Bits and Pieces

Just bits and pieces of odds and ends today...
  There was a round-up of the ponies Friday and Saturday on the Virginia end of Assateague.  They got their third doses of the new equine pythiosis ("swamp cancer") medication, in hopes that it proves to be a potent vaccination for all equines around the world. I haven't gotten a report regarding the northern herds, but it seems that we have lost a foal - Kimball's Rainbow Delight was spotted with a chestnut - possibly palomino - foal on May 19th.  Other than the original sighting and photo, there have been no others.  Rainy came in with her herd, but without a foal yesterday afternoon for the round-up.  Everyone else in the southern herds were in great shape.  DSC Photography was in "Facebook Jail" yesterday because they were apparently reported as "spammers" to FB, and they weren't been able to up-load new photos of the round-ups and the ponies in the pens, or on their way out yesterday.  They were back up and posting again at midnight.  (Thankfully!)

Distant (and only) photo of Kimball's Rainbow Delight and foal

(taken May 19)

  Now I need to grouse....   I just spent the afternoon looking at images placed on the Fine Art America website under two categories - one, just the word Chincoteague; and two, just the word Assateague.  Now, the words "Chincoteague ponies" are used pretty mush to describe any pony born on Assateague Island - ponies run wild in both states, Maryland and Virginia, on Assateague.  People also call the ponies born there "Assateague ponies."   Ponies born in Virginia are given vaccinations, have blood tests drawn, and are micro-chipped; and there is a specific registry for them - the Chincoteague Pony National Registry.  This is not done for the ponies in Maryland.  They receive no veterinary care, but are assigned an alpha-numeric ID number and are named by the highest bidder in on-line, and, occasionally, public bids. There is a difference between the ponies owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company in Virginia, and the ponies that roam free with no care and are over-seen by the National Park Service in Maryland.
  The people who post photos on the Fine Art America page apparently don't do their "homework."  And one of the photos was down-right frightening to me...  The photo was titled "I Am Wild" and it showed a young woman, sitting with her legs curled to one side, with her hip less than 6 inches away from the hind feet of a wild pony asleep on Assateague National Seashore in Maryland.  The girl is smiling prettily for the camera as she sits beside the hooves of a chestnut stallion named Corky.  What a complete and total idiot!!!  People are supposed to give the ponies a buffer zone of 50 to 120 feet.  She could have been kicked, trampled and/or bitten.  Then (I'm certain) it would have been the pony's fault, according to her, her friends and family.
   Other people assign their own personally-decided names on the ponies.  I was amazed to see, under the Assateague heading, a photo of Surfer's Riptide, dated 2012, where he was named "Slash the Pony" by the photographer.  There are multiple shots of Stevenson's Dakota Sky under the title of "Pony with the Copper Mane"...  Some ponies that have passed away in Maryland are listed with the names of Savannah and Squire, but none of the ponies there were named those names.  One of the ones that made my jaw drop was a hugely muscled palomino with a large white blaze, that a single photographer had posted as "Portrait" and "Big Red" (?) , and described the palomino is a wild Assateague Island pony.  That pony (or horse) is standing among a large growth of bamboo, which doesn't grow on Assateague, and I can definitely say that it never was a wild pony on Assateague.
   There were two other things that drew my ire...  Photos labeled as being taken on "Chincoteague Beach," and pictures and drawings of the Assateague Lighthouse that are also labeled as "Chincoteague."  First, there hasn't been a beach on Chincoteague since the early 1970s, when the south end of the island was developed.  And secondly, the Assateague Lighthouse is solidly built on Assateague Island, and always has been.  It is not on Chincoteague, but can be viewed from Chincoteague.
   Maybe people are confused because the Virginia end of Assateague is both the Assateague National Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.  The Assateague National Seashore is run by the National Park Service; the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is run by the National Fish and Wildlife Service.  They are two intertwined entities.
   But Assateague and Chincoteague are not the same islands.  Assateague is the very long green and orange island at the top of the map below.  Chincoteague is the small tan blob close to Assateague, and the right side of the map.  North is to the left...

Thanks for letting me vent my spleen..... 

