Captain Barry's Back Back Cruises - Chincoteague Island, Virginia

I grew up spending summers on Chincoteague Island, and I also lived there for several years in two and three year lengths of time.  I know what it's like to live there year round and to watch the visitors fade away and then come back like a flooding tide.  I know a lot of the island's history and the history of many families on both Assateague and Chincoteague.  I know about the ponies and wildlife on Assateague.  I can identify most fish in the area, and am knowledgeable about the shellfish industry there.  But I took a cruise with Captain Barry Frishman of Captain Barry's Back Back Cruises, and was astounded at all the thing I didn't know.  Captain Barry gave me an education in one tour - and I learn more each time I go out with him; and, believe me, that's pretty humbling for the granddaughter of a Chincoteague waterman.

   Captain Barry conducts a hands-on cruise.  You learn how to do things, like setting the anchor and how to seine net with partners.  You wander the tumps and hummocks in the Chincoteague Channel and Chincoteague Bay and learn to identify the different small fish, jelly fish, birds, crabs, clams and oysters found on the land and marshes and in the water.  He teaches you how to handle crabs without doing damage to them, and shows you how to identify females and you get to see their egg cases.  He shows you the smallest oysters that just tiny specks, shows you growing ones, and then (usually) opens one or two and offers you a fresh saltwater oyster right on the shell.  Sometimes you'll deploy a drag net and take it up at the end of the trip to view and discuss what you've netted.  He teaches you, in an easy-going way, the importance of the ecosystems of the marshes and why everyone should care about the state of of oceans and waterways.  You may be spotting bird nests of sea gulls, ospreys, and ducks; or you might stop and do some shell collecting....

   Captain Barry is a former tug boat captain, and he also ran a "hands-on aquarium," with his wife and family, in the old Landmark Plaza on north Main Street.  He is a volunteer with the Red Cross, and he and his wife travel to other countries during the off-season to do relief work after natural disasters.  He has been taking people out on eco-tours for over 25 years now, and is highly recommended by all.  His usual tours last for two hours (and he does have a restroom facility on board); his mooring spot is at 6262 Marlin Street, beside The Ropewalk.  He also does a Sunset Cruise (for adults only).

Other reviews have said:
  The ultimate high energy adventure cruise with hands-on, feet-wet, mind-on experiences.  "An interactive experience that differs from all others."
  Forbes Magazine describes Captain Barry as, "a whirlwind of energy and an encyclopedia of Chincoteague wildlife. He keeps the tours limited to six, so he can 'crawl around on his hands and knees' with every passenger."

Reservations are required.  The contact number is (757) 336-6508.  Captain Barry's website may be viewed at   https://captainbarry.net/   -  along with a video...

   You'll enjoy it!!  You can be as hands-on as you like, or just sit in a chair on deck and observe everything, and everyone else.

Returning from a sunset cruise...

Bits and Pieces

In the last two weeks, Boulder City schools have been placed on lockdown status 6 times because of black bears prowling the area seeking food before hibernating.  This morning and afternoon, two schools were on lockdown because of an adult mountain lion that kept eluding wildlife officers.  This is considered normal in Boulder, as we are in their territory, and the city has multiple greenway paths to facilitate wildlife in their natural movements.

When I moved into the apartment in July of 2015, and Beatrice moved in a month later, we asked the management if we could hang bird feeders in the young ash tree that is growing at the corner of our building.  Bea has great close-up views from her bedroom window, and I have good views from mine, and we can easily observe from our balcony as well.  (The cats watch, too.) We started with a single feeder, and now usually have 3 hanging in the tree.  There is also a hummingbird nectar feeder at the edge of our balcony. 
   We have been graced with awakening to the song of many types of birds since we moved in and began feeding them.  Besides the birds we feed, there are also many swallows with nests nearby, and they are frequently seen swooping through our parking lot, consuming insects, or sitting on signs and observing movements.  We have seen five types of sparrows, two kinds of finches, wrens, chickadees, crows, grackles, ravens, starlings, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, ducks, and hawks in the trees and bushes near the feeders.  There are also herons flying over, thanks to the creeks (that's why we see ducks), and geese.  We also put out nuts and fruit for the squirrels and larger birds.
   However, 12 days ago everything ceased.  We used to have about 40 small birds flitting around, eating and singing as soon as it was light.  I saw two sparrows today for the first time in 12 days.  We have had one or two jays each morning, come and take a few nuts, call a thank you, and leave.  In the past week, there have only been two squirrels - one is a female and one is a small male with a broken tail.  No other birds.  No other squirrels - and we used to have 8 to 12 here at a single time.  Even the raccoons no longer visit at night.  The hawks are no longer in their nest behind the creek.
  Since we're on one of the greenways, with several multi-use paths converging at the back of our property, I have contacted the city of Boulder and the Greenways and Open Space offices about our sudden and total lack of bird and wildlife activity.  I am still waiting for them to return my contact, which is supposed to be within 5 working days.  I contacted them Monday morning; it's Friday night.

Still giggling over Stormy Daniels' description of the President - "Yeti pubes" and a genital part that looks like the character Toad from the Mario Kart computer game.....

