SALT WATER COWBOYS

Today was the 100th annual pony swim which is done by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  The swim started very early this morning during slack tide.

Today the ponies will rest and tomorrow there will be an auction.  One such pony will be a 'buy back' and return back to Assateague to remain in the herd.  But some lucky people will also buy a pony to take home.  Those funds help with the cost of taking care of the herd, vet bills, and the Chincoteague Fire Department.  You read more about the event HERE.

This annual event also inspired the book "Misty of Chincoteague".  As a kid who loved horses it was one of the several horse books I read.  If you are not familiar with the book and would like to purchase one for a child you can read more about the story HERE.  It will also tell you the history of how the horses made their way onto Assateague Island, MD and Chincoteague, VA beaches.

FYI, the horses are regularly checked by vets all year on the islands.  When camping on Assateague they would often walk among those of us on the island and have even had one horse TRY to steal food from us.  A few years ago I did a brief blog post about pony penning and you can see old photos of a couple ponies, my departed husband Gary and me HERE.  There are many more horse photos in my album but am too lazy to receive it.  

Now I'm getting inspired to hook another horse rug.  But must get back to the snowman.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

THROWBACK THURSDAY

How  many of you have read the well published book Misty of Chincoteague?  Being a horse lover as a kid I did.  Also I enjoyed their presence each summer when visiting Assateague State Park, Maryland.  Here is just one time I took a photo while surf fishing off Assateague but I've plenty more photos somewhere.

This year the Pony Penning event at Chincoteague has been cancelled due to Covid but the auction of the ponies will still take place.  If interested this year or future years you can check it out HERE.

My first husband Gary (who died in 1981) and I lived in Bowie, MD at the time but had a house trailer on a lot down route 611 near Assateague.  We spent every every weekend there from Easter until September when school started.  

This is Gary on the porch of our house trailer talking to our weekend guests.

We did a LOT of surf fishing ~ and yes I baited my own hook, casted out my own rod and brought in my own fish!  Plus I received a couple awards for size of fish brought in on certain species.  For you long-time folks like me around the eastern shore who remember Scorchy Tawes, he mentioned my name on WBOC a couple times in the sports segment.  I still have my certificates.

This is my butt, Gary and son Greg is in the car.  Our weekend guest took a photo and think it was a guy who worked with Gary at IBM in DC at the time before we moved to California.

Also that year we attended a folk music festival and this is my adorable young son Greg.  Have no idea what I'm talking about but have my camera in hand and we were going somewhere.  

Oh such fond memories as I look at these photos.  Greg was adopted at the age of 8 months and now he is in his 50s.  Good grief where has the time gone???  

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com