Here and There, Bits and Pieces

I am going to try to get back into the habit of blogging daily again.  I have jobs through the end of July, but nothing yet in August, though I'm sure that a few of my regular clients will suddenly remember that they haven't yet scheduled me to cover for their vacations.  I've been busy trying to keep up with all the new foals on the southern end of Assateague, taking care of multiple houses and the attached critters, working on three families genealogy, trying to keep up with the news, and reading for pleasure.
    I stopped in at the pharmacy yesterday to pick up my anxiety/high blood pressure medication, and received quite a surprise.  I normally get a 90 day supply of 90 50mg tablets four times each year.  Yesterday I was given 30 tablets, and was informed that the pharmacy would not have them in stock again until September - and that I needed to contact my MD and ask to try a different medication.  I just checked for shortages of the medication, but could find none.  I will be calling another pharmacy to see if they have the same problem, and, if not, will transfer my prescription to them.  If there is a shortage of this very prevalent beta-blocker, I want to know why it wasn't recognized sooner - and I guess I'll need to call my MD.  But this has me quite upset, which isn't good for my blood pressure, nor my anxiety.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
   My wonderful 2-year-old Chincoteague filly, Surfer Princess, has apparently settled in with Tornado Legacy's herd.  Legacy is a buckskin pinto, and the Princess is a rich copper color.  I'm hoping she won't have a foal until the summer that she turns four, but I can't control Mother Nature.  Her dam, Surf Queen, has finally settled in Hoppy's herd.  Hoppy is the nickname of Effie's Papa Bear, and he is a 15 hand bay stallion with no markings, not even a brand.  On Monday, June 26, Surf Queen had a half-sister to the Princess - another gorgeous filly, solid bay with three white anklets below her fetlocks and a black right hind.   And I think her legs are longer than the Princess's were...
    At the moment, we're sitting at 60 foals born in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.  There have been, so far, no new births reported since Surf Queen on Monday - but today might bring new sightings - and there have been three deaths.  One of the deaths, perhaps, might have been prevented - the mare White Saddle lost her foal last year to the marsh, and the same thing occurred this this year.  I am going to ask the Pony Committee to, next year, take her and her newborn to one of the farms on Chincoteague, so that White Saddle won't lead her baby where it should not go again.  The other two deaths were due to a massive infection incurred at birth, and to a congenital leg abnormality.  I'll soon start posting photos of all the foals born so far this year, in order of birth.
    Despite the snow melt making our local creeks run a bit higher than normal, our vegetation is very dry.  There was a grass fire that burned 3 acres yesterday because some idiot set off fireworks along the side of a road - in someone's hay field.  We had an adult black bear spend yesterday in a tree at the corner of 16th Street and Spruce Avenue here in Boulder.  It moved back to the open green space to the west of town during the night.  And an adult moose decided to visit the Flatirons Mall - at an 8-lane Interstate intersection the day before yesterday.  Wildlife officials had to tranquilize the moose, after which they trailered it to South Park, where they turned it loose.
   I am upset, and will stay upset, for as long as the Pompous Pricktator is in the White House.  I well remember that it took almost two years for Nixon to resign - and I hope and pray that this Putin-Sucker will not be able to hold out that long.  That oddly-coiffed creature is an abomination on this planet.  I would dance with joy if he and his cronies were suddenly dropped into Hell through a fiery maw that suddenly opened up beneath their feet!  That mass of orange crass is an ass.  Disgusting.
 

