Our plan was to go directly from Austin to New Orleans but the I-10 maze around Houston had other plans for us. Lora yelled "The sign for New Orleans is over there" just as we passed under the sign that said "Galveston." "Well, we've never been to Galveston. Let's go."
With encouragement from Glenn Campbell, that's how we found ourselves a couple of hours later driving onto the car ferry from Galveston Island to Bolivar Peninsula on the way to Louisiana. Parked next to us on the ferry was a tow truck. We chatted with the driver, Roger, during the crossing. He was 36 and had quite a story to tell.
In addition to his regular tow truck work, Roger does search and rescue/recovery work in wild fires, building collapses, and other disasters. He was trained at Langley Air Base, and worked for a time at the post-9/11 World Trade Center site. Roger even has a specially trained white malamute whose sole mission is to watch Roger while he is working in a disaster area and bring help if Roger is injured. Roger was on the ferry with us heading back to Beaumont to get his gear before taking off for Los Angeles to do search and rescue/recovery in some of the wildfire areas.
For a while, home for Roger and his wife and two young daughters is a one-bedroom "suite" in a Holiday Inn Express in Beaumont. Of the 17 people he works with at the tow truck company, he and 13 others lost their homes this summer when Hurricane Harvey swept through Texas.
At one point in our conversation I jokingly asked Roger if his mother knew that he did disaster search and rescue/recovery work. It turns out that she was a Marine and had encouraged him into that line of work. It seems that Willie Nelson's advice about sons being lawyers and doctors was lost on her.
When we reached the Bolivar Peninsula side of the channel, we left Roger and drove on to Louisiana. We broke up the long Austin-Galveston-New Orleans drive with an overnight in Rayne, Louisiana, a small town known as the Frog Capital of the World. Large murals around town reinforced the town's reputation.
We also started to notice another type of signage along the highways and byways starting in Texas and continuing on into Louisiana, Mississippi and the border states. You've got an 18-wheeler problem?
"The Hammer" is ready to help you.
You've got a boat problem?
The Lambert Firm is ready to help.
You've suffered a catastrophe?
Call Harrelson Law Firm.
And we've gots of lawyers for the rest of you.
Just don't call me. I'm retired.