After visiting with family in Baltimore, Pat and I drove further down the coast to Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. They are located on the border of the Southern tip of Maryland and the Northern tip of Virginia at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast on Chincoteague Island. It was the same B and B that we had booked to celebrate my 50th birthday but had to cancel due to mom's illness. It took me 20 months to get back but the owners held our reservation and let me tell you, it was well worth the wait.
When I was a girl, I was horse crazy, as many young girls seem to be and I grew up reading Marguerite Henry's novels about the Wild Ponies of Assateague Island. Her book "Misty of Chincoteague", published in 1947, was a childhood favourite and it inspired me to want to make a trip to the area.
Chincoteague is a residential area, populated with older style homes, quaint stores and seaside shops. It is attached to Assateague Island by a small causeway which is easily accessible by bicycle. The B and B had bikes for us to use and no bike locks were required. You can leave your bike anywhere, on either island, and it will not go missing. What a joy. When we arrived we changed into shorts and hit the road. Within 20 minutes we were within sight of the ponies and due to their familiarity with people we had some very close encounters. The stallion seemed to really like Pat! Ironically, on our drive to Chincoteague, Pat and I talked about many things but one theme, legacy, kept coming up. It was surprising to discover then, that the stallion that spent so much time around Pat was named Legacy!
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| My inspiration! |
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| 1848 Island Manor House |
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| Spring Yellow! |
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| Assateague Island Lighthouse |
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| Legacy (in front) and his mares. |
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| This mare looks like she is with foal. |
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| A close encounter with Legacy! |
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| Horse selfie! |
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| Pat on the Beach! |
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| Bird friends! |