A Mixed Bag

This will be my last post before returning from vacation, the second day of August, so I decided to present one of my usual mixed bag set of photos and thoughts....
   After a "drought" in foal deliveries since June 22, Witch Kraft dropped her filly Friday on Assateague.  She's a beautiful chestnut pinto and her sire is Wild Thing.
   And, for the first time since 1972, a Misty descendant was born on Beebe Ranch on Chincoteague.  Billy Beebe was proud to announce the birth of a filly to Nightmist's Little Angel.  The black pinto has been named Angel's Stormy Drizzle.
    Friday was the annual Tube to Work Day in Boulder Creek, in Boulder.  More than 500 people turned out to ride the rapids in inner tubes on the way to work this year....
    A promising young Thoroughbred stallion was killed by a lightning strike in his paddock on Thursday.  The storm "came out of nowhere" and none of the 8 weather broadcasts forecast any rain or thunder and lightning storms.
   Our local fire, the Cold Springs wildfire, is now 100% contained.  There are still smouldering areas, but no new fire outbreaks are expected.  The two campers who did not extinguish their small campfire caused over $3 million in damages, including the loss of 8 homes, 7 out buildings, several pets, and an untold number of wildlife.  The fire-fighting costs exceed $5 million.
   There have been many headlines stating that Tim Tebow will be speaking at the Republican National Convention, and that he will be campaigning for Donald Trump.  Tim Tebow was very shocked to learn this via the media.  Tim Tebow will not be appearing at the RNC in Cleveland.  Tim Tebow does not endorse Donald Trump's racism and bigotry.
   Beatrice, my room mate - apartment sharer - friend, will take care of my kits while I'm in Virginia.  I'll return to Boulder late on August 1 - but I have 13 glorious days on Chincoteague and Assateague.  I'm taking three boat cruises; I'll be climbing up the lighthouse; I'll see and record the Pony Auction; I'll see friends and family; I'll visit the beach, and walk the trails.  And I will relax.  See you next month!

Witch Kraft and her filly sired by Wild Thing - thanks to DSC Photography

Angel's Stormy Drizzle, a 6th generation Misty descendant

Billy Beebe with Clarence "Grandpa" Beebe's branding iron

Squirrel

Black Star and filly by Wild Thing  -  thanks to DSC Photography

This notice from Beached Paws Photography in Maryland

Tube to Work Day in Boulder, Colorado had more than 500 participants this year

Fall Round-Up Reminder, Oyster Festival

A chilly morning here - 35 degrees and 87% humidity...  Hoping the sun will peep out for today's walk with Rosie!  Again, I thoroughly enjoyed How To Get Away With Murder last night - there have been some very interesting twists and turns, and unexpected court room revelations.  Very good, indeed!  The kits went out this morning, but came back inside quickly.  Lovey is on the foot of the bed, burbling at me, while Nedi is on top of the cat tree.
   Tomorrow there will be a Wellness Walk at the Wildlife Loop on Assateague Island (Virginia) at 10 in the morning.  It's free, so go out, enjoy the walk with friends, and enjoy the beautiful scenery and wildlife.  If I were within a 4-hour drive, I'd be there myself!   Nest weekend, on Chincoteague and Assateague - the Fall Pony Round-Up will take place on October 10 and 11...  If the crowds at Pony Penning were too much for you to bear, go now and see the Saltwater Cowboys and the ponies.  And the Annual Oyster Festival will take place on Saturday, October 11, at Tom's Cove Park - you must have purchased a ticket to participate...
   I'll be watching football here in Colorado both weekends...  CU has a home game, with the kick-off at 2 tomorrow afternoon, so I'll go grocery shopping early and then stay at home to avoid the madness.  AT least I have a full day of football to watch - the Gators play at Tennessee on the SEC Network, CU faces the Oregon State Beavers  on the PAC Network, and then the Gamecocks are at Kentucky on the SEC Network.  Sunday, I'll watch the Cardinals visit our stadium in Denver on Fox.  I'm hoping for some good, well-played games!
   Sister Kathy and I have arranged a "date" to look at the places (homes) available for rent for the 2015 Pony Penning.  She has decided that she'd like some in-put about where we stay, so I'll acquiesce.  Since there will be 7 adults and 2-year-old Evie, I want to have three toilets available - that's my only standard (because I never know when my tummy will decide to go crazy and demand the use of a toilet immediately).

