Vacation Week!

Vacations do not last long and it seems, all my plans fall through and we end up doing something else. Today it was nice out but when we got to the beach, it was cool, so we walked a little and headed home. This weekend will be hotter, so hopefully some swimming with the boys.

Yesterday we headed back to Newport to visit some a few places for hiking and birding. The first stop was at Miantonomi Park. I found the back area with pathways and lots of birds in the area, but they were either hiding or flew off.

There is a tower at the top of the hill, and it is a nice walk. It would be nice if the tower were open, I can imagine how great the views would be. The tower is a World War1 Memorial.

The third photo is a beach we stopped at. I had heard it was a good glass beach. It is called pebble beach and I could see why, nothing but rocks and pebbles, no glass and the tide was high. Beautiful views though.

Our main stop was at Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge. It has paths that run along the point and some that go into the bush, for bird watching. This is the path leading to the point.

A few views along the way, as well as a few beach heads, that we stopped to explore. With high tide, no glass was found.

And we saw a lot of birds and a few I had not seen before. Did I get any photos of them, of course not, they hid or flew away, not my day for bird photos. But I did get a couple who stayed still long enough for me to focus and a few baby bunnies were along the paths.

I haven't had any time to stitch at night, so I will catch up on projects next week. I did get to see the new baby Red-Bellied Woodpecker. It was flapping it's wings like crazy and squawking for food, but Dad didn't seem to pay attention and just filled himself. 

I hope you all have a good weekend. 

Vacation happenings!

 

A vacation at home can be tiring, today I crashed, lol. We have been keeping busy and then I come home and keep up around home. I thought I would do an extra post tonight since I have so many photos and hopefully more to come later. I haven't had any time to do any projects, but sometimes it is good to take a break and then I can get back into the projects I haven't finished.

We took a hike at a local bike path, we went off onto a path that leads to a beach and walked the beach. We spotted this Snowy Egret, along the way.

Another day we went to a farm sanctuary. There is a paved area to walk around, but we found a new path in the back, that goes through grapevine covered areas and an estuary. Lots of birds in the area and I was able to catch a few. A Song Sparrow, Red-Winged Blackbird and a Goldfinch. 

The farm has a few donkeys and horses, I just love this little donkey.

On Monday we headed to Newport to visit Colt State Park, which is further up in Bristol. It is a beautiful park, lots of places to walk and expansive views of the bay. A great place to spend the day with family.

I was trying to get a photo of the weathervane and this Osprey decided to get into the picture.

Yesterday we went for a paddle at a salt water pond, that opens to the ocean. We enjoyed paddling around the little islands and landed on a strip that had a path, to the ocean side. Coming back, I spotted this pair of Horseshoe crabs, I guess it is breeding season.

Along the way, I spotted all different types of shore birds. There are also fenced off areas for the piping plovers, but I wasn't able to spot any babies, they are too well hidden. I did spot a few foraging along the shoreline, a Willet, Piping Plover and a White-Rumped Sandpiper, a first for me.

While on the beach, we watched this Tern dig a nest in the sand. Then every time we got up or moved, she got all upset and flew off. Not the best spot to have a nest, with rough seas and people walking down the beach.

While paddling, I spotted this Great Egret on a point. I had to get into a little cove and take a photo while I rocked in the boat and it actually made a nice effect.

And at home, I was thrilled to see Baltimore Orioles coming to the grape jelly, feeder. The Catbirds are more skittish, but this one came to visit and show off his tail. 

We have one more day of cooler weather and then the heat kicks in, so I am hoping my energy comes back tomorrow and we can have some more adventures. 

Friday Finish!

 

Another week went by too fast. This is our anniversary and vacation week and I had no time or energy to get ready. For me, I have to plan, find a place, get the trailer and packing ready, get the house in order and figure out food, not really a vacation, so I gave up on that idea. Not being able to eat a lot of foods, makes it hard so if I do get motivated this weekend, we may take off on Monday for a midweek getaway. Otherwise we will do things closer to home.

I finish my stitchery for Kathy Schmitz's club, another hot pad. It is one way to start using up my stash and I have a bolt of Insulbrite to use up, as well as, way too much fabric. I do want to do charity quilts and will use a lot of it for that. 

We also got to the beach during the week. My SIL moved back to the island, so we met up at the beach. On the way out, this catbird decided to sing to me.

I found a few treasures, as we walked and chatted.

Another day we took Bean to my favorite beach, usually empty, later in the afternoon. Bean loves walking in the water.

It was full low tide and I think someone hit the beach, before we got there, not much to find, but I was able to catch a few pieces in the surf. I was happy to find a few pieces of pottery with designs.

And at home, I enjoy watching the birds. My Downy Woodpecker bought his new son for a visit and a snack. I hope. you all had a nice week and enjoy your weekend. We shall see where this week takes me.

Friday Finish!

 Lately it seems I never have time to go online and when I do, it is to quickly scan and hopefully not miss anything. I usually try to catch up on blogs on the weekend so hopefully I can catch up on everyones news.

I decided to start an Americana piece this week, a design by Bird in the Hand Primitives. It was fun to do and small pieces are nice since I can add more to my walls. I traced it in reverse, I guess I placed the design backwards on the light pad, but it looks like either way.

And of course we spent afternoons at the beach when we could. Glass collecting, walks on the beach and nature.

One day I got more distracted by the antics of a pair of Great Egrets, so not as much glass that day. 

The gulls like to hang with them, always a chance of stealing food if they can get it.

And at one point they were doing their dance, but it was hard to catch them in the act.

In the distance on a large rock island, I spotted a lot of Cormorants. This is just a portion of the rock and you can see how many nests are there. 

And we finally got a chance to get to the Veterans Cemetery. My parents are there, Bills dad and second wife, as well as his brother Tom. It is a beautiful place to just walk around.

His brother is in the memorial wall, but it is a new section and they still haven't engraved names on any. The old graveyard is in the back and this sad section is the graves that died at Ladd School, formally called The School for the Feeble Minded. They finally closed it down, a time of horrors to the poor and mentally disabled.

Today we stopped at the main state beach to get passes for our cars. While we were down there, we stopped at another beach for a nice walk, perfect day but the tide was up, so not a good time for glass collecting.

And on a sad note, we said our goodbyes to Moki. He as a stray that wondered into my yard one day. Scared and hungry, and scarred up from battles. It took a few weeks before he fully trusted me and then he came in and stayed. We were not sure how old he was, but the vet said around 3 years. He was silly and loving and will be missed, but I know he is better off from his suffering. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I got a dragon kite for the boys, so hoping we can get out to try it.

Friday Finish!

 

With the holiday, I was too busy on the weekend to do any crafting and then cleaning up and catching up, after the holiday. I cannot stand just sitting and watching tv at night, I have to have something to keep my. hands busy, so I worked up a simple project.

The design is from Kelley Belfast's sunflower and cat design, that I did before, but I separated and made two small pieces for lavender pillows. I have to store a lot of things, so I can always use them in my stash to keep it fresh smelling.

The holiday also means, 4 birthdays. The kids took Bill out for his night and then we took them all to Newport, to enjoy a day at the park. The boys flew kites and explored the ruins from an old mansion, as well as some time on the small beach area.

Afterwards we headed to Fort Adams and walked along the path by the water, to the forts.

For Memorial Day, they had Boots on the Ground and free admission to the fort. 

This is the main area, with each surrounding state, represented. 

Another area was just for Rhode Island and we visited Bill's Second Cousin who died during a flood. It was a wonderful day with the family and a wonderful way to honor those who gave up their lives to protect us.

I hope you all had a nice week and fun plans for the weekend.