Chincoteague Oysters and Ponies

10/5 - 10/9/2012
Tom's Cove
Chincoteague, VA

We only drove about 77 miles today to Tom's Cove which is also the site of the Chincoteague Oyster Festival on 10/6.  They only sell 2,700 tickets and they have been sold out for months.  Our Caravan leaders always get them a year ahead of time.  At the festival we had clam chowder, blue crabs, oyster chowder, fried oysters, oyster fritters, shooters and steamed oysters.  There was also real french fries that they called Boardwalk Fries, and hushpuppies.   There was plenty of sodas, coffee tea and bottles water.  All this for one price, all you had to do was stand in line.

Half way through a bowl
 of blue crabs

Steamed oysters,
you were given two large bowls. You could have more if you wanted to stand in line again.

Pushing the potatoes

 through the cutter. 

 Boy, these were really good.

BUSTED!.........

When we were in Maryland we stopped at an Amish veggie stand and bought several things including this nice spaghetti squash.  While we were at the oyster festival Buddy decided that he would try it out.  You know how hard the outside shell is, he worked on it until he got through and then proceeded to eat about a fourth of the squash.

Our tour group, Joe is in the last seat on left.

At the Assateague Island National Wildlife Refuge we had a tour and were fortunate enough to see the famous Wild Chincoteague Ponies.

 I don't remember what kind of bird this is.  Maybe Judy will know.

Delaware Seashore State Park

Oct 2 - 4
Rehoboth Beach, DE
Stop #1

We met up with 20 other Airstream trailers/motorhomes, no singles so we have 42 people in our group.    We are camped right on the water next to the "Inlet" with a beautiful new bridge that lights up at night.

Our first day, Tuesday, 10/2, we all met over at the Park Headquarters for a briefing and then a fabulous all-you-can-eat catered dinner from "Hook-'em & Cook-'em.  Fresh steamed clams, very large shrimp, scallops, flounder, green beans and corn.  Everything was superb, especially the scallops as they were the large ones that were cooked to perfection.  It looks like we have a nice group with couples from CA, NJ, SD, CO, NC, DE MN, LA, TX, AZ and probably some other places.

Wednesday. 10/3 we missed because we had to take Buddy, 80 miles to the north of us to have an abdominal ultrasound, that I won't go into now.  The end result was very good, no cancer.

Thursday, 10/4 we had a tour of the Indian River Life Saving Station  The station was built in 1876 for use by the United States Lifesaving Service, a government organization created to respond to the alarming number of shipwrecks along the coastlines of the U.S.  The building was originally located 400 feet closer to the shore, but a sand dune began to form around it almost as soon as it was finished.  It was moved 400 feet further inland.  The U. S. Life Saving Service was the precursor to today's U. S. Coast Guard.

-The station was manned by the Captain, or Keeper and six-surf men.  The six surf-men were local farmers that worked the entire winter during the storm and then went back to the farm for the summer planting and harvesting.  The men had to be fast and strong.  The life saving boat was 2,000 lbs that they had to get to the water by rolling it on a dolly with large wheels.  Every week they had to practice turning the boat over, upside down in the water and then, three of them had to turn is right side up again in five minutes.  A very interesting tour, a good place to take the time to visit.

The Station, painted in the original colors

The table was always set so the men would always have this image and know that a warm hearty meal would be waiting for them when they came back from a rescue

The Harden Star Fire Grenade

The boat has a false bottom for an air pocket

The Captain's Room

Room of the six surf men, in the hall was a locker for each of them

Looking out the window up stairs, looking out over the sand you can see a 

thin strip of the Atlantic Ocean under the clouds

The coal storage shed

Next stop is Chincoteague Island, Virgina

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Time To Say Good-Bye

October 1st, 2012
E, F, & G Campground
Rising Sun, Maryland

It's been a wonderful visit with family but now it's time to move on.  Just a few family pictures and family history for the journal so we can remember our visit.

On the way to "The Cabin" on the Conowinga River.

The sun came out and just happened to be shining on the yellowish tree

Gordo carefully picking his way down the hill.

Frannie starting the brawts and hamburgers,  thankfully brother John arrived to finish the job.

 Gordo is waiting to go for a ride in the boat

Meese
Sue
Frannie
Ellen
Betty
John

 Charlie and Mary Ann

Joe's niece

Aunt Ruth, Vi (91) and
Pam, Ruth's daughter

 Ed and baby Lillie Rose

Sue and Al

Frannie's sister

Cousin Betty and Don

Aunt Liz's daughter

 I have never seen apples for sale by the bush or peck

At the cabin looking up the Susquehanna River

Conowingo Dam on 

the Susquehanna River

     

This is kind of a weird feeling for my Joseph C Conrad.

This is Joe's great grandfather who built the barn, with the help of his son Harry Conrad.

Harry would have been about 18 yrs and he wrote his name on the barn.  Harry, Joe's grandfather lived on here on the farm up until he died in 1954.

Joe sitting on his great grandfathers grave marker.

(Everyone says that Joe
 looks just like his father,
 Joseph P. Conrad)

Joe's grandfather, helped his father (Joseph C Conrad) build the barn that is dated 1900.

Harry married Edith Preston and they lived on the farm until Harry died.

They had five children:
Joseph
Easter
James
John
Margarete

 These three pictures were taken last April when we visited.
The trees were just starting to leaf out.

Through all these years the different owners have kept this plank original

You can just barely see the 1900, showing when they built the barn.

 Looking through a window into the Meeting House, the women sat on one side and the men sat on the other side. On the other side of the wall
Notice on the picture above the two doors, one for women and one for men.
This arrangement is so they are not distracted by the opposite sex.
Well darn!!!!!!

In Ellen's yard 

Ellen and DIL Erin















Frannie and Son Joe

Joe and sister Ellen

And all four of us,

Nancy

Joe

Ellen

Frannie

That's it for this year's visit.

Next heading for Rehoboth Beach area, Delaware to meet up with 20 other Airstreamers and we will be starting the 40 day Southeast Coast Spectacular Caravan so I will be posting at every stop.

Until then, safe travels to all.

Nancy