Fall Pony Round-Up, Horse Crazy

The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company has announced that the Fall Round-Up will take place on October 10 and 11 (Friday and Saturday) this year.  Foals who were too young to separate from their dams will be available for pick-up by their owners, and a few foals born after Pony Penning may be up for sale...  If your passion is ponies, be there!
   In horse racing news,  Will Take Charge, the 3-year-old male champion of 2013, is retiring to stand at stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky.  Game On Dude, the 7-year-old gelding, who won an unprecedented three "Big Caps," is also being retired from the track.  Right now, the older champion will stay in Bob Baffert's barn, while his owner's decide where to send him for retirement.   And California Chrome, who won the first two legs of this year's Triple Crown, returned in the Pennsylvania Derby - his first start since the Belmont Stakes.  He ran in third place, but faded in the stretch and finished sixth in the field, behind the winner Bayern.
  "Horse crazy."  I grew up with that term, or label.  Luckily, my Mom had been "horse crazy" when she was a youngster, too.  But I've never grown out of, as some people do; as Mom did.  Mom grew up on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands - her family has been there since the 1640s.  Until she became the female head of the family, when her Mother died, Mom walked from Peterson Street down to the Beebe farm each Sunday - to spend the afternoon with her cousin, and friend, Alma, and in hopes of being able to ride one of the Beebe ponies with the Beebe kids. She remembered with great happiness that they were able to ride almost every Sunday afternoon, after they had done a few chores.  She was really intrigued with Zane Grey cowboy books, and loved to see western movies.  She loved every breed of horse she ever saw, and delighted in going to horse shows, until she had to stay in a nursing home.  She particularly loved to watch Saddlebreds "Rack On!,"  Hackneys in harness, and Morgans - but she loved all horses.
  I grew up in her footsteps - riding every chance I could and loving just spending time watching horses in pasture, under saddle, or running wild on Assateague. But what really constitutes being horse crazy?  Supposedly, if other (much earlier) family tree researchers can be trusted, Mom's family traces back to a Dane who was the Master of Horse for William the Conqueror, of Normandy and England.  I have no idea if it's true, but it's nice to contemplate...  I cannot accept the old belief that horses are a replacement for having a male's penis.  Contemplating the grace, lines, and color of a specific equine animal, for some reason just doesn't equal a need to be male and dominant, in my mind.  I would spend the majority of my time with horses, dogs and cats, rather than humans, if possible.  I prefer these critters' honesty to the sniping and one-upmanship of humanity.  My husband always said that I was more feline than human....  Maybe he was right - or, at least, I'm more connected to other types of animals.
 

Pony Penning 2014 (& Me and the Kits)

I look like a cockatoo today - it's only 63 degrees, but the humidity is 100% here in Boulder, which is an extreme rarity. So I have my hair gathered into a ponytail, then twisted and turned up on the back of my head  and clipped in place.  My hair is finally long enough that I have a small up-standing brush at the crown of my head.  It's quite funny looking!  My kits have been behaving well - they leave Rodney's critters alone (Rodney and I share the north wall of my apartment), which makes both of us humans happy.   At various times during the day, one can see a Belgium Giant rabbit playing on his patio, or ducklings, or a wide variety of birds on perches.  My kits watch all of Rodney's pets, but they don't touch.  Of course, in the last two days, the two of them have captured and brought five English sparrows inside the apartment and then turned them loose - so I've been chasing small, frightened birds, catching them. checking them for injuries, and then releasing them. I hope the kits slow down and the birds are faster on the wing!
  Two weeks from today, the Saltwater Cowboys of Chincoteague will begin their seven days of work for Pony Penning.  The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company actually "works" - looking after the ponies - every single day of the year. There are about 15 members of the nuclear Pony Committee, whose main task is caring for the ponies' welfare - but just about any resident can get temporarily wrangled into helping out in a pinch.  Since the ponies live on Assateague Island, which is owned by the U S government, and is run by three governmental agencies (the National Park Service, the U S Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Natural Resources), the CVFC has a strict contract with the government regarding the care and treatment of the ponies. Each pony receives every vaccination a normal riding horse gets each year - rabies, tetanus, vaccines against influenza - and they have their blood collected and tested each and every year. A veterinarian is on call for the entire herd collection 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - and Charlie Cameron, DVM, is one of the best.  The ponies are actually herded together three times a year, including the Pony Penning round-up.  General health and hooves are checked, and needed shots are given.  And 5 of the Pony Committee members go over to Assateague every day to look over each pony.
  Two weeks from today, the Saltwater Cowboys will assemble on Assateague Island, starting off at the northern end of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, along the fence-line that separates Maryland from Virginia. They will round-up all the ponies of the northern herds and place them in the north holding pen.  Sunday, they will round-up the ponies on the south end of the island and take them to the south holding  pen near Tom's Cove.  Monday, at sunrise, the northern herds will be walked down the beach from the north to the south holding pen.  As the two groups, and ten-plus herds combine, there will be some fireworks, as stallions challenge each other for space and protect their mares and foals.  Tuesday is pretty much a rest day for the cowboys - but mares and foals are being matched, as well as which mare is in which stallion's herd.  On Wednesday, the ponies will be walked down the paved road on Assateague to Black Duck Drain, where they will turn off and ford a creek, to approach Old Dominion Point.  At slack tide, the US Coast Guard will fire a flare, and the cowboys will urge the ponies into the Assateague Channel to begin the one-eighth mile swim to Chincoteague.  The cowboys and their horses are transported via a barge, following the ponies. After rest and visual health check, the ponies are herded down Pony Swim Lane, around Beebe Road and then north on Main Street to the Carnival Grounds.  On Thursday, the foals and a few yearlings are auctioned, with all proceeds benefiting the CVFC and the EMT units.  Friday, the adult ponies and unsold youngsters make the return swim back to Assateague, again at slack tide.
   The veterinarian and the firemen check each and every pony - those considered too weak, too old, too young, or too pregnant, do not participate in the swim.  They are loaded onto a trailer and taken in style to the holding pens at the Carnival Grounds, until their friends and relatives join them after the swim on Wednesday.  The other thing that the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company works hard at is the annual Carnival.  The Carnival is in it's 89th year in 2014 - Pony Penning has been occurring for more than a hundred years prior to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company taking over the running of the event.  That happened when there were two huge fires, one year and the next, that burned down almost every structure on the island.  The Fire Company was formed, and the proceeds of the Carnival and the pony sales have gone directly for fire-fighting equipment and training ever since.
  Pony Penning on Chincoteague and Assateague is definitely a unique experience.

