I was fortunate enough to be have a rather well-rounded upbringing.  There wasn’t too much that I wanted for, especially in terms of material things.  My father was raised much differently.  His family had very little money, but his life was filled with love and family.  And he spent much of his youth on the water, the Chesapeake Bay.  His family shared a small house on a creek.  My grandfather shared the home with my grandmother’s brothers.  There were 4 families in all that used the house.  I have pictures of my grandfather building 4 separate kitchens for the house.

Anyway, my father spent all of his summers on this creek, with his siblings and cousins.  He knew a lot about the water.  When I was a child, he started a seafood business.  He called it Captain Kennedy’s.  He had 4 different boats during my childhood.  He had 3 beachfront houses in South Bethany, and owned almost 20 rental properties all told.  He did his best to teach us about the water.  We fished on the surf, learned how to run trot lines, and crab pots.

When my father lost it all, he never really got over it.  When I had kids, he was never able to teach them about the water the way that he taught us.  For the last several years, he has worked his ass off to take us, and his grandkids, to the beach.  He has spared no expense to take us to South Bethany.  But, he no longer has a boat, and hasn’t been fishing or crabbing in years.

I can’t imagine how much it has stung him that my brother’s in-laws have bought a property in South Bethany and have 2 boats.  And they have been showing my father’s grandkids about the water and crabbing.

Last week, though, if only for a moment, none of that mattered.  Captain Kennedy took us out on George’s in-laws’ pontoon boat.  He bought bait.  He bought a minnow trap.  He showed his grandkids, all of them, how to bait a trap.

With the wind in his hair, Captain Kennedy was right at home.

And it didn’t matter to any of the kids who owned the boat.  Really.  They won’t remember that detail.  But they will remember a great trip with their Pop Pop.