Between the Sea and Sky

There is something safe, something dangerous, something uplifting, about walking the tidal zone of an ocean.

You stare at the seeming infinity of water, and realize your place in the universe is rather small. This realization can release your stress, or it can make you anxious, if you let it.

Even though I’m the size of a small boulder, I still feel like a sand grain among billions, when I’m on the shore. It grounds me, it gives me the perspective I crave, and paradoxically gives me a sense of belonging to the whole.

Then, the sun rises, and ruins everything. Because my skin color is the Pantone shade 11-0601 Bright White, I scuttle sideways like the ghost crabs, and head for the car. With the dawn, their nemeses, the seagulls, will go hunting, and they’re first and foremost on the breakfast menu.

Well, it’s about time for breakfast anyways.

I scuttle to my car, stow my bags in the trunk. I collect seashells. Well, and rocks, and fossils. And a pinch or two of sand, for my sand collection. And trash, because I want to keep this beach as pristine as possible.

In case you’re wondering, I’m on Assateague Island, on the Virginia side.

And I’m with my hubster, thirty-five years into a relationship. I introduced him to my soul’s heart when we were in college. Everyone else wanted to go to Florida for spring break; we hustled to Virginia instead, no crowded beaches, awesome meals, and flying my fighter kite on the beach. He’s now as hooked as I am. Because if you can’t travel with your best buddy, is the trip worth it?

This national seashore has been our refuge for the better part of forty-plus years.

I discovered it with my parents, when Mom took an educational course on nearby Wallops Island. Dad and I spent the days shelling, and came up with some honking conches. (They’re in my bathroom.) We loved its wildness, while staying in a modest hotel on Chincoteague Island, the civilized neighbor.

Before that, we’d gone to Cape May, New Jersey, to recharge. But, of course, civilization creeps its creep, and Assateague has protections. And wild ponies. And a national wildlife refuge. Though I’ve gone back to Cape May, I don’t think my parents have, and they have returned to Assateague more than I have. Dang these retired Boomers...

I reflect on the changes as I munch my bagel with cream cheese. I got it at the hotel, before I came to the beach. Because everything tastes better at the beach. Okay, maybe I scarfed half of it before driving out, because a hot toasty bagel, with the cream cheese just beginning to melt onto it, is a heavenly perfection that can’t wait.

(In the past, we would go to a tiny little bakery at the waterfront pier, and get fresh danishes. The Christmas Brandt used to be there, and we’d shop there after eating at the Crab Shack, also on the pier. When that restaurant went downhill, the pier owner increased the rent, and the Christmas Brandt moved down the road.)

Speaking of, it’s time for me to do some shopping.

I always like to start at The Brandt. A brandt is a type of goose, and flocks migrate past these islands in the fall. They are squatter, and much more peaceful, than their Canadian cousins, AKA the Cobra Chickens. (Seriously, that would make a great sports team. Just release a flock of mascots, the other team flees in fear, you win by default. Simple!)

The Brandt has rooms of cool gifties, and I love picking up an ornament every time I visit. They have a lovely large plushie section, and cool pottery, and lots of local-related stuff. I have a series of magnets I got there, and I’m pretty sure my Misty of Chincoteague book series was bought at the old store on the pier. If any of my relatives have kidlets, it’s the first place I go to find a gift. They also have a section of Yankee candles, and even had Crabtree & Evelyn products for many years. And seashells to buy, from all over the world. Let’s just say that much of my décor, and my seashell ice cream bowls, are from them. And always check out their t-shirts, they have always had the best designs, and the best quality. Hubster’s “Egrets, I’ve Had a Few” shirt was gotten there, and he’s still wearing it.

Then, off to Pony Tails.

Before they were sold, it was THE place to get saltwater taffy, and it was made on site. They also had THE best peanut butter fudge, bar none. I miss that so much. They now have a plushie room in the back, that used to be filled with children’s beach toys. I’ve found some really nice ones there, if The Brandt has been picked clean. Funny that Pony Tails centers on horse-themed plushies, and The Brandt centers on wild animals found in the refuge.

