Stacy and Jeff—in their container home.
Air and Opportunity!, a Harvest Host stopover on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, looked intriguing–a home made from containers on 20 acres of land abundant with fish, alligators and birds.
I arrived on this beautiful property in the afternoon, greeted by the resident furry canine and grateful for a cool breeze to blow away any annoying mosquitos. Late afternoon, Stacy came to my bedroom door and invited me up to the container where she, her husband Jeff, and their southern friends were drinking beer. How could I possibly refuse?
We ended up sharing a potluck dinner while the wind swept through the container and out into the black night beyond the pond, the dogs' barks constantly reminding us of the lurking alligators. There ain’t nothing between us except air and opportunity.
The Louisiana coastline is a lace pattern of inlets and rivers that feed into the wetlands and inland islands. We talk about the dark history of New Orleans. In the dark of the wind and the dimly lit container, Jeff tells me about the notorious Skull Island further inland, where to avoid being caught, a Slaver Captain dumped 200 enslaved people. The 1820 African Slave Trade Act carried a charge of piracy and a penalty of death by hanging. The dumped human beings died a horrible death, abandoned and shackled in the mosquito-riddled delta.
Jeff believes that it is not accidental that hurricanes that sweep into Louisiana follow the slave trade route. A sea passage along which dead bodies were unceremoniously and, without ritual, thrown overboard. The next morning, when I turn on NPR, en route to my next stop, Hurricane Francine is headed from West Africa, carried by the trade winds blowing westward across the Atlantic, directing them towards the Caribbean and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana.
“Take note of the empty slabs as you drive out,” says Stacy. “Our community was devastated by Hurricane Ida in 2021. People lost homes and businesses, and our community has forever changed. Some people have never returned.”
I am reluctant to say goodbye to these bighearted people. Having a few van issues and heading to Austin to meet my son and his girlfriend, Stacy, connects me with her former wife. “You will love Pat and Susan’s spot,” she assures me. “Pat knows everyone in Kingsland. She is your best chance at getting a reliable RV mechanic in Texas and will offer a soft landing.” Watch this spot.
Attempting to dry out my damp cushions on Louisiana humidity at Air and Opportunity.
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