Friday Finish!

Only one thing finished this week. Seems it has been a slow unproductive week and I am spending the rest of the night cleaning the house and making sure all our gear we take in the morning, is ready to grab.

I did spend a fair amount of time, quilting my summer challenge quilt. I love how it came out and have it hanging in the middle of my front window. I use rod clips to hang it, they are great if you have rods on the windows and a nice way to decorate without curtains on some areas.

The only thing I regret is the way I placed the whale, I think he looks off balanced compared to the other designs, so I may add a little something to the right side, to balance it out. I do love the blue board fabric on the sides, I have more to use in another project.

I was able to get a decent site at our state park. It is a lot cheaper than private but no hook ups. That is the great thing with our new rig, fully self contained and a generator. I have my stitching and drawing bag, so hopefully I can relax and sketch a bit. It is going to be hot, but it is usually cooler down there, so hopefully it will not be too hot. The kids are coming on Sunday so we will get to have some fun with the boys.

I hope. you all have a wonderful weekend. This is where you will find me, on the other side of the little trees, something new they planted this year.

Camping with the boys!

Yesterday the boys came for the day and we enjoyed some time at camp. They loved swimming in the lake, playing with Bean and Alex tried some rowing in the raft. They are also such a joy and make everything more fun, but they also have way too much energy, so grandma was worn out by the end of the day.

The camp has a nice playground and a nature center, so they kept us busy.

Before we went home, we stopped at the salt water launch, nice shallow water, so more time to play and explore. Of course, telling them not to get wet didn't work, too much fun running and splashing.

The day before we went to Blue Shutter beach, across the road. Dogs can go after they close, so we enjoyed a nice walk and I was able to catch this guy surfing. I wish I was able to get his name so he could have a photo. I will check with the local surf groups to see if anyone knows him.

We stayed long enough to watch the sun setting. A beautiful place to go when the crowds are gone. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. We are home for the night. Rain came in today, so we stayed and I got to paddle a bit, then we left, just as the rain came down. They warned of heavy storms, but so far, just rain. We are staying till Saturday, so I will probably post that night or Sunday.

Weekend Camping!

Well, it seems it is becoming a bad habit, I get sick or hurt on camping trips, lol. This time I was sick. I know Alex had a fever the day before we took them out, so I assume I got something from him, since my son told me they were all sick this weekend with the flu, too.

But I had my med and it kept me moving, even if I crashed more often, I was able to have some fun and enjoy some rest. I tend to go and then come home and crash, I feel like I got hit by a truck, but it was worth it.

Today I did one more paddle which was what did me in, it was a little calmer, so I was able to paddle into the cove with my good camera and lucked out by spotting a female Belted Kingfisher.

I had my little kayak, harder to paddle but fun to putt around, in the coves. Bill was taking photos of me, I was checking out the areas around our site for clean spots. It was a lot more murky this time, but still swimmable.

Of course Bean did what Bean loves. He would stay in the water all day if we let him. We went for lots of walks too, fun to check out the other campers and sites, in the surrounding sections.

And the weather was perfect, sunny most of the time, with a nice breeze. The sunsets were beautiful over the pond.

And after it set, it was still beautiful with the colors in the clouds.

We enjoyed our time and sad that we didn't get to bring the boys, but with them being sick and with my energy level, it would have been too much for all of us. When we got home, I was treated to the new Cedar Waxwings that are visiting. This is the type of bird that I had found on the ground, so maybe one is him, there were a lot more today, so I assume it was a new family in the area.

I hope you all had a nice weekend and enjoyed seeing some of the beauty at Burlingame camp. It is a nice camp to visit, lots of nature and close to the oceans, as well.

Friday Finish!

This week there was a new mitten I wanted to do. Each month there is a new one and this one was perfect for me. It will be nice with my beach theme room and for relatives who love nautical items.

I did make a mess of my layout, a bit crooked, so I do need to pay attention to how I set things on, before I sew them down. It makes me want to do more with my own nautical designs on each, for a beach tree.

You can find the stockings at Christmas Present on facebook.

I also finished the top for my runner, another item that is a bit wonky. My brain is wonky lately, so are my finished items. It will be used and prim, so a little wonky is ok. Since we are just going for a weekend, I will wait and take it on the longer trip. I have my stitcheries I can work on, but I know I will be on or in the water, most of the time.

