Revisiting Memories October 14, 2009

Once I knew that my Entertainment would be “The Little Mermaid” it was time to refine what memories I wanted to write about. The most obvious mermaid memories was my fourth birthday at Weeki Wachee Springs. I had countless memories from living in Florida, so close to the beach and rivers. One of my favorite stories to tell was going fishing for the first time and catching a shark with my Snoopy pole. One of my most vivid memories is from my fifth birthday, the day of the No-Name Storm. Just like that (*snap*) I had material for my micro-narratives.

Then it became the process of connection the memories to the entertainment, in order to craft a My Story. The mermaid connection was obvious. However, it wasn’t until I reread “The Little Mermaid” that I realized that birthdays were such a big part of the story. In “The Little Mermaid” birthdays were a right of passage. At fifteen, the mermaids were able to go above the sea, which was a huge deal. In my family, my mom always made our birthdays special. It was MY DAY.

Once I got on this mindset of connecting my three stories to “The Little Mermaid,” it changed everything. The assignment seemed so easy after that…which worried me a little bit.

Snoopy and Shark – Part 2 October 7, 2009

With my new toy fishing pole on board, my father, brother, mother, and I  all set off to have a great family outing. We loaded our boat onto the Homosassa River Boat Ramp, and then made our way out to the Gulf of Mexico.  

We dropped anchor somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. There wasn’t another boat insight. My dad baited my hook, and showed me how to cast a fishing pole. Then I waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, I felt a tug and saw that little orange ball go under the water. I began to reel the line in vigorously. I knew I must have caught a big one. My father watched me closely. At one point he had to help me reel-in my catch. He began pulling up the line, hand over fist. When the fish was finally out of the water, we saw that it wasn’t a fish at all, but a small (3-4ft) shark.

Needless to say, my dad cut the line and I watched my first catch swim away. However, my dad never doubted my choice of fishing poles again.

Snoopy and Shark – Part 1 October 7, 2009

I am a Florida Girl though and though. Prior to college, I never lived more than 500 ft from a river. I love boating, swimming, fishing, and pretty much any activity that involves being near or in a large body of water. One of my earliest memories is my first fishing trip with my family…

Before my dad could teach me the fine sport of fishing, I had to get a fishing pole. We went to Skidmore’s Sports Supply. I looked at all the fishing poles that were “kid size” and, being the girly girl that I was, I picked out the cutest one…a Snoopy Fishing Pole.

My dad hated my choice. You see, my father is a sensible man, and he didn’t like the idea of paying so much money for a cheap little toy. He kept say, “Caitlin, I can get you a really nice pole for the same price.”

But I was stubborn, “No Daddy, I want this one.”  Needless to say, we walked out of Skidmore’s with a brand new Snoopy Pole and a bunch of live bait. I was all ready to set sail on a new adventure.