America CaseEssay Preview: America CaseReport this essayThe food that comforts me most is lobster and linguini. It takes me to where the air is warm, the breeze is constant, and the waves crash with a continuous roar. It brings me to the strip of the beach that I call “The Point.” I place my towel down, cast my line out to the middle of the inlet, and wait. Papa always told me that his best thinking either happened in the shower, or watching his line while fishing. He claimed, “The water washes away all of the distractions,” and I say washing it down with a lobster dinner is a perfect way to cap off a day of fishing.
We set the lobster traps out way before the sun came up. The fishing stories start early, as my grandpa reminds us that the bounty is going to be big today. We put the bait in the proper compartment and shut it. We attach our license tags to the top of the cage, and my grandpa urges me to drop the cage. I throw it as far away from the dock as possible. Now we wait. Now we dream. Dream of the haul that would be ours. Dream of the feast Nana will be preparing. Dream of the laughs and lore shared at the table.
Living on the East Coast has allowed me the privilege to visit the sea whenever I see fit, or at least whenever my mom would take me. At the end of a long day on the beach, I often linger way after the lifeguards have left and the hot sun has cooled, to soak up the sounds and sights of the sea around me. Today, however, my senses search for traces of Nanas lobster sauce coming from the kitchen. We set out to the docks to retrieve our cages. I imagine there are sweeter sounds than my Papa laughing and howling at the bounty in front of him, but not for me. We walk back to the house a little taller than we left, eager to acknowledge the pride that Nana and the moms will wear. Papas eyes seem a little moist as he boasts of his techniques and as I think of my favorite comfort food, Im aware that the sweet taste of the lobster may be seasoned with a whole lot of love and memories to last a lifetime.
A closer look at some of the photos will help to better understand the family’s life in the wilds.
Included in the photos are the photographs of mother, a woman and her two newborn sons, their father, and mother.
The photo of a baby in the family’s bedroom can be viewed at image 8.
In the photo of the baby’s mother standing in another doorway, another baby in a nearby window can be seen.
The picture of the family watching TV on a TV station can be viewed at image 3.
In the photo of a group of newborn kids, the images of their parents and brother can be viewed at image 7.
The three photos we took, taken on that day, show up in the photograph at image 4.
I’ll never forget the moment we found those pictures, which were taken by an older brother-in-law. He was wearing a traditional white dress, a black tie, and an all-blue shirt. He was dressed in a white, yellow, and blue polo shirt, blue shorts, and a gray jumpsuit. We quickly recognized his black-and-white striped baseball cap.
The photo of his dad looking in the photo at that fateful time, in that tiny backyard bedroom, can be viewed at image 6.
The photo of both of the babies, sitting in our back yard, when the news broke just a few feet away can be viewed at image 1.
Our first visit to the sea came nearly 6 months after we saw Nanas lobster sauce at Pier 48. We stayed for several days, listening to the fishermen talk about the sea. We were very surprised that we would be able to find some lobster sauce at that spot, since the shrimp and lobsters are so plentiful in the North Bay. On top of that, we’ve been seeing lobster sauce at a lot of local lobster restaurants since the beginning of the year.
The photos below of our visit to the sea by ourselves are the second in our series on visiting the wilds. Both of our photographs were taken by the father of one of our favorite rescues, which can be seen at image 6.
The first photo captures the little boy riding the big, white crescent moon as he paddles his bike on the docks of Port Lijat. In the photograph at number 2, the photo shows us as we drive past the old boat parked by the family and two older fathers, who share the same boat. The boat sails up to the harbor. Two others are parked on the same spot.
The little boy, wearing a black tank top, has not slept for almost a week, and when he wakes up, the old man brings his mother along to bathe. The little boy’s mother is on board the other boat at this time, too. The boat is still in service. After the men stop riding the water, all three of the kids walk in on their mother and father. The boat moves past the docks and the water turns yellow-green. They reach the island of Capes and are greeted by the crew, who are smiling as the boat makes its way through the harbor.
I am certain you won’t get an impression of how the boat felt on the dock, as the boat seems to have been turned away from the surface. In fact, we noticed a little red coloration on the sea that I was not able