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.

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.

Last Year in Girdletree

Last summer we vacationed on the Eastern Shore and I never did post all my photos. These scenes are from the small town of Girdletree, Maryland. I pulled into a parking spot just to take these pictures. 

Barnes Bank, c. 1902

I was intrigued by the town's name. Girdling trees is a way of killing them by removing a band of bark and early settlers did this to clear land. (See the Maryland Forest Site for more about this.)

A Bench by A Marsh

Sharing with Black and White Wednesday

and Wordless Wednesday and Wednesday Around the World

Cambridge, Maryland

Cambridge turned out to be a charming town.  Cambridge is on the Choptank River near the Chesapeake Bay.

Sharing with Shadow Shot Sunday and Scenic Weekends

Photo Blind

Bird blinds have been around for centuries but they used to be crude shelters used by hunters. Now they are popular with photographers, especially in open marshy areas where you want to observe the birds without scaring them off.

This one is in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. I was there on a rainy morning and did not see any birds from the blind.

Sharing with Black and White Weekend

Abandoned and Reclaimed

Near Cambridge, Maryland

Sharing with Sepia Saturday and Camera Critters

Critters at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge

Egret

Rear View

Osprey

We stayed a night at a Comfort Inn in Cambridge, Maryland. I wanted to visit nearby Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge because I've heard it was worth seeing and I've seen some great bird pictures from there on other blogs.

Unfortunately, rain arrived at the refuge at the same time that we did. We drove the "wildlife drive" in the rain, which let up as we arrived at the visitor center. Then it was time to leave for home and we did not get to see any bald eagles or Delmarva Squirrels. At least we managed to get pictures of ospreys and egrets.  

Sharing with Saturday's Critters and Saturday Silhouettes

and The Bird D'pot

Visitor Center at the Refuge

Near Cambridge, Maryland

The Visitor Center at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has exhibits to help you understand the marshland environment and the challenges of protecting it.

The marsh is home to many birds plus other animals including the rare Delmarva fox squirrel.

Behind the building is a native plant garden which looked lovely even in the heat of late summer.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday 
and Our Town Shootout, Topic = Late Summer

and Orange You Glad it's Friday

An exhibit shows how scientists measure the depth of the marsh and the rise in sea levels. Since the 1930s, Blackwater has lost over 5,000 acres of habitat as sea levels rose faster than the marsh can build elevation. 

Sculpture: Monarch Butterflies