sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip

Y'all need to check this out, particularly if you aren't familiar with the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and don't truly know why people have been screaming "coastal restoration" for years.

Matt took a helicopter ride over Terrebonne Parish and created an audio slideshow, showing Terrebonne Parish at 500 feet. if nothing else, you'll see why people are trying to conserve every bit of land they can. as matt puts it in the slideshow, "it's not that hard to get underwater when there's all that water around."

If you aren't a native , some terms you may hear:

• "eeldahzhan charles" -- Isle de Jean Charles -- a small island community almost literally on the Gulf of Mexico.
• "poinuhshan" -- Pointe-aux-Chenes -- to get to Isle de Jean Charles, you have to take Island Road (you can salt water fish off one shoulder and fresh water fish off the other) from the community of Pointe-aux-Chenes
• "downthahbayah" -- down the bayou -- there are no directions in Terrebonne Parish. Down the bayou is pretty much south. in other words, it's whatever direction one must travel to get to Pointe-aux-Chenes, Dulac or any other down the bayou place like Grand Caillou or Little Caillou (much like bayou, the ou is Caillou can be pronounced like "you," but it's an "ah" sound for lots of natives or those who have been there long enough).
• "upthahbayah" -- up the bayou -- the opposite of down the bayou. if you want to go from Dularge to Schriever or Gray, you have to head up the bayou.
• "bayahside" -- bayou side -- this isn't actually in the slideshow, but i thought i'd give a bonus entry. much like compass directions, there really isn't a right or left, either. If you're giving someone directions and the place is on the same side of the road as the neighboring bayou, you specify that it's on the bayou side. if you give no such instructions, it is assumed that the destination is on the opposite side of the road.

and as an added bonus, if you close your eyes and listen to matt talk, you can easily picture yourself at an insurance convention during a captivating Powerpoint presentation.

just kidding.

or am i???