I thought the use of specific detail was fantastic! You used a lot of specifics when explaining the house boat and painted a vivid picture of what you’d see daily. The message that I got while reading your essay is you can lose your loved ones, but your memories will always keep them alive in your heart. You show the closeness you had with your grandparents and I believe everyone can connect to that. Not necessarily with grandparents, but with someone who they’re very close too. I’m not too sure what the message on home is about. Possibly, you’ll always have “home” with you? I’m not too sure, but I think it’s a really good draft. There’s a lot of raw emotion involved. I think the structure is perfect, you touch base on major pieces within the timeline. Your lead definitely grabbed my attention with all the detail. I think all aspects of the draft were done well. I would maybe just try and hint to a message of what “home” means to you within the last paragraph of the essay.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it and I’m sorry for the loss of your grandfather!