The drive down to Cameron is different than when I was
young. Now, after the hurricanes, everything has changed. But one thing the
hurricane did not take away is the spirit of the shrimper and their heart and
soul, the shrimp boat. One shrimp boat in particular caught my eye as we drove
down the main drag on our way to the ferry.
It was run-down and rusty but so beautiful. I love that kind of stuff,
and I couldn’t wait to see it through the lens of my camera.
As I was snapping pictures of it, a head popped out of the
door and gave a wave, and then the door closed. I took a few more photos then
noticed a very small statured older gentleman coming down the boardwalk which
led from the boat to the land. He came straight up to the truck, and at first I
thought he might tell us we had to leave. But all he wanted to do was visit
with us. He talked about his daughter going to college in Florida; that he had
been a shrimper all his life; that he was born and raised in Cameron; and that
the boat I had fallen in love with was his home. I could tell he felt the same
way about it that I did the first time I saw it. It started to rain more, and as
he turned to walk away he told us we could come by anytime to fish off his
dock.
His warmth and friendliness put us at ease as he embodied
true southern hospitality. Hurricanes will come and go, but they will never
destroy all the beauty and culture of Cameron or the spirit of the Cameron
people.
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