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Dealiest Catch not just in Bering Sea

Millions of viewers watch the adventure-soap “Deadliest Catch” each week pitting Alaskan crab fishermen against the cruel Bering Sea.

The drama of grown men gets as old as quick, maybe quicker, than that of women young and old. But I do like the dramatic quality of the photography. Those of you who have sailed in harrowing gale or tropical storm waters should appreciate the pounding and rodeo-ride the crabbers must get from those serious waves.

Danger is no stranger to those who trap crabs. For many years it was the most dangerous job in the country. Stricter regulations have made the fishing safer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, the job is not a cakewalk. And that is true whether you fish the crazy waters of the Bering Sea or the mostly calm back bays of the Gulf Coast.

A case in point is the search taking place about 20 miles southeast of where I sit.

The Coast Guard and local authorities from Port Arthur, Texas, and Jefferson County began searching the Sabine Lake area Sunday afternoon for a 56-year-old Bridge City man. A Coast Guard news release said the “pleasure craft” in which Tran was boating collided with the tug and barge Father Seelos. Authorities found the submerged boat. Although the Coasties dubbed the smaller vessel as a pleasure craft, local media have reported that the boat was used for crabbing. Most crabbers — if not most in seafood — in Tran’s area are Vietnamese who first settled in Port Arthur after being plucked from flotillas trying to escape after the 1975 fall of Saigon.

 

Coast Guard and local authorities found this boat belonging to John Tran, who is missing in Sabine Lake. Photo by Petty Officer Manda Emery
Coast Guard and local authorities found this boat belonging to John Tran, who is missing in Sabine Lake. Photo by Petty Officer Manda Emery

One time about 15 years ago I traveled in the early but humid Southeast Texas morning to catch a crab boat with a man whose name, if I am not mistaken, was Tran. I don’t know if this was the same man because he used his given name. My photographer buddy Bullet Bob and I sailed from Bridge City through the bayous and into Sabine Lake to do a feature on this hard-working man whose waters were much calmer than those found in the Bering. But the sea wasn’t our Mr. Tran’s most pressing concern.

Sabine Lake is a 90,000-acre estuary in which the Sabine and Neches Rivers empty. It likewise forms the boundary between Texas and Louisiana. Like other seafood fished from Sabine Lake, anglers, shrimpers, crabbers and all the rest search for finite resources. Pressure is exerted on crabs and fish by fellow marine harvesters — commercial and sport — plus the waterways serve busy ports hauling petrochemicals as well as the Intracoastal Canal and its Southern State barge traffic. The 75-foot x 33-foot Father Seeros was en route to Baton Rouge, according to maritimetraffic.com.

A culture clash was also an inevitable outcome when Vietnamese fishermen met Southeast Texas rednecks. Not all of us are. But I can recall hearing some ya-hoo telling our crabber and his home folks to whom he was speaking in his native language on the CB to “get the shit out of your mouth.” Not very nice indeed.

Our crabber’s take that day was just a few but it was worth the trip that morning, he said. If the sea doesn’t get you something else is always there it seems. Mr. Tran has not been seen in more than 24 hours but authorities are still looking.

“We’re utilizing all efforts possible to locate the missing person,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Joshua Tidey, a Coast Guard spokesman for the Houston-Galveston area.

 

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Going to Lafayette or parts east? Don’t let the Beaumont traffic tie you up.

Expect a tie-up on Interstate-10 nearing the Neches River bridge about 80 miles east of Houston. You see, this is actually a normal condition for those of us who live in and around Beaumont. The Neches River bridge — actually named the Purple Heart Memorial Bridge but shoulda been named the George Jones Bridge — is under renovation until who knows when. Right now it is the eastbound lane getting backed up but eventually the westbound lane will have its share. Although, the westbound side will probably get stacked on the Orange County side. Serves them right for failing to vote for George Jones.

At this moment, the eastbound lane on I-10 in Beaumont is backed up some six miles or so from the bridge. That is right before you get to the Washington Boulevard overpass. So if you are reading this while driving. STOP!!! That’s a very stupid thing to do.

A pretty good rule of thumb during construction on the EB side of the bridge is to avoid it at all costs during rush hours. Yes, we get those too. I would not even attempt to cross the bridge on Friday afternoon. During the rest of the week, you should check out this map. It gives a pretty good representation of the live traffic.

But what if you are going to gamble at Delta Downs or the Lake Charles boats? Or perhaps you are going down to Lafayette to do the Cajun twist. Perhaps you might just decide to visit a friend in New Alluns. He be in Harvey and you can find him easy because he stays by his Moms like always, dat is, if he ain’t out chootin’ some bones or maybe even some alleygator. That might not be how the New Alluns people speak, but this here blog it ain’t about etymology nor is about words. And it sho’ nuff ain’t about no double negative. Right on?

