THE SECOND OF THE SECOND OF TWELVE

Still beach time!

It is my intent to write about a number of the East Coast beaches I have visited.  Sort of a trip down the back alleys of my summer time brain.

We did get some rain overnight and it's supposed to rain most of today.  What a better day to go to the beach? 

Worked in the yard most of yesterday and it was like what I would call a late spring day.  In fact took my shirt off to catch some rays.  Just about gave the widow lady down the street a heart attack, but it felt good to get the exercise and dream about being in my teens again.  She'll get over it.

One of my favorite beaches on the east coast is in Virginia.  No, not Virginia or "Ginny" beach, but those wilds of Assateague Island on Virginia's Eastern Shore.  Specifically the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.  For wildlife photography, this is one of the greatest places on the east coast to visit.

There are of course the wild ponies which attract thousands of people each year.

 
But the refuge is also home to millions of migratory birds as well as resident critters, which for the most part are not camera shy. You can find the usual cast of characters sloshing through the marshes, such as blue herons, mute swans and snowy egrets.   But it is the beach of which I write today.

As on most of the barrier islands along the East Coast, erosion is a constant threat and here the problem is severe.  Therefore, the requisite storm fencing which hopefully hold the dunes together and the ocean back.  Storms, primarily north easters are the biggest dangers to the real estate.

Of course they can be beautiful.

Like on many beaches, replenishing the sand is an annual thing.  Sad really, but then again it's nature folks.  A new bridge from the mainland at the town of Chincoteague makes access to the island very much easier, but I fear that the crowds may change the area completely.  We'll just have to wait and see.