Bubba and Clem at DEMA 3

Its up early and the boys get all warshed up and smellin pretty. They call all theys friends and they all meet downstairs for breakfast. Theys a TGI Fridays in the Holiday Out Hotel.

After feeding they walk up to the corner of Royal and Canal and flag down a shuttling bus to the Convention Place. The bus is a packed with folks with name tags around theys neck from all over the world. Clem sits next to a woman from Guam. Bubba thinks Guam is sumthing one steps in not a place.

When they get to the show its time to visit with the PADI folks first, then the Mares folks, and then look at other dive stuff.

At the PADI booth, all the PADI folks is a dressed up in silly shirts. Trying a new look Clem guesses. Bubba said he wouldn't wear one of them shirts to a pig rassling contest. At the PADI booth they run into ole Ralph Erickson talking to the Sorysota scuba man, his friend. Them two introduce Bubba and Clem to sum other PADI folks - Jim Morgan, Jeff Nadler, Drew Richardson and some others we can't member theys names. Then Bubba and Clem sit down with theys representative John Coon, and place a huge order for supplies. Then they head over to PADI Sportswear booth and meet with another friend of the Sorysota, FL, scuba man, Greg McKay. Bubba wonders how this Sorysota man a knows so many folks in the dive bidness.

The meander around the huge room filled with dive stuff looking at all the goodies. Bubba wonders why they ain't much new stuff? They like looking at the accessory items the best.

Bubba axes Clem where all the know it alls from the computer is at? He kinda wanted to see what these infamous folks would be like in person where theys can't hide behind a screen. Most is probably still a sweeping the floor at sum dive shop and the boss man wouldn't let em go to the show. Oh well, no reel loss here.

For lunch theys gonna walk over to Mulate's Restaurant on Julia Street across from the Convention Place. This joint is posed to have sum good Cajun feeds. Its very crowded and theys finally get em a table. Sum of the folks order Red Beans And rice with a pork chop while others order fried catfish, some a fried oyster Po Boy samwitch. The service is reel bad and the food is just ok but reel spensive. So much for this joint. These folks must thrive on tourists at the Convention Place.

Back on the floor of the show, our heroes visit the Mares booth. This is one of the biggest at the show. They look at the new gas integrated computer and all the other goodies. They even meet the head man of Mares from Italy. They place a big order for goodies.

They spend the rest of the afternoon looking at products from Dive Link, Riffe, Ikelite, Sport Divers, Dive Rite, Henderson and some cloths companies. Clem still can't figger why SeaQuest don't got a booth. They getting tired of walking and talking so they get on the shuttling bus back to the Quarter and the Holiday Out.

Theys gonna have supper with theys scuber friends at a place on Bourbon Street called Mike Anderson's. Its well knowed fer its see feed. The foods is great, maybe the best in all of New Awrlenes. Them softer shell crabs is scrumptious.

After supper, Bubba and Clem is a walking down Bourbon Street all by themselver and Clem looks over to a side street at two pretty womens and low and behold a couple of nasty looking men jump out of the shaders and grabs the womens and trys to beat em up and take theys money. Bubba spies this blatant misbehavior and like a ratteling snake he is on the hoodlums 'fore they knows it. He grabs both of them and knocks theys heads together and theys out like a light. The commotion has drawed a crowd and along comes two policemans on them giant horses theys ride down in the Quarter. They grab one thug and cuff him while the other one is a laying on the street. One of them big ole horses has to relieve hisself and it just happens to be over the downed thug. Poetic justice, Clem thinks. After the policemans haul away the criminals, the rescued womens are a thanking Bubba and Clem and giving them a big ole hug and kiss.

Turns out that these ladies are reel pretty, no reel beautiful and they want to thank our heroes by taking them to supper tomorrow night. The boys are excited and they agree to meet em at the Holiday Out Hotel at 7 o'clock tomorrow night.

Bubba and Clem continue to wander on down the Bourbon Street a looking at the crazy people. Every nut case in the world must be out tonight. They even see some more womens a taking theys shirts off as folks hurl beads at em. Bubba just can't figger this strange pagan behavior out... Must be sumthang in the water.

TO BE CONTINUED