Rebekah Colburn
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Ridgely WW2 Airplane Observation Post

5/30/2019

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The original siren used to alert the Ridgely area of a Blackout is on display at the front window of the Ridgely Pharmacy, and according to Brenda Walls, it still works!

​The signal for an Air Raid was long and short blasts, continuously for five minutes. The All Clear signal was five short blasts.
WANTED! WANTED!

More volunteers at the Observation Post.
Help to protect America as it has protected you!
Don't alibi--that's Hitler's game!

Inactive Organizations robbed Mussolini of fame.
To give a helping hand is little enough to be done
Until this big battle is completely won.

The solution for a clear American mind
Is to do your part while there's still time!
The community knows each of you by name,
If you fail to help, you will be to blame.

When the last "All Clear" sounds
And the boys are homeward bound,
What will you say when the question is asked of you,
"What did you do to help preserve the
Red and White and Blue?"

Serve Your Country with the Army Air Forces Ground Observation Corps!

Taken from the Caroline Sun Newspaper, Oct. 1943
In December of 1941, the newspaper calls for volunteers and reports: "The Ridgely airplane observers' post, located at Spark's Filling Station, at Oakland, is now on a 24-hour service since war has been declared. The Ridgely observers' post are on a 2-hour schedule, when from 6 a.m to 10 p.m., one man will be at his post. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. two men will be on the lookout for any airplanes that might be in the vicinity."

According to the memories of the seniors who served there, it was located twenty feet off the ground with a ladder to gain entry. It contained a small table, two chairs, a telephone, a writing pad, binoculars, and an airplane identification chart was posted on the wall. Freda Lord recalls that at the outbreak of the war, the Ridgely Fire Department had two men on duty all night at the fire house, standing watch with weapons. Beginning in April of 1942, women were called upon to volunteer for the daytime shifts, two at a time for three hour periods.

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January 1942, BLACKOUT ORDERS

IF AN ALARM SOUNDS:

1. Keep calm. Keep cool.
2. Get off the streets. Walk--don't run.
3. If within five minutes of your home, go there. If more than five minutes away from home, go into the nearest building.
4. Don't mingle in crowds.
5. Motorists should park their cars immediately--off the streets, if possible.
6. Put out all lights. Obey blackout instructions.
7. Avoid the top and lower stories of buildings and seek shelter in the center portions of buildings.
8. Stay away from windows and outside walls. Do not use elevators.
9. Do not use the telephone. It is needed entirely by the Army, Navy, and Civilian Defense officials. 
10. Do not believe all rumors. Think twice before doing anything.
11. If you are enrolled in one of the civilian defense agencies, go to your post immediately and follow your instructions.
12. Know your air raid alarm signals and what they mean.
13. Above all, keep calm. Help others keep calm. Prevent any disorder.

Test blackouts will be tried shortly all must be ready. Civilians defense workers will canvas the town on such occasions and all violators will be waited on.

* The above information can be found in Volume 7 of The Caroline Sun Historical Booklet compiled by Tommy Rampmeyer. 
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The Chincoteague Pony Story

5/24/2019

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I'm going to depart from my typically serious posts to share a humorous incident which I included in my latest novel, A PASSING MIST.​ The “Chincoteague pony incident” in Chapter 12 was inspired by the story my father tells of the pony his aunt and uncle transported in their Oldsmobile sedan to their farm in Delaware when he was a boy.

​The real account is almost worse than the fictional story. His aunt drove the car, and he sat in the passenger seat. In the back seat, his uncle and two cousins held the pony. Another cousin stretched out on the ledge in the rear window. My dad was about ten at the time, and when he saw the pony lift its tail next to the baby, he turned around and caught the excrement in his bare hands and hurled it out the window.

​You would think his aunt would have applauded this act of heroism, but she was shocked and disgusted that he had been so quick to catch the horse poo!
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​The following is the excerpt the novel: 
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One foal caught her eye, a little golden filly with a white mane and tail. She stood on spindly legs, with a round belly and her tuft of a tail wagging up and down in excitement. Gloria leaned into the rails of the fence, wishing the filly would get close enough to be touched.

“I wish I could buy that one, right there,” she told her friends. What she didn’t tell them was that Gloria wished she could take one of the ponies home to show Franz, since he was unable to share this experience with her.

“I hope you’re joking!” Gaby replied. “It’s awfully cute, but we didn’t bring a trailer.”

A couple standing beside her overheard their conversation and the man interjected, “We didn’t come planning to buy, but decided to after all. We’re going to take it home in our Oldsmobile, with our children.”

The three women stared in shock. “Really?” Gloria asked, unsure if he was teasing.

He grinned. “Sure enough. We have a farm in Delaware, with plenty of space for a pony. Might as well get one here as anywhere.” Realizing his manners, he stuck out his hand. “Mr. and Mrs. Hazzard.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Gloria said, shaking their hands in turn. “If I’d brought my farm truck, I could have taken one back without any trouble. But these girls,” she jerked her thumb at her friends, “they aren’t farm girls. They aren’t about to let me put an animal in their car.”

