Shenandoah Barns and Farming Equipment

Sharing with The Barn Collective and Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday.

This Should Do It for My Ocean City Posts.

Random-osity
 

The Good: Since I have a weakness for artwork showing horses, I pulled off when I saw this mural with an Assateague Island scene. This is on Stephen Decatur Drive. (If that name is vaguely familiar, think U.S. Navy history.) 

The Random: Pictures taken at the Paradise Plaza, where we stayed. The hotel was good but I found things to complain about. If it had not been so expensive, I might not have been so picky except for the slippery tile floor, a treacherous tub/shower, and a broken phone. We had a great view!

The Fun: It was fun seeing Frank's daughters and their families, even though I did not get to enjoy the food at most meals due to my allergies and upset stomach.

Shadows, Reflections, Boardwalk, Beach.

Ocean City, Maryland.

From our hotel I could look down on the boardwalk. The boardwalk runs almost two and a half miles, with buildings on one side, and on the other, a sand beach bordering on the Atlantic Ocean.

The flag of the state of Maryland (below) is based on the coat of arms of the Calvert family, the colonial proprietors of Maryland.

We had some rain so there are reflections on the boardwalk in the final image.

Weekend Reflections and 

Shadow Shot Sunday.

NPS Visitor Center, Assateague

This is on the Maryland end of Assateague Island. There are nature exhibits, maps, books, and souvenirs. (There is another Visitor Center on the Virginia end of the Island.)

One exhibit addresses the challenge of rising sea levels. Barrier islands already face erosion from storms, and higher sea levels are a threat to their existence.

I wanted to also share a sign warning to keep your food where wild horses cannot reach it. "The human food and packaging horses consume can cause severe diarrhea and intestinal blockage."

The sign is placed in front of a horse skeleton.

The final photo shows one of the wild horses that I featured a few days ago. This picture is from my cell phone so it's a wider angle and shows more of the marshy habitat.

Sharing with Saturday's Critters.

Willy Nilly Friday, Eastern Shore Edition.

Five Photos for Willy Nilly Friday and other Linkups.

1. From our hotel balcony I could see Ocean City's Ferris Wheel.

2. I could look down on the boardwalk and watch the tourists.

3. Assateague Island was only a 20-minute drive away.

4. Story of the Dunes Trail, Assateague Island National Seashore.

5. On our way back to Ocean City, we stopped for gas here.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign.

Five More Assateague Island Pictures.

Assateague Island is a special place. It retains a feeling of wilderness. I prefer it to over-built seashore areas like Ocean City.

This year we were on the Maryland portion of the island. The southern part is in Virginia.

I noticed that a number of visitors had dogs on leashes. Dogs are not allowed on the Virginia half of the island for fear that they might molest the wildlife.

Much of Assateague is wetlands. The park service has built boardwalks so that you can walk over the marsh. This is one place where you don't want to forget the insect repellent! (I'm pretty sure you can buy it at the Visitors Center, but we keep some in the car.)

Beach Birds and Ponies

Frank had made reservations for Ocean City months ago. We were looking forward to seeing his daughters but as the date approached, the weather forecast was not good. Rain storms every day!

It turned out to be not so bad. We did have rain on the way there, but our first full day at the beach was partly cloudy with wind but little rain. The next day was similar, and by Monday the sun came out. Finally rain storms moved in on Tuesday while we were driving home.

I didn't see many birds other than gulls, perhaps because of the wind. On Monday we went to Assateague Island, on the Maryland side. (There is no road that goes the length of the island, so to reach the Virginia stretch of the island, you have to drive inland and then back out over Chincoteague Island. We've been there many times but this time we were a short drive from the Maryland end of the island.)

I had told Frank's sons-in-law that we would see wild ponies, and the ponies cooperated. Signs warn you to stay 40 feet from them, but these seemed very accustomed to tourists. Still, I zoomed in to get these pictures. 

In the final image, there are a few birds standing in the foreground. Far away on the right side is a herd of wild ponies. 

To see more photos from this area, page through my Eastern Shore posts.

A Worcestor County Treasure.

Random-osity and Tuesday Treasures.
 

The Good: On the Maryland part of Assateague Island there's an old boathouse that was used by the U.S. Life Saving Service before it became part of the Coast Guard. 

The Random: When we were here ten years ago, the building was not open, but yesterday the Park Service had it open and staffed. A "Lyle Gun" exhibit showed how a small cannon was used to propel a rope out to a ship that had run aground.

The Fun: The reason we were on Maryland's Eastern Shore was for a reunion with Frank's children and their families. Here's most of the gang meeting for breakfast. Not in the picture are Dave and Frank.

Ryley, Rusty, Kate, Sue, Doug, Me, Alice, Josie, Allison.

Mural on a Blacksmith Shop.

I read that there were new murals in the town of Dayton, VA. Lynn and I drove around town and found them on the side of  a blacksmith shop. l

When I pulled into the parking lot of the shop, a horse and buggy followed me in. The driver unhitched his horse from the buggy and lead it into the bay of the shop. Soon I heard the metallic sound of horseshoes being tapped onto the horse's feet. 

Dayton is in an agricultural area where there are Mennonite families.

Sharing with Monday Murals.

Views at Rushville Road Church

Recently I met Lynn for lunch in Harrisonburg and we took a ride through nearby Dayton. Just west of there we saw this plain but well-kept church at the corner of Rushville Road and Coakley Town Road. A couple of girls in long dresses were there riding bicycles but they waved and rode off. 

I pulled into the parking lot to take a picture and noticed row upon row of posts and rails. It took me a minute to reason out what they are.

This is a Mennonite Church and we were in the horse parking lot! Mennonites often ride in horse-drawn buggies, especially on their way to church. The long rows of hitching posts provide places to tie the horses.

I did not see a sign but a map tells me it is the Rushville Road Old Order Mennonite Church. Next to it is Pleasant View Cemetery. The views are pleasant indeed! 

I've never been in a horse parking lot before! There were rows of trees providing shade for the animals. This is a beautiful place.

Sharing with InSpired Sunday, The Barn Collective, and Shadow Shot Sunday.