Sunrise, Friday the 13th

I am always saying that my daughter and I get out of bed before daylight when we go to the beach to get down to the shore and look for seashells before anybody else, but he truth is that's what gets her normally-awake-at-the-crack-of-noon butt out of bed in the dark when she's on vacation. Me? It's this right here. This was our first morning of vacation. The bottom picture was taken first, notice the thicker clouds at the top? Sunrise lasted all of about 10 minutes before dipping behind that cloud layer. Didn't come back out fully til after lunch. But that 10 minutes was well worth the price of admission. Actually, we had awesome sunrises each morning. It was the sunsets that were iffy.

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Chincoteague's Viking Man - LTL

I found another Larger Than Life subject. Viking man here was strapped to a telephone pole along Ridge Road near Pony Swim Lane on Chincoteague Island. Where would you stick a large fiberglass man? The picture below is the reality of Viking Man's life. Not just strapped to a telephone pole but strapped to a telephone pole with a 2 AM closing time lean going on.

Saltwater Foxes

OK, if I told you I saw some foxes on the beach, is this what you would picture in your mind? On our winter vacations to Chincoteague in the past we have seen fox tracks so we know they are there. Assateague Island is remote enough that these guys have it easy, especially during waterfowl migration. This was probably just as exciting as seeing the harbor seal last time we were here. This was Saturday morning before sunrise, we also saw them Sunday morning. These must have been the kits, mama was in the brush along the dune. All three were on the beach on Sunday.

Back from the Beach

When we sat down at the end of the school year to see when we could fit a vacation in this year we started marking off days the kids were here or there. A week at this camp, a week at school, a week at that camp followed by 4 days at that camp. Well this past Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday didn't have anything marked on them. So a couple calls and we had reservation at our old reliable vacation destination... Chincoteague Island, Virginia. The great thing is the laid back atmosphere. It's not a neon nightmare filled with stupid high school kids. But four days just wasn't enough, though. Two more days, I think, I may have checked everything off the list. Crabbing? Not enough but, check. Crab cakes? Check. Boogie boarding? Check. Shell hunting at sunrise? Check. A little more exploring off the island? Negative. Birding? Check. I did my part, it was the birds that failed to show. Relax? Nope. That's not why I go on vacation. Oh yeah, Theme Week: Beach.

We Got a Green one and a Blue One

My Birdwalk last Sunday didn't turn up too much. I did see this blue heron and was surprised by spotting the green heron. It was a hot and humid morning so I think the birds were all hanging in the brush. I did see a few ducks, one may have been a wood duck and some goldfinches. Migrations will be starting soon so maybe bird counts will pick up.

Franklin County Fire & EMS Stations

I can't say they were easy, I didn't know where the second one was until about a week before I took these pictures. Heck, I didn't even know about the third one until a week or so before I took those pictures. First one I knew about, I just haven't been out that way in a while. Here we go...

First station... St. Thomas Township Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company, Inc. (Almost had to put on an addition to fit all of that name). Company 18. 34 School House Road, St. Thomas, Pa. Established in 1964 this building was built in 1987.

Second Station... West Shore EMS. Ambulance Company 100. 850 Fifth Avenue, Chambersburg, Pa. To find this one you have to turn off of Fifth Avenue to find it. They've been there since 2005. They used to be in at Lincoln Way East and Coldbrooke Avenue, just a couple blocks from the hospital.

Third station... Friendship Fire Company No. 1, Second Street, Chambersburg, Pa. This was before they moved out to East Point (Lincoln Way East and Queen Street split) and eventually into McKinley Street Station. This is currently the Police Station and attached to Borough Hall. I saw no break in the brick work, it may have been completely redone. Friendship's were formed in 1780 they were housed here from around 1830 until 1911.

Name that Station 13

We'll keep it simple again this week. All three are in Franklin County. Answers at one this afternoon like always. Last one I'm looking for a company not a department. Good Luck.

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