The edges will be  trimmed down, after I quilt it. I like extra edge just in case it ravels. And if you notice, there is a new fabric in the mix. I decided to buy a yard to use, so I have two of each pattern. It was the perfect shades with acorns and leaves.

I thought you might like to see a photo collage of me and my family, through the years. They are all at the same camp and beach area. I was around 3 and in clothes. My mom would put dry clothes on me and I would be back in the water, I still love water. Danielle was 4 and Nick was 4 in his photo, so we were all close to the same age in the photos.

The weather looks great, no humidity, so I can enjoy being outside and later in the day we will head to the ocean, across the street. No dogs at the beaches, but no one cares after they close. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Camping Week!

Yesterday we came home from our camping trip and I hated leaving, but it sure is nice to be home and have the space and conveniences of home. Did I get any sewing done? Of course not, I was too busy going to the beach and just enjoying the views.

A few days we went up to the lake, where we also camp, to go for a swim and let Nick enjoy the shallow waters. The water is much warmer than the ocean, maybe next week when it gets hot, I will go in the ocean.

Nick loved the lake, I think he would have been happy to stay there all day, so I will need to find some last minute openings at the lake camp.

After the lake we took him to our camp for lunch and a little relaxing. Then we hit the beach and he loved that too. I was surprised how brave he was in the water and didn't mind the cold. He an Bean love playing together, and they both love to jump.

Of course we can't go anywhere with Bean, he wants to play with everyone and the kids love him.

When not at the beach, we relaxed at camp. We took a few walks and rode our bikes and Bean loved the extra large space to play in.

And most nights we had a bit of a sunset. The fog and clouds near the ocean, tend to obscure the sun, but on this night, we were treated to a spectacular display, in front of our camp.

And of course beach combing. The tide was out in the late afternoon, so we waited till the main beach closed and combed the beach with Bean. Later in the week, we went to the lighthouse when the tide was out early and found some nice pieces, washed up on the rocks. I was thrilled to find a marble, my first one. I keep the special pieces in a jar for me and some will be made into gifts and some into art. I have been getting ideas, and hoping to work on some this week.

I hope everyone had a nice week. I plan on starting my vacation, this week, when Bill goes back to work, lol. I have been cleaning and getting things done this weekend, so I can relax and work on my paintings too.

Weekend Camping!

It seems we have had bad luck when camping at the state park lately. The first thing was, I spiked a fever the day we left, the good thing was, my doc had just given me meds so I had something to take so I could enjoy our weekend. The other thing is the weather, hot one week and it dropped to the low 70's over the weekend, but the good thing was, we could go for walks and ride the bikes and it wasn't too hot.

We had a nice site, right near the water. The photo is from the phone so it is a bit warped, but the camp is a straight line down and behind on the right is where the table and fire pit was, so lots of space.

We enjoyed relaxing, took a swim and a short bike ride to test Bean out and that night we went to Quonochontaug pond to watch the sunset. We wanted to go to the ocean, but the beaches on this side do not face the sunset, so this was the perfect place to watch it. Bean got to play with Bill while I took photos, a nice end to the day.

On Sunday the kids came down. It really made my day and was wonderful to spend time with all of them and share new memories with the kids. Alex was happy to just sit and watch everyone have fun, he is such a happy baby.

Since the camp was mostly deserted, we had the little beach, all to ourselves. Everyone else sat and relaxed. My son was making faces at me.

Nick and Bean had a blast playing in the water.

And since no one took one of the rocks I left hidden in the rock, Nick found it and was thrilled to have something fun to take to school for show and tell on the first day. Someone actually found them, and took the whale, but left the alligator in the tree. I was worried someone might walk under it and get knocked in the head, lol. So I put it back and it was still there when Nick came to the beach.

After dinner, Nick and I went for a paddle.

Then we all went for a walk around camp, while Nick rode his bike. He loved being able to ride on the roads.

To end the night, we watched the sunset. Love this photo of Ivy kissing Alex. I had to lighten it since they were so dark. I would like to play with it more in photoshop and maybe do a framed photo for her.

