Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to try something new. I had seen a quilted ghost and thought it would be fun to try one. First I sewed 41/2" blocks together. 

Then  I used a coloring page ghost and printed it out on printer paper, so it was a bit small. Then I put it on freezer paper and traced around that and retraced again to make it larger. Then I put the freezer paper cut out onto the back of the fabric. Added a backing and batting, right sides together with the batting on the back of the back piece. I left the freezer paper on and sewing outside the cutout and just went about it to add a little extra sizing and curves. I cut off the excess after sewing. I left an opening on the side, then turned it back to the front sides. I sewed along the outer edge with a machine, closing the opening.

I hand quilted it with floss and added eyes and a mouth. A fun project that you can do in a day and a great way to use up scrap fabrics. I use rug tape on the back and stuck it to a wall.  

Last week we went for a bike ride on a paved path. We tried a new route that went through a lot of woods, so it was nice and cool. It was shorter and with an electric bike, I had enough energy to go a little more in the opposite direction. We went by a pond and took a break there.

I spied a Blue Heron in one of the coves.

Another day we did a couple of walks at the park by the ocean. 

I spotted an Egret, trying to catch fish, but ended up with weeds.

And a Green Heron in the pond.

Today we went to the island. Bean hasn't been out with us as much, so we thought he needed a fun day. We took a walk around the lighthouse area, where he got to meet new people and pet by the kids.

After we took him to the beach, so he got to walk in the water, while I looked for glass. The tide was high so not much to find. 

I hope you all enjoyed your week and are enjoying the nice fall weather.

Friday Finish!

 

While on vacation I stopped at a little shop in Williamstown, called Karen's Quilting Corner. It is a wonderful shop, full of beautiful and unique fabrics. I was good and only got two quilt panels. This one I got for myself to hand quilt. I quilted around the designs and left the border as is, with a little edge with the black binding. It is hard to see the quilted look in the photo. I have clip hangers on my curtain rod, so it hangs there. The next one is a Christmas design, that will be for the kids and I will use the machine on that one.

This design is by Bonnie Sullivan.

Last weekend we went on a nice walk at the bird sanctuary. Lots of activity, as migration has begun. The fields were uncut, so the bees were enjoying the flowers.

Lots of turtles enjoying the warm sun.

And a few more of the wildlife we saw, along the way.

Afterwards, we drove by the marsh to see what was in the area. One area was full of Egrets in the trees, too many to count.

 And quite a few Blue Herons in the marsh.

Today we went for a paddle at the pond. It was a warmer day, so we could paddle and do a little swimming, though the water was cooler from the cold nights.

We stopped at the first beach head at the campground, across the way.

A Heron was in the corner, wading for fish. We saw a few different birds, but none were close enough or still enough to catch. 

We paddled along the back cove, lots of weeds at the end of the season.

It was a nice day to get out and even though I started out feeling sick, the paddle was just what I needed to feel better. This weekend will be cooling down, so it will be nice for hikes and biking. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and can enjoy getting out. 

And yes, I do have hair, long and thick, so I pull it back and it looks like I am going bald in photos.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been working on hand quilting, on a cheater quilt for the fall. I am stitching around the designs, so almost half way done and should be done by next week. While camping we stopped at Herman Melville's house and museum. We didn't take the tour since we had Bean with us, but we were able to go in the gift shop. I got myself a whale cookie cutter and tried it out this week.

I decided to add a Christmas hat on him, for fun. Then I glued him to a small piece of driftwood. I did an AI background so the driftwood is thicker than it actually is. It was fun to try, but I think I do better when I freeform my pieces, cookie cutters have their limits.

This was Melville's home, where he wrote, Moby Dick. There are also fields and paths to walk on the property.

We got to go on another bike ride. This time we did the upper area, between two towns, so we enjoyed a quiet ride. It goes through a lot of wetlands, so we saw lots of critters in the ponds and marsh birds.

It also went through wooded areas and then along a river.

Another day we went to the Natural Bridge park. The natural bridge was formed by years of glacial melt.

And this bridge was built by man, roped off since it is dangerous now.

And while shooting photos, I noticed this strange formation, caused by the waters carving it out, over the years.

We did ride along the Mohawk Trail. There are a few stops with views of the mountains, nearby and you can see some of the ones in the surrounding states.

We spotted this sculpture, along the way. 

Another place we visited was an area called Greylock Glen. We found a beautiful waterfall, and also the park nearby. There are paths at the park and ones that take you to Mount Greylock, so we walked around a pond and enjoyed the mountain views.

Another place we visited was the Norad mill, which houses 3 floors of shops. We went to the pet store and Bean got a new toy and a bag of cookies. Then I went to the candy store and got the boys some treats.

It was a wonderful place to stay and the area has a lot to offer for outdoor adventures. We stayed at Mount Greylock campground, similar to a state park with spacious sites, but more amenities. 

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoying the fall weather.

A day late!

 

We had quite the week at Mt. Greylock. We packed a lot in, in a short time. Today we were up at six, and headed home by nine. A big storm was heading our way and we wanted to get ahead of it. Tonight we are getting hit with storms in our area.

I will show you a few photos from our first day. We went up the mountain, which is right next to our campground, so only a short drive to the park road. The ride up takes less than a half hour and has some beautiful view points along the way. Once on top, they have parking areas and a short hike to the monument on top. There are also trails, all along the way and this mountain is where the Appalachian trail, crosses over.

We had Bean and I wanted to climb to the top. We had to take turns since Bean couldn't handle going up the spiral staircase. It has 89 steps, so it was tough on my weak legs, but I made it. The tower is a memorial to veterans.

The views from the mountain are spectacular, you can see for miles and miles, into Vermont and New York. This was looking out  one of the windows at the top of the tower.

While there, a lot of wind sailers came to the cliff side, so we got to sit and watch them, as they took off. 

They were using the currents to fly around the mountain area. These guys has seats, attached like a suit, so they could be comfortable. According to the guy who was helping them get out, they go as far as they can and radio in when they land, to get a pick up. 

We also went biking. We got Bean a new trailer and he loved going on the bike path. The path goes for 12 miles, so we did it in sections. The paths go through wooded areas, along a lake and along wetlands. I loved riding there and wish we had a place like that. The paved trail is so much nicer since I can use my electric bike and get up hilly areas easier.

This was the path in a different area. This day, Bill left the roof open and Bean loved looking out. The problem was, he decided he wanted more room and chewed half of the front netting off, ugh. 

I forgot where we were on a ride back, since I tend to try different back roads. There are lots of farm fields in the area and in one, I spotted something unusual, so we stopped so I could take a photo. I had spotted Sand Hill Cranes, something they have spotted in Connecticut, but never seen myself. With the warmer weather, more are coming our way. With the way they are more mottled, I am assuming they are younger ones.

And to end the post, a sunset, seen from the ranger station. They say it is amazing to see from the top of the mountain, but no way was I going to the top and driving down that winding, narrow road in the dark. The sun was so bright, I could not get a photo, until it set.

I hope everyone had a wonderful week. I will post more photos from our trip, this week. I took some with the camera and some with the phone and they didn't all come through, till I got home. So I need to sift through them and pick my favorites.