Fireworks and a Sign

4 July Fireworks at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado

5 July Fireworks at the Chincoteague Carnival Grounds, Virginia

3 July lights and fireworks at the Denver, Colorado Civic Center

Sign at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island, Virginia

Lightning show at NASA launch pad on Wallop's Island, Virginia

The Pull of the Islands

The weather folks are forecasting a high of 97 today, and I can believe it - it was 80 degrees at 7 a.m. this morning.  By that time, I had cared for all the critters where I'm house-sitting, walked the dog, and watered all of the hanging baskets and potted plants.  (The baskets continue to look fine, but, as I said before, the Chinese wisteria lost about 90% of it's leaves.  And it's definitely my fault.)  Anyway, my kits are running around outside , and I've had breakfast and checked out all my usual sites for news of interest and e-mail.  I will return home tomorrow after walking Rosie, and don't have to leave my place until Tuesday morning - to walk Rosie. It will be heavenly to be in my own bed with my own cats tomorrow night...  I can't wait!
   I haven't heard otherwise, so I'm guessing that the fireworks that were postponed Friday night, to to high winds in the aftermath of Hurricane Arthur, went of without any problems last night.  And, as usual in July, my island blood is starting its siren song, calling me back to the Eastern Shore of Virginia.   You know, that's a lie...  I start feeling the pull of the islands in March, it seems to reach a peak around Pony Penning, and then settles back down in late October.  I don't believe that a single day passes without my thinking of Chincoteague and Assateague, my parents, and my husband.
  So, probably beginning tomorrow, most of my posts will relate to Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, Pony Penning, our Volunteer Fire Company, the local history, birds that use the Atlantic Flyway, wildlife on the islands, and ponies.
  For today, I'll just suggest two FaceBook pages to visit - one for cruises around the islands, based out of Chincoteague; and the other for the Barrier Islands Center, which is located in the idyllic town of Machipongo, to the south of Chincoteague.  I highly endorse both enterprises.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Captain-Barrys-Back-Bay-Cruises/155032211287774
(These cruises are run by my cousin, Captain Barry Frishman - they are a super combination of sight-seeing, and learning about the marine and island ecology.  The exception is the Champagne Sunset Cruise, which is very quiet and cozy...)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barrier-Islands-Center/130871130768
This group has fantastic programs, great films, and superb children's books.  Check out the two available books about the Hog Island Sheep - they are awesome!!!

Last Year (2012) on Chincoteague and Assateague

Chincoteague ponies - a palomino paint mare with her chestnut paint foal

Posturing...

