Booms and Blasts

We made a drive to the end of the earth today. We visited Grand Isle and on the way passed through Port Fouchon. The road to the beach in Port Fouchon was blockaded by the police and the National Guard was busily loading sand from a tall pile and taking it to the beach for cleanup.

We had lunch in Port Fouchon where we ordered oyster poboys. This might be my last chance to have a fresh oyster sandwich. The parking lot of the sandwich shop was full of cars and trucks and television trucks with their satellites that were beaming toward the skies. Inside the shop, the television was tuned to CNN where everyone's attention was focused on the oil well disaster updates.

We left Port Fouchon after lunch and finished our drive to Grand Isle. The beach in Grande Isle was posted with "Beach Closed" signs but were unguarded so we parked the truck and walked up on the levy walls where we could see the beach and the Gulf. Rigs on the horizon and boats skimming the waves were seen while on the beach more television crews were set up for broadcast, a small crew of men in white coveralls were working in the sand and helicopters were flown above our heads with more television crews surveying the area.

We were surprised that we didn't see more cleanup crews around and as we drove through this part of the wetlands, the egrets were busily feasting on whatever they eat from the grass and water. We watched and thought about the time approaching when they wouldn't be able to stand in the marshes and find food. It's very sad to think about it.

Shrimp boats with their blue nets hanging from the masts were wet docked but a few were seen heading down the bayou. Party barges, supply boats, and crew boats were lining the bayou, docked as if waiting for the oil to arrive. Along the roadside were businesses advertising raw seafood for sale.

Booms could be seen floating in the Gulf, their bright yellow or red strings floating off the marsh areas.

T. Boone Pickens was on CNN last night and through all this disaster and tolerating all the talking heads that have made an appearance on various news channels, a real oil man was interviewed. This man made more sense then anyone I've heard interviewed.

The camera crews on the beach in Grand Isle must have been bored. Very few people could be found wandering around in this resort town. The beach was barren of people but only because of the signs posted "beach closed". The waters looked clear, at least for now.

Reports are filtering in to me on the oil industries that are in a holding pattern and jobs are being reported lost. The cut backs are being noticed already. Things are grinding to a halt in the oil field; the offshore oil fields.

We are all watching and waiting.