• SITE
• HOMES
• MOTORS
• CAREERS
• STUFF

Editor’s note: This column originally printed in the Advocate on April 7, 2007.

“There is no new thing under the sun.”Ecclesiastes 1:7b

Today, I am not trying to prove the Scripture wrong, but I did find a new thing, at least to me, under the sun, I found a new fishing place called Swan’s Point.

Since it was a new place, it felt strange for me to have to stop at a convenience store and ask directions to a bait stand. I don’t think I have ever done that before. All of my life I knew to buy bait at Woodies if I was going to Port Aransas, or at Brown’s if Magnolia Beach was calling, or at Evelyn’s if Port Lavaca was in my fishing plans. I knew that a white flag meant “Live Bait” long before I learned that it also meant, “surrender.” I grew up not even knowing what the word “surrender,” meant when it came to fishing.

At the bait stand, I put on my fish-through-the-head hat on in an attempt to make a good first impression. The seller of shrimp looked at me like I was a strange old lady. I might as well have been wearing purple waders and a red hat. He looked at me sort of terrified, and didn’t crack a smile or a stupid hat joke. Won’t go there any more.

Next, I stopped a local man wearing white rubber boots and asked him how to get to my new fishing spot. Helpfully he told me to stay on the road I was on, until I came to the last road that turned to the right, and to keep going until I hit the water. Not wanting any one to feel dumb, I didn’t ask him how I would know if the road turning right was the last one or not, nor did I mentioned the fact that I didn’t plan on a drive-in fishing spot when I “hit the water.” Never trust a guy wearing white shrimping boots for directions on land.

Finally, after driving around a while, I found the water but didn’t know if it was the right water so I pulled off the beach road and asked two fishermen if I was at Swan’s Point. They only nodded their billed caps at me while staring at my fish hat in disbelief.

Being courteous, and also to get away from their stares, I tried to drive on down the beach so as not to disturb them or me. I couldn’t believe it when my tires just sat there spinning and throwing black stinky mud on those two guys. I have driven beach roads for more than 50 years and I have never once gotten stuck. My dad had taught me that only stupid people drive where they might get stuck, and that had stuck with me since childhood.

Since the men seemed uninterested in my plight and never offered to help push me out, and I was uninterested in asking them for help, I decided I would have to drive it out on my own. I had driven a lot of cars out of sand and mud that my stupid friends had driven into, so I just started rocking it back and forth and finally with mud flying and smoke billowing from the tires, I flew forward with a splash and dash.

I just gave up on my new place and went to my own beach and fished where I felt at home.

Dear Lord, Your scripture was right, "There is no new place under the sun" as far as I am concerned. "New" is not worth it.