Crabbing With Dad
I spent last week at my parent’s river house, and it was just the vacation I needed!
While I was there, I got to go crabbing with my dad, who started out by crabbing off of his dock. What I learned from that is there are crabs right there at the dock. Well, I wasn’t planning on swimming in that water anyway! At some point, he started placing his pots out in the river, but last week was the first opportunity I had to see them.
We went out twice a day to work the crab pots, and something interesting happened every time. I saw a school of fish jumping out of the water, this way and that, trying to evade the hungry jaws of some bigger fish. I saw large male crabs cradling little females (doublers), protecting them at molting time and securing mating rights. I saw plenty of jellyfish, birds dive-bombing for their dinner, and a crab swimming on the surface of waters that were forty feet deep.
My dad is just a natural teacher, so he pretty much talks you through whatever he’s doing. Crabbing technique, boating lessons, history, crab anatomy, bay ecology…there’s plenty to teach about, out there on the water. I learned some things, too. I learned that driving a boat is way different from driving a car. For one thing, when you turn a car off, it usually stops moving. I learned that eels are really slimy. And they can get out of that bucket if they really want to. I learned that dead jellyfish can still sting you, that lighthouses out in the middle of the bay don’t have indoor plumbing, and if your eyes tell you those waves look rough, then they are. Only more so.
Some things I already knew; I just needed reminding. Like what a joy it is to spend quality time with your family. Family and friendship are blessings that not every one of us has. It doesn’t do to take them for granted.
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I made a little video of my dad working his crab pots. Vegetarians, beware: the crabs in this video all got cooked!
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Items of Interest:
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steadily skipping stones 
Nice story – sounds so interesting, and what a great time with your father. Personally, I’ve always thought that those crabs are too much work for too little meat – but that’s just me.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Bill! Thank you for commenting.
It’s not just you – I totally agree! I picked one crab and I was done. And grossed out, too. I ended up eating a bunch of loose crab legs. I tried again another day and picked one crab. Done after one again. That night, everyone sat there eating for an hour and a half! And you’re not half full. But some people just love it!
Great video! Looked like fun!
Thanks! Going out and pulling up the pots was a lot of fun.
Wonderful! Wish I could go!
Any time you get over this way, just let me know! My dad would love to take us out, and you’d be a most welcome visitor 🙂
I like the lessons you learned.
Me too 🙂
We never stop learning, do we? We even keep learning the lessons we thought we’d already learned.
Loved the video. Now I REALLY want to come visit! Your dad seems so cool!
Crabbing is fun. I’m glad you liked the video! My dad is going to be surprised to find out how many people I’ve invited, haha! But I’ll let him know that you can’t eat crabs you’ve already seen walking around – more for him. Of course, he’ll try to talk you into it, anyway.
LOVE this here—-> “Some things I already knew; I just needed reminding. Like what a joy it is to spend quality time with your family. Family and friendship are blessings that not every one of us has. It doesn’t do to take them for granted.”
Thank you! And it’s true! Shame I need reminding about it so often, though.
This looks like so much fun, and vacations are always so much more fun when it’s time spent with family. I never realized it when I was younger but now that my parents are getting older, I cherish the time we spend together. Btw, I love how you say that your dad is a natural teacher – he sounds like a really cool person to hang out with 🙂
I’m finding that, too – that the older I get, the more I appreciate what time I have left with people.
The teaching thing is something I don’t always notice, because that’s just how he is. But for some reason, it really stood out to me this time. I like it, and I wonder if growing up with a dad like that is what made me so curious. I always want to know more about things – the why and how. I don’t have tremendous interest in any one subject, but I always want to know more about things I come across. Of course, I never remember much…