Friday Finish!

 

It seems like I never have enough time lately. Trying to get things cleaned up this week and filling boxes for items to go to the church yard sale and other items I donate to a local thrift store. I know so many of us have been stashing things and collecting things but we also know, we can never finish them all and don't want to spend our time cleaning up around clutter.

I saw this cute ghost on a Pinterest page, so not sure where it came from but it has finished ghosts and patterns on the same page. I didn't do them as nice as the original, but thought it was something fun to try. I have a prim christmas tree that I decorate for the seasons, so they were perfect to add to my halloween tree.

We have been getting out when the weather is nice and one of our favorite places is the Boy Scout camp. There aren't too many people so we basically have the place to ourselves and lots of different areas to walk around. This time we went to the other side of the camp and to the hidden pond. I found out that they did not know it was there, until a fire cleared the area and there it was. Now it has paths that go around it and it is a beautiful spot to sit and relax.

Another plan we visited was Old furnace. It is a nice hike up a hill to the cliffs with side paths to the other side of the pond. I was hoping for more color in the trees, but it is still a beautiful spot to enjoy the views.

And we finally got on the Connecticut rail trail and tried a new section. It was a nice ride and we passed several rivers along the way.

We also passed several ponds and swamp areas. 

We rode to the next town and on the way back we stopped at the waterfalls for a break. It was a great place to ride and hopefully we can get out more before the weather gets too cold. 

Tomorrow will be too wet from the rains today and tonight, so I am hoping we can enjoy some foliage and a stop at the fabric mill. Today we finalized the sale on our Minnie Winnie. I was looking forward to weekends this year but with the new problem, it would not be fixed in time and I had enough of it costing more to keep fixing it and not getting to use it. I may use the money for a kitchen island or bathroom redo, so next I need to find a good local company and see what the costs are. I hope you all have a nice weekend and get out and enjoy the fall weather.

Working on!

I have been slowly working on my stitchery, but got more done this week. I need to take a photo with a brighter light to show the glitter that I added, here and there. Once the tree is done, I will do the larger snowflakes with the blue floss and a piece of off white glitter thread. Then I have lots of dots, that I am thinking I will do, once I put the backing on, so it will hold it more like quilting. There are also circles, which I may or may not do, or use some tiny buttons.

Another project I still need to start and soon is, a baby quilt. I bought the panel years ago and never used it. My great niece is having a baby and I decided it was a good time to make it into a quilt for her. The problem was adding a border before I quilt it. I lucked out and found a matching alphabet from a vintage seller and got a few yards for the border. She is having a girl and I think this will work for either sex and hopefully she likes it. I am just going to do quilting around the edge of the blocks.

Last weekend we finally made it to the apple orchard, that is down the road. I didn't realize how many apples I could put in that bag. I ended up giving half to the kids. I eat one a day and try to get another batch before the season ends.

After we got Bean and took him for a walk along the new boardwalk at the beach. The wind was so bad that the sand was blowing in our face, so being on the walk was much better.

Today I am finally feeling better so it was nice to get out for a bit. We dropped off bags of stuff at a thrift store that also has a food pantry. Then we headed to the beach. It was warm today and it was nice and cool at the beach. This house takes it to a new level with an Ocean front beach house. It got a lot of damage from other storms and ended up putting in cement supports.

Behind the house I spotted a pond and a group of Killdeers.

And the farm field was full of gulls. I noticed quite a few young Ring -billed Gulls mixed in with the others. It was nice getting out after all the rain and this weekend it will be cooler, so I may try a bike ride or do some hiking and sight seeing in Connecticut. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoying the fall weather.

Best laid plans!

 

Well, you know what they say about best laid plans, they never work out, like you expect. Our plan to go to New Hampshire we squashed since we couldn't leave on time to get a full week in. Then I decided we could go to the cape in the RV. That was a bust when we filled the tanks for the stove and the next day the air smelled like gas. It seems the pipe was leaking and since it was empty at the time, we didn't know. So, we decided to do a stay at home vacation. Day one was spent cleaning out the RV, and taking that in. I also decided I had enough since it seems it is in the shop, more than getting used. We still have the trailer and I plan on using the money to redo the bathroom, which is in dire need of a gut job.

Once things settled down, we decided to go to Newport for a nature walk around the point. The day was beautiful and I enjoyed the fresh ocean air. Lots of birds and butterflies in the fields of Goldenrod.

The birds were not sitting still but with a little patience, I was able to catch another butterfly as it landed on the flowers.

And a flock of swallows, were wonderful to watch as they flew back and forth across the fields.

Our plans to stop at a few places did not work out, since they were closed to the public, so we decided to go to the fort to walk around. When we got there, I said, we have never been in the actual fort, so in we went.

Most of the buildings were closed off, since they were crumbling, but we could peek inside through the gated doors.

At one end, facing the bay, there is a stairway that has a walk along the roof. It was a nice place to take a break and enjoy the views.

A different perspective of the lighthouse, that I have taken from the other side of the bay.

