ShantyboatLife
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JoJo and the Bistro
Way back when we were in Morgan City, we had the chance to talk with Jo Ann Blanchard, aka JoJo, who owns The Bistro and JoJoâs, two side-by-side restaurants on Front Street. She grew up right there and has seen many decades of changes, back to when the floodwall was small enough for kids to…
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What Came Up with the Anchor
Sometimes you pull up the anchorâŚAnd sometimes you pull up the anchor and a transatlantic telecommunication cable.
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Angela and the Fishing Life
Pro fisher Angela (@swissarmieknife) is teaching Age and me a few things about the fishing life, anchored here at the Berwick lock. Sheâs got curiosity, skills, and a tackle bucket full of secrets. Weâre just trying to keep up.
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Freddie DeCourt, Mayor Who Builds Things
The other day I interviewed the mayor of New Iberia, Freddie DeCourt. Freddie was an interesting guy and an atypical mayor. I don’t usually have a whole lotta interest in politiciansâI’m usually much more drawn to tradespeople, engineers, construction folk, builders, artistsâpeople who do stuff with their hands. Freddie feels more like the cut-up class…
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Breakfast After the Battle
To celebrate our survival from last nightâs Battle of Fausse Pointeâin which hundreds of mosquitoes gave their lives and our side suffered only deep psychological traumaâAge and I made a breakfast fit for battle-hardened swamp goblins: fresh-caught drum and Gulf shrimp over dirty rice. Also, hooray! We werenât eaten by the murmuration? shiver? menace? bureaucracy?…
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Lake Fausse Pointe
Floating on Lake Fausse Pointe, ringed by ancient cypress and draped in stillness. The light shifts, the moss sways, and the whole world slows down to the rhythm of water.
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90° at Midnight in New Iberia
Last night docked in New Iberia, it was hotter than a stolen tamale in the devilâs lunchbox. 90° at midnight, 250% humidity, and air as still as a corpse. Even with a fan pointed straight at me, my cozy loft bed felt like punishment. Around 5 AM, I gave up. Came down, took a sponge…
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The Bridge That Wouldnât Open
Letâs say you arrive at this glorious beast of a bridge,and they tell you they canât open it, somethingâs busted, the electricians are on their way, might be hours, might be more, and so you shrug and make tea and kick your feet up and stare out the wide-open doorway where the swamp crowds in…
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Getting Straight With the State
Itâs a special day to honor the sacred pact between punk hobo shantyboat river rats and the State of California. After five years of nautical delinquency⌠the moment has arrived. đď¸đŁââď¸ Stick around to witness history.
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Big News: Summer Fieldwork
Big news: Shantyboat Dotty is heading to the bayous of Southern Louisiana this summer! The Atchafalaya River, Cajun and Creole culture, cypress swamps, delta blues, and jambalaya are calling. Thereâs so much to prepâfundraising, reconnecting with folks in the Delta, and getting Dotty river-readyâbut weâre excited to bring these stories to life. Stay tuned for…