That reminds me, I was talking to this creole dude from Thibodaux or some place like that and after every sentence he be saying “right on,” right on? Man, this cat was talking about some bar fights and people bringing knives to gunfights and allus kinda s**t! Right on? Right on.
http://youtu.be/dyMH0Kabrlk
That also remind me. One of my favorite bayou boogie song was a tune called “Cajun Twist.” I hadn’t heard it in a long time but heard that dude who say “choot it” on the alligator show “Swamp People.” I think his name is Troy. He was half singing and half humming a verse while he was doing something or other. And trut’ be tole, he weren’t doing much to either half on that song. Which, I suppose is just as good as sticking to the original lyrics when you do have the vocal blessings.

So, I have given you Randy and the Rockets, doing that old Cajun Twist. And I will give you some alternate routes to Louisiana while I am at it.

There are a couple of ways to get to Louisiana without having to go through Beaumont while this $59 million bridge renovation is under way. And it’s easy to find those ways. All you need is this magical device. It’s called a map.

Everyone needs to learn how to use a map.  Have you a jumbo kinda time whether you be headed to Louisiana or Texas-ana. Have fun this weekend. Stay safe.

AaaaaaaEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

 

 

 

 

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Summertime and the weather’s weather

Summer starts Friday and it seems like the typical summer weather is shaping up here in the subtropical climes of the Gulf Coast United States.

Here in Cajun Texas folks can feel themselves drained by the hot weather while getting cooled off — and repeat — from a thunderstorm popped up by that “warm, moist air” of the Gulf of Mexco. As I write, a cluster of T-storms, one portion having caused a severe thunderstorm warning at one time, seems as if it is entering western Jefferson County. Jefferson County is where I call home as of now. In fact, I can hear rumbling thunder as I write. Perhaps if I was to look west I would see lightning, but I am to lazy to go outside right now.

During this time of year one may also see what is known as “heat lightning.” I used to watch heat lightning on warm summer nights when I was a kid. My Mom and Dad would talk about heat lightning as if it was some mysterious weather phenomenon. Perhaps it was back in the day. Most people are getting perhaps a bit more sophisticated about weather these days what with The Weather Channel, and Doppler radar and the Internet.

Here is a pretty good explanation for “heat lightning” from the Wikipedia:

 “Heat lightning is the name used for the faint flashes of lightning on the horizon or other clouds from distant thunderstorms that do not have accompanying sounds of thunder. This happens because the lightning occurs very far away and the sound dissipates before it reaches the observer. Heat lightning was named because it often occurs on hot summer nights and to distinguish it from lightning accompanied by audible thunder and cooling rainfall at the point of observation.”

Of course, growing up during the Vietnam war, I also would often hear the distant sound of what one might think was thunder but had no accompanying light show. This was what might have been from artillery fired at Fort Polk, which was across the Sabine River and into Louisiana some 35 miles away. Hearing something from such a distance might seem far-fetched these days, especially for the urban dweller. But where I grew up was mighty, mighty quiet and remains so for the most part.

Along with the scattered thunderstorm, there just might be the summer drought. Just as possible there might be the tropical storm or disturbance from the Gulf which could turn into a hurricane. A tropical storm is rustling around right now about 55 miles off the coast from Veracruz, Mexico. Probably someone down in that vicinity needs the rain.

What, if anything, will happen in the way of tropical activity for us? It’s just wait and see. Buy you some supplies: Food, plywood, batteries, whatever you need for such an event which hopefully won’t come.

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Memorial Day U.S.A.: Another day in the home of the brave and the free and the …

There was no work today and so I managed to sleep until almost 10 a.m. It is amazing that I can sleep better in the morning than most anytime. I first woke just before 9 and said, “No, I need to sleep until at least 10.”

I began thinking about a bear. Maybe it has to do with that Discovery Channel series “North America.” It is a very cool show if you haven’t seen it. I believe they said it took three years to shoot. There is just fantastic footage of all kinds of creature in myriad situations in their everyday life. Things like trying to seduce a spideress. You lose you die. That’s kind of opposite the situation sometimes with women. You win, you die. Ba-rump! Sorry all of my former girlfriends who read this. Which probably total to “0,” If there are some, I am sure I will hear from her or them, or perhaps I will hear her racking a slide.

Last night I saw this report on this “green machine,” an actual vending machine that will buy your old cell phone and pay you cold cash. Well, I can’t guarantee the temperature. So I decided to take my lone ex-girlfriend cell phone to the Eco-ATM at Parkdale Mall. I didn’t know what to expect after seeing a report similar to this one on TV.

