Craftsmanship....................

An important part of any successful family vacation is making memories  for the kids to savor and enjoy.  I think we added one on Wednesday.  All three wanted to go deep sea fishing.  Now Dad is susceptible to  motion related feelings of ill-health, so it would not have been my first choice, but...............Dramamine was available so off we went.  Captain Mike and Crewman Dave worked hard to engage us all, asking a myriad of questions, remembering the answers, and generally being good conversationalists.  It was a four hour trip. The first hour and a half were for naught.  Then, in a stroke of genius, Captain Mike suggested that our luck would change if the kids would each bite the head off of one of the bait fish.  For the next ten minutes a lively "you go first" - "I will if you will" discussion raged between the kids.  Crewman Dave, an experienced hand, stepped up to the plate and went first.  Then all three kids met the challenge.  A video of  Connor's face-to-face interaction with the bait fish is now somewhere on Facebook.  I would send you there if I knew how.  Not only were great new memories created, but our luck changed and in quick succession all three of the kids hooked and landed rays and small sharks.  For what it is worth, Dramamine lasts four hours.  I should have taken another one at about the three hour mark.  Next time, I will remember.  Anyway, Captain Mike seemed to know that, while catching fish is an important part of the venture,  what he is really selling is the experience and the memories.  Mission accomplished.