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Adventures in Assateague {my virtual scrapbook}

Good ole summertime.  We’re right in the thick of it and having many adventures.  Sometimes my blog posts are full of family pictures – these posts are a bit for me and my future.  You see, I don’t scrapbook.   I’ve wanted to, but I simply don’t find the time now.   I have pretty, blank albums, plenty of papers and tubs of the children’s artwork and special paraphernalia (I hardly throw a thing away).  Does this sound familiar?  I’m hoping to make the time some day…..but for now, when I do have spare time to pursue my interests, it’s focused on jewelry and photography.  My blog is my place to combine those two interests, and at the same time, create a sort of scrapbook of my treasured memories.

Over the weekend, we went to nearby Chincoteague and Assateague.  If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may remember our trip last summer.  Well this time we had so much fun, we went back the next day.  And I know we’ll make another trip before the summer’s over.  We took the advice of locals and stopped by Island Creamery for  ice cream.  When the line goes out the door and in to the parking lot, you know it’s a good thing.  Our favorite part was the home made waffle cones.  You could watch them being made while trying to decide what flavor of ice cream to chose (Snickerbar cheesecake, cake batter, pralines and cream….).

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The Assateague lighthouse is a favorite spot to visit (read a detailed early history here)….although we had to endure complaints from one of my sons that there were too many mosquitoes. As it turns out, the mosquito issue is a known problem and my bug spray just didn’t seem to make a difference.   BUT, the view was worth it.

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We were fortunate to see the wild ponies on both days…  the famed pony swim is coming up this weekend.

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All sorts of birds are in plain view at this nature park:  egret, heron, sanderling, seagull, vulture and more.

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Here is a marshy area near the beach that we explored on foot… and my flip flop was sacrificed.  It was like walking in quick sand.

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The beach itself is so beautiful and peaceful.  It has such a different quality than Ocean City – less crowded, more families, and no commercialized feel in any way. Even the shells are different…and we filled a few buckets with shells and broken bits alike to create wind chimes.  Now we need to find driftwood.
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You’ll never run out of things to photograph here, even if it’s your own shadow!

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Yes, we’re those kind of people who like to feed the seagulls!
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The best way to end the day was a stop to see my online friend, Laura Twiford.  Many of you are friends with her too…and I was fortunate to see here right there at her family restaurant.  My family enjoyed a great seafood dinner, complete with crab dip.  This is a special year for Ray’s Shanty, as Laura and Ray celebrated the restaurant’s 25th anniversary earlier in the year.  My time with Laura was far too short – I just know we could have chatted for hours.  Times like this with kindred spirits fly by too fast.
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I hope you’re enjoying the summer too – get out there and enjoy it when you can!  🙂
-Cindy
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Cindy Wimmer is a jewelry designer with a passion for combining vintage elements with modern wire design. She is the co-founder of artBLISS, hosting jewelry and mixed media workshops in the DC area. Her best-selling jewelry design book, The Missing Link, was released in Fall 2013. Read more.