Island Decoys is still there, and though it’s hit-or-miss when he’s open, I’ve picked up some smaller decoy sculptures along the way. The piping plover has been with me for longer than my marriage, in fact. And I love teasing my hubster about the display the owner has, the willow ptarmigans. Hubster doesn’t believe they exist (ptarmigans, that is), so he was shocked that I recognized them solely by book ID. He also doesn’t believe in the song “All You Zombies” by the Hooters, so I derive a bit too much pleasure in playing it when he gets on my case.

Island Arts, a lovely studio run by Nancy Richards West, used to have regular hours, but she’s still open by appointment. I have so many of her prints! Three are behind me, and one is in front of me, as I type. Herons are among my favorite birds, and she’s captured them in the many moods of the island. Among other goodies, there is also handmade pottery, and jewelry, and pewter-cast sculptures.

Many stores are now long gone, and I miss them terribly. The used book store, Old Neptune’s Bookshop, that was open exactly once while we were there. (You know the type, I love them!) Copperworks, the best place to get awesome lighthouse prints, till the owner was involved in fraud shenanigans and had to flee. Payne’s Sea Treasures, with the Viking statue and the giant anchor out front; we brought him two bricks with writing impressed into them for his patio collection. Miss you, dude, and your kooky shop. It was awesome.

The Sea Glass Jewelry Shop, you were gone too soon. I’m so glad I got the necklace I coveted while I was there. The fiber and yarn shop we discovered by accident, I got a lovely dyed roving there. The souvenir shop right across the street from Bill’s Prime Seafood and Steaks, I never got the name, but they had such awesome jewelry and décor. Mom, hubster, and I raided them one day, while Dad got the car. (I’ve heard it’s morphed into a different cool shop, Decoys Decoys Decoys, and I can’t wait to visit!)

But now it’s time for lunch. Famous Pizza & Sub Shop has upped its game, which I honestly didn’t think was possible. Awesome food, and of course you have to top it off with a slice of Smith Island Cake, which is just so nommy. Eventually I want to take a slice to the beach, and have hubster take photos of myself eating it, so I can have a visual representation of the song “Cake By The Ocean” by DNCE. If you’re curious, here’s the menu: https://famouspizzasubshop.restaurants-us.com/menu

And I did not share my peach lemonade.

(Years ago, we did abandon Famous Pizza & Subs for Not Just Salads, because they had a lunch special: wahoo burger (OMG the best fish sandwich you could ever experience!) and a cup of their homemade soup. They always had three soups, and if one was Manhattan clam chowder, get out of my Dad’s way! But honestly, all of their soups were insanely good. I miss them, I really do, but Famous Pizza has always been the best backup ever.)

Thusly fortified, it’s now time to visit the local fauna.

Firstly, climb the lighthouse! And they usually have a neat artist in residence at the base, with cool artwork. The trail up and back has fascinating creatures – and it’s still the only place I’ve seen dung beetles in the wild.

Afterwards, I love checking out both visitor centers on Assateague. The national seashore center sits on the back bay on Little Tom’s Cove, and the national wildlife refuge center is tucked into the woods. Both have interesting displays, nicely stocked gift shops, and interactive exhibits. I always buy postcards at each, and get the passport stamps on the cards. I have one of the original National Park Passport books, but I filled it to overflowing a long time ago. This works so much better, and I can display them on the walls.

I usually can spot a few of the ginormous Delmarva ground squirrels sniffing about, because I know where they like to hang out. They’re HUGE, folx. Like stick three or four regular squirrels together, then add a tail. And they look like they’re salon fresh, with their frosted tips.

