Best Western Riva Rd.
We left Chincoteague this morning and drove through the drizzle to Maryland where is stopped raining. Tomorrow we’ll spend the day in historic Annapolis which is between weekends of the Sailboat and Powerboat shows. I’m not so interested in the boat shows, but love to visit the bookstores. No surprise there.
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Chincoteague for the billionth time….
Randal and I have been to Chincoteague many times. It’s a great place for lots of things, bike riding, bird watching, beaches, sea food, used books…etc. This year the weather didn’t cooperate for our visit to the Assateague National Wildlife Area, but our walk through town and visit to the Sun Dial Bookstore was what we had come for. www.sundialbooks.net is just a great place where locals and tourist meet about books. It’s light and sunny and is a compliment to the great newly renovated Chincoteague Public Library which is also sunny and light and wonderful. I’d visited the library many other times but this trip it was closed for Columbus Day Monday. Sundial had lots of interesting books so, of course, I couldn’t leave without one. Kaddish by Leon Wieseltier was my purchase. The author having spent many months saying the 3 times daily Jewish prayer for the dead for his father decides to examine why he does that and what is the prayer ‘s meaning.
After the Sundial we went for lunch at Bill’s our favorite restaurant in Chincoteague. http://www.billsseafoodrestaurant.com/ Randal and I split a fried grouper sandwich with granny smith apple slaw and there was plenty for both of us. I wish I’d asked them to toast the baguette which is how I remembered it from last year. Then we strolled back to our motel with a stop at the ABC Store for some Glenfiddich for Randal and then the ATM to replenish our supply of $$$$$. Late in the afternoon we did a drive around Assateague Island but that’s no so fun in the rain. I did buy a post card at the visitor center to send off to our friends Heidi and Kalle in North Cyprus. In the “latest adventures” link on her website www.heiditrautmann.com Heidi wasn’t on the list so I sent off a post card from the post office in Chincoteague. But North Cyprus isn’t on the list of countries given to US post offices. So I added Turkey to the address as most everything has to go through there first. Interestingly the post office in Israel could deal with it. So Heidi, we’ll see what happens!
Our old GPS had no clue this new bridge into Chincteague exists so our map showed us driving across water.
The new bridge skips the main road through “downtown” so I sign points the way. And how to get out if there’s a hurricane. We only had annoying drizzle.
Images of Chincoteague, great for birding and home the discendents of “Misty of Chincoteague.”
Horse With No Name Gallery…. It was the owner’s mom who was the “little girl in the Misty story.”
Actually, I’m not sure if this woman is the owner, Zebie Zay , but I am sure it was her mom who was in the Misty of Chincoteague story.
Randal and friend on the gallery’s great purple couch that had been a freebie as was most of the store’s furniture.
Guess these folks watch “Once Upon A Time” too.
The “trick is to….” I can’t read it or remember so you can make up your own answer.
http://chincoteagueislandlibrary.org/
Originally a barbershop, the Chincoteague Public Library renovated with the new addition. Years ago when we visited Chincoteague the library was just the tiny old barbershop building but still a vibrant part of the community. They consider themselves “the little library that could.” http://www.mydoramac.com/wordpress/?cat=138 shows the photos I took last year which show the inside.
http://sundial.indiebound.com/ is the website for Sundial Books which was closed last year ( on Tuesdays they close) when we were here. When you read about Jonathan and Jane Richstein, you want them to open a book store where you live. So good that we were in Chincoteague on a Monday though too bad it was Columbus Day Monday. Being around books is how Randal and I spend a lot of our free time when we travel.
The pony round up and sale helps to support the Chincoteague Fire Department.
Bill’s Seafood Restaurant on Main Street is a favorite..but Moller’s Ice Cream Parlor is always closed in the fall.
Lots of Victorian homes with bright colors and gingerbread trim.
Lots of election signs and lots of ducks and other migrating birds.
So, we didn’t get the weather we’d hoped for, but we enjoyed our time visiting the shops along the main street and chatting with folks who now had the time after the busy summer season had past. Then it was off to Annapolis…another favorite place with a really great bookstore I really like.