I grew up living right next to the ocean and spent most of my early days fishing on the local pier with my friends.
We caught everything from snook and catfish to baby sharks and stingrays.
Whenever we were lucky enough to catch a grouper so close to shore, my mother would get excited and have my father clean the fish so she could cook it in the kitchen. I have fond memories of watching my mother fry a fresh fish I had just caught on the nearby pier, and then the sense of accomplishment when we all enjoyed the food and remarked on its delicious taste. When it came time to apply for college, I chose to attend a university in the same county in which I grew up, also close to the ocean. I had loads of fun joining the boating club and learning how to sail. During my third year of undergraduate school, the city announced a new bridge that would go across the bay, connecting an island to the mainland that was previously serviced via ferries throughout the day. However, plans stalled on the bridge for a few years, meaning it’s just now being built despite it being 10 years later. I learned from the city employee I chat with at the local tavern that it was stalled when a nearby bridge had to get significant repairs to corroded rebar on several bridge pylons. The idea was to build the new bridge using both stainless steel and galvanized 18 gauge rebar tie wire to make sure that any salt water soaking into the concrete would not corrode the rebar reinforcing the entire structure. It’s important to use anti-corrosion or zinc coating rebar tie wire instead of black bar rebar, which corrodes at a rapid rate.