Boulder and Chincoteague

It was cool enough last night that I turned the fans off inside the apartment, but had to turn them back on again at 7 this morning - mainly because of the humidity.  Lovey is asleep in her chair, while Nedi is outside.  The little guy had a fright this morning when Harvey jumped his patio fence and ran out to play - Harvey weighs 10 pounds now, and is only at a quarter of his normal growth. (His father weighs 43 pounds.)  Nedi isn't used to being chased by rabbits who want a playmate...
  Colorado is back into a "monsoonal" weather pattern - we're having slow moving rainstorms each afternoon with a great deal of lightning and thunder.  Because of that, Boulder was under a Flash Flood Warning last night, but we were lucky and didn't get a big rush of storm water in the Creek.  Two people in Rocky Mountain National Park were not so lucky - they were struck and killed by lightning, one on Friday, one on Saturday, and seven others were injured.  I don't know how we can convince tourists that lightning is more deadly at higher elevations.
  I start taking care of Maggie May tomorrow; while I'll miss my kits, I'll be happy in a slightly cooler adobe-built home.  They have a swamp cooler, but no central air conditioning, and it's great when it's hot and dry out.  Plus I have access to the internet there, as well as a huge TV screen and sound system.  I'll watch my new copy of Kon-Tiki and my first season Vikings DVD, as well as several other movies I haven't seen in a while, getting my fill of Richard Boone and Ken Curtis. I'll also have the use of the Rav4 to drive about in, instead of having to use the bus.  The only time I dislike the bus is during the summer, because of the heat; I can drive from Maggie's to my place in 8 minutes, but on the bus the process takes 55 minutes and sometimes 75 minutes, if a connection is missed.  But I only complain about it during the summer heat...
  Just a few more days before photos of the Chincoteague ponies start clogging my e-mail system, and I can't wait...
   I often wonder if I'm terribly "childish" in getting so exited over an annual event that happens whether I'm there to watch, or not - and is it just because it happens on the islands, is it because of the ponies, or did I develop this feeling as a result of hearing my Mother's stories about the "old days" on the island?  Mom was horse-crazy, as a kid; she'd walk down to the Beebe Ranch every Sunday after church to spend time with Alma Beebe and the ponies.  Sometimes she was able to ride, sometimes she wasn't - but she always made the trek from up the Creek to the Beebe farm and then back home on Peterson Street.
  When I return to Chincoteague next summer, I plan on visiting all of the old house that our ancestors lived in, and getting photos of them.  I know Granpa's place is still standing, as is his wife's parent's and her grandparents.  Two of them face onto Main Street, but sit on either side of Peterson Street; while Granpa's is four doors down...  An owner in the 1970's knocked off "the big kitchen" area of Grandpa's house and enclosed the front porch when they bought it, so the house doesn't look right to me.  I always remember the house with green asphalt shingles covering the outside, a grey shingle roof, and white painted trim.  The last time I saw the house, it was just white - all white aluminum siding...  Just doesn't look right.  And I think the worst part was that the new owners removed the out house from the rear of the yard - I definitely have fond memories of the old out house and "the honey-dew wagon" that pumped it out every two weeks.   .... Long time gone.....