I ate this animal

I just got back from visiting Chris, one of my best buddies from college and I had an amazing time. Talk about one of the best ways to get ready to head out of the states - see more than just my hometown bars i mean - i had a full-on introduction to life on the Chassahowitzka river.

We went out fishing, didn't catch much so we took a break to snorkel a bit around the reef, and Chris's buddy ross found a scallop. From then on out, it was on. We grabbed our masks and dive bags and floated for some 4 hours picking of les fruits de la mer. I had no idea what they look like, but they've got the most incredible blue eyes that watch you from the bottom of the flats. All told, we must have nabbed some 100+ scallops, cleaned 'em on the boat ride back and cooked 'em that night. Nothing better in this world than knowing your food.

Other than diving for scallops, we made it out to the chilly spring-fed underwater caves and dove through tunnels that have been carved out of limestone by years of natural flow from aquifer to ocean. Not to mention meeting some of the coolest characters I've ever talked to in person (including Chris's dad... did he have to spit on that teenager?). It was like some sort of Louisiana bayou charicature that you know had to be real because it didn't have the same level of awareness of self that can be found in the big easy.

We spent last night at Chris's new place cooking up all those scallops and some spanish mackarel a neighbor had caught some time before. We were up until 4 in the morning eating, talking and cajoling what sounds we could from Chris's dad's amazing gibson 45.

And here I write from home, packing and preparing to fly out at 5 tomorrow after a great sendoff from Raymond, Julia and all the Woodworth generation prime - ben, andy + anjie. Wish me luck, it's my currency of choice these days.