My times on Grand Isle
My father bought seafood and sold ice to fishermen for my grandfather, Ed Martin. The dock was on bayou Rigoud. We lived in Greta at the time but would spend the summers on the island. My earliest memories were from my third grade year, 1957-58. I went to Grand Isle elementary school, which I’m sure was destroyed by hurricane Betsy. At that time you could walk the beach from one end to the other and not see many camps. I remember it snowing and we made a snowman that was both snow and clam shells that were picked up while rolling the snowballs. We used to be able to crab from the pier from the camp to the dock when the tide came in until the area was built up for parking. I remember several tarpon rodeos and the filming of one episode of Route 66. The production company bought a shrimp box from my dad and removed all the nails and replaced them with small wooden dowels for use in a fight scene where the box was used to hit someone and fall apart. I remember leaving the island while hurricane Audrey was in the gulf and driving alone bayou Lafourche. The highway was under water and it was a treacherous drive. We used to get visits from aunts and uncles who came to the island to fish. My uncle Ivy Frickey would also come to trawl and crab.
