CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS - GONE TOO SOON

Gone too soon.  A tireless supporter of human rights and a fighter of dogma under any guise.

 

I will forever be grateful for the impact he has had on my life and the lives of so many others.  His writings, his speeches, his courage, his humor, his mockery, his courtesy, his unapologetic tone in opposition to the insanity of this world... they were empowering. 

 

Hitch showed me that superstition could be challenged without fear, that people can see their own blip of an existence and still be filled with gratitude and awe, and that life is too short to surrender any opportunity to fight for our convictions.

It's a heartbreaking day, but for the life and influence of Christopher Hitchens, I am thankful.

BOILED SHRIMP, CAMPFIRE, AND GOOD COMPANY

Woke up to sun shinning through my bedroom window and it turned out to be a perfectly georgeous day.  I rolled out my awning which I hadn't done in months and sat outside to enjoy my morning coffee.

Caiche' and Bunny watching a little bird on the picnic table.

My friend Pat came over this morning to take me to the boat dock for some fresh shrimp.  We first went over to his place and I helped him unload a sofa that he picked up for one of his rental properties.   Then we headed to the boat dock.

Xi Shi goes crazy when she sees Pat.  He has to pick her up and she makes these strange vocal sounds trying to communicate with him.  It's so strange to see her act that way with somebody besides me. 

There are 3 containers of shrimp of different sizes to choose from.  I bought 6 pounds of the largest ones.  I want to freeze a couple of pounds for my home freezer.  I boiled the rest this afternoon with onions, garlic, potatoes, and no corn because I forgot to buy some - and of course liquid crab and shrimp boil... liquid fire.  Love the stuff.

Pat came over and enjoyed some shrimp.  We had some wine and conversation and enjoyed the campfire.  What a great ending to a fun week at the beach.  Going home tomorrow.

OUR WALK TO THE PIER

The weather today was great!  I put on some shorts and loaded the new beach cart with my camera, some snacks, and my little doggie and we headed out to the fishing pier.

Xi Shi likes to ride in the beach cart but I let her walk back.

The pier is at the end of the island near Barataria Pass.  Across the Pass is Grand Terre Island where the famous pirate Jean Lafitte had his headquarters in the early 1800s.

This is a very busy waterway as many work boats are transporting supplies and workers to the oil rigs offshore.

Took some photos of waves breaking on the rocks as well as waves that were rolling in.  I had a unique vantage point being up on the pier.

She and I had a great time.



Supper tonight is left-overs.  Tonight's movie is "The Debt."  



BUNNY KITTY'S ESCAPE

We had some excitement here last night. A loud noise under the coach woke me in the middle of the night. Then I heard cat screams and a scuffle. It sounded like 2 cats fighting but now that I think about it, I only heard one cat screaming. I got up and opened the door but hesitated to go outside and look under the coach. So I slammed the door and hoped that it scared away the animals.

Then again at 5:00 this morning there was another fight. This time it sounded like they were inside my coach. The fight was so loud with sounds of clanging against the under side of the coach. I got up again, opened the door and slammed it. Then I thought if I started the motor of the coach they would run away, but was too sleepy and went back to bed.

Woke up around 8:00 and opened the door to a beautiful sunny day. Then I heard a faint, little meow.  I immediately thought that it must be an abandoned kitten and I’m always a sucker for them and knew I would rescue it. I followed the sound and inside the back tire well was my poor little Bunny Kitty sitting on top of the dual tires. I reached for her and she kept crying as I picked her up and cuddled her and took her inside. I checked her body and didn’t see any blood or cuts but she was limping and couldn’t put her weight on her right back leg. I felt around for broken bones but all seemed fine. My first thought was that there must be a hole somewhere in the coach where she escaped to the outside. My mind raced to try and figure out how she wound up outside of the coach. In an instant I remembered what I had done the night before that led to this circumstance.

Around 10:00pm last night I opened the door to let the dog out for the last time and saw the clouds had parted and there was the full moon. I grabbed my camera and tried to get a good shot of it. I left the screen door open because my cats have been taught that they can not go outside from the coach and they never have. Especially this little meek and shy Bunny Kitty who hides under the furniture when anyone comes around. Never in my wildest dreams did I think she would sneek out. After taking many photos, went back inside and watched a movie then went to bed and I never noticed her missing because she likes to sleep under the sofabed. I assumed that’s where she was. Her meow is very soft and I never heard her crying at the door during the night.