I am incensed by Senator Grassley of the Republican Party and the Senate Judicial Committee's response to the alleged crime of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.  They want to get that judge appointed to the Supreme Court without an FBI inquiry into his alleged attempted rape of a co-ed.  They refuse to allow the accuser to have witnesses.  They want a "he says; she says" hearing that they can gloss over.  That man is a walking, talking lie-spewing machine.  If he - somehow - makes it to the seat of the Supreme Court - he needs to be impeached and tried immediately!

Assateague Island, Maryland - Photos

Spring Scenes in Florida - Photos

North-central Florida home

Live oaks, dogwoods, and azaleas

Everglades

Extremely endangered Florida panther

Hugely magnified: the local no-seem-ums and mosquitoes

around Gainesville are quite unique

Everglades

The Devil's Millhopper, Gainesville

Sebastian Inlet, Vero Beach

Boardwalk through the floodplain of Lake Bradford with

lots of cypress, Tallahassee Museum

Replenishment

I had not realized how much mental stress I was under until Thursday, 31 August.  I knew that I was unhappy with the current elected administration, and that I have had to increase my anti-depression medication accordingly.  I knew that I was missing Rosie, the Irish Setter, whom I cared for for 10 years, until her death.  I knew that I missed returning to Chincoteague and Assateague Islands this summer.  I knew that I was sleeping more than normal, just to "escape" the usual day-to-day living events.  Thursday was my eye-opener.
    Beatrice, my room mate, gave me a Christmas gift - a certificate for two riders to take a hour trail ride together.  Beatrice doesn't ride.  My sister has been in poor health for the last year, and, so, I had no one to ride with.  I called the company, explained I was an experienced rider, and was told I could have a three-hour trail ride as a single rider, instead of two one-hour rides.  I went riding Thursday morning, having walked a dog, fed fish, fed two sets of cats, and having released hens and cleaned their coop and roost.
   It was a 45 minute drive, and I was asked to arrive 30 minutes before we were scheduled to leave.  Upon arrival, I was told that another group of four people were expected to join the wrangler, or guide, and me.  I signed my release form, opted to not wear a riding helmet, and grabbed a saddle horn bag to put my drinking water and camera into.  Then I settled down to wait.
   When I pulled up, there was a large sorrel tied up to the railing.  He looked like a guy who could easily carry my weight, and he had a saddle with short stirrups on.  I thought he might be my ride.  Then the wrangler came out, and saddled up a bay Appaloosa - roaning and black spots on his butt, with roaning also along his sides and neck.  Then several folks started bringing out other mounts - multiple pintos, a bay, and a palomino.  The people who were supposed to ride with me changed their minds at the last minute, so Richard, the wrangler, and I set out alone.
   Richard was riding Outlaw, the bay Appaloosa.  I was mounted on a 16 hand bay pinto gelding named King.  King's legs had twice the bone of Outlaw's - and Outlaw was about 15 hands with a light, but strong, build.  Outlaw also has a convex face; much more so than King's.
   The stable complex is right beside highway 34, to the east of Estes Park.  The three-hour trail ride took us to the very top of Crosier Mountain and back down (of course).  Richard was pretty quiet, once he ascertained that I did, really, know how to ride...  In several places, he launched into his guide spiel, what the elevation was, and what we were looking at; and he kept warning me about the closeness of tree trunks and rocky outcrops - that's his job.  He also tried to point out the different types of trees, brush, flowers and wildlife we encountered - but, after telling him I could recognize them, and nicely asking him to only speak when needed, we both just enjoyed the ride.
   We did see the tracks of two different mountain lions; one much larger than the other.  We saw bear droppings (scat).  There were hoof prints of elk and mule deer, too.  The horses both shied at one point, and snorted, with their concentration on one distinct point, but neither Richard nor I could see what was bothering them, so we moved on quietly.  About three-quarters of the way through the ride, we did hear the squall of a mountain lion, but it seemed to be more than a mile away.  What else did we hear?  The wind in the pines, birds singing, grasshoppers buzzing, insects ticking, the chatter of squirrels, the calls of hawks.  We saw a bald eagle on the wing, and three red tail hawks; there were numerous chipmunks and squirrels, and an Abert's squirrel; there were meadow larks, nuthatches, sparrows, jays, a Stellar's jay, a few swallows, and a whole host of smaller birds on branches.  Once, there was the sound of a distant airplane.  But there were no sounds of any other vehicles - no cars, no trucks, no buses, no motorcycles, no ATVs.  No telephones rang.  Once, their was a quiet voice from Richard's radio - but that was the only non-organic sounds during those three delightful hours.
    We traveled mostly up- and down-hill, so we were leaning forward in the saddle, or leaning back, and letting the horses have their heads over rocky, sometimes sliding ground.  I was in heaven!   I was able to stretch forward and stroke King's ears, and to reach back and pat the base of his tail.  We trotted occasionally across an open meadow, and cantered across a beautiful stretch of glade openings among the pines.   We looked down, from 8500 feet, to see highway 34 and the Big Thompson River.  We had partly cloudy skies that morning, and we were all a little sweaty when we returned to the stable area - it was all of 73 degrees, but very dry...
    I felt so relaxed and refreshed and just generally - replenished - after that ride. I had no idea how taut my nerves were...   I highly recommend getting away for several hours - and doing whatever it is that makes you feel good.   There is nothing better in life.