On Sunday we went and got coffee, then enjoyed it at Quonochontaug beach. It was more crowded than I expected, but with low tide, we walked down to the point and had a nice spot for Bean to play. I had planned on paddling but it was windy and I had my play boat, which is too hard to paddle in wind when I am not up to par.

Since it was too cool to swim and too windy to paddle, we enjoyed biking around the campground. Bean is ok in the carriage, but not thrilled with being stuck inside. I think we need to make a more padded bottom, the bumps can be a bit rough. We rested and let Bean play in the water and he made some friends who were happy to play with him, so it was a nice end to our long weekend. Today I crashed, the meds are really kicking in, so mostly resting today. Now to get the rest of the rocks painted and get ready for our next trip. So far it looks like it is going back into the 80's, perfect weather for the ocean and perfect time after the crowds are gone.

Working on!

I haven't done a lot the last week, way too hot to do much, even with the air on. I have been working on my stitchery from Kathy Schmitz. It is large, so lots of work but it is a fun project to work on and relaxing.

I decided to add some color, not sure who I will gift it to yet, but I like a change from all black, so some red, gold, a bit of brown and a pop of blue for the birds, is what I am thinking. I put my initials on, but I can get rid of that when I do the rest and then I can erase it with water.

I have been watching the local campground for openings and found one for this week, right on the water. The bad thing is, we can't get in until Sunday and only able to stay a few days, but that is good, since I just want to get away and relax and that is the perfect place. The other bad thing is, they are talking rain on monday, so I am hoping it is a quick shower or heads in another direction.

I guess the local camp is special to me since I have been going there since I was little. There were less camp sites and less people in those days. I loved the water, that is me, standing in the water with my sister swimming next to me and the others are coming in.

When Billy was old enough, I went camping with him in a little tent, with my parents. All I needed was something to sleep in, my mom did all the cooking. We also took my nephew and he was great with Billy. Sadly all my old photos seems to be going blurry, I guess I better scan them in, before they are gone.

And of course we took the kids, this is a montage of different years. They loved camping and swimming here since it is shallow at the beach, just right for the little ones. This time it will be just Bill and me and of course Bean. Bean loves it here too, he can go swimming and paddling with us, his favorite things to do. Since we are on the water, he can play anytime he wants, while we relax. We plan on going until Tuesday night, so I may not be posting until I get back, it will depend on the rain, on Monday. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Fun! and Finds!

Bill decided to take a few days off this week, since next another guy is going on vacation, so we were able to get out a bit and enjoy the beaches without the crowds. I kept it a bit low key for me, I still have to watch my back and I do tire easy with the lyme, but it is worth it, to get out and do something different.

Yesterday it was raining most of the day, but I checked the weather map and saw a break in the storm, so we heading south and hit a store that has a lot of nautical items. I found two sets of hooks that I liked, so I got both and one is too small and one a bit large for the space to hang my oars, so I think we will just make some. But they are nice, and I can  use them in the room or in my bathroom.

After that we went to Galilee and watched some of the boats coming in. Usually the lot is full but there was plenty of room to park and the rain was stopping so we could enjoy some fresh ocean air.

We headed up to the lighthouse and noticed the fishing park was open again. It has been closed since the storm since all the rocks were carried into the lot and it was a mess. It took a long time with back hoes and replacing the rocks and building up the shoreline, but the area is open and my favorite spot to get out and walk on the breakers.

Today it was a beautiful day for a ride to Connecticut. I wanted to check out a dog beach in the city of Noank, called Esker Beach. We had to go down some back roads but the area is full of old homes and churches, so it was fun exploring. The beach was nice but it was low tide and it stunk so bad, I could not stand it for too long, lol. The beach was also full of seaweed and I saw a lion's mane jelly fish laying on the sand, no thank you. It was a nice place to get out and enjoy for a bit and Bean loved walking around and playing in the water.

The beach looks out into the harbor and the surrounding islands. A nice place and maybe at high tide it would be better. It does have a nice boat launch to the side, so we will definitely come back to paddle.

On the way in, I spotted a thrift store, so I had Bill stop on the way out. It was a small shop but always fun to see what they have. I found out it was fill a bag day, so for five dollars I could take what I could fill a bag with. I had found a quilt and I couldn't leave it sitting there, it is hand quilted and she signed her name with stitching. On the edge I could see the date, 1980 for the border fabric and it looks brand new. Not perfect stitching, but you can tell she put a lot of love into it. There wasn't a lot to pick from, but I found a beautiful shirt type dress and a tank that I can use for sleepwear, both look new.

