Misty of Chincoteague

Well, I did it. I went to the pony swim at Chincoteague. It was hot and crowded, as expected, but the people were so nice. I got there about 7 AM and the actual swim didn't begin until 10:55 AM so what could have been 4 hours of misery was actually 4 hours of reassuring observation of human nature. Luckily, I had a spot under a tree on the shoreline where my feet could dangle over the side--just like a chair. With my sciatica, this was heavensent. My neighbors were wonderful parents with active kids who entertained themselves looking for muscles and kelp for hours. Kids, Parents and Staff alike--all deserve medals for good behavior.

The first reports said that the swim would be at 9:30--I wish! They wait for the tide to be slack-not high or low. They brought the herd of about 100 out to a landing and grazed them for a couple hours prior to the swim. It seemed like eternity before they moved them up to the point and into the water. Once in the water, the horses heads were obscured by the floatella of boats lined up on either side of the channel. The whole swim took 4 minutes. They let the herd rest on the shoreline for about an hour before rounding them up and driving them to the carnival grounds where they were auctioned off on Thursday. Some mares and foals had already been delivered to the pen a couple days earlier. Not all are auctioned and the remainder are returned to Assateague Island on Friday.

I promised Jimmy I wouldn't bring home a pony. True to my word, I didn't. But I did make a donation so that some other lucky kid could have their dream come true.

It's in the Stars

My buddy and cousin, Kay Cole, (who is a respected professional astrologer--people come from all over the states, even the world, to see her) says that "Mercury is in retrograde". She said that there are some strange things going on the sky. I told her about my interesting week--my losing not one but two offline computers loaded with our financials in two days, my sudden case of painful sciatica, the big 7 car accident on Rt460 I just missed being in Friday, and today my car battery went dead (thank goodness for AAA Plus membership). Not to mention our big real estate closing that's delayed. She just said, "Yes, that's what it is!"

For now I have conscientiously put myself in "slow" mode and am trying to stay out of everyone's way. I didn't used to give much credit to things like "Mercury in retrograde", but I've come to realize there are many things beyond our control that obviously DO have an effect on things around you. The power of coincidence is another. I respect it and do my part to try and stay out of harm's way.

  

Life is a Parade!

Once again we made our annual trek to Scottsville to the best Americana parade in the country. It was in the high 90's and standing on the asphalt and the high humidity made for a meltdown. But seeing the fire engines, horses, princesses, soldiers, gorillas, Civil War reinactors, etc., made it all worthwhile.

Afterward, we all met at Carey's new house and dined on homemade faire of fried chicken, black bean salad, spinach salad with strawberries, deviled eggs and coconut cream cheese pound cake with blueberries, strawberries and ice cream. I think that will hold us over until next year. Hopefully next year the James River won't flood so we can spend the 4th at the cabin and swim in the river.

When Pops asked Reagan and Bart their favorite part of the parade, Bart quickly replied, "The fire trucks!" He can spot one a country mile away. But Miss Reagan said, "The candy." We were at the beginning of the parade route and all the trucks and marching people threw beacoups of candy to us.

A Golfer at Three!

  

Bart is a natural athlete. At three he can swing the club and hit the ball like a pro. He keeps his eye on the ball, his head still and has a great rotation of his shoulders. I know adults (including me) who spend lots of time and money trying to learn what he can do naturally. I'll be interested in seeing his game develop as he matures. (Although most of the other men in the family haven't matured and are still boys with bigger and more expensive toys!!!)

When I took these photos 2 or 3 weeks ago I was standing in front of Bart trying to get a good pic. The thought struck me, "If he hits this ball clean, it will hit ME. And it did! OW! I still have a goose egg on my left shin! But he did say, "Sorry, Grammy."