Gulf of Mexico Girl - an elegy for the people, the planet, the sea, the quandaries of modern life

Gulf of Mexico Girl - an elegy for the people, the planet, the sea, the quandaries of modern life
Originally uploaded by trudeau

She has been swimming in the gulf and has returned, spotted with petroleum, aware that there is no easy solution to the quandary faced by people in 2010.

She will drive home in an older SUV-type vehicle, using pretty hefty amounts of petrol. She will speak out against continued drilling and in favor of alternative sources of energy. At home she will go to the store on foot or bicycle, because she knows that will help a little bit.

Her memories of swimming in the gulf in a more innocent era have proven rancid. We were living in a bubble, denying the disturbing truths of modern consumption.

Barataria Bay / robert trudeau pen-and-ink 2010

Barataria Bay / robert trudeau pen-and-ink 2010
Originally uploaded by trudeau

The people of Barataria Bay are somewhat isolated denizens of a Gulf estuary that is, really, not that far from New Orleans.

Their tradition is that of the buccaneer Jean Lafitte. He organized a band of impoverished Creoles - French, Spanish, Italians, etc - to make money from the war between Spain and England. Lafiite, with his brother, Pierre, was a trader in slaves as well sundry goods which avoided the tax system.

So the people of Barataria Bay, vaguely outlaws and certainly not mainstream Americans, make their humble way of life as fisherman, guides, hunters, bar tenders, boat makers, and laborers. Until the next disaster arrives. Then, with some luck, they will make a few dollars serving the inquiring media.