Weekly Wanderings!

 

This week went by fast and we got out to enjoy some nice weather and a few rainy days. I have been working on my quilt and hopefully, it will be finished next week.

We got out to the island for a walk around the lighthouse after the rain stopped, so it was a nice way to get out and walk on the road and stay out of the wet grass. Always beautiful views and lots of birds.

We also went to the beach a few times, but the tide was always high, so not as much to find, just cool walks on the beach.

Even with high tide, walking along the edge, I find a few things that get thrown up. A large piece of pottery was a big find, it even has the rounded handle on it. I am thinking it was a bean pot.

At home, my feathered friends are alway a delight to see and the bunnies are out more this season.

And the local turkeys showed up and showing off their brood, quite a few this year.

And today we had the boys for the afternoon. We took them on our boats to a little island in the local cove. They loved being able to swim and a picnic on the beach. It was too windy to go to the point, but we were able to paddle a bit in the inner coves to show them the wildlife. Alex found out why you don't lean over in a boat, he and Bill went over, sure wish I had a photo of that, lol.

The kids came over for dinner and finished staining our porch, so now I can do the finish work and put it all back together. I hope you all had a nice week and enjoy the holiday weekend.

Weekday Wanderings!

This week has been a whirlwind of activity. Our weatherman seems to have lost his knack for predicting the weather and when we thought we had rain, we had nice days. One day we decided to go paddling at the salt water pond, but the wind was horrendous. We paddled around a bit of it and I gave up, my arm was killing me from pushing too hard.

We did get to enjoy the inlets and the wildlife. We even saw a deer frolicking through the marsh, enjoying the open space. We also spotted an Osprey nest, high up in a tree.

I also spotted a Green Heron in a little cove.

Another day rain was predicted, so we went to our local cove. This time I used my peddle board, which was much easier for me, than paddling. We paddled into the town and around the inner bay. This is a view of a surprise I found.

And a close up, of that surprise. Someone has made their home in someones boat. I am not sure if the boat is usable, it looked pretty beat up.

And a close up, of the mail on the left. Love the face he is making. I had to use my hsuband's boat to paddle back out for a photo. One bad thing about the peddle board, you can't take photos while standing. It was a bit windy, so it was hard to grab shots as I rolled in the waves.

More views of the harbor area.

Today we took the boys out for a few hours. They loved taking rides on my board and they swam for a bit, but it was cooler and they got cold. More rain predicted but it seems we get out and it never rains, so hopefully we can get out some more this weekend. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Weekend Wanderings!

 

This week we have been busy, getting out and trying a few new places and some old. On Sunday we went to the bike path so I could try a ride. The ride runs along some inlets and end at a beach. It was a nice ride, but I think I need more strength before I do any long rides.

We stopped at another inlet before heading home and I caught a Snowy Egret and a Great Egret, wading for fish.

Yesterday we went to Newport and hiked at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. They have several trails and one took us uphill, along a rocky cliff. Great views and a deer we spotted in the gardens.

Today we went back to the sanctuary and tried a new path. It paralleled the other, but much higher. It came to a high point with a narrow rock, that dropped on both sides. No way was I going across that, so we need the path there. There are a lot of birds there, but most take off, the minute I go to take a shot.

After that, we headed to the next sanctuary. Sachuest Refuge is on a point, surrounded by the ocean. It was a nice walk with cool breezes.

Also a great place for birding. Most are high up or further into the bush, but a few sat still long enough for a shot.

A few more birds and a deer that was hiding in the bush, when I came around a corner. On the way out, we saw a man stop and start feeding this little bird. The bird started following him as he walked away, I wish they would come up to me like that, lol.

And a nice surprise this week. I spotted 3 babies, the House Wren had a good year. My whole yard sounds like a bird nursery, the babies make quite a racket. I hope everyone is having a good week. We have one more good day and then possible storms coming in. I am hoping they hold off till the afternoon so we can get out more. Tomorrow will be a paddle day, so we shall see where the day takes us. 

Friday Finish!