Depending on the season, we’ve seen the best of the creatures. Black-crowned night herons, great white egrets on the nest, flocks of snow geese that stretch for miles, ponies trying to get the whole herd into the car, a peregrine falcon on a kill. (Those last two were right before the Blizzard of 1993, and yes we booked it out of Dodge. Even though the Weather Channel was insisting it would just rain, my mom was hollering down the phone for us to get our butts back, and the snow followed us all the way back. Six hours, outrunning a storm, and getting stuck at every single red light up the coast!)

If you go in the summer season, you’ll see the ponies – way, far away, out in the marshes. As soon as Labor Day rolls around, they’re suddenly much closer. We like to do the wildlife loop in the afternoon, then break for dinner.

Now, till a few years back, dinner was a conundrum. Dad would break the tie, demanding that the first night was at Wright’s Seafood House on Wallops Island. Best spoonbread, ever, EVER! And awesome seafood, no matter what you got, with a really good salad bar.

But Wright’s is sadly shut, so the conundrum is over – off to The Village Restaurant!

Get the local oysters. There is no other answer, unless you’re into scallops. If you’re an oyster fan, there are none better, none sweeter. I prefer them steamed, but I’ve had them breaded as well, I just pull off the breading. More room for oysters that way…

Skip dessert, unless they have bumbleberry pie. The get it, and take one home, because NOM.

Now it’s time for more beach!

You have just enough time to go for another wildlife loop, then go out to the beach again, for sunset.

The wildlife loop in the afternoon is usually the time of songbirds, and the air is thick with dragonflies. Once the sun begins to fade, all the egrets come out to feed. The turtles are trolling the channels, and you’ll see an eagle or two. The geese and swans come out on Shoveler Pond, and you might even see a stray gallinule, if they’re blown off course.

The horses sometimes come out on the beach towards sunset, and they’ll relax and enjoy the breeze coming off the ocean. Sometimes people will stay and build a bonfire, which is nice, but I’m about walking the beach, or taking pics of the sunset, or watching the brown pelicans flapping by. Sometimes a seagull will come up to you, hoping for some charity. Sorry, gulls, I won’t feed you people food that’s bad for you.

Then, it’s back to the road, and a stop at The Creamery.

Now, there are three ice cream shops in Chincoteague. Everyone has their favorite – there’s Miller’s on Main Street, and also Mister Whippy on Maddox, but (in my opinion), The Island Creamery beats them all.

(I also see a new place, Pony Pop, on the map. Will investigate next time, but trust me, my opinion won’t change.)

Look, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can beat their Cherries Jubilee.

They soak the cherries in brandy, and there’s brandy in the ice cream. The bowl was snatched out of my hands, and shared among my “friends.” I still haven’t forgiven them.

It’s literally ice cream to die for. I’m deathly allergic to even tiny amounts of alcohol, and jut the few licks I’d had were enough to get me drunk.

Sigh. I didn’t see the sign. But, oh, so, soooo, good. Don’t worry, I get other flavors when we go, but I will always stare longingly at my forbidden flavor. Maybe, if all the doctors tell me that I’ve got all the deadly diseases, I’ll choose the boozy cherry way out. But I’m still kicking, and you likely don’t have my allergy, so have my share. I’ll grumble a little as I inhale my Pony Tracks.

Here’s the menu: https://www.islandcreamery.net/chincoteague-menu

(They’ve expanded to Berlin and Salisbury, both in Maryland. Check them out!)

By now, the lighthouse is lit, and the beam of light sweeps round and round as we go back to the hotel. We try to get a room where we can see it, its signature flash pattern of a double flash every five seconds.

I will sleep well, preferably at the Waterside Inn. Check out the pictures in the office, and ask questions about both those images, and the roses outside. You’ll learn some cool things about the locals, and their connection to the NASA station on Wallops Island. (They’ve expanded the visitor’s center there, too, check it out! And if you find a giant tiger swallowtail butterfly, much bigger than your hand, put him on the lee side of a tree, because sometimes those autumn winds blow strong.)

If you decide to go, and follow in my footsteps, give me a call? I’ll be glad to join you, and show you the hidden gems of my favorite place.