Fall Is Here

It's been chilly the past few mornings, but when I looked outside this morning before heading off to the chickens, I decided to bundle up.  The forecast had said a low of 24 degrees, but it looked colder out the window.   Jeans, ragg wool socks, a T-shirt, sneakers, my quilted jacket, and a red and green striped pointed hat with elf ears sewn on and a big jingle bell on the end.  A lot of people driving down the roads did a double-take, and then waved at me this morning.  I smiled and waved back to everyone.  Bounced up the steps onto the bus and jingled all the way - made the bus driver laugh.  It was 17 degrees (F) when I left the house, and 27 when I returned an hour later.
   The hens were ready to come out, but their water bowl was almost dry, so I had to rinse and refill it.  I scattered some scratch and beans for them to snack on today.  Carter, the tom cat, definitely wanted to come outside and wander, but Xuxa, the girl, decided to stay inside where it was much warmer.  I'll get everyone back inside again at dusk.
   The bobcat is still around in my usual house-sitting neighborhood.  My brother-in-law was sitting at the dining room table, doing paper work, when he saw a movement on the patio.  He looked out, and the bobcat was investigating the sliding glass door and the picnic table, then it nosed around the woodpile, where the mink lives.  Jim got up to get his camera, and the bobcat went across the yard to one of the big cottonwood trees, and Jim said that it bounded up into the foliage in the blink of an eye - two leaps and it had disappeared.  Since the bobcat has been in the neighborhood for 2 weeks now, I sent out a reminder to folks to keep an eye on their smalls dogs and cats.  I'm pretty sure the bobcat is feeding well off the huge number of rabbits in the area, but so are the fox pair.
   I am not going to any shopping center or retail store today, Black Friday.  I've already read headlines about shootings and stampedes with injuries - so, as usual, I'm staying away from all that madness.

Little Things Mean A Lot

I was very depressed the day after our Presidential election, but as the world hasn't ended, I decided to make a note of the small things in life that I truly enjoy....
    Yesterday morning it was 31 degrees outside when I left to take care of the family pets on my morning pet run- and I was extremely happy that the car I have to drive for the next week has heated seats.  I haven't, before, truly appreciated this small piece of engineering brilliance - but to have the small of my back, as well as my bottom and thighs warmed by the seat, instead of feeling like very cold leather, was a true gift.  (Guess I'm getting old...)
    The joyful sounds of small birds in the trees and bushes is glorious.  Besides the chirps of the sparrows, there were chickadees singing, robins singing, jays and rufous-sided towhees, the coos of pigeons and doves, the small clicks and keeps of the nuthatches and woodpeckers, and the hoots of a pair of great horned owls.  And to that the chattering of the squirrels, and I'm in heaven.
    The fact that the coyotes seem to have left the neighborhood again is bringing back the fox population.  I saw one two days ago in a neighbor's yard.  And I saw something run across the road Friday morning, but wasn't sure I trusted my eyes.  In speaking with my niece, she, too, saw a mink in the area.  It stood erect upon a woodpile and surveyed it's surroundings, while she was less than 20 feet away from it.
     Having my female cat, Lovey, clean my face each night when we go to bed may not be someone else's idea of a good thing, but it means she loves me and accepts me as I am, no questions asked.  Need, my male cat, just wants to be loved and patted and scratched, and then he lies down upon my hand, pinning me in place, while he slowly blinks his big eyes at me.  I always blink back at him, slowly.
     Having 20 different families trust me to keep their homes, pets, and vehicles safe is almost frightening, but also makes me feel very humble about being allowed into their lives.  I consider most of my clients as friends, and not really as an employer.  I am trusted to make good decisions regarding their pets - health care, food, discipline and veterinary visits.  Most of my friends hand me their car keys when they leave, and say, just replace the fuel you use...  That is trust.  But I feel that taking care of the critters is a responsibility that is the utmost in trust.
     Since Beatrice and I became sharers of a two-bedroom apartment, both of us have more money to spend.  We used to count pennies, and hope we'd have enough to feed ourselves at the end of the month.  Now, sharing, an apartment, we each have an extra $300 per month, and neither of us worries about whether we'll have groceries that will last until the next paycheck.  (And we both love the cats - the cats are fed before we feed ourselves.)  But it's nice not to have to worry about whether you can only eat toast for the next week at the end of the month.
    Bea has had the flu since Tuesday, and it was nice to be able to give her a get-well card, and a little stuffed toy (from the cats), and prepare her favorite meal for her yesterday.  And we both felt a little bit of pride when we looked into the freezer compartment and saw that it was packed with easily prepared meals, if we didn't feel like cooking.  That really felt nice.
     I always try to say "please" and "thank you" to anyone I speak with that assists me in any way.  If I meet someone on the sidewalk, or they catch my eye on the bus, I always greet them with a smile.  So many people these days are  so inwardly tuned, with their smart phones and i-pads, that they no longer notice other inhabitants of the planet...  I just try to be nice, and admit them into a small piece of humanity, daily.

