Friday Finish!

This week I worked on finishing another small table mat. I used different precut mini blocks to make it, using some patriotic and others to match, with matching colors for the border. 

I also got in the mood to do my own painting. I used a photo I took on our trip. I did an outline of the main pieces and then made a mess of it. I wanted the background to be faded like the photo, but it came out too bold. After I watched a video and saw what I did wrong and what I can do next time, a learning experience. I also overdid it on the bird and my paper starts to degrade with too much water. I am used to doing acrylics where you can paint over things but not with watercolor.

We got in a lot of walks and sightseeing in the nearby areas. One area has a nice cliff walk, with views of the bay. And after, we walked at fishermen's beach, and a foggy day by the light.

We also enjoyed the birds and wildlife along the way.

We also walked along the fishing port, fishermen working on their boats.

I caught this guy in the parking lot. He has a filleted fish and swallowed it whole.

Another day we went to the ocean beach. Last weekend they were closed so not as crowded and I spotted this Mockingbird hanging out in the nesting area. 

And always a lot of birds in that area to enjoy.

And this pair in the reeds.

And finally on our last night, a sunset.

On our last day, I paid for the night so we could stay the day. But, I woke up sick again. I guess I overdid it and it came back at me. So this week I went back on stronger meds and rested more, so feeling a bit better again. Lesson learned, if you see mouse droppings, get out and get a mask on.

While Bill got the trailer ready to leave, I sat and enjoyed watching the birds in front of our camp. I finally got photos of the Yellow Warblers, which never stay still.

And this is the one I did a painting of. It sat and sang for a while, a nice way to end the weekend. 

This weekend we will spend time with the kids. Birthday month, so tomorrow we celebrate Ivy and Bill's and next week is the boys. I hope everyone had a good week and enjoy getting out this weekend.

Working on and mini vacation time!t

 This has been quite a week, twice as much work with the clean up and then repacking everything, along with cooking for the trip. I made up a big pot of goulash so all I have to do is heat it up and a salad, as well. Unfortunately, the day we left, I woke up sick. So not sure if it was from cleaning the mice mess or something else, but it means less activity. I really love to paddle in the cove and ride around the park, so hoping by tomorrow I can feel good enough to do more. The bad thing is, a big storm is heading our way, so hopefully the worst of it stays north and we just get a few hours of it.

Last week for a break, I decided to use up some of my boho style fabrics for a quilt. I need a long twin for the guest bed and thought it would be a fun way to use up those fabrics and make a light quilt for summer.

This is the layout I made with them. I saved all the scraps and plan on sewing them into small strips and running that around the edge.

After I lay them out, I stack them up, from left to right in order and tag each row. This way I can sew them next week and not loose track of where the go. 

Our campsite is nice, right on the cove. Plenty of space between the campers so we can sit and relax. We have had some sun and lots of fog. A view of the cove from the boat launch.

The lighthouse is down the road, so we go there for walks and at the fishing beach. Lots of fog, but beautiful.

On the way out I spotted this beautiful warbler. 

Today we walked at Black point. It has a nice path along the rocky coast, with spots to go down to. The tide was coming in strong, so it was nice just to sit and watch them.

It ends at the site of old ruins from an estate and the beginning of a state beach. 

We did quite a bit in a few days, more walking than I normally do and yes, I get get exhausted being sick, but well worth it. A fun shot I took today was the Osprey nest. This pair always seems to find the weirdest things to put in their nest. This time I spotted a large plastic mesh bag, the type you might put clams or potatoes in. 

And at camp, we walk in the back camping area. Not sure why, but they have it closed off, so no campers but lots of bunnies. It is peaceful without people and more critters are hanging out there. 

So, that is some of my week. I took lots of photos today, but too tired to do them all, but a good tired. Tomorrow we shall see how the weather goes, but we are nice and cozy in the camper, so I can work on my small quilt project or work on some sketches. I hope you all had a nice week and the weather was not too bad in your area.

Friday finish!

