Since late April a calico cat has been frequenting our front porch and back yard pavilion.
This is a short video of the calico cat on our front porch.
The calico cat is on our back yard pavilion.
We shared the above-displayed video and photograph of the cat on Facebook, asking if she belonged to anyone. One of my Facebook friends wrote that the cat might belong to one of our neighbors, who moved into the neighborhood in late 2019 or early 2020. I found that neighbor on Facebook and sent her a message via Facebook Messenger. On May 4th we learned that our cat visitor belongs to our neighbor.
The name of our neighbor’s cat is Lucky. She is 11 years old and a rescue cat and is classified as a Tortie with white, not a calico! Lucky was an indoor cat for years before her family moved into our neighborhood. She went outside and has absolutely loved it, so she stays out quite a bit.
We absolutely LOVE having Lucky visit us. She is very friendly and loves to be petted.
The only negative thing about Lucky’s visits is that a tomcat hangs around her. He chases Lucky and pisses on our hedges.
We believe that the tomcat is feral. He is standoffish and won’t come anywhere near us. Thankfully Lucky is spayed, so there are no babies in Lucky’s future.
Today, April 9th, is the 9th (and final) day of our Easter vacation.
The colors painted on the clouds at dawn, as seen from our AirBnB, Tranquil Shores, were very nice.
Red Sky in the Morning …
The car was packed, and we were on our way back home at 6:40 am.
It started raining, as we drove out of Chincoteague, VA.
We stopped for breakfast at Denny’s in Fruitland, MD about an hour later. Bob ordered a Western Omelette. I ordered French Toast, scrambled eggs and bacon.
After drinking tea/coffee and orange juice during breakfast, it was only a matter of time before a bathroom break was necessary. We stopped at the Bay Country Rest Area in Church Hill, MD.
Pretty daffodils were in bloom all around the rest area.
We stopped to stretch at Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, PA. I photographed a small waterfall and the Caledonia furnace.
The waterfall was located alongside PA Route 233 N near the US Route 30 and PA Route 233 N intersection.
Fayetteville, PA waterfall
Caledonia Furnace, an iron works that dates back to 1837
I began this post with a photograph of the clouds at dawn, with the caption “Red Sky in the Morning …” It rained off and on from Chincoteague to North East, MD. It stayed cloudy, even though the rain had stopped. We did see some sunshine for the last 2 hours or so of our drive. We returned home shortly before 6:30 pm.
Today, April 8th, is Day 8 of our Easter vacation.
This afternoon we decided to make a return visit to the Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. We saw a few ponies!
We stopped for dinner at Don’s Seafood and Chicken House near Pocomoke City, MD. Our dinners were moderately expensive. We were celebrating, though. As of today, both Bob and I are fully vaccinated against COVID. This was our first time to eat at Don’s. Bob ordered crab dip for an appetizer. Bob selected stuffed flounder, as his entree. I chose southern fried chicken tenders. Our meals were delicious, and service was excellent.
We had ice cream for dessert at Island Creamery in Chincoteague, VA. Bob got a brownie sundae with Java jolt ice cream. I got my usual, a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a scoop of peanut butter cup ice cream.
In my previous blog post I wrote that we returned to our rental AirBnb, Tranquil Shores, after lunch.
Around 3:00 pm we drove to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. We drove on the Wildlife Loop twice and took Beach Road to the Toms Cove Visitor Center, where we turned around.
Wildlife Loop – 14 Turtles on tuft of grass
Wildlife Loop – Great Blue Heron and Glossy Ibis
Wildlife Loop – Sika Deer
Wildlife Loop – Sika Deer
Snowy Egret, seen along Beach Road near Toms Cove Visitor Center
Great Egret, seen along Beach Road near Toms Cove Visitor Center
Yes, we visit the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge several times during Chincoteague, VA vacations. Often we visit the refuge more than one time a day. The refuge is one of the main reasons we go to Chincoteague year after year.
Today, April 7th, is the 7th day of our Easter vacation.
