Bug ID; Fishing for Redfish; Dinner With a Professional Entomologist; Brit Cuisine?

On Sunday morning, My Lovely Bride and our two Adorable Dachshunds, Rudy and Gretchen, drove to Crystal River so that Your Faithful Correspondent could do some redfish fishing from a kayak. The drive was pleasant, but when we unloaded the kayak at Fort Island Beach, we found that the area was loaded with sand fleas and “no-see-ums”. I was able to launch the boat and paddle into the river away from these tiny insects with huge teeth, but Suzanne had to retreat to the air conditioned car for safety. She worked on her new book while I went searching for redfish, also known as red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). 

We asked a couple sitting at an outdoor table to take our photo in front of Harry’s. Fred Cooper, a retired British Army sergeant with a great haircut, suggested that his dinner date, Denise, was far more sober than he. It was a good call; Denise was certainly steadier on her feet than Fred, who does have a great sense of humor. He also must cook pretty well, because he is a traveling chef who has cooked for Queen Elizabeth on several occasions. I have to make one comment about “English cuisine”… when I was stationed in the UK back in 1983-85, the joke was that there wasno such thing, only “Brit pub grub”. That was then, and today there has been a Renaissance in English cuisine. We hope to make it back to the UK one day to try some new dishes, although I have to admit to an affinity for Beef Wellington and English Trifle.