One of the tips I gave my travel writing students at the conference this weekend was to talk to everybody - you never know who is going to give you that coruscating quote - and read everything. As an example, I mentioned that I learned about the weekend Cracker Fest by reading the magazines in my hotel room. Festivals are always a good place to meet locals, so on Friday Hania and I drove to the Bait Box to meet some Sanibel crackers (even though the phrase seemed something of an oxymoron).
Walking towards the entrance, we heard bluegrass music coming from tents twinkly with lights.
"That will be $100," the woman at the ticket table said.
I laughed. "That's a joke, right?"
"No, it's $100 a person," she said, before explaining that it was a benefit to raise money for a worthy cause.
We passed, and went off in search of a cheaper meal elsewhere, though now more enlightened about the crackers of Sanibel.
