Mr. Adam Morales:

August 15, 2019
Mr. Adam Morales, of Pierre Port, Louisiana, died day before yesterday.

ny of you may remember my social media posts, back when I first met Mr. Adam Morales, as well as my posts from subsequent visits. He was one of the great eccentrics, but also very well-grounded. His eccentricities came through in his driftwood art. But his “well-groundedness” came through in our many conversations - primarily about living life in the swamps.

Mr. Adam Morales had spent a lifetime living in the swamps. His modest house sits at the very edge of the swamp. He had been part of the television series, Swamp People, for a while, but that never phased him. His down-to-earth demeanor never changed - not even with all of the celebrity he garnered from his driftwood sculptures.

Among the hundreds of visitors to his Driftwood Paradise, there were a few that really stood out, for Adam. One was the actress, Eva Marie Saint - who became very dear friends with Adam, and would visit him often. But his proudest moment was when he had a visit from the men of Seal Team Six, who presented him with one of their coveted “Challenge Coins”. But instead of giving him bragging rights, it seemed to humble him even more.

Mr. Adam Morales was a kid at heart. It was evident in each of our conversations, and it was blatantly apparent in the sculptures he created. In his back yard, which was actually the swamp, he had bins piled high with pieces of driftwood. he called them his "body parts", as the driftwood pieces resembled arms, legs, fingers, etc. - and each were segregated to their own bin. It was from these pieces that he would build his sculptures.

But there were other pieces as well. Each time i would walk through this massive collection of driftwood, with Adam, he would periodically stop, grab a piece - possibly turn it once or twice, then say "look!" this is a tiger, or a dog, or a dinosaur. He saw everything in the driftwood. And when he would point it out, it became evidently clear that he was on the money.

In the latter years, Mr. Adam Morales began making oversized lawn chairs out of driftwood. I always wanted to buy a couple, but I never was able to transport them home - they were far too large.

For many years, Mr. Adam Morales would make the bulk of his living from the sale of moss. He would head out into the swamp, in a small motorized boat, and with a long pole he would pull the moss hanging from the trees. He would then sell this to florists, and plant growers, to be used in their arrangements. But about four years ago the moss began to be manufactured, out of a synthetic material, and that abruptly put an end to his business. This was a dangerous business, because more times than not, snakes - very poisonous snakes, would be residing in the moss. So when the moss fell from the trees, into the tiny boat, so did the snakes. For him, it was just life in the swamp.

As a side note, you may be asking yourself, as you read through this post, why I always refer to him as "Mr. Adam Morales" - over and over again. It is because that was always how I referred to him. This was not a request, or a requirement of his - but rather, mine. It seemed to be a fitting title - as if addressing a member of royalty, or something. And to me, Mr. Adam Morales was royalty - he was Swamp Royalty; and breed of Cajun that has all but died out - and now with the passing of Mr. Adam Morales, that "royalty" has diminished even more.

I am a firm believer that, as we make our way through life - along the path of this great journey, we encounter experiences, and people that, in my way of thinking, are ingredients for our caldron of soup - which is the culmination of our journey. Each of these experiences, or people, add to the quality of our soup. But first, we must engage with them, so that they can be an ingredient. And the more we engage, and he deeper, and more genuine our engagements are, the more intense the ingredient becomes. Mr. Adam Morales added greatly - and significantly, to my soup.

I will miss him so very much. And each time that I return to south Louisianna, I will feel the longing to visit with him - and a sadness will become present in my heart. But I am ever so grateful to have known him.

_David