Days with Dad

As far back as I can remember I've always been fasinated with what my dad did when he walked out the door every morning. I've always looked up to my dad, and not just because he's over six feet tall. He is hands down, the hardest worker that I know. He's up before the sun, and doesn't stop working until his head hits the pillow at night. 

I can remember as a kid, hating the fact that afterschool I'd have to walk through our entry way which always reeked of lobster bait. And it didnt really help that we had clam flatts in our back yard, that the warm summer breeze always loved to blow in our windows. 

It wasn't until this summer that I really got to see what my dad spent his days doing. Obviously, growing up here I knew what lobsterfishing was and everything that goes along with it. But it wasn't until now that I really got to see him at work. Granted he works as a sternman on a much bigger boat at the beginning of the day, but what I got to see was much different. 

After leaving the harbor once to go haul, he returns just to turn around and go back out in his skiff. What he does with the second part of the day is much more challenging. Out here in his skiff he doesn't have a hauler that brings all the traps in for you, he does them all by hand. Every single trap. It's very rare to see. And it downright amazes me.

I've spent a few days out here with him now, banding every lobster he pulls up. The first day was good. Decent catch. Nice weather. Second time, not so bad. Still nice weather. A little colder now as we are getting out of summer. Pitiful amount of lobsters. The last time I went, we caught a decent amount. I saw a lot of things that I hadn't seen before come up in the traps (even after growing up here and on the ocean my whole life.) And it's a good thing that there was something interesting to look at because the fog was so thick I could barely see my dad who was just on the front of the boat. I can remember asking him many times, (as I was pretty sure we were lost) "Do you always go out when its this foggy?" The answer pretty self-explanitory.. yes. If he didn't he probably would have a very limited amout of days to work. "And you consider this safe?" I was shocked. 

After being able to see first hand what he goes through, I really don't know how he does it. He's sure not the youngest man in town anymore. Honestly, there are some days that I could not picture myself anywhere else other than in the middle of the ocean with my dad. Unless it's foggys, that's kinda sketchy. I know 60 years from now, when I'm sitting back in my rocking chair, that those days spent out there, at peace with my number one man, those days will be the ones that make for some of the best memories.