The mulberry is one of the oldest fruit bearing trees going back to prehistoric times.
The Greeks used the mashed berries to dye their clothes. The Tongans cultivate the trees for the inner bark. They turn it into Tapa cloth. The more you have the wealthier you appear.
Valu gave me a Tapa Cloth with Tonga symbols painted on with homemade black ink made from burnt Coconut shells. I carried that cloth until my van was stolen in Portland. Such a loss, I never will see such things again.
This mulberry tree I found was bearing so heavily the ground was littered with fruit. I began the feast which lasted well into the afternoon. The birds and I eat so much flying is questioable. The berries ferment in the stomach producing alcohol. Seeing inebriated birds staggering along a branch is hilarious. Along the waterways filled with fallen trees, I found muskadines growing along the branches. The leaves are big and need lots of sunlight to produce fruit. Most of the swamp lands are in semi-darkness. The only open sky is over the waterways.
These wild grapes have a defense. The outer skin has prickly hairs that cause an irritation in the mouth and throat. The way to eat them is to squeeze the grape until the sweet core pops in your mouth. The poor gather these wild grapes to make wine.
After a rain, the spongy earth is sodden. This is a perfect environment for mushrooms. A fairy ring of mushrooms was growing beneath a grove of cypress. It was the most charming episode of my many adventures in the L & N swamp. You can find out about these fairy rings in almost any botany book.
After a rain, the spongy earth is sodden. This is a perfect environment for mushrooms. A fairy ring of mushrooms was growing beneath a grove of cypress. It was the most charming episode of my many adventures in the L & N swamp. You can find out about these fairy rings in almost any botany book.
The growths are some of the oldest and largest on the planet because the mycelium root system covers much of the earth. The fairies dance around these rings using fireflies to light the affair. The mushroom cap serves as a stool for their little bottoms. You must be ready to see them for they disappear at the first disturbance.
We were wandering the swamp lands of Louisiana via pirogue. I named mine Swamp Fox which is Jean Lafittes nickname. This is a flat bottomed double ended canoe-like water craft that can be configured in many ways. It could be built with an inboard motor using a Briggs and Stratton engine turning a thru hull shaft to a propeller. This is no easy feat. The Cajuns have been doing this for generations with these boats.
When motorized, one stands and steers with a long pole. This was perfect for tending crab pots or getting to your blind during duck season. You gotta be quick and calm when commanding a ship like this. Our pirogues were powered by paddle. The best paddles are made of Ash with fir stiffeners.
We were Scouts who just wanted to get outdoors any chance we could. Frank had his driving license. His family had an old DeSoto touring car that is long lost in motoring history. We called it the Hoopie Dupe. It had suicide doors on one side. It was a mammoth car with an overhead rack that accommodate the pirogues. Combined with the fluid drive transmission and cheap gas, we were all set for weekends filled with adventures in the swamp of Louisiana.
We bought jungle hammocks from Army Surplus stores. We traveled to some of the most remote and unexplored areas of Louisiana just to test ourselves in the natural world. The mosquitoes ruled the swamps. At dusk, the ominous humming would start. It was time to crawl into the jungle hammock and seal yourself from the hordes. There was always some that you had to eradicate that made it in. One night, I felt something brush the bottom of my hammock. A small animal I surmised. You learned to survive in the wilderness.
We were Scouts who just wanted to get outdoors any chance we could. Frank had his driving license. His family had an old DeSoto touring car that is long lost in motoring history. We called it the Hoopie Dupe. It had suicide doors on one side. It was a mammoth car with an overhead rack that accommodate the pirogues. Combined with the fluid drive transmission and cheap gas, we were all set for weekends filled with adventures in the swamp of Louisiana.
We bought jungle hammocks from Army Surplus stores. We traveled to some of the most remote and unexplored areas of Louisiana just to test ourselves in the natural world. The mosquitoes ruled the swamps. At dusk, the ominous humming would start. It was time to crawl into the jungle hammock and seal yourself from the hordes. There was always some that you had to eradicate that made it in. One night, I felt something brush the bottom of my hammock. A small animal I surmised. You learned to survive in the wilderness.
During the day we hunted snakes. The water snakes that we killed and skinned were valuable. We even tried to eat snake by frying the carcass in hot oil. The reptilian nervous system reacts to any stimulus so when we draped the snake in the hot oil, it turned over and over until it reached a nut brown. By then we were not that hungry for fried snake. We saw 8 ft Blue Runners swiftly darting ahead of us as we walked in this savanna wonderland of mosquitoes.
The hammock was our only refuge. It starts at sunset. The hum gets louder and louder as they rise in the night airs to find the warm blood of mammals to feed their brood. The heat was oppressive at night. It finally cools in the early morning hours when you are drenched in sweat. You are chilled until the first light. The return of the hot sun was a joy.
Many a fine afternoon was spent fishing for bass and sunfish using a popper and fly rod. Sometimes the stringers of fish was so long we had to call it a day to start thinking about cleaning all those fish before dark.
