To us, it’s more a season than a singular event. Louisiana crawfish, aka mud bugs, become available in Austin in April and continue to be plentiful through May. Every year for the last eight or so, we try to invite friends for bug boils – bugs, corn, sausages, potatoes, and mushrooms boiled in a spicy Cajun boil. This year, we are off to an admittedly late start.
My friends Tom and Kathleen whom I have known since we worked together in the Austin tech scene during the early to mid-70s joined us. So too did our friend and medical colleague Dr. AD Smith. Previously not known to one another, AD and Kathy, are connected through their prior professional and other engagements with the Austin State School (now Living Center for folks with developmental and cognitive disabilities). All three are also connected by their mutual interests in travel to far-flung places like Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, and others.
Our bug boils serve a purpose more important than the satisfaction of an appetite. They are opportunities to renew and refresh old friendships and sometimes to forge new ones. Sometimes we just talk about our extended families; other times we talk about mutual interests – travel, politics, technology, our avocations, maladies and the like. Most of the time, we talk a little about all of these sharing interests, ideas, and plans.
Below, is an image of this evening’s bug out. I meant to take this picture at the start of the evening, forgot, and later took at as we reached our fill of bugs.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the occasion. Susan and I need to do this a couple of more times with other friends this bug season.