HappyerAtHome: July 2019

i've wanted to go to chincoteague for a few years, pretty much since we moved to virginia. i loved the book misty of chincoteague by marguerite henry and hoped i would be able to see the ponies for myself one day. so i planned a family vacation for us this year after ander was finished with school.

everyone loved at least one thing about our trip; most of us loved more than a few aspects of it.

we drove in on a monday afternoon, arriving at out home-away-from-home for the week: assateague overlook. it was aptly named - during the week steve could actually spot ponies on the island from the fence just yards away from our front steps.

first on the agenda - dinner at ropewalk.

bada bing shrimp

seared scallops

crab cakes

lorge iced tea

we went on the much-anticipated boat ride on assateague explorer from tom's cove over towards assateague island to search for ponies. we were not disappointed.

afterwards, the kids relaxed at the house while steve and i went in search of lunch, which we found at captain zack's seafood. best hush puppies, in my estimation.

then to the dollar store for supplies and the house of jerky because...well, jerky!

i did NOT get these

we couldn't pass up the sunny day when we expected rainy weather later in the week, so we went to funland amusements for the bumper boats and the go-karts, which ander was tall enough to drive on his own! woo hoo!

one loves panning for rocks...

while the other one prefers to bounce

everything AND more?!

mr. baldy's restaurant was super close to the house and seemed like a decent, albeit quite empty place. it was just the right fit for us.

the best clam chowder for the elder

happy daddy

spaghetti for the younger

stuffed flounder for mom

full tummies coming

wednesday morning found us at island creamery because there would be no line in the morning, meaning no waiting for the divine homemade flavors of ice cream. the smell of fresh waffle cones wafting around us.

then to assateague island to see the lighthouse. the boys climbed to the top while mom stayed safely on the ground so she could sweat without adding breathing problems to her discomfort.

dad and artemis didn't really want to to go to the beach but were content to wait in the a/c of the minivan while ander and i ventured over the sand dunes to experience the atlantic ocean.

our deck allowed for plenty of bird watching for me. i especially enjoyed the diving terns.

great egret

dinner that night was at don's seafood, where artemis relished the crab balls and mom was brave enough to ask the large party of youngish men if they were participating in the sounding rocket launch the following day at wallops; they indicated an affirmative answer and so we wished them luck.

mom's crab feast

we did, in fact, get up at 4:15 am to drive to the wallops flight facility visitor's center to join a crowd and watch a sounding rocket launch. it was short and sweet and totally worth the experience.

sunrise spotted on the way back to the house

after a rest we went in search of donuts and ponies, in that order.

artemis saw this eastern painted turtle on the side of the road. we stopped, went back, and made sure it was in a safe spot before moving on

chinco the island pony at the chincoteague pony center. ander named his plush pony after him.

bailey, a rescue horse from a little further north

ander and i were quite eager to get our feet wet in the ocean again, so we had our own adventure.

after a shower i went off on my own to drive along the road on assateague island and see the visitor's centers there.

horsehoe crab you could touch!

snowy egret

the museum of chincoteague island was especially wonderful for learning the history and culture of the island. on the way home i brought back fudge and caramels and taffy and chocolates from pony tails for the family to enjoy.