Many a fine afternoon was spent fishing for bass and sunfish using a popper and fly rod. Sometimes the stringers of fish was so long we had to call it a day to start thinking about cleaning all those fish before dark.
We came across a small pond that had been cut off from the main channel It was drying out. We could see the tails of Choupics as they gasped for air since there was no oxygen in the water now. These fish are prehistoric relics of the transition from fish to amphibian. We decided to harvest them to put them out of their misery. The only good use of these fish was to make them into fishballs, roll them in cornmeal then deep fry them. We cleared that pond of about 100 lbs of fish. We had a sweet memory of that day along the banks of Mireaux Canal. The one thing we did not anticipate was the cut on Dave's leg from the razor sharp machete he carried as he cleared the grass to make a path. It was just a warrior wound.
Nearby to Gentilly was the Intracoastal Waterway connecting to the Industrial Canal which handled much of the shipping from the Mississippi River. These waterways transported the Saturn Boosters assembled by NASA.
Snake hunting turned out to be our specialty on those super hot and muggy mornings in the swamps and cane breaks of these hardly used areas of Louisiana.
Watching the shoreline during low tide, we found the brown water snakes would stretch out to sun themselves recharging their nervous systems on the exposed banks. We simply walked up to these snakes quietly and relieve them of their heads with the trusty machete. The skins were salted and dried then made into hatbands, belts and guitar straps we sold to tourists.
We had a folk group appearing in various venues. The limelight was but a short lived phenomena that never produced anything but heartache. We broke it up after a few seasons when our plans changed. Susan and Marylou were our backup singers. These girls were interested in performing and made the group more interesting to watch. They dressed as Parisan hookers with the red garter bands. Marylou was the first girl I kissed.
We were solidly rooted in the folk music and hootnannies that were taking place everywhere. We played everything from Peter, Paul and Mary to the Kingston Trio tunes. Our music was superb and delightful to the ear. We found out how tough it is to keep things together with two girls and three guys all needing transportation to rehearsals and shows. It was getting to be a drag on all of us. Giving it up for employment or school was the proper evolution.
Times were hard then. The swamps were our refuge. The wilderness was our sanctuary. It gave us freedom from the humdrum home life. Once, we decided to build a replica of the reed boats of Lake Titicaca. It was an all day project of gathering and lashing, shaping and designing as we built this raft of reeds on the bank of the Intracoastal Waterway. We launched on the rising tide. The thing floated so low in the water there was no way to easily move it. As we sat there sinking and thinking we realized these reeds were not the right kind. They are easily broken. They lose their buoyancy which is the key to success.
This final analysis was discouraging. By doing things that fail made us better planners. Trial and error was the method we followed. Our building skills came in handy when we were asked to build a monkey bridge in the parking lot of the local mall for a Boy Scout Show and Tell demonstration. The rope tricks and Cypress poles made us look knowledgeable. Funny how all that skill disappears after a few years without continuous use. Teamwork is the key that unlocks many doors. However, one never forgets his Scouting days.
To be a scout, I had to ride my bike some 5 miles to make the meetings through some risky neighborhoods. I rode through the Baptist Theological Seminary which was also a huge pecan orchard. In the fall people would come for miles around to collect the paper shell pecans. My Mother got her share thanks to me and this discovery.
I remember when Kennedy was shot in Dallas. Rosalind came running into our 5th period Social Studies class with the news. We gathered early one Sunday morning to sing O Captain My Captain in tribute to the fallen leader at the elementary school where our Thursday night troop meeting took place.
We were exploring in eastern new Orleans in the older areas like the lake shore where many a fishing camp was built. Our relatives had a place there called Dun Woikin Done Working to non Cajuns.. You had to cross the railroad tracks to get to the ramp that led to the gate of the fishing camp. There was a bayou along the tracks. This canal was dug out to make the railroad bed.
We were exploring in eastern new Orleans in the older areas like the lake shore where many a fishing camp was built. Our relatives had a place there called Dun Woikin Done Working to non Cajuns.. You had to cross the railroad tracks to get to the ramp that led to the gate of the fishing camp. There was a bayou along the tracks. This canal was dug out to make the railroad bed.
We were paddling this canal looking for snakes. I spotted a monster water moccasin that was underneath the bundles of railroad ties that had been discarded.. The thing was as long as the ties which is 8 feet. My trusty single shot .22 was locked and loaded. I took aim and clipped his back opening up a deep wound. This viper reacted by whipping around and biting himself thinking something was attacking. He became still and stared at me with those round black hooded eyes. He started to slide into the water directly towards me. Dave opened up with his automatic ending the threat. Always hunt with a partner.
