Holland Island

[J. Rentch]

Saw this short video on Facebook recently. Very informative about the lower eastern shore islands.

https://www.facebook.com/crisfieldmd...3246564653857/

[RavensDfense]

I'm currently reading Chesapeake Requiem. Its all about the vanishing Tangier Island. It also includes a little history on the other islands. Highly recommend it if you like the video Rentch posted. Here is the link....

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...l_1csixu0ojd_e

[J. Rentch]

I just picked up Chesapeake Requim, my son said it was good.

[RavensDfense]

I just picked up Chesapeake Requim, my son said it was good.

I’m about half way through. Bit slow, but if you enjoy local history, it’s pretty entertaining.

[J. Rentch]

��

[rob-kayak]

Thanks for the info.. if you prefer the actual video on YouTube rather than facebook.. you can find it here on the Md Sea Grant..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H46Pb8pEMfM

and the rest of the videos from Md Sea Grant's YouTube page you'll find more great vids.
https://www.youtube.com/user/MDSeaGrant/videos

[rob-kayak]

@RavensDefense
thanks for the book tip.. I'll definitely be giving it a read this winter.
You guys might also like
An Island Out of Time
a Memoir of Smith Island in the Chesapeake
by Tom Horton (who I believe lives in Berlin Md now)
this book can be found in many libraries.

Another really excellent book... I've enjoyed reading over and over.. is..
Rivers of the Eastern Shore
Seventeen Maryland Rivers
by Hulbert Footner
this book was first written in 1944.
It first tells about the history of the Chesapeake Bay.
And goes on to give the history of the many rivers.
It's great because when you tuck into a little creek or tributary you'll learn of the people it was named after and much of it's history.
Since it was written in 1944... the stories and information.. 20 and 50 previous to it's publishing.. were not too distant.
So they seem "fresh," although it is now 75+ years ago... when reading.. you have the feeling of stepping back in time to the actual publishing date.

[Mark]

Great thread.

rob-kayak -- Thanks for the additional recommendations. I will definitely seek them out.

Chesapeake Requiem is available at the A.A. County Library. However, there is a waiting list. I've been on it for weeks. It must be a good book.

Another excellent book about our local waters is Beautiful Swimmers by William Warner. It's well over 20 years old but a timeless look at our Bay's blue crabs and the waterman who pursue them. It's currently available without waiting to A.A. County Library users.

A couple of years ago I ran across this book: Fly Fishing the Tidewaters of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay by Brett Gaba. The author was at a winter fishing show on Kent Island selling his book. I met him there and purchased a copy. It's very good. Not only does it provide practical fly fishing advice for our local tidal waters, it talks about the Chesapeake lifestyle on the Eastern Shore. Gaba's book is available on Amazon and in the A.A. County Library.

[J. Rentch]

Thanks!

[rob-kayak]

Another interesting read is
Fish On Friday
by Brian Fagan

I found the book at our thrift store for 50cents.... it caught my eye because growing up we always had "Fish on Friday."


An occasional recipe is provided...
Description.
"Fish on Friday tells a new story of the discovery of America. In Brian Fagan's view, that discovery is the product of the long sweep of history: the spread of Christianity and the radical cultural changes it brought to Europe, the interaction of economic necessity with a changing climate, and generations of unknown fishermen who explored the North Atlantic in the centuries before Columbus. The Church's tradition of not eating meats on holy days created a vast market for fish that could not be fully satisfied by fish farms, better boats, or new preservation techniques. Then, when climate change in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries diminished fish stocks off Norway and Iceland, fishermen were forced to range ever farther to the west - eventually discovering incredibly rich shoals within sight of Newfoundland."

And of course....
Salt water worthy... I provide this for the digitally handicapped youth (ie: born with cell phones in their hands)
The Log From the Sea of Cortez..
by John Steinbeck
I believe there are two versions... one is abridged (truncated) from the actual logs.
I suggest the full logs version.

The days are getting shorter... and more time to read... a simpler way of life.

If you can get into podcasts....
I realllly like listening to these guys out of Australia... Radio 2GB
Outdoor and Fishing Show
This is the raw RSS link... where you can get the audio archives..
for computer or maybe phone...
https://www.omnycontent.com/d/playli...d3/podcast.rss
On my Android phone I use Podcast Republic app... and you find the show searching the name Outdoor and Fishing Show
A couple of weeks ago... an old timer called in and described how they would use the 200foot ladders that were installed, by the "village" many years ago to go down the cliffs to fish to provide substance for the village...
Great fun show.

And Kayak Fishing Radio out of Florida... these guys like to fly fish (hint hint Mark !)
currently they have not been updating their weekly show as they go through a transitional phase..
but lots of old shows.
Raw link...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kayakfishingradio/podcast
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/thekayakfishingradio/

It's not winter yet... so save these for those long cold nights... or sit by the fire like I do and enjoy.

[yakscientist]

Fish on Friday was a required read for a class I took in college as an elective, "Food and Culture"...it was a great class that confirmed what I already knew, that food had a major impact on world history and continues to shape our current culture. That book was excellent, and I also recommend "The Shaman's Apprentice," I think that's the title.

[Mark]

My reserved library copy of Chesapeake Requiem finally came in this month. I was on the waiting list since October which attests, I believe, to the high demand for the book.

I finished it last night and I have to agree with others here that it's an excellent read on many levels -- its detailed descriptions of watermen at work, including the economic uncertainties and physical dangers they face; its characterization of the strong sense of community of Tangier's residents; its assessments of the social strengths and problems of such a small insular community; and its portrayal of their hopes for a future on a shrinking island that without significant and costly human intervention, will disappear like so many other Chesapeake islands.

The weather forecast indicates we'll have few local opportunities to get out on the water ourselves in the near future. If during that down time you want to understand what it really means to live and work on the water, and what it's like when that water is both the source of your livelihood and poses a threat to your very existence, you should read Chesapeake Requiem. It's well worth your time.

[J. Rentch]

Well written Mark!

[Mark]

Well written Mark!

Not as well as the book, John! I thought the author presented an extremely balanced account about a complex environmental and social situation.