Family

As a youngster growing up in our house where if you asked for a “crabbing sandwich”, regardless of if it was mom or dad who made it, you would get a ham or turkey and cheese sandwich with mayonnaise, and the key ingredient, wait for it, extra mustard! Yes, so like most of you are thinking it’s pretty much just a regular lunch meat sandwich. Yes, it most certainly is. Well, besides the dash of Old Bay seasoning which may be expected for those who are from the Chesapeake Bay area. As a child though, with limited years on this beautiful green earth and with fewer life time milestones experienced, the memories you do have can seem to resonate stronger. Memories like spending all morning and the early part of the afternoon hand-line crabbing from a pier with your family and friends. Every little detail from those experiences is so hard to forget, and the slightest day-to-day occurrence can bring back a rush of childhood memories that fill you with warmth and happiness. Simple things can trigger those favorite memories, like eating a sandwich that has a little extra mustard and Old Bay seasoning on it under the warm summer sun can bring back memories so strong you feel you can smell that salty bay water even though your miles away!

I grew up with my older brother, and it’s him and I that once the New Year rolls around can’t stop chatting about what that year’s crabbing season will entail. Why does it seem we have this inherent love for it? There are probably a few reasons we could each think of, some overlapping and some personal, but I feel we could both look back to our childhood memories and our family for one of the stronger reasons.

It all started early on in our childhood with early mornings in which our Dad would pack up the truck with hand-line, chicken necks for bait, a couple nets, a bushel basket, a measuring stick, and a cooler with food and drinks. Mom had of course prepared the “crabbing sandwiches” and other snacks the night before, as well as made sure we had plenty of sunscreen and towels in case we got brave enough to jump in the water to cool off. It was a long ride for a kid in the back seat, but we knew it would be worth it. Riding along gazing out the window, I was so excited with anticipation of what we might catch, how long it may take for the first crab to be on a line, who would be the first to pull it up, and who may be the first to net. Sometimes the trip would also include our cousins and family friends, which would only build the excitement as we were all eager to get to the water and start having fun. We would travel through several small towns along the eastern shore, making our way to a public pier we would routinely spend the day, almost feeling as if was our private pier; it was “our spot”!

Once we arrived, we would burst out of the back seat eager to run down the length of the pier; viewing the boats that were docked, investigating if there was already any other crabbing lines or pots tied to the pier, and taking in the view of whatever water activities may be going on. We usually arrived early in the morning, and as such we kids were able to claim the public location as our own for the day. We would quickly encourage and help our Dad get the lines prepared; him cutting the hand line and tying on the chicken necks, and us tying the line to the pier pylons and casting the chicken neck into the water. Mom and the other ladies would make their way to the end of the pier where there was a wider portion of dock and they would set up their lawn chairs and begin to apply sunscreen. There would be a relaxing morning of reading the newest novel ahead of them, at least till we started bothering them for the first round of “crabbing sandwiches” and snacks!

Some days within a few minutes, other days a bit longer, but eventually as we patrolled the hand-lines in the water we would see one that called for action. We would look for a taut line that would slowly grow stretch tighter, indicating there was a crab feasting on the bait at the other end of the line. We would yell for our brother or friend to come quickly, as the process of hand-lining for kids usually required two participates at least, with usually additional onlookers. Whoever discovered the taut line would usually be the one to pull it, while the other would net, slowly working in a rotation if we found it necessary. The person pulling the line would either get as close to the pylon as possible where the line came to the pier, so that they could begin the slow steady process of pulling in the line with as little disturbance as possible. The feel of the tight line as you started to pull is still so fresh in my mind 20 something years later, and having spent most of those years without using a hand line. There was the distinct feel of a tenacious blue crab hanging onto the bait and paddling the other direction with its back fins, trying to escape with the bait. Their efforts were felt as you would reel in the line as a sort of constant pressure. On occasion you would feel a slight slack in the pressure, and quickly pause in the efforts of pulling up the line in hopes that the blue crab wasn’t abandoning the bait for good. Sometimes the pressure would return with the blue crab latching back onto the chicken neck, and you would find a sense of expertise in your skill at pulling the line recognizing what to do to not lose the potential “keeper”. As you neared the end of the line both the bait and the blue crab would start to become visible as they also neared the surface of the water. It was at this point the person with the net would finalize their position in order to make sure they had the best vantage point to scoop what may be part of our future meal out of the brackish Chesapeake Bay water. Sometimes netting would involve slowly dipping the net into the water behind the crab and strategically pulling them up out of the water onto the pier decking, and other times it involved a more quick sweeping motion, plunging the net into the water, and catching the crab in one exciting moment. While this was going on the onlookers were just concerned with staying out of the way of the two in action trying to net the crab, and the best place to stand to catch a first glance at what may be on the chicken neck.

Regardless of whatever netting method seemed best for the particular location and position of the crab, as long as the person pulling was able to get it into range and the netting was successful, all were enthusiastic and excited for the catch. When we were younger the parents would have to measure up the blue crab to determine if it was a keeper, but as we grew slowly older and slightly more experienced we would also enjoy the task of handling and measuring up the catch.

After a long morning with the tied coming and going, we would pack up the vehicles for the ride back home. On the most eventful of trips, it was almost guaranteed the kids would fall asleep with the windows down and the fresh summer air flowing through the car. There were also the times were we had struggled to make it back home without closing our eye lids during the car ride, only to find ourselves taking that obligatory afternoon nap on the living room floor of our country house, where the windows would be wide open letting in the fresh country air. For me, even now, I would expect nothing else with such an awesome day soaking up the summer sun, breathing in the fresh air filled with the smell of the salty bay water, and experiencing all the joy that the Chesapeake Bay has to offer. Although the short nap would be refreshing, the best would yet to come. To awake from a nap to the house filled with the smell of steaming Maryland blue crabs liberally covered with Old Bay Seasoning was truly waking up from one dream only to continue living another.

Till this day, some of our family and family friend’s greatest memories of visiting were those same trips that I find so fond. Memories like this I plan to hold dear to my heart until the good lord calls me home. In the meantime, I hope to create similar memories with the next generation of our family and my own children one day!