Steamers & Kelp Pt. 7

Bill went first and made it over with much show and concern. “I’m going to break my arm “ he said as he approached the gap. “shut up man, you must have done this before, you’re just putting your mouth all over it” replied Pete, impatiently. He was always a bit nervous about crossing, especially in those types of conditions but he’d rather not have Bill make it worse than it had to be. Bill went finally and Pete followed, shaking his head and trying not to look down. Once across, it was a steep climb up the big rock, made easier by the deep cuts that horizontally traversed the stone. At the top, the granite was lighter - bleached all beige by the sun. The rock cut down towards the water from the highest point, probably shaped by years of breaking waves. More often than not you would find somebody else fishing off of it but the conditions around the gap probably deterred the other fishermen - the only ones they could see now were off to the left, casting off the big smooth slab that sloped easily into the surf. They both had their rigs set up with two hooks about a yard apart and Pete fished the box of frozen squid out of the bucket. They separated two of the smallest ones from the thawing block of bait and Pete separated the body from the hood by pulling them apart. He strung the hood through the wire leader and over the glow in the dark float that one armed John had given him on his last trip to the bait shop. Pete knew he needed the float here to avoid all the kelp. He hoped the glowing squid looked as convincing as he hoped for those damned stripers.

Steamers & Kelp Pt. 6

Pete could tell the wind had picked up once they were out on the rocks and the waves were high with very short periods between them. The clouds were low and thick and fast moving and they could see the streaks that were rain showers scattered across the Atlantic. He imagined the waves out at bonnet break being intimidating, probably overhead at least. The salty mist made everything damp and the smooth granite surfaces slick, especially in places where algae had been allowed to grow. You could always avoid the algae if you looked closely for the darker, discolored patches, but sometimes it was unavoidable and you had to make sure to keep all your weight directly over your feet to stop from slipping. Sometimes it happened anyway. Pete didn’t know if Bill had heard the story about the guy who died mysteriously off the rocks last season in these kind of conditions but he decided that now might not be the time to bring it up. There was a broad shelf, orange from the iron deposits that led down toward the water and toward the biggest, most imposing rock that stood somewhere around 30 feet in all dimentions. Where the shelf met the water, there was a small gap cut by the tides that one could jump over easily without gear. With gear, it was better to try and break it up by stepping on the black, pointed rock in the middle. 

Lunch on the Plaza

Wikivodou

• If you lay a broom across the doorway at night, a witch can't come in and hurt you.
• Having a woman visit you the first thing on Monday mornings is bad luck for the rest of the week.
• Don't borrow or lend salt because that is bad luck.
• If you sweep trash out of the house after dark you will sweep away your luck.
• Don't shake a tablecloth outside after dark or someone in your family will die.
• To stop a Voodoo spell being placed upon you, acquire some bristles from a pig cooked at a Voodoo ritual, tie the bristles into a bundle and carry them on you at all times.
• If a woman sprinkles some salt from her house to yours, it will give you bad luck until you clean the salt away and put pepper over your door sill.
• If a woman wants her husband to stay away from other women, she can do so by putting a little of her blood in his coffee, and he will never quit her.
• If a woman's husband dies and you don't want her to marry again, cut all of her husband's shoes all in little pieces, just as soon as he is dead, and she will never marry again.
• You can give someone a headache by taking and turning their picture upside down.
• You can harm a person in whatever way you want to by getting a lock of his hair and burning some and throwing the rest away.
• You can make a farmer's well go dry by putting some soda in the well for one week, each day; then drawing a bucket of water out and throwing it in the river to make the well go dry.

Sunday Morning in Huancaro

Dogs barking all the time

The pollo a la brasa smell from the polleria

All the garage doors are wood

You have to put your shirt over your mouth when the busses pass for the dust

Beautiful women with worn leather hats

Two eggs and two breads from the bodega

The transaction was done through the re-bar gate

I walked back and nodded to the chuckle-head policeman who always called me "amigo"

It rained so the return trip wasn't so bad with the dust. 

Steamers & Kelp Pt. 5

The parking area that provided access to the rocks was unmarked and was difficult to find if you had never been there. It was on the left side of the street and very unassuming between the rows of driveways that led to waterfront mansions. Families from New York City would spend their vacations there, leaving the homes dark and imposing for the rest of the year. The parking spaces were at the end of a short nicely paved road and as you drove down, you could see the Atlantic spread out far and wide with that deep blue color spotted by whitecaps. There was only one other car in the lot when they arrived. It was a black Geo and there was a really awful looking woman sleeping in the front seat with that hairstyle that looks wet all the time and clothes so tight for her figure that it looked as though her flesh was held together by the various seams and bands of her garments. They jointed up the rods - Pete had only brought his cheap ugly stick imitation and a some old rusted out tackle that he’d had luck with on these rocks last year. Bill had brought his more substantial surf casting rig along and his flea market tackle box that seemed bottomless and full of gear neither of them had ever seen before. They walked down the steep graveled path that wound between the big leaved beach grape trees - Pete swinging his five gallon bucket with all the gear and a six pack of heineken hidden under a layer of ice. Once clear of the trees they could see the jagged granite rocks spread out in front and on either side, the southwest seas crashing white along the whole coast, making the air thick with spray.