Baja St. Martin

Hard to believe that school has begun. I happened to be at a local elementary school recently and asked several kids if they were glad to be back and why. Most kind of hemmed and hawed, said they didn’t know, etc. The parents jumped right in and said, “Tell the lady that you’re glad to be back with your friends,” or “Tell her you’re excited.” I think the moms were the most excited ones. This miserably hot weather, I’m sure, has been keeping the kids inside and probably driving the parents a bit nuts. I know it’s been doing that to me. I hate staying inside, but just a few minutes outside and I’m gasping for air and dripping with sweat.
I did manage a short walk on the levee the other day and accidentally surprised my little raccoon buddy. He saw me first and took off speeding along the edge of my trail. Since my path remains partially under water, I walk to a dry place, sit down, haul out my book and water bottle and just sit for a hour. The water level has fallen a little so my original trail is now dry in some places, but too covered with debris to be used.
Along with the water, I notice that gas prices have fallen also. Here and across the river it’s $2.39 a gallon, but it changes every day. I’m old enough to remember when gas cost 27 cents a gallon! That was in the Detroit area where there were gas wars often with stations on all four corners selling one penny cheaper than the other.
I’m sure it was horribly illegal even then, but I used to carry an extra can of gas in my trunk in case of emergencies. But of course, back then (and actually not so far back) I also carried extra oil, water, anti-freeze and probably tools. I had my first car my last semester in college but it was an old one and very prone to breaking down or running out of something critical. With the exception of my last two cars, most of my vehicles have been pretty old and falling apart.
Across Belle River from where I live is officially Assumption Parish, but we all call it Belle River. To the south of me, across the river, a huge building once owned by a company called Halter Marine has just been torn down. After the Halter Marine company went bust (or at least left), the building was used for a pogy plant, a shipyard building boats for Central America, the site for the demolition of the Mississippi Queen river boat and I’m not sure what else. Anyway, the building is gone now leaving a nice, big empty area. It’s probably too much to hope that the DOTD or whomever would simply straighten the road across the empty lot and do away with two 90-degree turns where people are always getting stuck.
Highway 1016-2, across the river which leads to this now demolished building site, is finally getting a larger waterline installed. At the end of this highway are three residential sites – Bayou Tranquille, the Oaks and the Retreat, all ranging from modest homes/camps to some superduper expensive camps/homes. The Assumption Parish fire chief has repeatedly said that if there was a big fire in the Oaks or Retreat there wouldn’t be enough water from existing lines to deal with it. Today, I saw trucks depositing big piles of green pipe along the road so at long last the work is beginning. The project has been discussed for at least 15 years and I’m sure by now it will cost three times as much, but at least the residents will be a little safer.

Teche News’ Lower St. Martin correspondent, Linda Cooke, can be emailed at lindacooke1939@gmail.com.