Coast Tradition

  I took a picture today of Mark and our son, Mark, Jr. shucking oysters.  The two of them had some great "together" time as they sat far down the hill from the house.  Here, away from the hubbub of the chattering, giggling and baby-talk (the sweet baboo of a granddaughter is here!), they could share a bit of closeness without being interrupted.  While I so longed to be with my son, it did my heart the world of good to see the two of them enjoying a bit of quiet time together.  I slipped down the hill to catch a few pictures of the happy time.  When my sister-in-law saw the pictures, she remarked how this seemed to be a Coast tradition.  That remark struck a chord with me in more ways than one.

  I know Missy was referring to the oyster-shucking being a Coast tradition but, the truth be known, this father/son oyster-shucking thing is also a tradition.  For possibly as far back as civilization here, whenever fathers and sons needed a bit of time together for whatever reason, a couple of sacks of oysters could provide them with the perfect venue for a meeting of the minds.  If a son needed a bit of fatherly advice, if a father needed to reprimand the son in a gentle way or the two of them wanted to chat about some recent exploits, some private time could be gained by shucking a few oysters.  Most of the time, the women of the household would respect that need and sort of steer clear of the "shucking yard".  Sure, a lot of the ladies could shuck as well or (in some cases) better than some of the men.  They were often right out there helping but when the guys came in and announced they were "gettin' some oysters", that meant "we need time."  It was understood and respected.  This great Coast tradition of father/son time has carried on for years.

  Today's shucking time brought smiles to both of the Marks and to all of us at the Little Bayou House. While they were outside confabbing, Joanna, Mary Ruth and I were having our own "time".  The bond between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was glued a bit stronger by the addition of a sweet baby.  I feel so blessed!  Perhaps that old-time father/son tradition of oyster-shucking was also meant to give the ladies of the house a bit of together time.  If so, I consider this one great tradition and intend on preserving it as long as I can.  I simply adore my daughter-in-law and always hope to maintain our closeness with special attention.