The Marsh Boat Adventure (Blogophilia 14.27)

What a morning. 

Jimmy had won a trip to the beach at the dealership. But it wasn't a Kingdom by the sea and a big yacht. Instead, it was a small four-room cabin and a flat-bottomed barge designed to troll the marshes. Jimmy smiled when he saw it. 

"Ooh, fresh seafood." As he put the car in park.

"And who do you think is going to clean it, Cowboy?" The kids giggled in the backseat. 

"I'll help you. Uncle Chuck taught me."

Kathy wasn't sure about that. Chuck might have been who their son was named after, but he was about as useless as a fish on a bicycle. That was going to be her job. She didn't mind, though. It didn't take long to offload everything and set up the cabin for the night. 

The next morning the four of them stood in silence when the Captain, a tall thin black man, introduced himself and walked them around the rusty craft. Emily spoke up. 

 "So, how do you make it go?" 

The man laughed. " Hop aboard and I'll show you, little girl"

They all got on, and Emily took charge, telling everyone where to sit.  Charlie slipped and hit his knee on the side, but he just shook it off and found his place on the right. Emily sat at the stern with the tiller. The captain showed her how to tack into the tide and drift for the best net drag, while Kathy and Jimmy sat on the left to listen to the Captain's stories about the marsh and its history. Kathy kept looking at her daughter, red curls flying in the wind and barking orders to her little brother. E

Charlie ended up being a natural at net casting and the kids worked together to bring in the haul. Net after net of shrimp, tossing out the mullet, squid, and sunfish that came with them. Neither one of them was squeamish about handling them. The only squeal was when Emily got a bunch of ink on her swimsuit. Captain just told her to jump in the water to wash it off. She did and Charlie followed. 

Charlie slapped down on the water."Ooh. I think there are fish nibbling my leg" 

"Probably," Jimmy said as he helped them back onto the boat. And Captain said it was time to go back to the dock. It seemed like no time, but they had been out almost six hours. It took an effort to drag themselves back to the cabin. Kathy made everyone line up to be hosed off before they went in, taking note of who was sunburnt the worst. 

The kids and Jimmy were now snoring peacefully in a pile on the couch. She wanted to join them, but they were too smelly to be around. She crossed over into the kitchen. 

So what is for dinner?  Essie, the Captain's daughter and the owner of the cabin, had given her a recipe when they arrived that had been passed down through her family. The title intrigued her. 

Aunt Ellie's Shrimp Cocktail

Step one: "Pour a glass of wine and drink it."

Hey, she knows me. Kathy went over to the box and flipped the faucet. The ruby merlot trickled out. She sipped as she read the rest. 

Step two: "Dice a carrot, two stalks of celery, and an onion and put them in a pot of boiling water. Add some bay leaves (there's a tree right outside the cabin door) put the lid on and let boil."

O.K. That's easy enough. With a smile, she put the pot on the stove and started working on the veggies. It wasn't long before the stock was bubbling.

Step three: "Pour another glass of wine and start washing the shrimp. When you finish the glass, add the shrimp to the pot and turn off the heat. Keep an eye on them. They'll be done in about two minutes. Drain and let cool on a platter."

Kathy picked up the bags of shrimp they had caught. There should be enough for everybody. She found a colander, dumped them in, and rinsed the sand away. It took a couple of rounds, but the shells became smooth. She popped the heads off and added them to the pot. 

Step four: "Take 1/2 cup of ketchup, a squirt of mustard, 1 tsp of minced garlic, and 2 tbsp of horseradish and mix in a bowl. Add extra horseradish or Tobasco to taste."

Step five: "Arrange shrimp in a circle on the platter and put the sauce bowl in the middle. Serve with yellow rice and hushpuppies (There are some frozen ones in the freezer if you haven't gotten to the store yet). "

"We are so glad you stayed with us on this trip. Please remember us to your friends."

"PS: Don't worry about cleaning youngins before supper. They just get messy again."

She broke out laughing. Yeah. There wasn't any way those two would stay clean with this. As she got the hushpuppies started, a pair of thin arms went around her waist. Kathy felt a butterfly kiss land on her back. 

"I love you, Mom. Do you need any help?" 

Turning, she kissed her daughter on the forehead. The curls were wild and filled with sand and the green eyes were full of wonder. It was like looking into a mirror of her as a girl.

"I love you, too Honey." Looking up, she saw the boys were still asleep. "I think I'm good. Go get a shower. I should be done by the time you're finished." 

The long-legged body jogged down the hall. Emily was growing up. It won't be long before she finds boys to be more than someone to boss around. Kathy couldn't keep up with the time.

She shook the thought off. This trip is for good memories and not worrying about what is to come. 

She put on the hushpuppies and began to set the table.