Friday Finish!

 

This week I tried a new project for Easter. I saw a coloring book design on the web and thought it would be a fun design to needle felt. I used a mix of my good variegated roving with some cheaper ones for the bright colors. The backing is a dyed piece of white wool. I put another piece behind it to stiffen it up and then another thick piece for the backing, finishing with a blanket stitch.

Last weekend we did a ride to Connecticut to visit the owl sanctuary. They had some new birds, so it is nice to see ones we don't see in the wild, but sad to see them in cages. Some will be released when they recover, others have injuries that keep them from hunting, so they live there. The nice thing about the sanctuary is, they have beautiful paths to walk along and enjoy birding and nature. I didn't catch any birds but I did spot a lone turtle in the pond.

The paths have boardwalks and bridges in the wetlands. 

After that we stopped at Barn Island, and got another walk in. No birds were in the marsh, that I could see, but always a nice place to walk and enjoy the ocean views.

Our last stop was at the ocean drive. We spotted an Osprey in the nest, waiting for his mate.

On Sunday we went to Connecticut to shop at the mill store. I didn't find anything I was looking for, but I did get a fun stitchery and tea towel to do. We drove around the river areas but no eagles. We stopped at the park for a quick walk along the river, but this day killed my foot, so we didn't do much more.

This week we went to the island to see what Ospreys were in. A lot of the nests had pairs, but I was surprised that the one at the forts was empty. The nest was blown apart by the winter storms, so I hope he gets here soon and fixes it up, before his mate comes in. A few Ospreys that I spotted along the way.

And when I got home, I saw a big bird fly off, something with large black wings with white bands. I watched the area and finally saw what it was, a Pileated Woodpecker and not one, but two, so maybe this year they will have young that will visit. This is the female, the male has a red band on the side of his face.

I hope everyone had a good week and not in the bad weather that seems to be hitting so many areas. We have rain coming in, but we may get enough dry periods to enjoy being out.

Friday Finish!

 I hope this post finds you all well and not affected by all of the storms and fires that seem to be taking over the country. We have had some rain, lots of wind and sun, so I can't complain. I had another bunny to do, so I finished that, this week. I went with more yellows and found a yellow ribbon with glitter in an old box of supplies. This one is for me, or Alex who is always stealing the little dolls I make. Of course, Grandma can never say no to the boys. 

Last weekend we did our drive around the ocean areas. We went to one that has a boat launch and there area always birds around. In the photo montage you can see the launch at the bottom and the birds out in the water, that was only a few of them, there were hundreds. The rest were in the breachway, catching things that went out with the tide.

And here are some of the others, fishing in the breachway.

We also went to the island, always nice to walk a little on the beach and enjoy the wildlife and views.

Today it was windy, so we just went for a ride and a little walking on the beaches. We like to take Bean one day so he can have some fun. On days we stop in shops, he has to stay home. Today it was too windy to be out, too long, but the cove beach was a little calmer.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and can enjoy getting out and exploring your area. If you use Google maps, you might be surprised to find parks and sanctuaries that may be near your area.

Friday Finish!

This week I wanted something new to do but something that didn't take too much work. I decided to remake a bunny from my Bunny Buddies pattern. This time I went with bright and fun, using old scraps and floss from the ones I got for the kids to make bracelets. It is also a bit larger than the others, so a fun piece to decorate with. I actually made it for my sister, who is going through medical problems and I wanted to make her something happy to cheer her up. She had asked for some when I first made them, so I hope she likes this new version.

I added the background and the pink bow with photoshop AI. I still have to get out to the craft store to get some pink ribbon before I send it. I have a link to my patterns on the left side column.

Last week I wanted to go back to find the elusive rare bird. We didn't see it, but on the way back out, we saw a bunch of cars and cameras pointing toward the field. It took me awhile to find it, but finally with the help of others, I was able to catch it in the back field. This is a Northern Lapwing, usually found in Europe and Asia. 

We also spent time at the beach, where Bean can enjoy some play time and I can enjoy the views and birding.

Lots of Common Eiders this year.

At home, more birds are leaving and our regulars will be returning. I seem to have a new visitor, a Red Squirrel. This one is a new one, it is living in the neighbors yard and I usually spot two of them, running around the wood piles.

I am still unable to walk much. Today it was shopping in my light hikers but it killed my foot, so no walking on the beach. We have beautiful weather this weekend, so I hate that we can't get out for hikes. With the cooler temps it is perfect to be in the woods and bug free. I hope everyone is doing well with the bad weather conditions that come through. 

Friday finishes!

 This week I actually got more done, the good thing about being laid up a bit. I still have a black and blue foot, but the swelling is down and I can walk on it, as long as I don't push off on my toe area. But the good thing is, I was able to make up some projects to keep my hands busy.

I tried another Easter egg. I saw the floral design on Pinterest and figured it was ok to copy it, though mine didn't come out as nice. I added a blue butterfly for an added touch. I can never get decent shots of my felted pieces, they look all fuzzy, but not in person. I started with a foam egg and wrapped the white roving around that, then felted it in, so it did warp it a bit. 

