Hooray for Ben C. Spaniel!
July 31, 2011
While We Were at the Shore...
Benny and Flash stayed at the 7 Bends Kennel. One of the vets prescribed a new ear medication (Posatex) for Benny, who has long suffered intermittent infections in his right ear. It worked very well, clearing up the yeast and most of the bacteria.
Hooray for Ben C. Spaniel!
Hooray for Ben C. Spaniel!
Earlier Post: Cocker Spaniel Ears (2010)
Labels:
Dogs
July 30, 2011
Frank, Food, Beach Towns

But actually, he was good-natured about posing and doesn't mind being pictured online, so I take advantage and use him as a model.
Labels:
Eastern Shore,
Family
July 29, 2011
Basic Geography of our Island Trip

For our trip to the Eastern Shore, we entered at the southern tip of the peninsula via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It's 20 miles long and quite an engineering feat. We drove up US 13 (for about an hour not including a stop for dinner at Wachapreague) and turned east at Wattsville to reach the islands. On our homeward journey we took a northward route, stopping at Ocean City and then driving to the upper Chesapeake Bay Bridge and from there westward toward home.
Labels:
Eastern Shore,
Ocean
July 28, 2011
Assateague National Seashore
Assateague Island, VA
When you enter the island, you pay a National Parks fee and it covers the wildlife refuge attractions and the seashore. If you have a National Parks Pass, you don't need to pay. Frank bought the Senior Pass when we visited Yorktown in 2007 and we've been using it ever since.
Labels:
Eastern Shore,
Family,
Ocean,
Recreation
July 27, 2011
History Told at Assateague Lighthouse
As we climbed the steps inside the lighthouse, I paused on the landings to look out the windows and read the paper signs. One told about the Civil War Years on Assateague and its neighbor Chincoteague Island. The lighthouse that existed at that time was shorter (45 feet tall) and dated from 1833. Here's an excerpt:
At one point rebels did manage to put the Assateague light out. The Confederates wanted to ship arms through the channel to the mainland and tried to get past Chincoteague and into the bay under disguise. A rebel schooner did reach the mainland and in response to a request for help, in 1861 U.S.S. Louisiana was sent up from Hampton Roads to intercept it.
After that a Union platoon was based at the lighthouse and another on Chincoteague. The loyalty of the islanders was recognized when free transport of seafood to the north was granted.
Throughout the war peninsula farms were an important source of food for the Union army.
(Notes by Chincoteague Natural History Association.)

Click on the image to see a large version.
Labels:
Civil War,
Eastern Shore,
Signs
Short Film from the Assateague Light

In case you notice that the location seems a long way from the water, it is farther than it was originally. The island has changed over the years, with land building up in some spots and washing away in others. This is the nature of barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean.
Labels:
Eastern Shore,
Ocean
July 26, 2011
Climbing the Assateague Lighthouse
It had been years since I'd hiked to the light house on Assateague Island. Since Frank's sister was with us and the light house and adjacent art gallery were open, we decided to make the quarter-mile walk to the light.
Frank walked the trail with us but declined to climb the 198 steps up to the top. His sister and I made it up there while Frank stayed on the ground where mosquitos punished him without mercy.
The last photo shows the view toward Chincoteague Island.
Frank walked the trail with us but declined to climb the 198 steps up to the top. His sister and I made it up there while Frank stayed on the ground where mosquitos punished him without mercy.
For visitor info, see the Assateague Island site.
The last photo shows the view toward Chincoteague Island.
Labels:
Creeks and Rivers,
Eastern Shore,
Recreation
July 25, 2011
Sea Treasures... and Bricks
We stopped at an odd little shop in Chincoteague to look for souvenirs. The floor inside was made of bricks from far and wide. The woman running the shop said that customers bring in bricks sometimes to add to the collection. These include some from Grafton, WV. (Yep, we've been to Grafton.)
The subject in the right-hand photo was obscured by a reflection on the glass, but I like it anyway.
Labels:
Eastern Shore
July 24, 2011
Chincoteague Ponies
Chincoteague Island, VA
Chincoteague is famous for its ponies and we saw some for sale next to McDonald's on Maddox Boulevard.
The 2011 Chincoteague Pony Swim is coming up in a few days: July 27! At "slack tide," ponies from Assateague will swim across the channel to Chincoteague. After resting, they will parade to the carnival grounds. See the Pony Swim site.
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Labels:
Eastern Shore,
Horses,
Recreation
July 23, 2011
Egret, Assateague Island
This is a pretty common scene on Assateague Island. The marshes are home to many birds.
See earlier post, The Egret Flies.
Labels:
Birds,
Eastern Shore
July 22, 2011
July 21, 2011
Gulls on a Rail
Chincoteague, VA

While I'm not an advocate of feeding gulls from your deck (lest they become a nuisance), I enjoyed seeing them up close and photographing them.
We were at the Assateague Inn, where we stayed in June 2008 and also on an earlier trip to the Eastern Shore.
Labels:
Birds,
Eastern Shore
July 20, 2011
Return to Wachapreague
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At the Island House Restaurant |
Labels:
Eastern Shore,
Family
July 19, 2011
Afternoon in Glebe Harbor
We took Frank's sister to Glebe Harbor and showed her the pretty little beach on the lower Potomac.
We also checked on the house recently vacated there by our long-time tenant.
For more views of this beach, see
Labels:
Creeks and Rivers,
Family,
Northern Neck
July 18, 2011
The Hollingsworth Mill, Winchester
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Stone Mill, Circa 1833 |
This mill was built on the site of an earlier grist mill from the 18th century. Now a museum, it stands near Abram's Delight and the Winchester Visitors Center on Pleasant Valley Road.

The Civil War Trails marker for Abram's Delight tells us that the house is "experienced the passage of both Union and Confederate armies during the war." Read the complete text on HMDB.org.
"In the spring of 1864, Union Gen. Franz Sigel and several of his staff members occupied Abram’s Delight."Another marker tells us more about the Hollingsworth family and the mill.
Labels:
Civil War,
Mills,
Shenandoah,
Signs
July 17, 2011
Abram's Delight
Named for Abraham Hollingsworth, early settler in Winchester, Virginia

We enjoyed visiting it and the adjacent mill which is now a museum. You can read about the family and the property on the Winchester-Frederick Historical Society website.
Labels:
Colonial Virginia,
Shenandoah
July 16, 2011
Log Cabin at Abram's Delight
Winchester, VA
This log cabin was moved from downtown Winchester and rebuilt at Abram's Delight. It represents the sort of cabin that Abraham Hollingsworth built around 1728.Link: Abram's Delight on Washington's Frontier Forts Website
Labels:
Colonial Virginia
July 15, 2011
July 13, 2011
July 12, 2011
We Have Fawns!
I saw them on the road when I was walking Benny: two spotted fawns with their mom. A few days later we saw them from the car.
Labels:
Deer
July 11, 2011
July 10, 2011
July 8, 2011
On Skyline Drive
A week ago we took Frank's siblings to Shenandoah National Park. I didn't take many pictures this time. We did see a bear though! He was ambling off in the woods not far from the Drive. I was driving the car and could not get a photo of him.
Labels:
Blue Ridge,
Family,
Misc. Animals,
Shenandoah
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