Chincoteague, Assateague, Pony Island . . . . a small barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia that is home to a herd of wild ponies, migratory birds, and all sorts of other creatures. It has an air of mystery and romance and we thoroughly enjoyed our day there.
Ever heard of "Misty of Chincoteague Island?" Well these are Misty's relations. No one knows exactly how they got here. Some say they swam to shore when a Spanish vessel sank off the coast in the 1500's.
This is the third birthday we've celebrated in a hotel this year. Happy 13th birthday Emily! How's that McDonald's "Big Breakfast?"
The wetland home to so many birds and turtles and crabs is also home to billions of mosquitos! Neil kept the bug spray out and spraying on our little walk to view the ponies (Emily is swatting in the background.)
Emily imagined we would spend her birthday day on the beautiful beach. She didn't expect to be dragging dead fish parts on a string to a creek to catch crabs! She was a good sport about it though! :)
Crabbing: tie some kind of stinky fish or rancid chicken to a line with a weight, toss it in a murky creek, wait, wait, slowly pull it in when you feel a tug, snag it in the net, dump it in the bucket!
Jeff caught the biggest crab! He gave it to the neighboring "crabbers" to take home and cook. He said, "Be careful! He's a feisty one! You'll have to throw him in the pot quick!"
We got to hold a horseshoe crab in the nature center. Those things are strange!
This is Margolo, the gull who invited his friends to share our lunch.
Finally! The beach!
We only had an hour at the beach. It was a fun filled hour of "body surfing," i.e. rolling and tumbling with the waves as they crash to shore. Only an hour because thunderheads rolled in and the lifeguards evacuated the beach. It was such an interesting day! Even our mad dash to the car and the changing stalls was exciting. The rain started coming down in sheets as Mara and Hayley were changing. When they finally made it to the car, sopping wet, Mara said, "I was stark naked in the rain!" We got a good laugh out of that!
Hayley is back! We missed her so much! On Saturday morning we picked her up from her week at Especially for Youth in southern Virginia. She was so pumped up and full of the Spirit. She was also very sad to say goodbye to the many new friends she made. She probably won't be able to see them again since they are from Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and New Jersey. Thank goodness for Facebook!
Hayley was probably hoping to go straight home and sleep! But do you think we could pass through Virginia without making some stops? Inconceivable! The Luray Caverns actually wasn't on the top of our list. But it is now! They were very impressive. We think they are as good, or even more exciting than Carlsbad Caverns.
The headsets gave us a guided tour. The kids loved it. Jeffrey was especially enthralled with the narration and kept getting ahead of us, anxious to get to the next stop. That's why he isn't in many pictures!
After hiking in the cave, we went hiking in Shenendoah National Park. This is Dark Hollow Falls. We were really testing Hayley's new positive EFY attitude now! She was so tired! Hayley is resilient and patient though and she survived. :)
The view from Skyline Drive is so beautiful and green. Quite different from the Rocky Mountains rugged wilderness. As pretty as this is, we are really missing the Rockies.
Spotsylvania battlefield was a more sobering experience. It is in pristine condition and much like it appeared during the Civil War. We walked around the site that is called "Bloody Angle." We heard thunder in the distance and imagined cannon fire and men slogging through knee deep mud to fight hand to hand with bayonets. Shudders!
Growing up in the West we hadn't given too much thought to the Civil War other than what we were required to know for history classes. But now we are reading about it and seeing where it took place and we are coming to understand that as horrible as it was, it was the only way to put an end to slavery in this country. The miracle of it all is that our country came through it and we are still united. It's no wonder that the last 150 years have still been a struggle for civil rights. There was no easy way out. 
Breakfast in bed is a good start to any birthday! He joined the rest of us in at the table though. Too lonely! :) We dropped Hayley off at EFY the day before so we were missing her when we gave our birthday booster statements. But never fear, Jeffrey announced "I'm getting a brain connection! It's Hayley! She says, . . . .oh, I lost her!" 
Jeff got a special treat when Mom and Dad took him to Johnny Rockets for dinner.
Happy Birthday Jeff! We love you! 
Having Ben here was like having a new baby brother! He was so much fun to play with. We quickly realized that everyone was happier when Jon and Megan did sight seeing and Ben stayed home with the kids!
Megan took some nice family pics for us.
Thanks for coming guys! It was great!
Mark and Jeff's armor didn't fit on their heads very well. Hee Hee... I personally think I look pretty in this picture. :)
I liked the Powhatan Village. Pocahontas was part of it. I studied Pocahontas for a home school assignment. :) She's an awesome lady. Did you know that she had 3 names?! When she was born her name was Matoaka. But as she grew older her tribe liked to call her Pocahontas which means "Playful One" because she liked to race and climb trees and stuff. And then when she got married to John Rolfe she was baptised into a Christian Church and was renamed Rebecca. By the way, we are in a replica of a Powhatan house.
Right here we enjoyed sitting in the shade because it was literally 98 degrees. It was really hot! A lady was telling us things about how the tribe planted things in their garden. It was neat.
Buried in the water.
Buried in the sand.
The family bike ride was hilarious. We let Mark steer first because it was his birthday. We screamed in terror for the first few minutes until he figured it out.
Happy Birthday Mark! A perfect day on the beach, McDonald's for dinner, and funnel cakes in the hotel room. It doesn't get much better than this! According to Mark it was the best birthday ever.