To the Ocean

When my daughter suggested another short trip I hesitated for only a second:  the call of the ocean was too strong to resist.  It was a day's drive to Dewey Beach, Delaware.  And worth it!

I never tire of seeing the ocean and spending time at the beach.  The ocean is always the same, yet always different.

One day we drove to Lewes, just a few miles north, in hopes of touring to one of the two lighthouses.  Neither was open and it was hard to even get close to them.  In the photo below you can barely see one in the distance on the far left.  You can see both closer in the second photo below.  (We were spoiled a few years ago when we were able to climb to the top of Marblehead Lighthouse.)

Another day we drove to Assateague Island to see the wild horses.  They are free to wander all over the island and graze along the side of the road.  Sometimes they cause traffic jams while people stop to watch and take photos. 

We were warned not to approach, call, or try to touch the horses and to steer clear because they are unpredictable.  But when a horse approaches....  They didn't approach us but after getting back into our car after a walk, two horses walked into the parking lot and headed toward a van where a woman was standing with the back door open.  She suddenly realized a horse was beside her, sticking its head into the van.  She and her husband quietly moved away while the horse moved to the side of the van to investigate.  My daughter and I started laughing which alerted the couple to the fact the side door was open and the horse was trying to get inside.  No harm came and the horses wandered away.  Had that been me it would have taken an immense amount of self-control not to reach out and touch the horse.

The island is long and narrow with the length of it running parallel to the coastline.  When on the island, the eastern side looks out to the ocean, the western side toward the land.  That landward side is filled with marshy ground and shallow water.  They've built some beautiful walkways over the marshes.

On Assateague Island the waves crested further out at the same time they crested closer to shore.   It was something I don't remember seeing before.

An early morning farewell.

But, of course, I brought home shells.  They are different from the kinds that washed up in Florida.  The little black pouch is a little skate egg case, commonly called a mermaid's purse.  This one has a hole in the bottom suggesting that the skate didn't survive.

I'm looking forward to the next visit to the ocean, whenever that may be.

--Nancy.