Here is the back of the quilts, you can see, her stitching is neat and nice, but not perfect. I also noticed one edge is narrower than the others, imperfections are what makes it fun. No idea what I will do with it, but it couldn't sit in a thrift;)

To end the day we went to Burlingame boat launch. It is a launch but has a stretch of beach and the waters are shallow. We swam a bit and Bean was having a ball playing in the water. I also took a short paddle to the cove and back, and I am finding that it does hurt my back so not sure if I can do a long paddle yet.

To end the day, we had a beautiful sky as the sun went below the horizon. I wanted to get a photo and when I put it in the computer, I noticed something in the sky that I hadn't seen, when taking the photo. A little bit of love from Heaven. The perfect way to end my day.

The Good and the Bad!

As many of you must know, vacations do not always go as planned. I cannot complain, no major disasters this time.

The bad; thousands of Gyspy moths. It made it hard to relax since I constantly had to check my chair to make sure, none were crawling towards me. They also dropped from the trees, so I had to look up when I walked. For two days our trailer was leaning forward, not fun walking in a crooked trailer. Then we noticed a leak coming from the bathroom, but the good was that it was the water hose, nothing disgusting;) And I wasn't thinking about the fact that I was using a sit on kayak, no kayak skirt to cover my legs, so I got burnt pretty bad, so no jacuzzi soaks for me.

The good thing was, being slanted caused the leak to come onto the floor, before it was leaking below where we didn't see it, so now it can be fixed. Seems someone nailed into the hose and opened a leak. The bad thing is, I wanted to take off for a few days next week and it won't be fixed until monday so any trips will have to be local. We had lots of good moments and beautiful sunsets, so I will leave you to enjoy a few moments during our week.

Of course the highlight was when the wind died down and we got Bean out in the kayak. I took him out first in my smaller one, he sat on my lap and then we tested him on the larger one, he fits quite well. He still prefers to sit in our laps though, he is so spoiled.

If you would like to see a couple of videos of Bean paddling, you can go to my U-Tube channel and watch them. Another good thing, the old camera works nicely with the new card and on U Tube the videos are larger and much more clearer.

And he has learned that kayaking also means water fun. He loves the water and has gotten braver and going further out to actually swimming. I want him to feel safe in the water, then he will feel safer on the boat in deeper water.

He goes all out and the water is low enough to run and jump in. He also needs a new life jacket, his chest has expanded so we will take him to the store to make sure we get the right fit.

One day we went to Watch Hill lighthouse. It is a nice place to park and enjoy the views and Taylor Swift's home on the hill. We also drove to a boat launch nearby, since that means dogs are allowed. There were a few people enjoying it as a beach with their dogs. Bean wanted to play with everyone as  usual.

And another beautiful sunset on the lake. Love how it formed a shape in the clouds. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. It is going to be hot, so I may be staying in more, especially with the weekend crowds.

Camping Fun!

We are camping this week, but came home tonight to get some things done, check on the kitties and rest. We had a long hike and it got hot and it wiped me out, so nice to be home for one night.

This is our campsite, nice views and hardly anyone at the campground so it is nice and peaceful to sit and relax there. The bad thing is, there is a gypsy moth invasion and they are all over the place, I hate those things, so we sit under the awning. Bean could care less, lots of rocks to push around, so he is happy.

It was also too windy to paddle, so hopefully the next two days will be calmer. Bean was going deeper in the water and swimming, so hopefully he will enjoy a boat ride.

Keeping it low key, relaxing and just enjoying walks and the views. We took a walk around the back section of the camp and found a section that is not even listed on the map and we spotted a deer on the pathway. After our walk we sat and watched the sunset, it reminded me of painted dessert.

Today we took another walk, we did over five miles in less than two hours. I really need to teach Bean to walk calmly and let me take the lead. It got warmer and I got hotter and it wore me out. We walked around in the water when we got back, but I was just too tired to think, so resting at home is much easier for me tonight. Tomorrow we go back and spend the next two days. I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

This is part of the North South Trail and there are a lot of new walkways and a bridge, that weren't there years ago.