~ down by the bay ~

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We have camped every month since February, 

(of course, I have neglected to post pictures)

and for July,

we made the long drive up to Virginia to 

First Landing State Park.

First Landing State Park is in Virginia Beach,

and sits at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

So this is the mouth of the bay, 

and most of the time the water is more like a lake than the ocean.

 ~ crooked horizons vs. using photoshop ~ 

In the photograph below, 

there are several interesting things to note.

One is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (very faint)

which is a spectacular drive, spanning 20 miles

with two tunnels that are each a mile long.

The ships in the picture are the reason for the tunnels:

the Hampton Roads area is a major port area.

To the right is large fish net, 

where pelicans line each post,

orienting themselves in the exact same way.

I once watched a kayaker paddle out there to successfully rescue a pelican in the nets!

I could say so much about this wonderful place.

First Landing State Park protects a rare ecosystem: the maritime forest.

Just a few hundred yards from the Bay is the freshwater cypress swamp,

where Spanish moss dangles from the bald cypress trees.

If I'm not mistaken, this micro-climate is considered to be sub-tropical,

hosting species normally found hundreds of miles to the south.

This is the perfect beach for young children.

Wide, gentle and uncrowded.

This park holds a special place in our hearts, 

as it was here we lived when Lela was born.

 

 ~ oh, this photograph makes me so happy!
this is uncropped, but my banner i did crop just a bit ~

I have approximately 3.2 gazillion pictures from our beach trip,

and from June's camping trip to Edisto Beach State Park.

I believe that I get caught up in deciding which pictures to share,

and end up not sharing anything

In February we made a pact to camp each month until it was too cold.

It doesn't feel right that I haven't shared our Camping Every Month Challenge,

so maybe I'll go back and chronicle them.  

I hope we can get back to the shore one.more.time before the Autumn arrives.

We may try to sneak in a September camping trip right after Labor Day,

and splash in the ocean once more.

(For August I imagine we'll be fleeing for the cooler mountains!)

Hope you're having a lovely Summer.

~carrie~