
2.Add a beautiful day filled with sunshine.
3.Toss in a good brisk 15 to 20 mph breeze.
4.Throw in a sun worshiping brother, and another crazy Cajun fisherman.
Throw all these ingredients in a three passenger boat, along with a cooler full of water, Mountain Dew, and Pepsi. Make sure to include a bucket full of fish bait and three fishing poles. Oh, and don't forget the hats, sunglasses, and sun screen.
Take this same boat full of all these ingredients, and gently launch it off into the Delcambre Canal at 8 am on a Sunday morning. Follow this canal until you get to Lake Peigneur. (For an interesting story, read about the Lake Peignuer disaster in 1980) http://blog.realcajunrecipes.com/?p=61
Find a spot against the south shore of the lake out of the wind to drop anchor. Remove the long sleeved shirt that you wore over your short sleeved shirt to guard against the morning chill. Remove the sweat pants that you had on over your shorts. Watch in amusement as the Cajun fisherman baits his hook and proceeds to do some serious fishing. Take out the binoculars that you brought along with you to watch birds and take a closer look at Jefferson Island in the distance. Bask in the silence of nature and relax. Take a few pictures with the camera you brought along.
Later on, turn on your stomach to enjoy the view as the Cajun fisherman decides that the fish aren't biting there. Stay on your stomach as the boat moves down the Delcambre Canal and out toward the bay. Watch all the scenery in amazement. Take a childish delight in the wind and the chop of the waves in the canal.
Get excited when you cross the Intracoastal Canal and sight a tugboat pushing four barges. Break out the camera again and take pictures. Wave at other boaters as you slowly but surely get closer to the bay.
Feel a stab of disappointment when you get to the bay and notice that it is far too choppy for a small boat to venture out beyond the mouth of the canal. Take out the camera and take some more pictures. Break out the binoculars again when the Cajun fisherman finds a good spot to anchor and start fishing again. Watch in fascination as a sea gull works for his dinner just off the mouth of the canal. Get giddy as a kid as you watch the seagull dive into the water again and again until he comes up with a fish in his beak. Watch in more amusement as your brother spritzes on more sunscreen. Become highly entertained when the Cajun fisherman talks rudely to the fish because they're eating his bait, but not taking the hook. Take a book out of your waterproof bag and read.
Take another interesting excursion into a small channel that branches off the larger canal. Watch a muskrat run and hide from the boat. Marvel at the brilliant color of the birds rising out of the marsh. Take more pictures.
Sit up in the boat and take off your hat so it doesn't fly away in the wind when you head back inland on the canal. Comment on how fast you're getting back because the wind is at your back. Take pictures of the shrimp boats docked at Delcambre. Take more pictures as you once again go under the bridge at Delcambre to head back to Lake Peigneur.
As the crazy fisherman anchors the boat in a wind protected point, feel your face burning a little. Roll the sleeves down on your shirt because your shoulders are feeling slightly crispy. Lay back on the bow of the boat and cover your legs with a towel and your face with the hat. Nod off in total relaxation and take a nap.
Wake up later as the boat starts to move and realize you're headed for the dock. Freak out when you realize it is 4 pm, and you've been on the water for eight hours.
Once you're back in the truck and headed home, you start to feel like crispy critters. You arrive home and look in the mirror and know that you have now fried your body and your brain. Hence, you have Louisiana fried brain.
Epilogue: Although the front and back of my legs took a good licking of sun, they are not bothering me at all. My shoulders are bad, but not too bad. My face, well, that's a whole 'nother story. Aloe Vera Gel, and a rag soaked in vinegar are helping out, and I'm drinking enough water to sink a ship. BUT, damn that was a fun trip!