Puppy Attention

I'm watching Cleo and Tess play in the back yard while I write this.  There are also a lot of birds at the feeders, and a few squirrels who dare to make runs under the dogs noses.  The two cats are inside, and I'm surprised the gardener is not yet here.  Martin usually arrives between 8:30 and 9 on Saturday mornings.  Lily has been begging for love and affection since I arrived yesterday, and Lyra has been, also.  Of course, Cleo, the puppy thinks that she should be the center of attention, and then there's Tess...  It's hard to keep everyone happy when two sets of adults are away.
     The sky is a beautiful clear blue, with no visible clouds.  The temperature was 31 degrees (F) when I arose this morning, but  has warmed up to 53 so far; the forecast high is 68.  It's also eerily quiet outside today, other than the bird song and rustling of leaves.  For once, it seems there are no baseball, soccer, or football games being played on the school grounds today - and there are no children screaming as they run around outside, either.  Seems like the quiet before the storm, almost.
   I want to get immersed in my family tree research, but I can't until Christina returns to take care of her critters again.  Actually, I could, but I focus on my research so intently that I don't listen  to the dogs, or think about their needs - which one cannot do with a young puppy in the house.  I simply can't crate her for hours on end, and my other alternative is to allow her only in a tiled room with her toys and bed.  That doesn't work too well, either.  So I'm hoping that Christina will return tonight, or early tomorrow.  It will depend on  how much she misses Cleo, and whether or not she's having a good time with her friends from high school.
   If I didn't have to worry about the puppy, I'd be totally involved in research right now, instead of blogging...

Miscellaneous Photos

Bald Eagle on Assateague Island

Black squirrel

Tree swallow migration on Assateague Island

Where in the world....??

Trips and Rosie

The mountains look hazy this morning, from my window, but the sky is blue with a few puffy clouds.  Yesterday the sky started out a bright blue, with a few clouds (or fog) in the clefts of the mountains, but then it quickly became cloudy and stayed overcast all day.  Autumn is manifesting itself by our temperatures, too - a high today of 78, tomorrow 68, and Sunday 58.  I'll have to pull out my sweater for Sunday, as well as my long nightgown for the weekend.
   One of my favorite sets of clients has decided on a spur-of-the-moment trip, so after I walk Rosie today, I'll be heading to their house with two cats and two dogs for a week.  Then I'll be at Rosie's for five days following that.  This job means I can purchase my new bed at the beginning of October...
   Rosie, the 14+ year old Irish Setter, has good days and bad days, like any older person.  Lately, we've been slowly walking to my sister's house, about one-eighth of a mile away, with Rosie being able to stop and smell and investigate anything that grabs her attention.  Once we arrive at my sister's, I take the leash off Rosie's harness, and she can prowl the acre back yard to her content, or lie down in either sun or shade.  The peach trees in the back yard delivered their huge load of fruit in August.  Apples are now raining down, so we don't sit under any apple tree branches.  Wasps and bees are drunk on the ripe apples that squirrels have gnawed upon - and the whole back yard smells like fresh apple cider.  The deer come at night and eat the apples that haven't been gathered... soon it will be the bears.  (We'll have to be on watch for bears beginning this weekend, as they eat their fill for winter's hibernation.)  And the raspberry bushes are loaded with ripening red fruit - I usually end up eating a cup full off the bushes each day...  After an hour, we slowly wander back to Rosie's house, and stop to greet all the neighbors - Rosie is an extremely social dog, and believes that we need to approach every house we pass that has a sidewalk or an open driveway.   I hate to think about it, but I will miss her greatly when she crosses the Rainbow Bridge.

Camping Idiots

Wildfires everywhere!  As I look out my window, I see smoke rising from behind the foothills - Mount Sanitas, to be specific.  It's been in the sky since yesterday afternoon, when it was listed as a 100-acre fire.  Now it's over 600 acres in size, has burned down three homes, and has more than 2,000 families evacuated.  One of the three homes belonged to a first-responder.  Property, personal possessions, and wildlife are being destroyed because of two idiots who went camping.  They had a campfire burning for more than 48 hours, and when they left, they dumped a half-bucket of sand and rocks on top of the fire and left.  They were sure that the fire was totally extinguished, with that half-pound of sand and gravel.  It was not, and with the normal mountain breezes, the fire soon erupted and spread.  One would think that two "good-ole boys" from Alabama would have more sense; but they sure as heck didn't.  They were found at an evacuation center in Nederland.  They have been arrested.  Thanks to these guys, we have more heat, more pollution, the loss of habitat for many creatures, and multiple "Scenic Byways" are closed because of the fire.  It will take a long time for this area to become "scenic" again! This fire is still totally uncontained because of swirling mountain winds.
   Not only do we have the Cold Springs fire to the west of us, there's also the Beaver Creek fire in Routt County that is over 15,000 acres in size, and is growing.
   Over by Golden and Morrison, west-bound Interstate 70 (near C-470) was closed down due to fire, and the Rooney Valley Soccer Complex and a local hazardous materials plant were evacuated.
   Near Coaldale, the Hayden Path fire has caused a campground evacuation in Fremont County.
   Not to mention the fire inside a scrap metal yard in Denver....
 It reached 101 degrees (F) here this afternoon.  We are in a continuing drought situation.  The smoke and particles in the air do not help with my COPD.  I just about choked to death walking the six blocks to the grocery store this morning....
   Please be careful regarding fire danger anywhere in the world.  Be safe.  Don't be sorry.  - That is all. -

