Tidewater Maryland

... tidal Patuxent River, western shore of Chesapeake Bay ...

"Click to enlarge" or "z key" ... (view widescreen) ...

... at the very northern tip of Skinners Point on historic Broomes Island in the tidal Patuxent River ...

A bloodline of hardy wild ponies, reputedly the descendants of survivors from shipwrecked Spanish galleons in the 1600's. There are herds on the barrier islands of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. These are totally wild animals, fearlessly disregarding human presence, unless approached closely or feeling threatened, then they will kick and bite. They have no predators, although careless tourist vehicles kill one or two annually. Authorities in Maryland use birth control darts to keep the herd there at about 100 - 110 animals.

... along the Assateague Island shoreline ... U.S. National Seashore Park, Maryland

Osprey over shoreline of Sinepuxent Bay, at Assateague Barrier Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

HFF !! ... Wild ponies on Assateague Island, Maryland ... two mares, one trying to show dominance in the herd. If the herd "pecking order" were in jeopardy, these two mares would fight, until the herd stallion would crash in to break it up. Also, the "ears" tell a story -- the pony on the left has ears back: aggressive, assertive, ready to fight/bite. The pony on the right has ears up, far more intent on something down the beach. Archive Airings Group -- AA282 Not My Animals.

... on historic St Leonard's Creek ...

If I could find a model willing to flout the authorities, I would hike back to this site for another try.

... outside a crab house (rustic restaurant) on the road to Assateague National Seashore Park ... "Crab House" -- Blue Crabs, steamed with Old Bay seasoning, dumped on trestle tables covered with butcher paper; just go at them with little wooden mallets (for the claw-meat) ... plenty of beer ("Natty Bo" AKA National Bohemian) and paper towels ... www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/blue-crabs-steamed-maryland-style-10708

Miles of linear lath-fence protect the fragile dunes from clumsy beachgoers and act as a windbreak to catch blowing sand. Access to the beach is restricted to designated passageways, solidly fenced such as this one, which even the wild horses use. These hardy feral ponies are reputedly the descendants of survivors from shipwrecked Spanish galleons in the 1600's. There are herds on the barrier islands of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. These are totally wild animals, fearlessly disregarding human presence, unless approached closely or feeling threatened, then they will kick and bite. They have no predators, although careless tourist vehicles kill one or two annually. Authorities in Maryland use birth control darts to keep the herd there at about 100 - 110 animals.

... a cropped shot of feral horses cropping a new crop of Spring grass ... (today's English vocabulary word is: ____ ?)

... Barrier Island Wild Horses ...

... with a dead weed as a compass ...

Happy Fourth of July from Broomes Island, Maryland ...

In late-October 2012 Hurricane Sandy (officially "Superstorm Sandy"; but once a hurricane, then always a hurricane) ravaged the lower Delmarva Peninsula as it battered New Jersey and New York much further north. Wind, high tide and storm-surge seemed to hit the west-facing Crisfield locale harder than usual. Lower income and rural areas have barely rebounded. But some high-end housing has been constructed, right on the water, perhaps based on income from successful professionals moving in from Baltimore and Washington DC.