So my poor little Bunny spent the night under the coach fighting off who knows what while I slept. Can’t tell you how awful I feel about it. That just breaks my heart. I’ll have to be real cautious from now on and make sure that they don’t slip out without me noticing. One thing that I am pleased about is that she didn’t run away into the woods but stayed under her home. I’m sure she could hear us inside and wondered why she couldn’t get back in. So sad. Thank goodness she wasn’t killed. She’s been sleeping on the bed in her favorite spot all day. I’m sure she didn’t get any sleep last night. It’s a good thing I didn’t start the motor which probably would have made her run into the woods and become more vulnerable to another animal. The small space inside the wheel well kept her safe.

I'm keeping that window shut Momi.

Xi Shi Quan and I took our usual long morning walk on the beach. It’s still very windy but not as cold. Took a few photos. Came back to the coach and had breakfast. Rode my bike around the campground. I’m loving this weather and tomorrow will be even warmer.

This afternoon more RVs drove into the campground. One couple is from Colorado. Another couple in a truck camper are from South Dakota. They told me they came here because they thought it would be warm and sunny and that we had no real winter. I assured them that we do indeed have a real winter with freezing temps but that it didn’t last very long. I’m glad that tomorrow will be warmer so they can enjoy the beach.

This camper is from Louisiana.  Is he serious about catching fish and crabs or what?  Notice the freezer.

Supper tonight is beef roast, Jasmin rice with gravy, and corn. Tonight’s movie is "A Family of Spies."

COLD AND WINDY DAY

Slept well.  Got up around 8:00 and had coffee.  Got bundled up to take the dog for a walk.  When we got back from our walk I was pretty cold but then saw a guy riding his bike and it gave me the incentive to take mine out of the basement and go for a ride.  The tires needed inflating so I tried to find the air pump which took a while because there is so much stuff that was on top of it.  Finally found it and fixed the tires.  Tried to straighten out the basement which is still full of sand from Texas but I think I'll wait till I get back home for that job.  The ride was nice, even though the north wind was hard to ride against.  However, on the return the wind was at my back and the riding was smooth.  Then it was time for a late breakfast.

Was going to have a little computer time but my friend Pat came over and brought me some lunch - stuffed bell pepper and smothered potatoes.  Delicious.  We had a nice visit.  He's a really good friend. 

Then it was time for another walk on the beach.  It remained windy and cloudy all day but tomorrow the sun will shine and it will warm up a bit.  I postponed getting shrimp until the weather gets a little warmer because I want to cook them outside.

Took some photos but they are really dreary looking.  That does not reflect our mood though.  We're both happy to be here.

Supper is French Bread Pizza and beer.  Tonight's movie is "Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides."

Great day.  

I'M BACK AT THE BEACH

Left Houma this morning around 10:00 and arrived in Grand Isle at 11:30.  Stopped at my friend Pat's house and he invited me to have a meal with him and his girlfriend.  Stayed for a couple of hours then headed to the State Park for the next 5 days.  The sun had finally come out and it was nice and crispy cold.  The forecast for the week looks great.  In the upper 60s and 70 on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Got set up and then took Xi Shi for a walk on the beach.  She remembers it well and knew just where to go to get there.  We had it all to ourselves as it was deserted.  I was surprised to see how many campers were in the park.  We took a walk to look for out of state license plates and found Montana, Washington, and Indiana.

Tonight it is around 45 degrees and I'm very comfy cozy in my pajamas with the electric fireplace going.  It gives off such a pretty glow.  I tried to take a photo of it but the flames don't show up.

This is a nice fire we had in our backyard last night.

Tomorrow Pat will come by and pick me up and take me to the boat dock to buy some fresh shrimp for a shrimp boil.    It's been so long since I had my seasoned boiled shrimp and potatoes and corn.  Ummmmm.... can't wait.

I'm getting better at taking video with my iPhone and today I took about 5 different ones of the walk to the beach.  The wind was blowing pretty hard so the sound is loud, but they're not bad.  I tried to load one but it didn't work.  I'll try again tomorrow.

It's time to sit on the floor and throw toys for my doggie to fetch.  She likes to play that game every night before bed.  It's also time for supper.  Having ribeye steak and potatoes... and of course red wine.  Tonight's movie is Midnight Bayou.

What a great day it has been.