 

I finally finished my sailor quilt. The original piece was appliquéd by my friend Karen, who gifted it to me. I hand quilted it with white pearl cotton, with nautical designs. I had to make a template for the outer edges and hand draw the inner lines, so nothing is perfect. I decided to add an extra touch with ties on two and nautical buttons on the other two. I really do enjoy hand quilting, but it does take longer and I have some larger quilts, that will need to be machine quilted. The original quilt design is larger, in the book, Collections One, by Red Wagon.

We got out for a walk last weekend and I caught a few birds, as we walked along. A Cedar Waxwing, an Eastern Towhee, a Catbird and a Great Egret.

At home, the Cedar Waxwings are back, enjoying the mulberry tree. 

We have gotten to enjoy a few days at the beach. Not as much glass since the tides were higher, but always a beautiful place to walk and enjoy the local birds.

I never got around to making reservations for our Anniversary week. It will be 48 years on Wednesday. We have beautiful weather at home this week, so I rather stay home, then take the chance of bad weather or heavy smoke areas. Today we got a kayak trailer, so now we can go to the launches and not have to lift the kayaks onto the truck. It is also nice since the big launches only allow trailers in the parking spaces. 

So, I have plans to visit a new bird sanctuary, paddling and at the end of the week when the boys get out and it gets hotter, beach time. I hope everyone had a good week and were safe from the storms that swept through.

Feathered Friends

 

This week has been mostly catching up. Being sick for weeks, really set me back. We are supposed to have a vacation in a week and I have no place to go, as of now. I still need to get the trailer ready, so hopefully I can get that done this week and we can take off next weekend. I had some houses on my save list, but of course, the best ones are gone now, so camping seems to be the best bet.

The weather has been rain, on and off and with the smoke, we have not been able to get out as much. We were able to get to the beach, one day. It was cloudy, so we had the beach to ourselves. The beach flowers are in full bloom.

At home, I sit on the porch when I can. We get enough of a breeze, that it helps the smoke from settling too much. The birds are very active this month and the babies are coming out to join their parents and get fed.

A few of my visitors and one of the many bunnies, who seem to like my clover.

Today I had a new visitor, a young Cardinal.

And his proud dad.

I also have a feeder in the side yard and spotted a House Wren, who was busy collecting items for her nest. Seems the bird population has doubled this year, maybe they like my feed, better than the neighbor's.

I was going to finish my quilt but I decided not to do a simple side stitch, I think it needs a rope border. I will try and find a stencil this weekend, so I can get the design on, easier than doing it by hand. That and a few embellishments and I should be done by next week. I hope everyone is doing well and able to get out, without the smoke effecting your areas.

Friday finish!

 This week I have been working on finishing my quilt and have gotten the solid blocks done, so now on to the finishing touches. I decided to try one of the animals in a kit I got. It has various types so I thought it would be good, to learn some basics on animal shapes.

Of course I don't follow directions and didn't like the original that was holding grapes, so I added a little outfit to mine. I see things I would change in my next one, which is how I learn, from my mistakes, lol. I started the face when the boys were here and Alex called him Bob.

Over the weekend, the kids started work on our porch. It was Bill's birthday present. They washed it and sanded it, and then started to stain it. Then my son pulled his back and now my porch is a mess and not finished, and we have rain coming in. Then my husband knocked over the umbrella and it tore through the canvas top on our lower screen tent. I think this is about the 10th one that has been destroyed, time to go with a metal roof gazebo.

We had another party since it was Ivy and my husband's birthday. I saved another present and they were thrilled to have roller skates. Alex didn't want to take them off and rolled around the house.

Another day we took them out while their parents were doing the porch. We took them to a local beach and then the bike path to ride on their scooters.

I am still coughing, worse at night. I heard that there is a new virus going around this spring, hangs on like Covid. Today we went to the beach for a bit, I walked along the beach and found a few pieces of glass and just enjoyed the views and fresh air. The boaters are back on the water, so fun to watch them, as they sail.

I hope you all had a good week and enjoy your weekend.