This is the story of my Bayou life…or, “How It All Began”.
Chapter 1 – The Move
My olfactory nerves were on overload as the smell of boiled eggs emanated from the rich, brown soup that swirled around the canoe. It’s not a smell altogether offensive, not reeking solely of death and decomposition, but a dark earthy … Continue reading →
Chapter 2 – Skinny Corn and the Initiation
Coastal Welding’s office in Houma, LA, where I was to sign up for the roustabout position, was dingy, with walls the color of cigarette smoke. Decked out in my painter’s pants, chambray work shirt, and steel-toed boots, the industrial feel … Continue reading →
Chapter 3 – The Man
(Preface: Because my children don’t know all the details of my fist marriage, I hesitated to write about it. Since it is relevant to my life, I picked my way through it as tactfully as possible. And in case any … Continue reading →
Chapter 4 – New Job
My first job as a roustabout for an oil production company was a great experience. Even though it ended abruptly, I never pursued justice but instead turned my focus to finding another job. Being single again, there was no second … Continue reading →
Chapter 5 – The Drilling Dock
“Hey, gal! I’m Freddie. I’m the boss around here. I got word from the big boss that you’re our new dispatcher. Your room is the first room on the left. You’ll share a bathroom with that knucklehead, Ernie. There’s the … Continue reading →
Chapter 6 – The Captain
We hadn’t gone far up the bayou, when Roscoe pulled up in front of the small local store and gas pumps asking me if I wanted something to drink. Never one to drink much but coffee in the morning, but … Continue reading →
Chapter 7 – The Courtship
How do you court someone when you live where you work, seven days at a stretch? Any time and any place, that’s how, because in the oil field, there is no schedule. Time doesn’t mean a thing. Ever heard the … Continue reading →
Chapter 8 – Crew Boat Ride
Crew-change day was there before I knew it and time to embark on a new adventure. Oh sure, I had ridden on crew boats when I worked over at the production dock. My first was a ride out to the … Continue reading →
Chapter 9 – The Deckhand
For days after my first crew boat excursion, all I could think about were the mysteries that lie beyond the mouth of Bayou Grand Caillou in that vast ocean called the Gulf of Mexico. Previously, those were just words on … Continue reading →
Chapter 10 – The Wedding
1981 – Shortly after The Captain gave me the ruby engagement ring, we moved from my little apartment in Thibodaux to a rent house in his home community of Dulac, meaning “of the lake” because it sits on the edge … Continue reading →
Chapter 11 – The House
April 1981. That was it. It was done. Small, cozy home wedding followed by honeymoon in Hawaii. Time to finish up my first semester in Elementary Education with some good grades and take the summer off to plan, dream, and … Continue reading →
Chapter 12 – The Birth
CHAPTER 12 – THE BIRTH 1982 – Pregnancy agreed with me, except for the first few months when I often felt queasy but never nauseated enough to toss my cookies. It was spring, the time of new life, and I … Continue reading →
