Another day on the bayou . . .
and not just any day, but another day with a film crew from New York, working on a post-oil spill documentary for Animal Planet.
Last Tuesday, I was invited to a round-table discussion of how the oil spill has affected our lives and businesses by Sarah, above. This is probably the third or forth time I’ve been asked these questions. I always fear that my answers won’t always be exactly the same and someone will line up all the five-second blips of me saying something astounding (or stupid), compare my responses and report me to the Integrity Police.
I even have nightmares about it.
But if I over think these interviews before they happen, then I would never do any of them. One woman has been asking me for a long time for an interview, and saying yes and agreeing to do these one-on-one interviews is a difficult thing for me. My stomach gets all in knots, I have hot flashes and night sweats and memory lapses (or is it just menopause?). But, gee, she has come all the way from New York, and this is her fourth or fifth trip to help folks in New Orleans who are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. It’s the least I could do, right?
So, on with the story. This past Saturday was rainy and dreary day, so I convinced myself to do something I rarely do any more . . . read a book. While reading, I received a voice mail from Sarah saying they wanted to come down, go out on the boat with me, and interview me about pot-oil-spill issues.
To encourage myself to go forward with this, I asked Patti the Potter to come with me on the documentary filming so we could drop them off afterward and go fishing, since the boat would already be in the water. When I told Sarah that I had a fishing trip planned afterward, she thought that was GREAT and they would certainly want to film that as well.
They ended up filming us fishing for reds, a mini wetland tour, a trip to the cypress swamp, and a short fishing trip for speckled trout. Up in the swamp, while Patti and Donny caught bass, Sarah filmed while Jay asked me all the hard questions.
“How has the oil spill affected your businesses?”
“What happened when you called the Vessels of Opportunity Program to offer your boat for work?”
“Did BP compensate you for your losses, and what was that procedure like?”
“How do you feel about the moratorium?”
“What do you see as the future outcome of this disaster?”
I guess the questions and answers went on for about an hour. I lost all track of time. It’s tough being in that interview hot seat. I tried to be as honest as I could be, always thinking of the bayou people and not just myself.
On the way back, our last stop was to test Lake Decade to see if we might find a few trout.
Everyone tried their hand at casting a popping cork for trout; but only one of the film crew was lucky enough to land a trout . . .
and it was Jersey Jay. From the sound of it, you would have thought he was reeling in a marlin. An outdoorsman, Jay was thrilled at the thought of catching a trout first time out. Sarah even filmed it, and we all took pics for him to share with the folks back in New York. The fish was released, and after a few more casts, we went on our way back to Camp Dularge.
Working with these young adults was a great experience. They made me comfortable and at ease. I’m not sure when the documentary will come out–some time next spring–but when it does, I might have the courage to let everyone know if any of the footage made the cut.
By now, y’all are in the midst of some serious holiday preparations. I’m not. I’m being lazy and rebellious. I did start AND finish that book last Saturday, and then another on Sunday by the same author. Now, I’m reading a book by her husband.
There’s so much desk work to be done; but with the boys out of school, all I want to do is take a holiday of my own.
Happy Holidays,
BW
That is some serious good news BW (about Animal Planet interviews.) With the BP trial starting up the media needs to keep the story on the front-burner. Thank you for your willingness to put your words and consistent integrity on the line. Enjoy your holiday; you’ve earned it this year!
I sure hope you “name dropped” (Wetland Tours and Camp Dularge) while doing that interview. NATIONAL exposure certainly can do wonders for your businesses. Hey, what do your call the charter side of your businesses? Is your Youtube interview still on the WWW? When can we expect to be watching Animal Planet?
Well, I forgot to ask them if they would be sure and mention my businesses if they use me in the film; however, I did do that with the World TV people. The charter side is still called “Casual Charters”. Which Youtube interview? The Story Corps one? And recently, the one Richard Simms made while fishing last week. Or the one Diane Huhn did last year? LOL! Not sure which one you’re asking about! Animal Planet said maybe one month after the Deepwater Horizon disaster anniversary . . . May???
Gonna have to paint your logo on the sides and the console of your boats to ensure coverage.
Maybe get it on something you could apply to some knit shirts, wind breakers, or even Life preservers.
Maybe T-shirts with a picture of BW holding up a huge stringer of Spec’s with the caption, “Got Fish Fry?” LOL… I like that.
A stringer or reds, “Rat Traps!”
I can just see the BW talking with the Pres on the state of the wet lands, and him takin notes.
That’s what I love about you folks . . . . you THINK BIG!!! LOL!!! I had the web site on the old boat . . . but that can work against you sometimes, too! So BAB will remain the “unmarked boat” for a while yet!! Good ideas, though!
I would never guess that you would be nervous doing an interview. You are a natural 🙂
Ha ha ha! Kelly! You have great faith in me! Thanks for that vote of “natural” confidence!!!!
Great opportunity to share! Yes, let us know of show day!
Enjoy your holiday… with the boys!
Big boys have gone back to work. It will be a quiet Christmas Day with the four of us, and then DoVi and Mike will come down for brunch. Merry Christmas to y’all, too and tell everyone that for us, okay? We will be thinking of you and our old Christmas Eve family memories . . . and don’t forget to tell your mom we miss her cookies!
If you think you’ll be missing something with the 2 oldest working, I’ll lend you my 2 sons. I promise they will eat their share of food, bicker (in fun) and be very loud! LOL
Hmmmm. Let me think about it. Nah! I’ll pass, but thanks for the generous offer! Looking forward to a quiet, bickerless Christmas Day with leftovers!
And to think, I was going to send your Fruit Cake with them!
Oh, now that was just a dirty rotten trick, and here it is the season of giving. Shame on you!!!!
Don’t worry about your responses not always being exactly the same. The only people who can pull that off are the ones who have “canned” speeches, and they end up sounding more unbelievable than you ever could.
Besides – you’re telling a story, not testifying in court. Think about the story-telling that goes on in families – every time a good one gets told, different details get remembered. It’s just the way it is. It’s going to take about a zillion retellings for you to get all the details out, so just relax and enjoy it!
I too am in “holiday” rebellion. I still haven’t bought any gifts.
Fortunately (or probably because) I have an extremely small family.
Was this New York film crew found on http://www.icrewz.com/ ?
Why do you ask? It’s a film crew based in New York City, and I have their company name if you’re interested.