This 1972 photo of Sherri Marsh Johns and her dad, Calvin “Junie” Marsh, was submitted for CBMM’s upcoming exhibit, “Snapshots to Selfies: 50 years of Chesapeake Summers.” This exhibit, a collection of community-submitted summer stories and photos, will feature the memories of Bay folks from the last 50 years, doing what we have always done during the Chesapeake’s laziest days- enjoying the water.

Sherri writes,

“This was my first fishing trip after Dad bough my first fishing rod.  We are aboard his 42 ft. Bay-built  box stern, the Sherri Michelle.   Although he was a waterman he didn’t own a fishing rod –if you look closely you will see he is using a hand line.  I can still see those tough hands able to pull up a fishing line without using a reel.  

Buying a fishing rod for me when he didn’t have one himself was such a gesture of love from a man who was not good at communicating emotions.   Here I too young to appreciate any of that and am staring with at the rod with complete impatience waiting for a bite.

When I look at this photo and imagine what it would look like if it were taken now.  The boat would be fiber glass, the glass coke bottle would be a cardboard juice box, I would under the protection of sunscreen, glasses and a hat and required to wear a PFD.  Many things change, fortunately not the tradition of fathers teaching their daughters to fish.”

To submit your own photos and stories, go to http://bit.ly/1c2t2bT and share your summer snaps from the last 50 years!