Week of Exploring!

 

This has been a busy week with day trips and keeping up at home, so no crafting time for me. By the time we get home and get things done, I am too tired to do much else.

On the weekend we started with a drive to the beach. I wasn't expecting it to be so nice, but it was warmer than I thought, so we spent more time walking and enjoying the ocean breezes.

The waves were high this day, so I enjoyed watching them, too rough for me to swim in.

We enjoyed the birds, running in and out of the surf, as well as a fly by, for some colorful planes.

Lots of rocks are on this beach, perfect place for glass, but I only found a few pieces. 

Our  first trip was to Harkness park in Connecticut. We were able to park the RV on the lawn in front of the bird sanctuary. The perfect spot to relax and enjoy the birds, who frequent the area.

A pair of Great Blue Herons, rested in front of our spot.

A young Semi - Palmated Sandpiper along the rocks.

We also walked around the grounds. The mansion sits on a large grassy area, with views of the sound.

The gardens are still in bloom and beautiful to walk through.

I was hoping to catch the butterflies, but there were only a few and they are always on the move.

On Tuesday we headed to Windsor Locks. It is a place where you can see eagles and other birds that frequent the area. Of course there were no eagles around and the rest were hiding in the bush. I was able to catch this silly guy, a Cormorant.

And we got a nice long walk along the bike path. It follows the old path from when they pulled boats along the inner side of the locks. We weren't able to do the whole walk, so we will have to bring the bikes the next time.

One day was more of a rest day. We got things done at home and it rained a bit, so once it stopped, we spent some time at the beach. Bean has been loving all the time out, as well.

 

I was able to find some nice treasures, with the lower tide.

And I finally got on my bike. It has been years but we went on a bike path that was paved and mostly flat. I was able to do 12 miles and enjoy some beautiful scenery along the way. And the nice thing was, it is only a few towns away, so we can go back anytime.

Today was another rain day, so we got things done around the house and once the rain stopped, we headed to the beach. Always nice when there are no crowds, and I have the beach to myself. It was a bit cloudy and a bit sunny, but the rain held off.

And of course I found some new treasures. Each time I find some interesting shapes, it gives me ideas for art pieces, so I will have plenty to keep me busy when I finally stay home and sit still, lol. I had such a nice time biking that I am hoping we can get out some more this weekend. I hope everyone has had a nice week and enjoyed my photos of the places we visited. 

Friday Finish and Finds!

 It seems each week goes by faster than the last, but I also seem to be busier than usual. I was able to finish my. newest creation, even if it wasn't exactly how it started out. When I work with roving, it is like reverse carving, I start with an idea and change things as I go.

This gnome is made with wool roving that a friend gave me,  a large hank with mixed colors and some glitter. I ended up going with a wizard for a halloween theme and I made him a little broom with craft twine.

We were able to get out for a hike last weekend. The trail starts a few feet away from where I grew up. When I was younger, we walked along the old stage coach road that went all the way past a farm and back onto the new route for cars. Now most of that is overgrown and they have made new trails in the area, that go to the old Girl Scout camp on the river. It was nice walk, but a bit wet and buggy.

One day took us to the Ocean beach, not a lot of treasures, but it was nice and cool and I enjoyed watching the Sandpipers,  running back and forth, in the waves.

Of course we spent more time at our favorite beach, a late afternoon stroll along the beach and a few treasures.

Another day I spotted the Egrets in the cove, but of course they flew off before I could get a close up.

And our best day this week, Bill had an appointment, so we got there at low tide. We got to spend more time as the tide was coming in and she was generous in what she threw up for us. You can see how high the tide was, as we left. That area is where the boys usually sit and hunt through the stone piles.

You can see that we got quite a bit of glass, especially some large pieces. Those came up with the higher tide. The large yellow-green piece is almost 3" long.

I hope you all had a good week and enjoy the upcoming weekend. We are taking next week off, it looks like a nice week and hopefully we will be doing some trips into Connecticut this time.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

Another week has come and gone, seems they get faster every year. I worked on a few things this week, one I finished and one needs some finishing. I wanted a case for my sunglasses and I wanted to try a little wet felting.

I used a design I saw on the internet that was a watercolor painting so I could use some of my pretty colors. I didn't use soap, just water and I rolled it with a bumpy cup, so not true wet felting but it did tighten up the fibers more. Since it will be in my purse, I wanted it to be tighter so it wouldn't fuzz up on me.

I kept it simple and added some glitter thread. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it will do.

On the weekend, we got the boys most of the time. Dad was building a shed and needed our car, but we were able to get to the beach one day and the boys had a blast. Nick loves to hunt for glass and Alex loves helping him.

Alex loves playing in the waves and surfing more, so he spent most of his time in the water. 

Of course I found lots of treasures of my own. We try and get to the beach after Bill gets home. It is nice to get out without the crowds and in the fresh air, while the weather is nice.

And I went car shopping. I wanted a jeep, something small for me and something we could pull behind the RV. Well, it seems all the dealers are out of jeeps and they only have used ones, which have high mileage and high prices, so this is what I ended up with. Lots of things to learn but it is so much nicer for me, than the truck. It is all electric, so I can drive around and charge it at home. It will be nice not to pay for gas and it is so quiet, I have to remember it is running, lol.

I took the photo offline, I forgot to take one of mine. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I was finally able to finish the quilt I made for the kids. I had to wait for my finger to heal more so I could do the quilting on the border. They got it tonight and loved it, so that made me happy. Hopefully I can get more quilting down now that it is getting cooler.

The design is by Kathy Schmitz and I added the extra hearts in the corners, to fill in the empty space. 

Here is a close up of the quilting, I used a darker green that blended nicely with all the colors. I like to hand quilt to give gifts, that personal touch and only use the machine for the border piecing.

And we spend time at the beach. Higher tides which are nice for swimming.

The surf was also rougher so most glass that I found was thrown up as I walked. The beach is becoming more popular with collectors so they clean the beach before we get there.

And School has started. The boys got their first day photo and no way to get out since their road was flooded. It was so bad in their area, they closed the school too. Today they were able to go and I heard that Alex cried when he had to leave Nick, he loves his big brother.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. For us it means too many people and backed up traffic at the beaches, so we will find some quiet places, inland.