52 Ancestors Week 14: Water

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 14's theme is "Water." Our ancestors traveled by water, built towns near water, and powered machines with water. How do you interpret this theme?

Now that is a header.

Looks like the themes for the last week of March and the first three weeks of April are all element based. Water, Fire, Earth and Air. I'm going to have fun with these themes because of how often they all appear in popular culture. I actually don't even know which ones to use first! The Fifth Element? Captain Planet? Avatar: The Last Airbender? So many choices. So little time.

Nothing but the sea up ahead!

Let's keep things simple for now shall we? When it comes to water, my entire family has been around it for some time. That much was evident when I talked about Rings Island Marina a few weeks ago. The Rings Island blog was from my mother's point of view as her family lived in and around Newburyport. To recap: I found a cousin and a connection I never knew I had via the marina.

While my mother was born in Newburyport, my father was born in nearby Haverhill. Both cities are found along the Merrimack River and its waters have definitely played a role in my family's history. Even on my dad's side!

My dad loved to fish and still does! Because of his hobby, we spent many summers on the river and in the open ocean. I don't really remember when we started boating. It had to have been some time before I was born because I remember walking down the docks in a very small orange and yellow life jacket. My grandfather, Marco, taught him the ins and outs of fishing. Makes sense given that Marco was born in Italy, a country known for its maritime culture.

The docks are little too quiet.

The lessons were eventually passed down to my brother and I as my father taught us what bait to use for what fish. When not to use bait. Yes, that is actually a thing. Check this out. When you're fishing for mackerel out in the ocean you don't necessarily need bait. All you need is a sunny day and a good, shiny hook.  That should rake in a few mackerel for you. It should be noted that mackerel aren't exactly the umm...SMARTEST fish in the ocean.

I haven't fished in a long time, to be honest. I still remember how. It's true what they say, you know. Catch a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and they eat for a lifetime.

It didn't stop there. We'd also catch flounder, cod and even set out lobster traps. I was always in charge of putting those rubber bands on the claws. Not fun and often requires two people to do it!

It wasn't just fishing that my father taught me. I also learned how to drive the boat, too. I can do a decent job. Whoever said driving a boat is like driving a car is so wrong!

I also had many friends at the marina whose parents were friends of my parents. I would love to share stories. But, some of them may need to be internal. HAHAHA! I will say this. We did cross the bridge over to Newburyport many times to go to the comic store or other places. We had good times and plenty of good memories that will last a lifetime!

Being on the water has been in my blood and in my family for as long as I can remember. Now the circle is complete as my nephews have been getting in on the act and have been enjoying themselves. Fishing and boating have been a great tradition for generations and it's good to see it continue. While you're out on the ocean you really get a very real sense of just how big this planet is and how fragile it is at the same time.

I thank my dad and by extension my grandfathers for introducing me to fishing, boating and everything else. Going out into the ocean really opens ones perspective about the world around them. You learn about our world  and possibly even yourself!