 

This week I worked on a simple table topper for the summer. I have had the sheep fabric for years, and thought it was perfect for a little table I have to keep snacks in. I also got out to the trailer to check it out and get it ready for a trip I planned for next week.

Well, not sure I am going now, not since I walked in the trailer and looked around. Since I broke my foot, I hadn't been out to the trailers myself, so this was the first time I went in the new one. I started to notice little black spots, mouse turds. Then I noticed them on the top of the bed, and then found them in the dish drawers. I started looking everywhere and luckily they didn't go in any of the top areas or clothing cabinets, but what I found was, their nest, in a little drawer. It is the one my husband uses for some shorts and bathing suit and he left them in there and they had made a nest in there. 

Then I looked around and could not figure out what they used to make the nest, until I opened the hidden storage under the bed. They had chewed a hole in a quilt and used the stuffing from inside. As I was taking things out to clean, I noticed a horrid smell in the bathroom and it wasn't until I lifted the garbage can with a swing lid that I found the mice, both dead. They jumped on top and fell in and couldn't get out. So, I have sprayed everything down with bactroban and letting it sit till the sun comes out. Then I have to clean every surface and open windows to air it out. Luckily the smell is gone, but I read up on sanitizing and following those steps. It is going to take me awhile to do all that cleaning, so leaving on thursday seems too much. The Rv is also a mess, seems the workers who installed the new generator made a mess, so that has to be cleaned too. 

So, not too happy with all that and that someone who said things was fine, did not look in every space like I said. So, for now I am just going to take care of me and work on projects and getting my rooms redone so I can be more organized and enjoy being in them again. 

And I finish another painting. I find it hard to follow her directions, but I try and do the lesson parts and a bit on my own. The next one was another sunflower, so I skipped that and am onto a rose. I will keep the ones I don't do for Alex, he loves to paint and I can teach him a bit with watercolor painting.

Last week we went for a walk at the farm sanctuary. Lots of birds, but none wanted a photo, but I was able to catch a funny pair of swallows. Another swallow kept going to their nesting box and they were getting upset. It finally left and the two were happy again.

We stopped at the beach and walked a bit to see if the piping plovers were nesting behind the fences. I took photos and realized when I saw them, I realized I had spotted a group of Killdeer. It is a protected area, so I guess they are using it too. We also spotted an Osprey and a Willet. 

The other day I was watching tv and I heard a loud thump on the back door. I found this poor guy on the porch, who was stunned from the hit. I watched him until he finally moved and then he jumped over to the rail, and eventually a tree, then off to the trees where they stay. I was so glad he was ok, I love seeing the Orioles come to the feeder, they are so beautiful. I have stickers on my windows, but when the sparrows dive in, they scare off others who fly into the window on occasion. 

So it was a week of good and bad, among other things, so for now, I will just relax and decide if I can ever sleep in a bed that had mice pooping all over it, even if I clean it, lol. We had a tent trailer that happened to, and they ate through the mattresses, we sold it. I hope everyone has a nice Mother's Day, another holiday I avoid, but I find a way to enjoy the day in other ways. It looks like warmer weather and less rain next week, so I hope you all have better weather and we can all enjoy some time outside.

Friday Finish!

 I finally finished my stitchery. It is a pattern by Bareroots and a fun one to do. I did it on a tea towel, like the pattern, but I think this would make a fun pillow. I used an iron on cloth to cover the back stitches, but it shows through, so not sure if I like that. 

I also did another painting, my first flower. I find it hard to follow the instructions, some make no sense, so I tend to do my own thing. I really don't like copying someone else's style, but I like learning a few new things and practicing techniques.

Last week we hiked at a park, that also has a bird sanctuary area. Some paths are paved, part of the old World War II airport training camp.

Other areas are grassy and others are wooded pathways, so a nice variety of scenery.

We also spotted a few returning birds, but only caught the Eastern Towhee. On the ride home we spotted a  Merlin and a few other things along the way.

Another day we went to the island and let Bean have some fun time at the beach.

