There were several things to consider before we decided to go - the first and most important being Caleb. I felt guilty leaving him for several days since he'd only been away from me twice overnight - only one of those times being for a 24 hr time period. On the other hand, I feel investing in spending quality time with Dave and strengthening our marriage is important as well and wasn't sure when our next opportunity for such a retreat would be after the new little one arrives. Since I knew Caleb would be in good hands with my parents and sister, we decided to go for it. (For the most part, he was having so much fun I think he hardly remembered we were gone.)
We decided to stay relatively nearby and visit an island on the eastern shore called Chincoteague. I first learned of this place from Amy Jamison, one of my best childhood friends, after her family visited there when we were in elementary school. For those who've never heard of it, Chincoteague is famous because of the wild horses found on the nearby island Assateague. The ponies are thought to have descended from domesticated ponies. Although it is debated how they arrived, it is believed by some that they ended up on the island as a result of a shipwreck. Every year, the Chincoteague residents hold a pony roundup, gathering the ponies, forcing them to swim across the Assateague channel, selling the younger ponies, and then returning the others to their island. This helps keep the population of wild horses under control so the land can sustain them. On the Virginia side of the island the ponies are technically owned by the Chincoteague Fire Department even though they are wild. When the foals are sold, the profit goes to helping to support this organization. (The ponies on the Maryland side are owned by the National Park Service.) The "Pony Swim," as the event is called, is usually held in July I think, but there are other round-ups to provide veterinary care other times throughout the year as well to the ponies. Since Dave and I arrived September 16th, there was no "Pony Swim" for us to enjoy but that also meant not as many crowds either.
The first day we piddled around the house awhile getting ready to leave somewhat out of hesitancy to leave my boy for a few days. Finally, we got on the road and made it to our destination in the early evening hours. Since it was so late we just checked into our room and went out to enjoy a local seafood restaurant. On our way to dinner, we took a scenic view of the island to see where everything was and choose our dining locale. Here is a picture of the sunset that evening; it isn't quite like the real thing but is still worth sharing:
We also stopped at a local souvenir shop to buy the book that made Chincoteague famous - Misty. For those who haven't read the book, it is a Newberry Medal winning children's novel that summarizes the history of the ponies, the pony roundup, and other info about the island. Everywhere you go it seems there are Misty souvenirs or Misty exhibits to view. Several advertisements even claimed to have Misty and her colt Stormy preserved, but we skipped these attractions - dead horses are not romantic. Anyway, I found the book very cheap and picked up my copy. I'd plan to borrow it from the library before the trip and read it but things didn't work out as planned. Maybe it's good they didn't because it was fun to read the book while I was actually there. I began and finished it that evening and feel like I got so much more out of the trip from having read it.
The next morning, Dave and I went to explore the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island. We originally planned to rent bicycles and go into the park that way since admission for cyclists is waived, but rain was in the forecast so we took the car and it was a good thing we did. Shortly after entering the park we saw several people pulled off to the side of the road looking at something. We figured where there's a crowd there must be wild ponies. In our whole morning of pony hunting these where the only ones we found unfortunately, but at least our trip wasn't in vain and we saw a few of the animals that prompted this whole excursion.
While in the park we checked out the beach and the nature centers as well.
Much less crowded that Ocean City, the beaches probably would have been wonderful during the summer months. While we did see a
some bare feet, no one was brave enough to be in a swimsuit while
we were visiting the beach. Some even donned winter coats against the winds
which may have been more intense as a result of the recent coastal storms.
There was a hands-on tank to explore some of the local sea life. Dave is cautiously handling an Atlantic horseshoe crab that
I don't think wants to be bothered.
Even though the sign said it was safe to touch, thatcrab looked fierce!
I think this is a knobbed welk.
If is isn't plainly obvious from the picture, I was cold, cold, cold thatday! Here I have a long sleeve shirt, hoodie sweatshirt, and Dave's jacket.
View from the nature center
More of the view
The lighthouse is is in the very center ofthis picture in the distance.
After the Pony Centre, Dave hiked to a lighthouse and tried some other trails in search of ponies but found none. I wasn't feeling well so I spent some time resting in the room which was actually a wonderful opportunity for alone time I don't get often without having a list of a million things to do. Not long after Dave returned soaked from the rain and we decided to head to a movie. The local theater was closed for some reason but I found a restored theater in Pocomoke City, MD called The Mar-Va Theater. Normally, it appears that theatrical productions are performed on stage there but this particular evening the had a big screen and were showing The Help. It was such an interesting experience because it seemed that everyone from their entire town had come out for this movie which was only being shown twice if I remember correctly. We were definitely the outsiders as we watched everyone greet each other. The lady sitting next to me explained the theater was an institution for the people who grew up there - she herself having had her first date there years ago. She was thrilled when it was restore recently. I loved watching the whole scene.
The next morning I was aching to see my baby boy so we ate breakfast and headed back. (It was still raining anyway so there wasn't too much to do around the island.) Just outside of Chincoteague there was a NASA visitor center in Wallops Island, VA that Dave wanted to check out so we stopped to take a peak and then fought the traffic back home.
It was a nice getaway together and it helped us feel refreshed but neither of us is cut out for being away from Caleb very long - 52 hrs was about all our hearts could handle. I was so glad to see and love on our sweet fella that evening. He'd enjoyed spending time with his grandparents' and Aunt Courtney, watching Aristocats, and playing at his cousin Hayden's birthday party but I think he missed us too - a little. :)
