Home From Delaware!

Yet another picture-filled post from yours truly!

Lily and I had a great time on our adventure up north! A big thanks to Devin's family, who took us in and showed us amazing hospitality!

From here to Seaford, DE is quite a long journey. Luckily, Lily did reasonably well and we managed to make it there without too much fussing. We did get a chance to stretch our legs on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which goes out about 20 miles over and under (via tunnels) the ocean.

We made it to Delaware right at bedtime, so we were able to get enough rest for the big day that lay ahead. We stayed with Devin's Aunt Carol and Uncle John, who were wonderful hosts. They took us to Chincoteague and Assateague Islands the following day. For those of you who were not big horse-dorks as adolescents, the islands were used as the setting for the book Misty of Chincoteague, which I fell in love with when I was 11. I'm a horse-dork and I'm proud of it!

The ponies here are wild and are said to be decendants of horses who survived a shipwreck from a Spanish Galleon ship. You can read more history here, its a fascinating story.

Here we are in front of the ponies:

Grandaddy Dan is trying to point out the ponies -- Lily calls them "Hweeses"

After seeing the "hweeses," we went for a walk on the beach part of the island. It was definately cold, hence the winter coats!

Devin's Dad and his sister Carol

The next day, we went to real Amish store and I actually got to see a horse and buggy up close. I wanted to take a picture, but it seems like I read somewhere that they think it'll steal their souls, so I didn't do it. Then, we wanted a picture of Lily with just the horse, but I didn't know if they had feelings about the horse's soul. By the time we caught up with Mr Amish and he gave his approval, it was too late. We were already in the store, buying tons of cool stuff and he left well before we got a chance to photograph the horse. They had a lot of organic food, fresh mixes, and hand crafted goods. I got Lily a little Amish doll and some good smelling candles.

On our last day, we headed to Washington DC, as it was technically on our way home. We had to choose what we'd do with our limited time there (just a few hours), so we chose to hit the Smithsonian's Natural History museum, pictured below:



It's dimly lit, but there are huge dinosaur bones above Lily's head. Devin's sister Carol and her grandson Vaughn came with us in a separate vehicle so we could go on home from there

Dan sure loves seals!

You know you wanted to see a picture of my baby next to a tall, pointy, phallic symbol that represents our nation's strength -- they could've just shrined a corvette or some other symbol of male ego, but I guess this one looks cooler :)

After a great visit and some wonderful memories, we headed home.

We let Lily drive.