Sheffield, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Kenneth C. Hall, his wife and daughter rowing on the Tennessee River. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein for the Tennessee Valley Authority, June 1942. View full image.
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Fri, 11/09/2007 - 8:38am.
I'd say they are paddling. Rowing requires two oars that one person pulls at the same time, sitting with his/her back to the direction in which the boat is going. (Unless you are part of a several-person crew in a special rowing shell.) This is paddling, as if they were in a canoe except the boat is square and flat and.....umm...well, maybe there's some special Alabama word for what they are doing with those wooden things in their hands.
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 8:48pm.
My grandfather had a flat-prow wooden rowboat that he used on the Delaware River to get from his place to the nearest town to do his shopping. It always had water in it, no matter how much tar he coated the bottom with. You can see the bailing can between the paddlers. Essential boat equipment.
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 4:10pm.
Looks like the sun is shining in their eyes (thus the squinting) and the mom and girl are both looking at the dog. More concern for the pup than themselves.
I think they look worried, and with some reason. Trying to get back to the river bank fast. It seems that their boat is filling with water, the father has some to his ankles, the daughter looks at the river with grim expectations, and the dog has already decided to try his luck swimming.
