CB, EK, TLS, and Sake

[Mark Walker]

On September 3, I flew from Salt Lake City to Houston, Texas.  I had an
important meeting the following day, but would have no time to look for
butterflies.  Instead, I decided to seek out some lepidopterist fellowship.
Charles Bordelon and I had exchanged a few emails - and since he was
preparing for his big trip into the Rio Grande Valley, I decided to visit
him and Ed Knudson in order to allow them to make an assessment of the
lunatic fringe.
 
Charles didn't actually provide me with an address.  Instead, he directed me
down a residential street looking for the "fourth driveway on the right", or
some such thing.  I counted the houses... one, two, three...  And then, on
my right side I noticed a driveway that headed off into the thick understory
of a beautifully overgrown lot.  A regular jungle habitat surrounded by
manicured lawns and gorgeous estates.  This had to be the right driveway.
 
I drove on up the driveway, quickly getting lost in the native habitat.  I
could already hear the insect orchestra in full swing before I noticed the
long haired Woodstock poster boy sitting comfortably in a lawn chair.
Charles.
 
I plopped down next to Charles and we began what would be about 5 hours of
non-stop talking.  You know when you've found a soul mate - communication
just sort of rolls off your lips, with little to no awkward pauses in
between.  You should check out these digs, too.  With all the frequent
traveling I do to the Houston area, I am sure that this will be a future
base camp for my crazy escapades.
 
Soon Ed came down and introduced himself.  A bit less talkative, but no less
intense.  After talking for some time, we decided to inaugurate the whole
event over Sushi and Sake.  Sushi is one of those dining experiences that,
as long as you've got the right crew, will quickly become magical.  We ate
just about everything that could be extricated out of the ocean and stuffed
into seaweed or rolled over rice.  The magic of the evening was probably
enhanced somewhat by the gallons of hot sake that we consumed, but there was
other magic in the air besides that of Japanese cuisine.
 
When we returned to the digs, I entered into what must surely be some sort
of preamble to lepidopterist heaven.  Ed and Charles talk of donating
collections to museums - but what they're really up to is building one of
their own.  You should see the drawers!  A kid like me could spend a few
weeks perusing the mounted specimens, and never get tired (or see three of
the same thing).  As my wife can attest, when I'm in such a place I can lose
all track of time.  We carried on until the wee hours, and a long lasting
friendship was certainly begun.  I don't know what time it was when I
arrived at my hotel, but suffice it to say that work was far from my mind.
 
Before I sign off here, I must make a pitch and recommendation to any and
all who might be interested in Texas Lepidoptera.  Ed and Charles have
formed the Texas Lepidoptera Survey (TLS), and are producing the most
wonderful set of illustrated checklists of butterflies and moths I've ever
seen.  Charles has posted recently on the availability of this volume, and I
just want to provide my two thumbs up.  I picked up three binders myself
while there, and I fully intend on completing the set.  Highly recommended,
with the Walker Seal of Approval (sort of like the NABA approved, only so
much less official).  Charles - you should post the info again.
 
If you're visiting Houston anytime soon, don't miss a field trip to the TLS
Collection and House of Lep Repute.  You'll likely to encounter much more
than neatly aligned dead bugs, though those alone will overwhelm you.
 
Mark Walker.
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