_ the gulf just to our left, we stopped off in the small town of fairhope alabama. it was a quiet day, so we walked out on the pier to look at the bay, and, in the distance, drilling platforms in the gulf of mexico.
_ halfway out to the end of the pier.
_ lots of people were out fishing, as just a hundred feet away, the now-infamous yellow booms floated in long strings.
_ greg was out fishing with his grandson...
_ ...and was experimenting with several methods.
_ eventually his grandson, mark, felt a tug.
_ sadly, it was just a blue crab.
_ but hey, blue crabs are cool too.
_ good on you guys.
_ at the other end of the pier, mark was operating at high speed.
_ fishing with massive chunks as bait, he was holding out for bigger fare. already that day, he'd picked up eight ten to fifteen pound shark, but threw them back.
_ he came out most days, and had the equipment to show his dedication.
_ in the cooler, a catch from the morning.
_ he had lots of rods set up, and was waiting out the day.
_ his dad was out on the dock too...
_ he'd been down a little ways on the pier, fishing with nets. he joined his brother for lunch. they lived a few blocks from the coast, and have been fishing here for years. mark caught his first shark at the age of four. nowadays, what he can't eat he gives to his friends, and he says he gives away far more than he consumes. now that's a friend to have.
_ all the talk got us hungry, so, on a pedestrian's recommendation, we visited wintzell's on the bay.
_ gumbo.
_ the platter (all local). despite the slick out there in the gulf, talk was relatively optimistic. but as our waitress put it, let's just hope for the future.