Throwback: poverty and kindness on the Tombigbee Waterway

We had such a good day on the Tombigbee Waterway that we decided to push a little further. It was slowly getting dark on the river. Sounds changed as we progressed. Day creatures were going to bed and the night ones were slowly waking up. We felt the dew falling on our shoulders and legs. Then, we saw a man cutting grass. He waved at us. We stopped and start talking with him. He kindly invited us to camp on his grand-father property. We learn that his mother passed away from cancer six months before we met. He and his girlfriend were leaving in Texas before, but they had to quite their job to come over and help his mom. Since then, they have been unemployed. These people were extremely poor and so generous. They were leaving in a garage and the tools shed was their bedroom. They had a license to pick up road kill. They were happy to tell us that they got a deer that was killed by a car the day before. The meat was still good to eat and from what they got, it would give them and their neighbours at least three days’ worth of food. From the dock (this picture), he was fishing for cat fish every day. He was also giving away lots of them to their neighbours. Survival was part of their life. They were leaving one day at a time.

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