One thing I didn't know, was that they have a tunnel system under the fort. I am not great in tight spaces, but I decided I had to check it out. First you go through an entrance to get underground.

Inside, a guide explained the system and gave us hard hats and a flashlight. The first section was taller and had lights.

Then we got to the lowest tunnel, I was a bit leery about going in, it was pitch black and I had to bend to get through, but I did it. It was a unique experience and fun to learn about the early war days, when the fort was built. 

That was the end of my vacation. We had plans to go biking and kayaking but I got sick the next day. So I have spent the rest of the week cleaning up the items from the RV and all the dishes and pots will go to the charity thrift since I have plenty in the other trailer. I hope you all had a nice week and enjoying the end of the warm days.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been doing a lot of cleaning and moving things around. Tomorrow the windows are coming, so one of the big jobs was my sewing room. I had to box up the quilting machine, which I plan on selling, since I never used it. Then a lot of boxes went into my basement room so I could move the big table and my desk that I use for one of my sewing machines. Way too much in one room. 

So, I got the house moved around so they can get to the windows and the last big thing is the couch, which they can help Bill with tomorrow. Hopefully they can work around my clutter. I may have to go hide out in the trailer for a bit, since I have no where to sit while they are working.

While I was cleaning off the table tops, I found a print out and decided it was the perfect project to do, and be able to finish in a few days. It was a nice way to relax during my down time. I am not sure where I got it, but it was a free pattern from Buttermilk Basin. To be able to do it quickly, I kept it all in stitchery. I got it all ready with drawing on the design, then started coloring. Then I realized, I had grabbed my colored watercolors, not pencils, ugh. So, I redid it on another piece and actually liked this backing better, a loose linen.

I hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend. Hopefully I can get out and enjoy some time outside, after I put back all the furniture. Then next week, I may be scrambling again, since we are thinking of doing our fall vacation next weekend, so more planning, packing and cleaning to get the trailer ready. 

Friday Finish!

 I finally finished the kid's quilt. It is another piece from the set I won from The Whimsical Workshop, years ago. I still have some pieces left, so it should be enough for another quilt. This one I hand quilted around the black lines on the larger circles and the designs. The bad thing is, I used black and the backing was a lighter flannel print, so it shows through. After this I will use the machine and do simpler quilting, so I can used two colors to match both sides. I plan on making more with the leftover fabrics I have and donating them to a shelter.

As usual, this week went by too fast to do half of what I wanted to do. Lots to do around the house and yard and trying to get out, when we can. We spent one day at the lighthouse and got a nice walk in, before it started to rain again. I never get bored of the views.

This week I will work on cleaning up my room and trying to get a few things finished. Next weekend we have the windows coming in, so I have to move all the furniture in most of the rooms and no idea how I can find the space to move it far enough from the windows, so a good time to clean out the clutter.

I always find time to enjoy a few quiet moments and joy in the simple things and last night it was the lunar  eclipse. The clouds cleared up in time to enjoy watching it and see the night sky. The nights are cooler, so it is always nice to sit on the porch to relax before bed. I hope you all had a good week and can enjoy cooler temps.

Paddle time!

 Last weekend we got out for some paddling and one day for some beach time. I am still working on my projects and hopefully I will have the kid's quilt done by next week. We also had a company come for some new windows, since ours sweat so bad, they mold and this way I have windows that are double paned and easier to open.

We went to the island on the weekend, less travel time and no traffic to sit in. We took the boats and paddled into the bay, following the coast line and landing at a cove. The cove is nice since there are no people, just the two of us and beautiful views of the bay.

While there, we saw a lot of egrets in the cove and in the trees.

When we got back, I was walking in the cove and spotted some birds on the spit of land and waded across. I expected the birds to take off, but I moved slowly and they paid me, no mind. I caught one Oyster Catcher, getting a meal, thus the name.

He kept running away another one, who was trying to get it, but then he stopped and dropped it in front of what I assume, is a younger one, from the darker beak. It was so fun watching him and their interaction.

On Sunday we got to the ocean side, early enough to beat the crowds and enjoyed swimming and watching the terns. There was a lot of them, following a school of fish. 

This weekend we have rain and tomorrow we get new gutters. The company also does those and I was able to get a good deal on both, so happy about that. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Weekly Happenings!

 

This week I am still working on my new projects. I have been working more on my quilt so I can get that done and will have two to donate. The Christmas piece, I can work on a bit at a time and have ready in time. 

Today the boys had other plans so I decided to go to the island and bring my kayak. The tide was up so I was able to paddle in the inner cove and explore the little inlets along the way.

At the first spit of land, I spotted a laughing gull that was hanging out with the regular gulls.

And only one Osprey was in the nest, when I paddled by.

The coves were filled with activity, lots of shore birds.

And on the outer area along the shore, I finally spotted two Oyster Catchers. 

It was a nice day to get out and I was able to cool off before the tides got too low. At home I also have some new visitors. I think they are younger hawks, since they are staying in the neighbor's yard and squawking all day.

I hope everyone had a good week and are not in the flood or fire areas. It seems so much destruction lately and my prayers go out to everyone.