Assateague Island

Our vacation was amazing. I don't even know where to begin. I guess I didn't do enough research because I kept getting STUNNED by the beauty! and the horses! and the beaches! and the sunsets! James kept asking me if I even knew where we were going and why didn't know I know how awesome this was going to be. I guess I've been too busy catching up on my reality television to notice that I was basically jetting off to the most beautiful place I've ever been.

Some highlights from the trip:

James must be a threat to homeland security because the boy got detained at every security check point we crossed. If it wasn't one of this twenty cameras it was the water that was hanging around in his water bottle. If it isn't his water bottle it was the corkscrew! Needless to say, the people behind him in line at LaGaurdia didn't really have a lot of good things to say about Mr. Turnley.

We stayed in Ocean City, MD. Although it had a pretty boardwalk and a beach for miles, we concluded it was the tackiest place either of us has ever been. I can imagine the cast of 'The Jersey Shore' fitting in perfectly there. It is lined with cheesy hotels and motels and has a french fry stand every other block. Holy hell--it was quite a bit different from the beautiful Assateague Island.

We found horses. When I say that we stumbled upon a pack of wild horses at sunset, I know it sounds like I've been drinking, but for I'm serious. It was unreal. They were, at times, less than a few inches away from us. I have no words. It was the most unbelievable scene I've ever been a part of. I kept saying to James, "No one is ever going to believe us!" but then I remembered we were armed with 48 cameras. We came back the next day and searched for them--they were miles out into a field that we couldn't get to but thanks to my restlessness on our last afternoon I drove our little rental car around the island and happened to stumble upon them at the exact right time. They were galloping across the marsh and right past us. I claimed it was because they missed me and that I was their horse whisperer--upon which time James turned and walked the other way. Apparently he had heard enough of my tales of horsemanship.

It was the perfect mix of relaxation, adventure and summer. The weather was beautiful and the company was even better (and by company I mean the wild ponies but it was nice having James there too.)

Here are a few great shots from the trip but head over to my Flickr (on the right) and you can check out all of them. It felt great being able to use my new camera--still learning! I'll probably post some more stories about this trip but I just wanted to share before two weeks go by and I forget whether it was ponies I was chasing or something else entirely.







(Also, click the pics to make them bigger! click them!)