Monday, December 29, 2008

Christmas on the Islands


Yes, I know I didn't mention it beforehand but this past extended weekend was my 3rd Annual Christmas at the Beach. With Christmas day being Thursday we left early Friday morning and were there by lunchtime. Chincoteague was a little more bustling than past holidays, maybe it had to do with going after the holiday. We saw lots of surf fisherman and plenty of waterfowlers on the drive down. There were even more than a couple people on the beach, even some surfers and by the looks of all the cameras and big intimidating lens' there were lots of birders. The weather wasn't rainy like past trips, low 50's and breezy with lots of thick morning fog. Friday's sunset, Saturday's and Sunday's sunrise never happened, but Saturday's sunset was worth the wait. This pony was along the Wilderness Loop at the edge of Snow Goose Pool Saturday evening (here's the Saturday Live shot). She took her sweet time munching the grass along the road but finally lifted it's head for the crowd (me and another couple)
Not counting trips down when I was a kid, I've been down to Chincoteague four summers and now three Christmas's since 1999. In this time I couldn't guess how many early walks on the beach I've walked, picking up shells. I've seen dead rays (or maybe they were skates), I've seen jellyfish washed up, I've seen Horseshoe crab shells a plenty (they molt in the late fall early winter) and I've even seen parts of old shipwrecks washed up on the beach (for you dry land farm boys it reminds you of an old post and beam barn). But I've never seen and have never even considered what I saw Sunday morning. But right there on the beach was ..........

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