Fun Things To Do On Chincoteague and Assateague Islands

In Virginia, people live on Chincoteague and only wild things live on Assateague.  In Maryland, a person can camp on Assateague, which isn't possible in Virginia.  There are a myriad of things to do and see in either state and on, or around, both islands.
    Assateague Island is a National Seashore in both states, and, in Virginia, Assateague is also the site of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR).  This confuses a lot of people.  Chincoteague ponies run wild on Assateague Island in both Virginia and Maryland - but each state has a unique way of dealing with the ponies.  All of the different kinds of wildlife on Assateague mingle and breed together - except the ponies (usually).  There is a fence separating the Maryland and Virginia sides of the island, but ponies do, on occasion, break through and mingle.  I can definitely say the ponies on the Virginia end of Assateague Island are branded and micro-chipped. The Maryland ponies are not branded.  I don't know if they are chipped or not.  A person, or family, can legally camp on the Maryland side of Assateague with a permit.  No over-nighters are allowed in Virginia.
   Chincoteague Island is located within the Virginia state borders only.  It's where people live, work and play.  If you visit Chincoteague or Assateague for the annual festivals, you know that you usually stay on Chincoteague in a hotel, motel, rental, or bed and breakfast. There are all sorts of festivals on Chincoteague.  The most widely known, thanks to Marguerite Henry's book and the 20th Century Fox movie, Misty) is Pony Penning.  There are also a Blueberry Festival, Seafood Festival, Oyster Festival, Decoy Festival, Arts and Crafts Festival, Chili Festival, the Volunteer Firemens' Carnival and multiple bird-watching festivals, throughout the year.
   If you visit the islands, be prepared for heat, humidity and mosquitoes in the summer.  Storms come from the Atlantic regularly - northeasters and hurricanes.  I can easily remember the five high tide lines on the wall paper in my Grandfather's kitchen.  A seemingly huge storm can sweep across the island in a few hours and wash everything new again.
   What is there to do on the islands?
  Well, first and foremost, Assateague is a National Seashore.  The beach is highly recommended.  Get some sun, play in the surf, or walk the beach.  There are many walks and trails available for hiking on Assateague in both states.  Check in at the respective Visitor's Centers and see what is recommended, or is off limits, for the day. (Some beach areas may be closed due to bird and/or turtle nesting.)  There is also a widely varied group of wildlife on Assateague - from over 400 different kinds of birds, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, to otters, muskrats, the Delmarva fox squirrel, water and grass snakes, turtles and terrapins, white tail deer, miniature elk (aka Sika deer), seals, ponies, frogs and toads, butterflies, raccoons, fox, groundhogs and rabbits, to name a few.  Take a birding guide and/or a guide to wildlife tracks.  Wild turkeys are in abundance and might startle you.  With a fishing permit, you can surf fish from the beach.  And you can tour the Assateague Lighthouse from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. during the summer.
   Water activities?  There is swimming and surfing, or one can take out a canoe, kayak, paddle board, or small motorboat.  You can see all the sights on a guided tour; take a fishing boat into the bays or channels, or out into the ocean; you can fish, crab, clam and oyster - as long as it isn't on private or posted property.  You can cook and eat what you catch - flounder is running well, I hear.  On small cruises, one can take a hands-on ecological tour of the marshes and bays (with Captain Barry), tours around the island of Chincoteague with some local history thrown in, sunset cruises with champagne (with Captain Barry, and others), a guaranteed pony-sighting tour (with Captain Dan), sunrise and sunset cruises on the Miss Chincoteague, and just about anything you can imagine, or want, to do.
   On Chincoteague, the choices seem endless - walking, biking or trolley tours; shopping; eating; reading; the library; the cinema; coffee houses; the Carnival on weekends in July; Second Saturday art shows; the Saturday Farmers Market; the Chincoteague Island Museum; the Chincoteague Bay Field Station; the Chincoteague Pony Center; the Chincoteague Natural History Alliance; the Refuge Golf and Amusements Center; or just kicking back and relaxing....  There are three parks on the island where you can picnic.  And I mentioned eating a little earlier in this paragraph - the home made ice cream on Chincoteague is to die for!  The Island Creamery is known as having the best ice cream on the east coast of the United States; then there's Mueller's Ice Cream Parlor and Mister Whippy - all delicious!
   If you don't mind taking a short trip off the island, you can visit the NASA Visitors Center, go hang gliding with Virginia Hang Gliding, take an air tour with Carter Crabbe aviation, visit the Delmarva Discovery Center in Pocomoke City, or the Barrier Island Center of the Eastern Shore in Machipongo.  You can also go horseback riding at Queen Hive Farm in Assawoman.
   I never get around to doing everything I want to when I'm there - I have to pick and choose.  You will, too.

