Virginia shore offers small-town charm, horsey souvenirs

Recommended… the word if you like laid back, quaint, relaxing, and calm vacations with a slight historical aspect.  We do.  So please let me continue; I love telling about our road trips!
We were rather curious as to why there wasn’t anything to see or do on the ocean side of Virginia’s Eastern Shore peninsula.  We stopped at the Barrier Islands Center (BIC) to find out.  It seems that most of the Atlantic side is dotted with barrier islands and was once home to hundreds of thousands of water fowl.
Lodges, camps, retreats and the like were built and folks from the north came down to hunt, fish, network, and relax.  The lodges became bigger and grander over the years.   Soon not only hunters but their families were riding the train down and taking ferries to the barrier islands for a little R&R.  But over time the sea, the weather, a devastating decline in the number of birds, and a great hurricane changed all of that.  Hardly anything is left from those grand days.
What is left is in the BIC, a museum housed in a wonderful old house, once the local “poor farm.”  It’s a large straightforward white, wooden house that was, like so many things in this area, saved from destruction by a group of locals.  I bet at one time there were 10 bedrooms upstairs.  Today the old house tells the history of the barrier islands with pictures, displays, and artifacts salvaged over time.
We continued north with a turn to the right and landed on Wallops Island.  Bet you didn’t know that Virginia has a NASA space center!  Since 1945 this center has conducted research including sending monkeys into space.  Now it sends supplies to the International Space Station, and launched a rocket full just last week.  President George H. Bush, #41, was even stationed there.  The museum was an educational stop.
On to the east and across the bay was our final Eastern Shore destination, Chincoteague Island, where the wild ponies are.  It’s a nice little town of only 4,000 or so.  Chincoteague is an Indian word for lovely land between the waters.  On the very eastern side is a national park with a beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean.  We walked and shopped the historic downtown, ate local, went to the beach, climbed to the top of the lighthouse, and took a sunset harbor cruise.  And, I purchased each grandchild a copy of Marguerite Henry’s classic Misty of Chincoteague from the local bookstore.
One night after having ice cream served in homemade waffle cones in a historic Victorian house (the biggest ice cream parlor I’d ever seen) we walked back to our bayside hotel.  One particular house that we passed just stood out. I probably commented on it every time we went by.  It just happened that the lady of the house came down the front steps with her little Yorkie on a leash.  I commented on how pretty her house was and we talked.  She asked where we were from.
Being used to that question, we replied, “Mississippi.”
But where?
“North Mississippi.”
But where, she pressed us.
“Batesville.”
She threw up her hands and exclaimed that she was from Memphis and had a brother in Olive Branch. No wonder I liked her house! Then I knew why it stood out from all the others!
The little town is full of pony themed souvenirs and I looked at most of it. I love the story of the ponies and now see that this article won’t hold all I want to tell you.
Rita will be glad that this one won’t be so very long!   We enjoyed our trip and I want you readers to also!

Recipe of the Week

Sriracha Shrimp-Endive appetizer
How about a new tailgate recipe for your last tailgate or game day menu?

4 green onions, chopped
1 pound chopped, cooked shrimp
½ cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
4 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
20 Belgian endive leaves

Save 1 tablespoon chopped green onions for garnish.   Mix remaining onion with chopped shrimp, salad dressing and sauce.  Spoon onto the endive leaves.  Garnish with reserved onion.  Makes 20 very pretty appetizer servings.  Keep refrigerated (or on ice) until serving time.  Tailgate now and holiday party later!