Grinning from ear to ear, young Kendel Godfrey dumps his catch out onto the weathered pier. The crab scuttles sideways, claws tapping like the tattoo of fingernails on a tabletop. The crab is fast, but Kendel's older brother, Michael, is faster. Just before the creature dives back into the Patuxent River, the net whooshes down, and it's caught. Again.

I'm crabbing with the Godfrey family in Solomons, Maryland. Parents Stephen and Chrystal, along with their children--Michael, Katrina, Kendel, and Adriel--are here to catch dinner, as well as enjoy a family outing. For me, the day brings back memories of another place.

I caught my first blue crab when I was 10 years old, and it scared me out of my wits. Hoping to hook a fish, I dropped a line into the opaque waters of Pensacola Bay off the coast of Florida. The alien-like creature I pulled up sprouted beady eyes and fierce claws, and it almost took off the tip of my finger.