Sad Saturday

Yesterday turned out to be a very sad and disturbing day for me, as I found destruction at my second pet-sitting site.  I had stopped at the first house and fed the dog, cat, and hens; checked that fresh water was available for everyone; turned the dog out into the back yard, and released the chickens from their coop. I gathered fresh eggs, cleaned them, and headed off to the second house.
   The second house is a "new place" to me, but the pets aren't.  I've taken care of Chocolate and Blackberry for almost five years - ever since Paulina was received them as her 6th birthday present.  The family recently moved to another neighborhood, but I was happy to continue caring for the rabbits.  Chocolate was a female and Blackberry was a neutered male, and they were Paulina's pets, as her father is allergic to both dog and cat hair and dander.  The bunnies knew their names, would come when called, and had very distinct personalities.  I walked up the drive and around the back of the house, and realized the solar cover that normally covered the front of the wire hutch was laying on the ground, several feet to the west of the hutch and fence enclosure.  Then I realized there were little patches of black and white and brown fur all over the ground inside the enclosure.  Next I saw that the wooden ramp on the side of the hutch was closed and locked, but the small rectangular wire door in the front was punched back through the opening, inside the hutch, and was covering the upset food and water bowls.  Then it hit me that the 30-inch high wire fence was folded down like an accordion on the west side, near the solar cover.  I ran over and jumped into the enclosure - fur and blood everywhere.  I sat down and cried.
   The neighbors heard me sobbing, and came into their back yard.  They had heard a dog barking early in the morning - about 2 or 3 o'clock - and the husband had heard the bunnies screaming.  Then it got very quiet, according to them.  At dawn yesterday morning, they decided to investigate, not knowing that the family was away.  They came out, stepped across the fence and saw the carnage.  Both of the rabbits were lying inside the enclosure.  Both had been bitten and torn apart, but very little was actually eaten.  They had the bodies in their freezer, in case the girls wanted to say good-bye and/or bury them.  The girls (Paulina has a younger sister) and their mother are visiting another country to see relatives.  I had to call and break the news.  I left both a voice message and an e-mail for the father and received a response this morning.
   I dug a very deep hole for the burial this afternoon.   I put the little broken bodies into the ground, as well as all of the fur that I could gather from their enclosure, I cried again as I replaced the dirt and tamped it down.  Then the neighbors and I placed several large rocks onto the grave.  Hopefully nothing will disturb the rest of two fine, loving young rabbits.
    The neighbors and I discussed what might have done the killing - there are black bears, fox, raccoons, bobcats, mountain lions, and coyotes in the area.  Since the fencing around the enclosure was mashed down, we decided it might be a bear, since all the other creatures should have been able to easily clear a 30-inch fence - and, even though a raccoon might  have climbed the fence, it wouldn't have crushed it down to the grass.  Then there was the way the solar reflective cover had been ripped off the roof of the hutch - unless the critter had stood on top of the hutch to tear the cover off - it seemed likely to be a bear.  The third item was that the wire door of the cage had been pushed inside - and I wasn't strong enough to pull it back out.  There had been a 1 to 2 inch overlap in the wiring, along with the two sliding clasp locks.  The clasp locks were still there, but the door was smashed through to the other side of the opening.  Looking at all of it, along with the tooth marks on the bunny bodies, we concluded the intruder had been a younger black bear.
  I know that's a risk that any pet owner runs when they live in an area that is known to have plenty of wildlife.  I'm just sorry that the bunnies were not kept safe enough......

My Sister's Backyard

My sister Kathy, and her husband Jim, have a large backyard.  It's about an acre in size, has an narrow irrigation ditch running near the far fence line, and they have a garden plot, a raspberry patch, and a wide variety of trees.  Several of the trees are cottonwoods, and there are elms, pines, a weeping willow, and a few apple trees.  The apple trees are a remnant of the apple orchard that stood where the neighborhood was built, and the irrigation ditch was also a part of the orchard.
  I've spent a little over two hours a day for the past three days in that backyard.  The first hour with Rosie, the elderly Irish Setter, and the second hour with Emmett and Nicodemus, two Jack Russell terriers.  The first hour with Rosie is always quiet and contemplative - her "walk" is really a short stroll two ways to my sister's yard, just for a change of scenery for Rosie.  We usually see several neighbors along the way, and also greet other dogs and dog-walkers - Rosie is very social, but no longer has great stamina, due to her age (14).  Once we reach my sister's yard, we usually stroll around the perimeter, and then Rosie lies down in the sun and soaks up her vitamin D.  Me, I read, or visit with my sister if she's home, or watch the birds and wildlife, or just sit and think.
  When I return with Demus and Emmett, it's another story.  Emmett spent the first five years of his life in a wire crate in a basement; since he was rescued, he loves being outdoors - even though he was afraid to walk on grass at the beginning.  Nicodemus, on the other hand, just wants to play ball - I throw, he returns it; easy.  Emmett is constantly sniffing, looking, rolling, chasing, and exploring the entire yard. Demus and I do the ball thing...
   For many years, a chickadee pair has used a woodpecker hole in the apple tree as a nest.  The tree is next to the TV room and the dining room, and is beside the back deck.  Three days ago, I was interested to see a small brown bird disappear into the hole - it was definitely not a chickadee, and my fleeting impression of it was "a wren."  Another bird returned and sat on the apple tree branch, among the leaves and sang a bright, rolling song.  I've never gotten a good look at the bird(s) since, but I keep hearing their songs , and seeing them in the leafy branches.  I finally called my sister last night, and asked what type of bird they had in the old chickadee hole.  It is a wren.  That made me feel a little better about my identification skills.
  Also, yesterday, while the wrens were serenading Rosie and I, I glanced behind Rosie and saw a large cottontail rabbit emerge from the rose bushes.  I immediately clipped the leash onto her harness in case I needed to restrain her (which I did) and we spent 30 minutes watching the rabbit move back and forth across the yard, eating dandelions and washing it's face.  Once the rabbit had gone back to ground, I released Rosie and she decided she had to trail it's scent.  With Nicodemus and Emmett, later, the rabbit never showed.  (I wonder why?  Hee-hee!)