A stallion rears after the Pony Swim last year

Hula-hooping at The Horse With No Name Studio & Gallery

Mom proves that it is safe to cross...

Sunrise on Assateague

2012 Chincoteague Pony Penning

The official poster for the 2012 Chincoteague Pony Penning

The Chincoteague Carnival grounds on South Main Street

Chincoteague ponies on Assataeague National Seashore

Kickin' It Up

A pair of young Chincoteague ponies play on Assateague Island's beach.

Management Plan for Assateague Island

I promise this is the last time I'll mention this for a while....  but the comment period for the National Fish and Wildlife Service's General Management Plan for Assateague Island (including the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge) ends on Monday, October 31, 2011. 

I have read all the plans that the NPS and FWS put forward.  They can be read at: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco
If you wish to add your comments, please e-mail  northeastplanning@fws.gov  and type Chincoteague in the Subject line.

I find that I generally agree with the findings of the Chincoteague Town Council.  The local newspaper reported the following:
CHINCOTEAGUE - There is considerable disagreement between the U.S. Park Service plan for Assateague Island and what the Town of Chincoteague wants.
At a Chincoteague Town Council meeting earlier this month, the differences were spelled out when the council voted unanimously to respond to the Park Service alternatives with a letter that lists the areas of the alternatives that the town supports and the areas it opposes.
Town Planner William Neville provided two draft letters that had been created by the town's Planning Commission.
The first draft was a little milder than the second in its criticism of the Park Service plan.
After some discussion, the council agreed to go with the second, more critical draft.
Just prior to the council approving the second version, Town Attorney Jon Poulson suggested the council use the language "strongly oppose" instead of "oppose." Everyone on council seemed to like Poulson's proposal.
The letter states: "The alternatives planning process is frustrating because there are very good ideas mixed with very bad ideas from our perspective as the gateway community for the southern end of Assateague Island."
The letter lists seven areas of opposition to the Park Service alternative plan.
"Oppose the current direction of seashore management that favors the use of alternative transportation systems and treats the ideas as a Fundamental Value.
"Oppose the concept of a Marine Research Reserve until more information is provided. Specifically, the intended use for research and environmental education that would restrict public or commercial use of the Chincoteague Bay.
"Oppose NPS regulations for 'watch houses' that remove State authority over wastewater treatment and disposal and/or require removal of private structures that serve as a traditional cultural resource.
"Oppose Natural Resource Management policies that limit or ban commercial fishing and aquaculture with the seashore boundary.
"Oppose the policy that would permanently close areas to OSV use if coastal storms of other natural processes create breaches/inlets that cut off access to portions of the beach.
"Oppose any options that abandon the public trust and allow existing visitor use facilities and infrastructure, specifically bridge access from the mainland to Assateague Island, to be subjected to natural coastal processes without maintenance, repair or replacement.
"Oppose the NPS abandoning its responsibility to provide public access and recreation at the National Seashore in favor of passive management of natural coastal processes and promoting exclusive environmental research uses."
The letter lists 11 areas of support in the Park Service plans. The letter states, "Support for policies that defend the visitor areas in both Maryland and Virginia. a. 'Artifical dune fortification, habitat manipulations and possible beach nourishment would be used to protect the developed visitor areas from the effects of natural coastal processes and climate change/sea level rise ... storm overwash and breaches in the developed visitor areas would be repaired, while natural evolution of the island's backcountry areas would continue without interference..."
Several citizens spoke during the public comment period of the meeting citing their love of Assateague Island and support for beach replenishment.
The council's letter also listed a request that the Park Service, including NPS, initiate a study with USACE of the Tom's Cove shoreline and prepare a "socio-economic impact study that evaluates each alternative (revised or new policies and programs) with its effect on the Town of Chincoteague as a gateway community."
The council now must prepare another response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife alternative plans. That will be performed at the next council meeting.
In other council news from the meeting:
* Several people opposed the idea of removing the right to ride a horse on the beach at Assateague, as proposed in the Park Service and Fish and Wildlife plans.
* Denise Bowden, secretary of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, supported keeping 150 ponies on Assateague Island.
"We don't want to see a reduction," she said.

The above story is from the Chincoteague Beacon.

A Muddy Pony Penning?

