a flick on the stage at tybee

"Whatever are you talking about?"

Do you remember those Naturalist 101 talks that One Hundred Miles used to have here?

"I sure do! Those were quite informative. I can't believe that local office closed after the pandemic hit. I miss those lectures."

I do, too. Brunswick is just a bit too far to drive for an hour-long talk.

"So, what brought that to mind?"

The panel discussion I attended tonight at the Tybee Post Theatre. Actually, it was a taping of a live podcast of a GPB show, "A Fork In The Road with David Zelski". I've seen the show on TV listings, but I had never tuned in. I'll be watching for it from now on!

"A podcast? Isn't that just talking heads on the radio?"

Not exactly. It's talking heads on the internet, which is why I would prefer to watch old episodes of the show instead of being leashed to my 'puter. Still, I may tune in to hear again the lively discussion for "Hope On The Water" from the stage. Seriously.

"Very good! Who did David Zelski have on this show?"

Three people I didn't know and one I did, amazingly. That's what brought to mind 100 Miles. I knew as soon as I saw his name, though that wasn't until I got home.

"Give, girlie! Don't keep teasing! Just go ahead and tell!"

Bryan Fluech.

"Holy cow! I do recall that name!!! It's pronounced like 'flick', right? And wasn't that a talk that you'd attended with the physicist?"

Yes, it was, and I'd invited the bfe for tonight, but he abstained. I think he would have enjoyed this one. Captain Judy Helmey was there and she was very entertaining! That 73-year-old has been taking folks out on the water for 59 years! Such a hoot!

"73, huh?"

Yeah. I took that as a sign of right place, right time.

"For sure. So you mentioned this was a panel discussion?"

 

Yep! So, looking at the chairs on the stage, here's the line-up, from left to right. David Zelski, Dave Snyder, Laura Solomon, Bryan Fluech (UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant), and Captain Judy. I realize the image is a bit blared out, but they're all white folks under bright lights.

"Yeah, it isn't just folks of color that are difficult to film."

Heard. So, to fill in some gaps. Dave Snyder is a Captain and a chef (Halyards Catering, Hook & Knife Charters). Laura Solomon farms marine life with her husband for their company, The Tybee Oyster Company.

"That seems like a pretty mixed bag of guests."

Actually, it was a carefully curated group designed to provide several facets of "Hope On The Water." Judy gave us the perspective of life on the water. Bryan let us know of the safety provided to the Georgia coast by legislators from the local to the state level. Laura spoke of the miroir, the local flavor imparted to the ocean-derived food here, much like the terroir of wines from the grape locales. And Chef Dave worked on that last one even more, speaking of promotion of native fish species.

"Like red snapper and flounder!"

Like grouper and trigger fish and a host of others that non-fishermen may not have ever known. Due to the ocean warming, we're now seeing fish, and bird, species that have only been down in more tropical waters until now. I like the analogy Bryan Fluech used, to the environment being like a picture drawn on an Etch-A-Sketch. One tiny jiggle and the picture changes, and the little changes add up.

"Very cool. Well, I'll look forward to hearing the podcast."

Just hit up that "Hope In The Water" link. Just that easy!