It seemed as if the people who were trying to sell their phone in the kiosk were having trouble, as did the next folks. Those next folks just jumped right on up, in front of me in line. The first group who was on the kiosk acknowledged that those other people jumped in line in front of me. I didn’t say anything until this little smart-ass girl was too busy talking on the phone and to her friend, while operating the nosy kiosk to get her job done. It was too much for her and when I asked her if she was finished after talking on her other cell phone she acts all innocent.

“He mad,” said the probable teen to her friend.  Sorry about the quote and any racial overtones it might bring, but that was the way she talked.

I told her that, “No, I’m not mad. In fact, I feel rather sorry for you with your self-esteem issues.”

“Say what?” with her breaking into laughter with her enriched friend.

Yes, I can be cruel sometimes. I will admit to that. She tells herself she didn’t break in line. Plus I told her what type of emotional issue that was bothering her. But, she was/is a total nitwit.

Finally, she got through and took back from the machine, the iPhone4 she was going to sell because the machine only offered her $99. I chuckled. Karma’s a bitch, I wanted to say to her. Glad the little witch didn’t slap me.

I didn’t get lucky with the Eco-scammer either. My phone was turned down because it didn’t have “no,” as the previous customer would say “power.”

Oh well.

Then as I came home, I turned at the underpass over I-10. The lanes go like this: One goes “U-ie,” under the underpass. The inside lane goes left under. The outside lane goes either left or straight. I always take the left-straight because I have to turn at the first right, just past the convenience store. But since I had the accident in the G-car in which I was at a similar intersection — a 90-year-old lady turned left from the outside lane into the left and hit my car which was going straight — I always give a little leeway and time before turning. The reason is because sometimes a driver, whose head might be too deeply inserted up his or her ass, might just decide to go straight from the inside lane instead the outside lane.

The latter happened today. Fortunately. I waited and only turned a little bit. The car on the inside lane decided to go straight. Thus, I “laid” quite harshly onto my horn. I hadn’t used my horn much lately. I was glad to see it worked. Afterwards, the nitwit in the other car laid down on his or her horn while speeding away for the Interstate. What a f**king stupid a**hole!

But I also reflected upon the meaning of this Memorial Day. All of those who lost their lives upon the field of battle or even training or other types of accidents have kept this country safe so the majority of our great nation can thrive. And all the jerk-offs that I experienced today? Well, I suppose some gave their all so we can have those ignorant asses who make the rest of us feel as if we have some sense.

Rest in peace all of those who died in our nation’s service.

 

 

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Intriguing news and the rest of the deep, deep beat

Some intriguing news has hit the electricical messaging system. When I opened my eightfeetdeep e-mail box, I received a message from one Salim Barywani whose email appears to have originated from a western county in Sweden called Västra Götalands län. His or her or its email may have come from there or could have bounced from somewhere else to there to many places in between before it came here. In here, I mean, Beaumont, Texas. For those of you too freaking lazy to move a few fingers, Beaumont is a city of about 118,000 located about 80 miles east of Houston (the fourth largest U.S. city,) about 45 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, some 27 miles west of the Sabine River and Louisiana-Texas border, and just for s**ts and giggles, is 5,063 miles southwest of Vastra Gotalands Lan, Sweden.

More importantly is what was contained in the message from one Salim Barywani:

 “You have won One million pounds from Abu Dhabi, Manchester City promotion 2013.”

Talk about breath-taking. Just one question, mate! I have won “One million pounds” of what? I won 1 million pounds in U.K. currency £1 million? Or perhaps I won One million pounds of Cheerios. Maybe I won One million pounds of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. More than likely, I won 1 million pounds of s**t. Then again, you never know.

The Abu Dhabi, Manchester City reference is even more baffling. The best I can tell from reading is this refers to the Manchester City FC, an English soccer team, owned by some Abu Dhabi businessmen, which has teamed up with the New York Yankees to buy a new Major League Soccer Team for the Big Apple. Ah yes, I can see myself hanging out with A-Rod, watching a little futbo, engaging in knife and bottle fighting, and having a little ongoing contest amongst Alex and I to see who can drop tens of pounds (of flab.)

“You are one of six lucky winner,” said the online missive.

I am one of something or other.

——–

And to hit the ol’ roundup, no one won the big Friday contest.  Your loss. It was a disguised former Vice President Dick “The Head” Cheney. The closest to the right answer was “Love Child of Sen. Fred Thompson and Kelsey Grammer.” That brilliant but incorrect answer was sent by Leon Trotsky, of Dime Box, Texas, who said: “That isn’t my real name but I’ve got a case of the trots today. Got it?”

Ay yi yi!