It's 7 a.m. here, and it's 57 degrees outside (with 65% humidity). We had multiple thunder and lightning storms yesterday afternoon and evening; this morning, it looks as if the tips of the Flatirons have fastened themselves to the heavy clouds. A little further north, one can see new snow that arrived overnight on several peaks. I saw birds, squirrels, a raccoon, and few other people out early with their dogs while I was walking this morning... While it is cool here, on Chincoteague at this time, it's 75 degrees and the humidity is 90% (according to NOAA). I have a feeling that Pony Penning is going to be a muddy mess at Memorial Park (where the ponies come ashore from their swim and the crowds are waiting for their arrival) - they received almost 5 inches of rain yesterday afternoon, and local flooding was reported.

During the past few days, the rounded-up Chincoteague ponies will have been looked at by the vet, hooves will have been trimmed, teeth floated where needed, and those ponies deemed unfit to make the swim will already have been trailered over to the carnival grounds on South Main Street. Right now, if you were on Chincoteague (and/or Assateague) you could see Chincoteague ponies in several places. [First, a word about Assateague Island... Assateague Island is over 33 miles long, and is located both in Virginia and in Maryland. There are Chincoteague ponies on the Maryland side of the island; they and their Virginia cousins are kept separate by a very well-kept fence. Those ponies in Maryland belong to the US Government via the Park Service; the ponies in Virginia belong to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, and are grazed on Assateague by a contract with the US Government. The numbers of the Maryland ponies are kept down by use of contraceptives. The Virginia ponies are allowed to breed naturally, and the foals and youngsters are sold annually at Pony Penning.] One could see the ponies in the holding pens on the east side of the Carnival Grounds on South Main Street, which backs onto Willow Street. One could see relatives of Misty, the pony who made the island famous, at the Chincoteague Pony Center, located on Chicken City Road between Church Street and Maddox Blvd (or Beach Road, as it is now commonly called). The Leonard family, who own The Refuge Inn on Maddox Blvd (just before the Assateague bridge), keep foals and mares in their east paddock (next to the only chain restaurant on the island - McDonalds). If a person lives outside the city limits, and has at least a half-acre, one can see horses and ponies in back yards. And, of course, if you drive over onto Assateague, and follow the road to the National Seashore, one will see the holding pens for the swim on the south side of the road beside Tom's Cove. There will be Saltwater Cowboys there, answering questions of the non-locals; and there will be locals there, checking out what mare is in which stallion's band, and what her current foal looks like.

Gee... do you get the feeling that I'd like to be there? I can feel the sun and the humidity; I can hear the calls of the gulls and terns; I can smell the sea and the salt marsh - and, off afar, I think I spy the spirits of Paul and Maureen Beebe, looking at foals for themselves... (Actually, Maureen still looks over the foals each and every year - but she's a very private person and avoids publicity. Unfortunately, one can visit Paul's grave in the Bunting Road Cemetery.)

Brighton & Chincoteague

I arrived in Brighton Saturday evening; the critters knew something was going on because they'd seen their people packing suitcases earlier. We had dinner and then went out for some ice cream, returned and watched a Comic Relief presentation of Doctor Who (with Rowan Atkinson as the Doctor).  An early bedtime was necessitated by an early flight time.

Nikki was upset and spent most of yesterday pacing through the house and looking for her master; Kohlbi just wanted to eviscerate every toy he could get his mouth on; and the cats were pretty blase about the whole thing. I took the dogs for an hour-long walk in the morning, and a 30 minute walk in the evening, and explored the neighborhood.

This is Pony Penning week on Chincoteague. Were I there, I'd be at the holding pens on Assateague Island at this very moment, looking over the stallions,  mares and foals; and seeking old friends and distant cousins among the "Saltwater Cowboys." The round-up men would have started the round-up on the northern end of Assateague  on Friday; and the vet for the CVFD would have already looked over the ponies and decided which were too young, too old, or too pregnant to make the swim across the Channel on Wednesday morning. These ponies will already be in the holding pens at the carnival grounds on Chincoteague, having been trailered there by the cowboys who work for the Fire Department.  I can almost smell the mud flats, the sea breeze from Tom's Cove, the insect repellant, and the wonderful odor of horses!