Chincoteague Voted "Happiest Seaside Town"

Coastal Living Magazine had a popular vote contest for the "Happiest Seaside Town," and I'm not terribly surprised that Chincoteague Island won the vote.  I'm always happy when I'm on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands - just below the Maryland and Virginia state lines, out in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Eastern Shore of the Delmarva peninsula....  Of course, the maternal side of my family has called Chincoteague home since 1642, so, in a way, I can't imagine not being happy while I'm on the island.  I feel connected to it - even though I currently live at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
  Chincoteague (and Assateague, the out-lying island to the east, where the National Seashore and National Wildlife Refuge are located) has always seemed like home.  I think it's because no matter where we lived (Dad was transferred frequently during his 21 years in the US Navy),Mom always referred to Chincoteague as "home."  My grandparents home, where my mother grew up, is still standing; so is my great-grandparents home, and my great-great-grandparents home - all on the same oyster-shell paved road.  I haven't been to the island since my Aunt's memorial service in October of 2004...  It's been ten years since I've been home, and I know it's changed dramatically.  I know there are now condominiums and townhouses built along the channels on the east and west sides of the island - and quite a few motels have been built - most right on the water, impeding what I always believed were glorious views...  But I'm sure if my greta-great-grandparents had seen the island as I knew it, growing up in the 1960s and '70s, they'd have been amazed at the change, too.
  Chincoteague was also voted the second-best island to visit by TripAdvisor.com a few months ago....  In the "Happiest Seaside Town" voting, the runners-up were: Captiva Island, Florida; Saugatuck, Michigan; St. Augustine, Florida; Provincetime, Massachusetts; St. Simons Island, Georgia; Watch Hill, Rhode Island; Haleiwa, Hawaii; Scarborough, Maine; and Bolinas, California.
 
  Don't forget the Tall Ships are in Cape Charles this weekend:  http://www.tallshipscapecharles.com/

  And, the Ada Fears is for sale for $10,000, firm.  She was built by the Applegarth Boat Works in Oxford, Maryland in 1968.  She's a wooden 55-foot skipjack and is currently in the Chesapeake Bay.  Captain Brian Conrad is selling his ship due to health reasons.  The Ada Fears is the smallest remaining skipjack in the Bay, and is one of the last five built in Maryland. The boat is at Scott's Cove Marina in Chance, Maryland, and Jack Willing, the owner of the marina, said, "The boat's in decent shape."  The bowsprit was replaced in 2009, after a collision during the Skipjack Race. However, Willing said it will take some work to get her back in the water, as well as some money to set her up for sailing again. The Ada Fears currently  has no winders, push boat, dredging gear or main sail; the inboard has been removed, but is available for a rebuild.  The boat could be used as a six-passenger tour boat, a private sailing vessel, or she could be set back up to be an oyster dredge.   **There are less than 20 true skipjacks still sailing in the Chesapeake Bay.**  For more information, please see:  http://easternshore.craigslist.org/boa/4448182716.html

Tall ShipsFestival at Cape Charles, Virginia

Tall ship (and a heron) at Cape Charles

Pirate re-enactors from North Carolina helped set the tone for the festival

The crew of the Harvey Gamage

The schooner Alliance, out of Yorktown

Thanks to Chris Glennon, photographer, we can enjoy the costumes of other re-enactors at the Cape Charles Tall Ships Festival.

Bits and Pieces, Today

If you're in the area of Norfolk, Virginia today (or this weekend), or on the Eastern Shore, I really recommend a visit to Cape Charles to see the Tall Ships.  I'd be there, were I not in the Rockies. Cape Charles, a deep water Harbor To Hospitality, presents a rare opportunity to get up close and personal as you explore the decks and meet the costumed crews of magnificent tall ships and encounter roving pirates, costumed re-enactors and all kinds of family fun throughout the historic town and harbor. In addition to public deck tours of three tall ships, visitors may book two hour day-sails on the Chesapeake Bay,enjoy delectable food, refreshing beverages, arts, crafts and collectibles vendors as well  as music and entertainment by local performers. This is small town, family-friendly America the way it used to be. ​Clamber aboard, explore these historic vessels, chat with the captain and crew, and let your imagination transport you back to the swashbuckling days of long ago.  Sing a rollicking sea shanty.   Kids may make and sail a model boat, get their faces painted, ride a pony or try their hands at hauling the yard-arm. Everywhere savor the succulent seafood and revel in the Bay's spectacular sunsets.  Participate in the Great Bay Run 5K race and 1.25 mile fun run/walk event on Saturday, June 15th! 
    On Tuesday, 5-year-old thoroughbred Animal Kingdom will endeavor to win the last last race of his career, before retiring to stud.  He has been training well in Lambourn, England for the one mile Queen Anne Stakes.  Why is this noteworthy, you ask?  Animal Kingdom won the 2011 Kentucky Derby, and has since won the $5 million Dubai World Cup.  The big deal is that the last Kentucky Derby winner to race at Royal Ascot was the great Omaha in 1936, 77 years ago. Omaha competed in the 2 1/2 mile Ascot Gold Cup, and tired badly.  I hope that Animal Kingdom will win, and make the US breeders a happier crowd.
   Odd news - A Texas breast cancer oncologist has been arrested for poisoning her lover's coffee with a toxic substance.  He complained it was too sweet, and she assured him it was just the artificial sweetener she'd used.......    A New Jersey man had a traffic accident immediately after suffering a heart attack while driving his car.  He received three tickets for violations. His doctor wrote a "please excuse my patient" note, but the judge ruled the driver must pay the ticket charges.  ....    And, in Utah, a man who allegedly raped a woman, swore under oath, that he had penetrated her vagina "to save her life."  -  Excuse me?  Why? How could penetration of the vagina of an unconscious 29-year-old woman save her life?   Me-o, my-o....
   And, an update on the Colorado wildfires - the La Veta - Klikus wildfire is entirely contained, and is no longer a threat.  The Beaver Creek wildfire, which started with a lightning strike last night, is also contained.
The Fern Creek fire is still burning a small area in the Rampart Range; there is no containment. The Big Elk Meadows wildfire in Rocky Mountain National Park is 30% contained, and is currently burning through an area of trees infested with the pine beetle (which is actually good).  The Royal Gorge wildfire  is at 40% containment.  The last report I heard was that about 40 buildings had been burned down, but that the Royal Gorge Bridge did not have any structural damage.
   Two lives have been lost in the Black Forest fire, which is threatening Colorado Springs.  Yesterday, firefighters found the bodies of two people in their garage.  They were apparently about to enter their vehicle and leave when the fire flashed over them.  So far, these are the only known fatalities in any of the wildfires.  The Black Forest fire is only 5% contained, and, unfortunately, as usual, we're expecting high temperatures, low humidity, and brisk, high winds today.
   My thoughts and feelings go to those people displaced by this fire, their pets, and all of the wildlife that has lost their lives, their homes, their habitat, their everything...