Summer is winding down on us in 2020, but let’s go back 4 decades to find the Chapman family enjoying some time at the beach. That’s Judy (DeVoe) Chapman on the left, the mama, bucket in hand and peering down ready to spot a sand dollar, or find a message in a bottle, corked by a stranger in a foreign land, or to kick any adventure-seeking creepy crawly sand-crabs that wander between her toes. More likely, they were just searching for some freshly swept in by the waves sea shells. That’s my cousin Tracy knelt down and ready for the incoming water, a glance over to Jerry, who I presume is our photographer; and standing adjacent is her younger sister Terri, likely discussing with Judy a strategy for the beach-wanderings.

For dates — the back states simply July of 1976 as the processing date, in this case, likely close to the date of their actual travel — we’ll assume it’s within a few months of that. This is around the time of the national bicentennial. Judy would be 35 years old; Tracy 12 approaching 13 and Terri 10 nearing 11.

For location — I’ll presume we are oceanic here, though Great Lakes is on the list of possibilities. Was this a family vacation for some nice summer recreation or some other occasion?

The photo itself was fading quite a bit — I blued up the water, straightened the horizon a bit, and it cleaned up rather well.

Infobox

Questions

• Where was this taken at?
• Any memories about that trip?