We have awakened each morning of our vacation in time to watch the sun rise. Each sunrise that we have witnessed has been beautiful. This morning’s sunset, though, was more than beautiful; it was splendid.
Sunrise, as seen from the upper porch of Tranquil Shores
Sunrise, as seen from the upper porch of Tranquil Shores
We visited downtown Chincoteague this morning. We went window shopping along Main Street. The shops that interested me were closed until later in the day.
We walked back to our car the scenic way.
Robert N Reed Waterfront Park
During our walk, we decided to drive to Cape Charles, VA–a place we had never been. Cape Charles is located about 66 miles south of Chincoteague.
A popular mode of transportation at Cape Charles appears to be golf carts.
We saw this golf cart and its passenger from our car.
Golf Carts provide transportation along the seashore.
We went for a walk alongside the beach and on the fishing pier.
It felt like summer, especially so when we saw people in swimsuits on the beach and in the water. The temperature was 75 degrees at noon!
The LOVEwork is located near the public fishing pier. It reflects the history and community by incorporating materials that represent what Cape Charles is all about. The “L” is made of sea glass and seashells to represent the bayside community. The “O” is a tractor tire to represent agriculture. The “V” is made of kayaks to represent outdoor adventure activities and the “E” is made of crab pots to represent aquaculture.
The “L”
Cape Charles Public Fishing Pier
Bob and I on the Cape Charles Public Fishing Pier
Leaving Cape Charles, we drove to Metopkin Seafood for lunch. Metopkin Seafood is located in Mappsville, VA about 50 miles north of Cape Charles. We were disappointed to find that Metopkin Seafood was still closed for the season. Metopkin Seafood is a favorite place for us to get a seafood platter.
We decided to eat lunch at Maria’s in Chincoteague, VA– our first time to eat there. Bob ordered a crab cake sandwich with French fries. I ordered a small pizza.
Lunch at Maria’s Restaurant
I have leftover pizza for another meal. The food and service were good. We returned to our rental AirBnb, Tranquil Shores, after lunch.
I have more to tell you about our 7th day of vacation, which I will share with you in a future blog post.
Today, April 6th, is Day 6 of our Easter vacation.
I started the day with an accident. The upstairs bedroom has low ceilings. I ran into one of the ceiling edges this morning. The ceiling edge hit along the upper, center part of my bang line. I saw stars but did not pass out. I have a small cut in my hairline. That hit sure hurt!
[Note: This post is back dated. As of April 24th my head is completely healed.]
The highlight of our day was a day trip to Assateague Island, MD. We walked on the beach and collected a few sea shells.
Assateague Island National Seashore
Tent Camping at Assateague Island National Seashore
We walked the Life of the Marsh boardwalk.
Life of the Marsh Boardwalk
We saw several wild ponies.
Bob took this picture of me, with wild Ponies in the background.
Wild Ponies at Assateague Island National Seashore
Wild Ponies at Assateague Island National Seashore
Assateague Wild Ponies Strolling Down the Road
Assateague Wild Pony
Assateague Wild Ponies. Look! A Foal!
Assateague Wild Ponies – A Foal!
Assateague Wild Ponies
The Foal Approaching Its Mother
Hi Mama! Do you see the foal’s tongue sticking out?
In my previous blog post I wrote about our morning visit to Oriole, MD on Day 5 (April 5th) of our Easter vacation.
We were back at our AirBnb, Tranquil Shores, by 12:15 pm. We ate lunch and spent a few hours relaxing.
Around 3:00 pm we drove to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. We drove on the Wildlife Loop and took Beach Road to the Toms Cove Visitor Center, where we turned around.
The highlight of our visit to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge was seeing an eagle sitting on its nest. The eagle’s nest is seen from the wildlife loop.
We returned to Tranquil Shores. I prepared tuna casserole for dinner. For dessert we went to Island Creamery for ice cream — Chocolate and peanut butter cup for me; Java Jolt for Bob.