“Absolutely not!” “You’ve got that right,” the Saulsbury sisters agreed emphatically.

Gloria looked back at the golden filly with longing. She had a feeling Franz would have loved her.

“What are you going to do if… you know, the pony needs to…” Gaby’s eyes narrowed as she tried to imagine a road trip with a pony in the backseat.

Mr. Hazzard shrugged. “It’s organic material. It’ll clean up.”

“Oh…” she replied.

On Thursday, after the auction, Gloria and the sisters were walking back to their bungalow from the carnival grounds when they spotted their new friends from Delaware. True to their word, they were loading a foal into the backseat of their sedan, positioning it across the laps of three children. Two girls and a boy, with a capricious gleam in his eyes, were petting the pony like it was an oversized puppy.
​
“Good luck!” Gloria called, waving as they aimed their car for home with all the windows rolled down.
​
As they drove down the street, she observed frantic movement within the backseat. Two small hands appeared through the side window and a pile of manure was tossed into the road. The little boy stuck his head out grinned, waving and laughing as if it were a great joke as they turned the corner and disappeared from view.
​
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My father, Leroy Hazzard, as a toothless little boy. Can you see the sparkle of mischief in his eyes?  
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While this isn't "the" Chincoteague pony, my father has this picture of a pony from the farm which was sired by a Chincoteague Island stallion. He has many fond memories of this pony, and said he was the only one who could ride it since he didn't mind its attempts to buck him off!
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Wild ponies have inhabited Assateague Island for hundreds of years. Some have suggested that the wild ponies of Assateague trace their origin to horses released to forage on the Island by early settlers. However, the evidence strongly suggests that they are the descendants of the survivors of a Spanish galleon which wrecked off the coast of Assateague. This story, which has been passed from generation to generation on Chincoteague Island, is stronger than fiction.

Pony Penning is still held in July during the Chincoteague Volunteer Firemen's Carnival. "Salt Water Cowboys" herd the horses across the narrowest part of Assateague Channel at low tide, after which they are examined by veterinarians. After a resting period, they are herded through town to a corral at the Carnival Grounds where they stay until the next day's auction. The Pony Auction not only provides a source of revenue for the fire company, but it also serves to trim the herd's numbers. To retain the permit to graze on the refuge, the herd must not exceed 150 horses.
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When I was a girl, one of my favorite books was MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE, written by Marguerite Henry.

​If I could have found the album, I might have shared pictures of the summer my parents took me to Chincoteague to see the pony swim... but then again, I'm not sure I really want to share photos of what I looked like as a teenager! So embarrassing! 
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SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY: A TRIBUTE TO DORIS DAY

5/13/2019

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I had intended to share the song Sentimental Journey by Doris Day as it was released around the time that WW2 ended and, for many GI's, became inseparably connected to their longing to return home. The song is featured in my novel, A PASSING MIST, and represents Part II of the story. I'm sharing it today to honor the life and death of this incredible woman. 
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY LYRICS:

Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna make a sentimental journey
To renew old memories

Got my bag, got my reservation
Spent each dime I could afford
I'm like a child in wild anticipation
I long to hear that "All aboard"

Seven, that's the time we leave, at seven
I'll be waitin' up for heaven
Countin' every mile of railroad tracks
That takes me back

I never thought my heart could be so yearny
Now why did I decide to roam?
I'm gonna take that sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home

Seven, that's the time we leave, at seven
I'll be waitin' up for heaven
Countin' every mile of railroad tracks
That takes me back

​I never thought my heart could be so yearny
Now why did I decide to roam?
I'm gonna take that sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home

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NEW RELEASE: A PASSING MIST, BOOK 3 -- RIDGELY RAILS LEGACY

5/2/2019

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THE RIDGELY RAILS LEGACY SERIES IS COMPLETE!

A PASSING MIST, BOOK 3 in the series, is now available on Amazon in e-book or paperback formats! 

Follow three generations of women through the most dynamic and rapidly changing times in American history.
​

Ella Mae is born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in small farming town experiencing the boom of railroad expansion in the wake of the Civil War. Her dream is to become a novelist during a time when that occupation is reserved for men.

Her daughter, Sophie, comes of age during the Great War. As the young men go overseas to fight for democracy, women are fighting their own battle at home for the right to vote.

Gloria, Sophie's daughter, must face the challenges of the Second World War, stepping out of the conventional role previously held by women to make a place for herself in an era of uncertainty and chaos.

Each woman must find her own way through the struggles of her generation, holding onto faith, family, and the men they love. 

Book 3: A PASSING MIST 

Buy on Amazon
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BOOK 1: WHERE THIS ROAD ENDS
Buy on Amazon
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BOOK 2: ALONG THE WAY
Buy on Amazon
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    Rebekah Colburn

                   Novelist
    Historical Fiction/ Romance 

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