This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt is a photo of a
footbridge in Mosman Bay on the north shore of Sydney Harbor. People stopping to chat, some boaters, and a
dog bring life to the scene.
So why did these young people cross the footbridge?
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| Friends of Violetta Davis early 1920s |
To get to the other side, of course!
So they could do this:
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| Violetta Davis Ryan far right |
Where my great-aunt Violetta Davis and her friends were swimming that
day is not easy to determine since she didn’t bother to identify the Who, What,
Where, When or Why.
A favorite swimming hole for those living in Shenandoah,
Virginia, was “Blue Hole.” But that
seems to be the popular name for any spot in the river wide enough and deep
enough for people to swim. There were at
least three Blue Holes where Violetta and her friends could seek
relief from the heat of summer. The
closest was in nearby Naked Creek near Elkton, Virginia.
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| "Luxury" Blue Hole near Elkton, Virginia scanned from Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People |
Judging by that rock outcropping in both pictures, I think they were right here in Naked Creek bringing life to the otherwise quiet swimming hole.
A simple CLICK will serve as your footbridge to more
interpretations of today’s theme at Sepia Saturday.
In response to the request for more information on Naked Creek, please click HERE for an update.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
Naked Creek sounds like a place for skinny dipping. I hadn't heard of "blue holes" before.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised if a little of that had gone on.
DeleteI was thinking the same thoughts as Postcardy.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
I was going to ask how Naked Creek got its name. Our holes were all called 'Thirty-foot' but none were as deep as that. Skinny dipping was frowned upon as the river ran alongside a railway line.
ReplyDeleteSkinny dipping would be risky by the railroad, although with enough speed no one would get much of a look anyway.
DeleteWendy this was quite a fun splash in the water! Best kind of fun around bridges ever! We may need more info on the Nake Creek! Hahahahaha! I went for the more wintry bridges-only since it's Dec first! Can you believe it? It seems it was only summer- what happened!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, posting a "summer" story felt contrary to the time, that's for sure.
DeleteNaked Creek? Now that would be an interesting swimming hole to visit!
ReplyDeleteThis brings back memories for me of a swimming hole near my home when we were growing up. We could ride our bicycles to it and splashed around trapping frogs and having a great time, totally unsupervised. The kind of freedom kids today will rarely enjoy.
ReplyDelete"I was going to ask how Naked Creek got its name"??
ReplyDelete"We may need more info on the Naked Creek!"??
On behalf of the SS-crowd I DEMAND everything there is to know about Naked Creek!!!!!
Done -- see the bottom of the blog for a link to the update. But just remember, you asked for it!
DeleteIs that a hole in the wood plank of the footbridge? Yikes! I wouldn't want to cross that at night!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the "lazy, hazy, crazy, days of summer" those kids were enjoying. What fun!
I kept looking at that "dark spot" and wondered what it was. I bet you're right. Falling through that hole would not be pleasant.
DeleteThe best swimming places ever; I remember places like this; such good times.
ReplyDeleteWe had quarries (abandoned, of course)for summer swimming! There was one near the farm we used whenever haying: bale, load onto the truck and, on the way back to the barn, stop off for a quick dip in the quarry to wash off all that hay chaff that itched so much! Naked Creek sounds perfect to me!
ReplyDeleteA place like this reminds me of a creek we used to swim in when I was in college in West Virginia. What a beautiful place to cool off from those humid days. Very nice post. :)
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a swimming hole we had as kids, today it no longer exists diversion of waterways, and construction, etc. Sadly I have not a single photo of those days....nice photos
ReplyDeleteThat's a nicely composed bridge shot. It's funny how people love to have their pictures taken on bridges; I bet we all have at least one in oir albums.
ReplyDeleteNaked Creek lots of history there! Momma and Daddy took me up to the Blue Hole, but it wasn't looking so blue =)
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to have a bathing pool nearby in the heat of the summer. I bet they were swimming as often as possible.
ReplyDeleteThat Naked Creek swimming hole looks really dangerous. I'll bet parents wouldn't let their kids swim there today. It's amazing how we've all survived dangerous places like that. And it's also amazing how sheltering parents are today.
ReplyDeleteNancy
Those people in the swimming hope look like my mom's generation in the early 1930s. We swam in the abandoned rock quarry near our home when I was just a little girl. No swimming pools until about 1952.
ReplyDeleteQMM
I've found a few of those suspension footbridges across the mountain creeks and rivers. They used to be more common in the Appalachians to connect homes and villages that otherwise had a long road to the next proper bridge. And who's holding the camera for Violetta?
ReplyDeleteMike, If you look closely at the bridge picture, there is a 4th person peeking over the girl's shoulder. Then in another photo that I didn't use, there is another guy and a young boy. So it seems there were 5 or 6 people there that day.
DeleteHi Wendy! Great pictures. I would love to go swimming there. It brings back memories from living in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where there are many great swimming holes like this. Thanks for sharing these with us.
ReplyDeleteKathy M.
The bridge becomes a bridge to a story, and a fascinating story at that. Great Sepia Saturday post.
ReplyDeleteI think these were the perfect answer to Alan's prompt on SS.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great place to have fun.
:)~
HUGZ
I remember visiting my grandmother's cousin who lived on Naked Creek. I think her name was Lettie. I remember catching crawfish in the creek. My great grandmother Ila Merica's home was just up the way from Lettie's house near Grindstone Mountain.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely surprise seeing your post about Naked Creek and Blue Hole! It's still a family favorite and within walking distance of home. How it got it's name is a mystery. Grandpa Wyant's theory was our floods happen quick leave us as naked as the mountain top. Your theory is more believable but pappy's has stood up with what I've seen.
ReplyDelete