Your attention to details and providing links to in-depth information is so very helpful. We can choose a casual stroll from border to border, or mosey off the beaten track along several interesting paths.
Virginia is a beautiful state through which I trekked many times, visited often when I lived quite nearby in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC for 20 years, and was also my home for two years in the 50's.
After 6 weeks of life in Norfolk as part of the Navy, we were sent to the Eastern Shore at Chincoteague Naval Air Station, and lived on the island of Chincoteague, 2 miles wide by 7 miles long.
As I have described here often, I lived in a house right on Main street 4 blocks from the center area of the town. It had been built by a sea captain, with an octoganal window overlooking the bay across the street from the second story - where I put my baby boy, 11 months old when we lived there.
The house was divided in half, from top to bottom - had sagging floors, and no insulation whatsoever - one stove in the living room with vents to (supposedly) allow flow upward to heat the top floor.
Needless to say, we spent the first few cold Spring months sleeping in the living room near the stove.
My second son was born on July 1st at the Naval Air Station, and we thus had a front row seat for the Annual Chincoteague Pony Roundup at the end of the month.
The problem was, however, I developed a severe infection with temperatures of 104 degrees for 4 days that day, and was a bit 'out of it.'
Parked my then 15-month old in his playpen on the porch, and he loved the parade past to the pens 4 blocks south..:))
About 6 years ago, that second baby boy and his family visited the island, and he found the house had been lovingly restored to a one-family abode, with modern upgrades - gave me films of them in front of it...
That September, we moved inland to a warmer house, next door to the new landlady. She was the Island Midwife, where most of the locals came to have their babies...it was a whole other world.
The original settlers of the island were English, still apparent in the speech, and mostly fisherfolks or raised chickens.
They were full of superstitions, and on another sister island nearby, reached then only by boat, they at the time did not let *outsiders* go there - most never left the island - ever - marrying among their own.
America is full of rich and vivid history, isn't it?
What a wonderful story of your life on Chincoteague....I actually think I have seen the house you describe.
we live on the mainland, but it only takes 15-20 minutes for us to get to Chincoteague and we go frequently.
A week from today is the annual Pony Penning and parade......I'm not yet sure if we're going to go over Wednesday, yet.....may wait until Friday to watch them swim back to Assateague.....much small crowds that day.
((((MAGGIE))))!
It is vital to control the herds so they will not overpopulate the Reserve and thus starve, with too many mouths for the amount of forage. They also are checked for diseases, etc.
This year, it should be next week for the drive down Main Street to the pens for visitors to see and buy some of the overage.
Click on the link below for one description of this - who does it - etc.
