The title says it all—if we had to live off the sea here in Cortez Bay—we would starve. Fortunately there are mussels on the beach and of course oysters—too numerous to count. Speaking of oysters . . .funny story that.

Today after dropping the kids off on a deserted (?) island for a game of “survivor island,” Shan and I took stock of the dinner possibilities. Climbing the giant beach boulders while carrying a giant harvest can isn’t easy even for my sure-footed sister. As I look up (I’m not so sure-footed as sis), I noticed her talking to two fellows on the beach.

“Hey, ladies are those your little boys?” Says the older of the two. I immediately sense he is a friendly fellow by his apparel—a Casper the Friendly Ghost shirt is stretched across his belly. “Yep, those two are mine, they fancy themselves great explorers, what are these nets for?” says sis. “Oh, we’re farming?” “Farming?” I say. “This is our oyster farm.”

I catch my sister discretely wiping the oyster juice off her chin that she has recently eaten raw.

“Whatsha need with that bucket?” says Casper. “Oh you know, we just have our books and pop and such in here, kind of a basket.” “Mhmmm, well you just go right on ahead and collect your feed.”

Caught, red-handed by without a permit in a foreign territory. Could have been nasty had the fish/game warden been about. Whew, just another day with my law-breaking family.