Today we went to another sanctuary. There were so many birds and critters, we barely took a few steps before seeing something. Most were shy and ran away when they saw us, but I caught a few along the paths.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler.

A Yellow Warbler.

A Tree Swallow.

And a few more things we spotted at the ponds and path. We have rain coming, but it may hold off tomorrow, so hoping to get out again. It is nice to see signs of Spring at the parks and at home. My flowers and trees are blooming, so it is a great mood pick me up, after a dreary winter. I hope you all can get out and enjoy spending time outside.

Friday Finish!

 Well, I worked on my stitchery when I could, but I still have a few more leaves to add. There are a lot of flowers and leaves, so taking longer than usual. So, I worked on another butterfly painting. After this, I have one more butterfly and then I move onto flowers. I work on painting a bit a time, in between cleaning and cooking. I also put together two smaller table toppers to work on, when I finish the stitchery. 

This butterfly was more pink in the tutorial, but I didn't have that color. But, I realized on my next one, I was missing the part that gives recipes for those colors, by using the ones I have. 

Last week we went to the island for some beach time. This time of year is always nice, no crowds yet, so we can enjoy beach combing and Bean can run free.

In the fields we spotted a flock of Glossy Ibis. They are always on the move, so hard to catch one.

I always like to stop at the cove with lighthouse views and was surprised to see the new addition to the Osprey nest. Not sure how it got that white cloth there, maybe stole it from someone's clothesline?

Today we went to the farm preserve. Last time it started to rain when we got there, so it was nice to have warmer weather with a nice breeze. The donkeys seemed to be loving it up today.

We also spotted an Eastern Bluebird.

And a lot of Swallows in the other boxes.

The walk ends in a cove from the river, so we spotted a few more birds there. 

And on the way home, we caught the female Osprey, calling out to her mate. They can be quite vocal and get upset if their mate stays away too long or doesn't come back with dinner.

Tomorrow will be rain, so a day in or maybe shopping. We want to do some things around the house, so we might go looking at supplies to see what we can get and pricing. I am getting anxious to go camping, but it seems to rain on the weekends, so hoping we can go next weekend.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. We had a nice day with the kids. I wasn't going to do a hunt, but Alex asked if we were doing it, so how could I say no. 

Friday finish!

 

Another week has gone by and I can never get as much done, as I planned. I am still working on my stitchery and couldn't resist doing one more painting before I put them away. With Easter, I need to get things put away and cleaned up. We always host dinner since it is easier for me to cook foods I can eat, than explain it to people.

This painting was a lesson with shadows and translucent areas. I do make mistakes and I do fix a few. I learned a trick with painting,  years ago. I dip my brush in water and wipe it on the cloth, then move it along the area where the paint went out too far. If you do that and clean the brush each time, you can erase watercolors and acrylics.

Last weekend we went for a ride and walks at the ocean areas. One place is a paved pathway in a farm area that has a sanctuary for birds. I couldn't resist taking a photo of these two donkeys at the farm.

At the beach area, I caught a Snowy Egret. Lots of Egrets are coming in now.

The beach was mostly empty and cold this day, so we didn't stay out long.

This week the boys had vacation so we got to spend the day with them. They had a motorized skateboard and scooter, so I rode my electric bike to keep up with them. We took the short end of the bike path, which goes to the beach. Alex bought his fishing magnet, but no luck and then he threw it and the magnet fell off in the deep water, so that was a bust.

They came home for lunch and then we headed to the island for beach combing. 

At the first beach I spotted the Osprey, having lunch.

And at the other end of the park, another pair. Dad was giving me the look.

Today we headed to the bird sanctuary and I walked the shorter half of the path. Unfortunately I didn't realize I had the wrong setting on. Sometimes when I put it in the bag, it slides it to the wrong one, so my photos didn't come out great. It was a beautiful day and lots of birds and critters coming in.

At the other beach, I caught a few birds along the way. It was nice getting out since it will be raining on and off tomorrow. I need to stay home, to start cooking dishes and getting ready for Easter. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, holiday and can enjoy being with family or friends.