We were trained in marksmanship and safety by the old man who himself was a marksman in the US Army. I could cut center paper nine times out of ten when target shooting. My brothers could not even come close to my deadly accuracy. I was destined to be a sniper in the Vet Nam War. That never happened for a variety of reasons. I was not draft eligible because of the eye damage I suffered watching welding without a shield. What that did to me was burn a hole in the macula which is where the foci is. I was doomed to have a blind spot for the rest of my life. However, as I got older it improved. I no longer have a sight deficiency. Eat your carrots.
I used to go the swamp by myself during the summer looking for wild mulberry trees, birds, animals or anything of interest along the L&N railroad tracks.. Walking a path, I was about to step over a log when something told me to stop. Lucky I did because there was a huge moccasin laying the length of the log. Was it instinct? I just don't know what actually alerted me to the danger. Being snake bit miles from help would have certainly ended my life. I peered into a grove of cypress I noticed a fairy ring. Which if you don't know legend, has it fairies come there to dance in the wee hours. The cypress has what's called knees which stick up just about knee high. They say this is a way for the roots to breathe. I myself think it is for protection from man since they can easily wreck your knee if you don't see them.
One year we cut down four of these young cypress trees for our Monkey Bridge project in the parking lot of the local mall. There is nothing like a monkey bridge to show off your talent with lashings and a two inch hawse to walk on. We did this for a few reasons. One of the more important reasons was to invite young guys to join the scouts by demonstrating what they could learn by being a scout. Building a Monkey Bridge was in essence building a bridge to the community.
At this spot we fished for turtles in the L&N swamp. These mobilians were big and tasty when cooked cajun style. I don't fish for turtles anymore or anything else for that matter simply because of the oneness of life principle finally got through to me. Everything one does here will have consequences. Christians believe that happens on judgement day. Sometimes it happens immediately. As you move through life you should try to remember the good and forget the bad. It takes some people a very long time to forget anything which is why some people use alcohol to un-remember things. Thinking back to those days can be treacherous.
Hurricane Betsy roared through New Orleans in 1965. It was a powerful storm that breached the levees just like Katrina. We were on the edge of Gentilly Ridge. The water came up to the foot of our stairs. The house shook and the nails squeaked and the green and white awning blew away. We got up the next morning to find complete destruction. We all got together and launched our pirouges to go on a search and rescue mission in the flooded neighborhood close by. It was not long before we came upon the sound of a woman calling for help from inside an apt building. We called back. We found her standing on her stove with just her head above the water. Boy,was she glad to see us. We maneuvered her outside and into the boat and safety.
We were trained in marksmanship and safety by the old man who himself was a marksman in the US Army. I could cut center paper nine times out of ten when target shooting. My brothers could not even come close to my deadly accuracy. I was destined to be a sniper in the Vet Nam War. That never happened for a variety of reasons. I was not draft eligible because of the eye damage I suffered watching welding without a shield. What that did to me was burn a hole in the macula which is where the foci is. I was doomed to have a blind spot for the rest of my life. However, as I got older it improved. I no longer have a sight deficiency. Eat your carrots.
I used to go the swamp by myself during the summer looking for wild mulberry trees, birds, animals or anything of interest along the L&N railroad tracks.. Walking a path, I was about to step over a log when something told me to stop. Lucky I did because there was a huge moccasin laying the length of the log. Was it instinct? I just don't know what actually alerted me to the danger. Being snake bit miles from help would have certainly ended my life. I peered into a grove of cypress I noticed a fairy ring. Which if you don't know legend, has it fairies come there to dance in the wee hours. The cypress has what's called knees which stick up just about knee high. They say this is a way for the roots to breathe. I myself think it is for protection from man since they can easily wreck your knee if you don't see them.
One year we cut down four of these young cypress trees for our Monkey Bridge project in the parking lot of the local mall. There is nothing like a monkey bridge to show off your talent with lashings and a two inch hawse to walk on. We did this for a few reasons. One of the more important reasons was to invite young guys to join the scouts by demonstrating what they could learn by being a scout. Building a Monkey Bridge was in essence building a bridge to the community.
At this spot we fished for turtles in the L&N swamp. These mobilians were big and tasty when cooked cajun style. I don't fish for turtles anymore or anything else for that matter simply because of the oneness of life principle finally got through to me. Everything one does here will have consequences. Christians believe that happens on judgement day. Sometimes it happens immediately. As you move through life you should try to remember the good and forget the bad. It takes some people a very long time to forget anything which is why some people use alcohol to un-remember things. Thinking back to those days can be treacherous.
Hurricane Betsy roared through New Orleans in 1965. It was a powerful storm that breached the levees just like Katrina. We were on the edge of Gentilly Ridge. The water came up to the foot of our stairs. The house shook and the nails squeaked and the green and white awning blew away. We got up the next morning to find complete destruction. We all got together and launched our pirouges to go on a search and rescue mission in the flooded neighborhood close by. It was not long before we came upon the sound of a woman calling for help from inside an apt building. We called back. We found her standing on her stove with just her head above the water. Boy,was she glad to see us. We maneuvered her outside and into the boat and safety.
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