Assateague Island Photos

Stretching piping plover chick

Maryland stallion chasing a mare

Assateague mushrooms

An Earth Day request

Assateague raccoon

Assateague Sika deer

Northern Assateague, looking toward Ocean City

Assateague and Chincoteague Photos

Can you tell I'm getting homesick?

Carol'Girl and Yankee's colt, less than 24 hours old

Clapper rail

Cormorants, ducks and gulls at Swan Cove

Assateague Lighthouse at twilight - photo by Deb Iddings Noll

Blue crabs

2015 buy-back ponies grazing in front of the lighthouse

The old Chincoteague Channel swing bridge that I grew up with....  When you heard the bell ring, you knew the road on and off the island was closed, and that marine traffic was commencing.

Welcome the Rain!

Our snow-pack, up in the mountains, is at a little over 100%, which is great.  But I certainly welcomed the rain that began to fall last night, and which has just begun, again.  Even with several inches more snow-fall than usual last month, we still need more precipitation.  It's been very windy, and the topsoil is extremely dry.  This light to moderate rainfall is wonderful - not enough to cause flooding, but enough to dampen and slowly penetrate the top strata of soil.  The farmers need this, livestock in pastures need it, and our wonderfully varied wildlife need it, too.
   Bertrando, our local male squirrel, has been eating Brazil nuts while perched on the top of his telephone pole this morning.  He left a few minutes ago, just before the rain began to fall.  I need to re-fill the bird feeder - the critters (birds and squirrels) have eaten half of the shelled sunflower seeds in just a couple of days.
   Friday, while walking Rosie in a treed residential area, I was amazed at the surround-sound calls of nuthatches.  I felt as if I was in the center of a flock numbering more than 50 - and they didn't stop singing for several minutes.  And even though the nuthatches have a very nasal meek-meek call, I could have easily been in heaven.  It was a fantastic, glorious symphony.
   Just sitting out on Lynn's deck the birdsong is almost overwhelming.  I can listen to robins, chickadees, flickers, woodpeckers, mourning doves, a multitude of sparrows, jays, magpies, warblers, buntings, blue birds, meadowlarks, a few owls, and juncos.  Add the sounds of squirrels, an occasional flight of ducks or geese overhead, and the sound of bees busily buzzing, and I think one has just about found perfection...

Today, I'm a Grouch

I hate being plugged-in and turned-on.  With my computer, I can easily turn it on and off, and can switch web sites and I always try to keep the "Chat" turned off - when I'm on my PC, I'm concentrating on doing specific things, and hate being constantly interrupted by obtuse conversations.  I like straight e-mail, or speaking with a person face-to-face.  I dislike telephones, whether it's my land-line or emergency cell phone - but some people can't seem to grasp that fact.
  I was up at 5 this morning, and was on my way to work before 7:30.  I had several stops to make, and three sets of dogs to walk, which meant I walked about 15 miles all total today.  I usually take a 90 minute nap in the afternoon, so I can get up and go again in the afternoon and evening.  Today, my landline phone rang six times while I was trying to nap; and my cell rang twice.  Both of my numbers are posted on the National Do Not Call list, and were listed the day I received them, so I shouldn't be getting many stupid phone calls.  I looked at the caller identification for all calls - I was awake, because of the ring, after all.  I did not recognize a single number, name, or place that any of the calls were made from.  And that angers me.  I purchased the telephone itself, and I pay for the use of the wires and voice mail on the land line, and for the use of air-time on my cell.  Complete strangers call me and ask me who I am.  It's none of their business.  Why do I keep getting off-the-wall calls when I'm on the No Call List?
   I guess seeing the dead raccoon with it's head sticking out of the driveway culvert put me in a bad mood this morning.  I know that a lot of people don't like raccoons, but they were put on the earth (or evolved here) for a reason...  I told the guy who owned the house that he had a dead raccoon in his driveway, and his response was, "Good riddance!"  I told him the body was stuck in the culvert pipe of his driveway, and he started cursing.  Why blame the poor dead critter for dying in an inconvenient spot?  The man owns three dogs that are allowed the run of the neighborhood, and I thought he'd be happy to remove the carcass before his dogs decided to make a meal of it.   Oh, well....
   I was able to watch  a bunch of cottontail rabbits playing, and several male flickers trying to romance their ladies.  Saw several hawks flying and a group of about 100 Canada geese were flying northwest very early this morning.  he squirrels are beginning to chase each other like crazy in the trees, so mating season is upon us...  Just be careful about interrupting skunks - they spray like mad and have party orgies in the early hours.
   Be safe!

