Winter Vacation with Grandma Vera

We loved going to Islamorada in the Keys for winter vacations, and talked Jim's Mom and Dad into renting  neighboring rooms at our motel.  It was right on the ocean, and we even had dockage for our little aluminum fishing boat Jim had brought from Cincinnati. 

Tyll with Crayfish near Stella Maris, Bahamas

We had seen the amazing crayfish Tyll had caught in Stella Maris in the Bahamas, and so one day Jim states, "Let's go look for lobster!"  Anyone aware of the waters of the area, know that the lobster live in the north, and that the actual animals of the southern waters have no "claws", and are referred to as crayfish, with tasty tails, legs, but no claws.  They are brownish and yellow in color, not red, as a rule.

Florida Crayfish

Maine Lobster

I think he was ready for some lobster tails dipped in butter sauce for supper.  With 4 adults and little Annalisa, whose taste was quite adult, and she loved lobster, too, he would have to bring home a pile of critters to feed this crew.  I believe Grandpa might have waived his share.  He mostly refused anything not regular meat and potatoes.  He even questioned any vegetables not green beans or brown beans fixed like Grandma Vera made them.
Jim was not much of a diver, not that his spirit was not in it, it was his vision.  He wore corrective lenses.  Thick glasses make it hard to see what you are doing under water, and  limit what you do above water without them.  We decided Grandma and I would accompany Jim, and we would stay in 5 foot water or less.  That way they were shallow water dives.  However, as most Keys vacationers know, the waters are covered with sea urchins.  It is not easy moving through the sand.  It was hard to see what to do.  Grandma Vera and I sat in the boat, while Jim looked for antenna, and when he saw some, he would jump out, put on his face mask, and stand in the water, while I kept the row boat in place, he dove into the water to hand catch the crayfish.  This is not an easy task.  After a LONG time, paddling  the boat around the shallow areas of the water, seeing sea urchins, sea cucumbers and lots of holes in the sand, but few antenna, he finally brought ONE crayfish into the boat.  Not much to talk about, but each of us might get a bite of Florida crayfish.  As he is walking around he spies another hole.  "I bet there is another one in that hole," he says.  "Give me that oar."
He takes the oar, standing in 4 foot water, with the face mask on, and pushes the oar into the hole, blade to the sky.  Thump, thump,thump, a hollow echo resounds.  I wonder what would be so loud.  Jim is curious.  He pounds again.  If that is a crayfish, he would either be quite flat, or have a concussion.  Jim Is thinking this is the perfect time, to get him while the stunned critter is off guard.  He lets go of the  oar, and dives down to put his arm down into a hole he has no clue what is inside.  He cannot get anything out.  He comes up as he runs out of air.  He says,  "Something hard, big, I don't know what, but I'll try again," as we cry, "STOP! Don't, watch out!"  He takes a breath of air and goes under again.  He seems to be under for a LONG time, and this time comes up with something big, round and white in his hand, throws it into the boat.  It is NOT a crayfish.  It is a kind of a crab.  Jim cannot see well.  He just asks, "What is it?"
"I don't know," shrieks Grandma Vera, "But he's headed for my lobster!"
The crab had spied the puny sun baked clawless crayfish, defenseless in the hull of the aluminum boat, and headed for it.  Grandma Vera in a soft voice, directed her son, "Hand me that oar, Jim."   He was not about to challenge her.  She moved around as spry as she was in her 70's and started beating on the shell of that huge round white crab with claws as big as a man's hand.  He had the crayfish in one claw before we could do anything about it, and it was cut in half.
Jim had jumped into the boat, and with glasses on, shouted, "Oh NO a stone crab, watch out!  Don't let him get hold of YOU!"  By that time Grandma Vera had  beat him silly, he did NOT eat our supper, but the damage had been done to the crayfish.  
We paddled home with  little to show for all the day of work, and Jim was forced to supplement supper with a few items from the store.   I was quite surprised at the fire Grandma had in her.  I guess that is why her 5 children behaved so well.  Maybe they knew her better than I did.  Behind that sweet motherly voice she embodied a force not to be reckoned with.

Stone crab should not have reckoned with Grandma Vera