I have been meaning to write about the trip sooner, but as it is with all new places (at least for me), it takes me a while to be able to absorb everything in. Louisiana has been just a roller coaster of excitement for Devin and I, and everything was beyond anything we could have expected from this trip.
Firstly, I would like to start with the results of our little culling exercise….. I won!!!!! I beat Devin!!! Bragging rights for a year is mine! Beginner’s Luck definitely was on my side. But I get ahead of myself; perhaps I should first explain the rules of how we did the cull-off.
The cull-off happened on a Friday-two days after we had arrived. One of the tosai ponds would be seined and about half a dozen at a time would be put in a little bowl for me and Devin to choose from. Since it takes more than one seine to get all the Koi in the pond, each seine would count as a new round. A game of rock-paper-scissors would decide who would go first for each round. Whoever won would have the first pick, and would be allowed to pick only one Koi, after which the next person gets to pick one Koi as well. This would go back and forth between the two of us until we both “passed” for that batch of fish and a new batch would be given to us. Devin and I each got our own bowls to put our selected Koi, and at the end of the exercise we would be judged based on those selections. Bill, Maureen and Scott were both the judges and the final “cullers”. The winner would be chosen based on the number of Koi from our bowl that would make it to the final cut.
It seemed as if the cosmos were conspiring to help me win because if anything I am the worst rock-paper-scissors player in the world. On the culling day, however, Devin just could not beat me. Not even once. For each round, I always got to go first and with each batch of Koi Devin would be crossing his fingers hoping that I wouldn’t get the Koi that he wanted to get. For certain batches, I would feel bad for him and let him go first, but they were few and far between.
If I were completely honest, it should have been a tie-but as I said, beginner’s luck was totally on my side.
When it came down to the judging, we were told that the smaller tosai would be eliminated from the judging because they had to be grown out still. This made me worried because a good number of the better Koi in my bowl were too small to make the cut. At the end of the judging, they selected 11 Koi from my bowl. When it came to Devin’s turn, guess how many Koi were selected? 11 Koi as well. As a tie-breaker, a bowl of Koi that had been selected from the Koi which we had passed on was brought forward and whoever picked the best Koi wins the cull off.. Guess who got to go first? ME!
In the end, we both agreed: whether it be by an inch or a mile; by a technicality or by default; I won fair and square. ha. ha ha ha. I beat the great, Marudo-trained Devin. woot woot! Everyone at Purdin Koi Farm was so accommodating to our little game, and I am so grateful for their hospitality. I know it took a lot of time and effort for them to allow us to horse around, and I am very appreciative that they played along with our little game.
I will have to share more about the trip in a separate post, as it is nearing our check out time in the hotel and I must get ready. In the next couple of days, I will be editing the video footage that I took this trip, so I’m very excited to share that with everyone. 🙂