Spring?

Hoping to get back to daily postings, as my penance seems to be over...  We had four inches of snow fall early yesterday morning, and while a couple of inches are still on the ground in shaded and north-facing areas, most of it has melted.  I got up early yesterday to be ready in case the lady wanted to walk the King Charles Cavalier spaniels despite the snow.  It was still spinning down in the parking lot lights in my apartment area, and at the restaurant next door.  I had told the house-sitter that I would call at 6:05 a.m. to be certain she wanted to walk, and that all I needed was a yes or no answer from her, as I would need the next 10 minutes to put on my boots, snow coat, hats, scarf and gloves and get a block down the street, and across it, to the bus stop..    When she picked up the telephone, she sounded amazed that I was calling her (maybe she forgot?) and asked why.  I told her it was snowing at my place, and asked if she wanted to walk the dogs, as planned.  She said it wasn't snowing at the house - how could it be snowing at my residence?  I said, "We're two miles apart.  It can happen."  But she had to put on her coat and go out and look.  The only thing is, she didn't have her boots on, so she had to take her coat off, put her boots on, put her coat on again, and then search for her hat...  Needless to say, I missed the first bus.  I arrived there at 7;15 instead of 7:00 and she was upset with me.  I had a major headache by the time I finished walking the dogs under her directions.  I came home and took medication and went to bed.  Thank goodness it was the last day I had to be in her company....  I might have lost my temper and unloaded on her, and she would have no idea why I was upset.  She's just that ditsy.
  The sun came out nicely yesterday afternoon, and a lot of the morning snow melted.  I relaxed last night by getting out my Tiffany Glass coloring book and applying colors to a wooden sailing ship on the high seas.  I am so happy that I can purchase adult coloring books these days, and don't have to print line drawings off the internet anymore.
   Even though it's only February 24, we've had a week of temperatures in the upper 60s and low 70s, and our plants and wildlife are starting to believe that it's already Spring.  There were a pair of great horned owls in the pines in my sister's back yard this morning, and Rosie and I watched a male red-shafted flicker sing and dance and spread his feathers for his lady.  And another flicker was having the time of his life hammering away at a metal fireplace exhaust a few houses down.  The cottontails were out enjoying themselves in the sun, and sparrows were gathering twigs for nests.  I'm still not used to seeing blue jays in Boulder, but there were a foursome flying around the neighborhood this morning - it almost sounded like I was back on the east coast.  Bertie, one of the three identifiable squirrels that we feed, spent the majority of the afternoon sunning on top of the telephone pole between our apartment and Chez Thuy...  And a couple of the ravens are becoming accustomed to my presence - after I placed out some soft fruit for them this morning, two came and sat on the balcony and looked in the window while I was working at my desk.  Pretty soon I'll start placing food for them by the window - and I'll make certain that my cats are not on the balcony at that time.
 

This and That

Blue skies, a humidity level of 70%, sunshine, and a nice brisk 49 degrees (F) greeted me this morning.  We've had several days of gloomy grey skies, with occasional light rain, and one hail shower.  Since it's now October, we have our apartment door and balcony decorated for Halloween.  Beatrice is getting used to the demands of my cats, and Nedi is playing the "poor pathetic, unloved kitty" to the hilt with her.  Lovey is getting upset with me, at the moment, because she is bound and determined to sit on the keyboard, and I keep blocking her.
   South Carolina is still undergoing flooding rain.  On "my" islands, the Virginia Department of Transportation closed the 175 causeway between Chincoteague  and the mainland for several hours on Sunday afternoon, but it was opened for traffic again Sunday evening.  Due to high fall tides and the northeaster, there was some normal flooding on both Chincoteague and Assateague.  The usual low-lying areas were under water and the normally high and dry areas stayed that way (other than the rain).  On Chincoteague there was minimal damage - but, on Assateague, the parking lots and the beach areas were flooded.  There are wash-outs and sand where there wasn't before.  The ponies and other wildlife had no unusual problems with the storm - they have weathered hundreds of them.  Someone posted a photo of Maddox Blvd/Beach Road from the Hurricane Sandy (2012) flooding on Facebook, and a lot of folks thought it was a current photo....  It wasn't, and the water did not rise that high with this little ol' nor'easter.
  Back in Boulder, Rosie has an acupuncture appointment this morning, so I'll be walking her about 1 this afternoon.  The Dalai Lama has canceled his visit to Boulder due to ill health.  Jane Goodall visited last week and enjoined the 8,700 people in the auditorium to educate other folks about the world's wildlife, and to "Save the prairie dogs!"  Naropa, the Buddhist University here, had just applied for a permit to exterminate all the black-tailed prairie dogs living on the campus...
  I'll be taking care of Finn and Maggie May this up-coming weekend, then I'll be at Lynn's for 6 nights, home for 2, then back at Lynn's for another 4 nights.  Thank goodness the kids love their Auntie Bea!  And she and I spoil them rotten!

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Dreamer's Faith is still missing.  This weanling filly was stolen from the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company's Carnival Grounds corral on September 6 or 7, 2015.  There is a reward offered for information leading to her return and the arrest of the thieves.  Please keep your eyes and ears open for news about this red paint pony with a 15 freeze brand on her left hip.