I also had one more stitchery to finish. Since I was sewing that and making lavender sachets, I decided to pull some scraps with fun designs, to make more.

I also spent a few days to finish my puzzle. It was not the easiest one to do, lots of details.

Last week we had a nice ride around the beach areas, always nice when I can't walk and it was still cold, but I could get out enough to get some shots. Lots of the ocean areas were fogged over.

At one beach we spotted the Horned Larks and another, I just caught the Kingfisher as he flew away.

We parked by a breachway and ended up sitting in the truck as a flock of gulls kept flying over us. It looked like a few had missing legs, and one with a broken one. They are constantly fighting over food, so they do get hurt.

And at another breachway we watched the Mergansers, fishing. In a pond I was shooting at the ducks and noticed a lone Merganser following the pair. I think it got separated from its flock and being younger, decided the ducks were his parents.

We stopped at another beach since I could get out and stand on the boardwalk, while Bill took Bean for a play on the beach. 

The last stop was at the wall to watch the surfers. It was really windy, the surf was rough and the surfers were not doing too well. I got a lot of shots of surfers in the surf instead of on it and a few legs sticking up in the surf.

This weekend will be windy and nice, so hoping we can get out a bit when it calms down. It is also my son's birthday, so we will have them over for dinner on Sunday. Next week we have nice weather coming in, so I am hoping I can get out and see if I can do a little biking on the paved bike path. I am really getting out of shape with all the injuries I keep having, so that might be a good way to get out until my foot heals.

I hope you all enjoy the coming week and enjoyed following along with me.

Friday Finish!

 

This has not been my week. On Saturday we went out to fix my skis and ended up getting a new pair, with hopes of going out on sunday. Then we went shopping and got a bag of items. Then I got home, picked up the back and it broke open. The heavy lazy Susan bowl set fell sideways on my foot, so now I have a broken toe near the joint.

I hate emergency rooms in our area, so I put up with the pain, but couldn't walk for a few days. Over the week I have been icing it and then I taped around the joints and am able to walk flat footed, as long as I don't use the toes. Hopefully it will heal and I can get out again. The weather is getting better, so I was looking forward to hiking. Skiing is out, so the skis will have to wait till next year. 

Since I cannot sit for long, I made up some small projects to do, while I rested. I have a few more in the works, so those will be done next week. I took some patterns from a large one, by Kathy Schmitz and used those to make mini sachets. Nothing fancy but something mindless to do.

While we shopped at the south end, we stopped for some birding.

Today I wanted to get out for a ride. Riding around the island is always nice with the views. We stopped at one beach and watched a tug bring in a ship.

We also stopped at the east end, the docks are always a nice place to check for birds that may be visiting on the rocks.

Our last stop was the marsh. There has been a sighting of a rare bird to our area, but I never did see it. There is always activity there, plenty of birds stay for the calmer waters and fish that come in and out with the tide.

Tomorrow will be another ride, so I have to decide where to go. I like when we can enjoy the views and I can get shots from the truck. We have nicer weather, but cold coming back again. I hope everyone had a good week and our weather brings an early spring.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I decided to make one of my rug patterns into a stitchery. It is from my pattern, Rooster's house. It is perfect to go in my kitchen to match with my other chicken pieces. I used my phone and no matter where I shot in the house, the colors were off. 

Last week's ride took us along the coast. At the Marsh, we spotted a few birds. 

Then a stop at the piers, we watched a fishing boat coming in.

And I spotted a seal, popping up for a look.

And at another beach, I was able to find a Drift of Snow Buntings. A single bird is called a snowflake.

At home, I have had a lot of visitors. With the snow and bitter cold, they have less to eat and the feeder helps to fill in the gap. I was able to get a decent shot of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. He has been making a lot of holes in the maple tree, so he should have lots to eat when it starts to run.

It looks like a slight warm up this weekend, so hoping to get outside more. Who would have thought that 40 degrees would be a warm up. Hopefully it will continue and spring will come early. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and improving weather.

Friday Finishes!

 This week I was able to finish two items. I like doing small projects while I work on the larger ones. They are simple to do and something fun to do, while I watch tv.

One item is another heart. I do enjoy making rag rugs and a heart is a quick way to make one. 

I also made another small mat for my table. This one I used precuts with a spring look. These are fun to do and I think I will make one for summer with my nautical or seagull prints.

We also got a chance to take Bean with us for a ride to the beaches. It was too cold to be out long, but we got out in certain places and let him roam a bit.

I also caught a few birds along the way.

Along the route we stopped at the college campus beach. 

I was also able to get a shot of the lighthouse, from a different view point. When I opened the photo to see it, I was surprised at the shapes in the doorway. 

One afternoon we had the boys, while dad went shopping. They spent the time trying out my instruments. Nick seems to pick up anything and play it by ear, Alex is getting the hang of following notes.

Today we stopped to see if we could spot the Eagles, none in sight. I did spot a Hawk hanging out in a tree by the pond.

I hope you all had a nice Valentines. I do not celebrate it, too commercialized for me. Weather is coming in tomorrow, so we won't be able to get out too much.