Friday Finish!

 This week I have been fighting off the cough, that seems to linger. So I rested more and worked on my new project. I found the design on Pinterest from a stained glass design. I start with a white piece of wool felt, that is thicker and more spongy. Then I retrace the design with a thick sharpie, so that it shows through with the light pad. The backing is thick so I cannot see as clearly, but enough to get the main designs on, so it's not perfect.

I used a mix of wool roving and then finished it with a thick black pearl cotton. I realize I should have pressed it down more and done the wet felt, before I did the black lines, but it came out ok. Now I just need to decide how to finish it off.

I was able to get out for a bit last week. I always feel better when I am outside, especially at the beach. The island is always a nice place to take a ride, views from most areas. 

The campers are gone, so the hill is a great place to look down to see some of the fall colors.

In the field, the horses were grazing.

Another day we went for a ride on the southern coast. I didn't have as much energy, so more riding with a few stops to walk a bit to get some fresh air. At the breachway I caught a Great blue heron, catching fish as the tide came in.

We also stopped at the dog beach, a great place to let Bean run, off leash. Lots of boats coming and going in the Great salt pond.

I hope everyone had a great week and enjoying the fall weather. Today we had rain and I rested. Hopefully we can get out tomorrow for a ride and some short walks. My coughing has lessened but it still wears me out. Very frustrating since this is the best time to go hiking and biking. 

I also want to thank those who comment and the good thoughts. I enjoy seeing photos of places where others live and I am glad you have enjoyed mine.

Friday Finish!

 I finally finished the kid's quilt. It is another piece from the set I won from The Whimsical Workshop, years ago. I still have some pieces left, so it should be enough for another quilt. This one I hand quilted around the black lines on the larger circles and the designs. The bad thing is, I used black and the backing was a lighter flannel print, so it shows through. After this I will use the machine and do simpler quilting, so I can used two colors to match both sides. I plan on making more with the leftover fabrics I have and donating them to a shelter.

As usual, this week went by too fast to do half of what I wanted to do. Lots to do around the house and yard and trying to get out, when we can. We spent one day at the lighthouse and got a nice walk in, before it started to rain again. I never get bored of the views.

This week I will work on cleaning up my room and trying to get a few things finished. Next weekend we have the windows coming in, so I have to move all the furniture in most of the rooms and no idea how I can find the space to move it far enough from the windows, so a good time to clean out the clutter.

I always find time to enjoy a few quiet moments and joy in the simple things and last night it was the lunar  eclipse. The clouds cleared up in time to enjoy watching it and see the night sky. The nights are cooler, so it is always nice to sit on the porch to relax before bed. I hope you all had a good week and can enjoy cooler temps.

Paddle time!

 Last weekend we got out for some paddling and one day for some beach time. I am still working on my projects and hopefully I will have the kid's quilt done by next week. We also had a company come for some new windows, since ours sweat so bad, they mold and this way I have windows that are double paned and easier to open.

We went to the island on the weekend, less travel time and no traffic to sit in. We took the boats and paddled into the bay, following the coast line and landing at a cove. The cove is nice since there are no people, just the two of us and beautiful views of the bay.

While there, we saw a lot of egrets in the cove and in the trees.

When we got back, I was walking in the cove and spotted some birds on the spit of land and waded across. I expected the birds to take off, but I moved slowly and they paid me, no mind. I caught one Oyster Catcher, getting a meal, thus the name.

He kept running away another one, who was trying to get it, but then he stopped and dropped it in front of what I assume, is a younger one, from the darker beak. It was so fun watching him and their interaction.

On Sunday we got to the ocean side, early enough to beat the crowds and enjoyed swimming and watching the terns. There was a lot of them, following a school of fish. 

This weekend we have rain and tomorrow we get new gutters. The company also does those and I was able to get a good deal on both, so happy about that. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Weekly Happenings!

 

This week I am still working on my new projects. I have been working more on my quilt so I can get that done and will have two to donate. The Christmas piece, I can work on a bit at a time and have ready in time. 

Today the boys had other plans so I decided to go to the island and bring my kayak. The tide was up so I was able to paddle in the inner cove and explore the little inlets along the way.

At the first spit of land, I spotted a laughing gull that was hanging out with the regular gulls.

And only one Osprey was in the nest, when I paddled by.

The coves were filled with activity, lots of shore birds.

And on the outer area along the shore, I finally spotted two Oyster Catchers. 

It was a nice day to get out and I was able to cool off before the tides got too low. At home I also have some new visitors. I think they are younger hawks, since they are staying in the neighbor's yard and squawking all day.

I hope everyone had a good week and are not in the flood or fire areas. It seems so much destruction lately and my prayers go out to everyone.

Holiday Finish!

 I was able to finish my Christmas quilt, just in time. I machine quilted the edges around the blocks and then I hand quilted around the mittens with black and used white in the patterned blocks. I didn't use any pattern, just made up a mitten template and used a variety of wool textures. It was a fun way to use up wool and some fun fabrics I had gotten, last year.

Last weekend we went to the mill to pick up corn meal. I spotted this guy, outside of the mill.

We also made a stop at the thrift store. This store always has fun things and great prices. I found fun snowmen to add to my collection.

And a nativity set, that I couldn't resist.

After some shopping, we drove around the salt water ponds and I spotted this guy. He was busy fishing, so he didn't mind me, taking photos.

Yesterday we went to the island and walked on a few beaches and around the lighthouse. Lots of Common Eiders and a few Harlequin ducks, braving the surf for a meal. A Downy Woodpecker was enjoying the berries at one parking lot.

We also got to spend time with the kids. Mom and dad went shopping, so the boys stayed with us. While here, we did a family shoot so Ivy could sent photos to her family in Malaysia. This was one of my favorites, the background is AI generated.

Now it is time to get ready for Christmas. We have the kids on Christmas Eve and go to their house on Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, in whatever way you may celebrate. May you find peace, love and joy in the coming days.

Friday Scramble

 

This week I have been busy getting ready for a trip. With the holiday, I couldn't get anything on the weekend, so I set up a site on Monday for the week. I have been planning and packing, so have gotten a lot done and hopefully the weather will be nice, so we can do all the things I want. I did sew a few mittens on my new quilt, so that will have to wait till I get back.

We have gotten out for walks with cooler weather. We always love going to the island and the cooler breezes, always rejuvenate me. 

On the weekends, a couple sits along the road with a fun display for people to enjoy as they drive by. The Teddys are animated and wave, as you go by. The items are all Rhode Island staples and Bennys was a store we all loved, that closed years ago.

On the other side of the island, a view of a home on the cliffs. 

We enjoyed watching the boats and sail surfers at another beach. It is a great place to go for a variety of walks and views.

Today we went to the park for a walk. Along with enjoying nature, the Jazz festival had started, so we go to enjoy some music, as well. One fun thing to watch is, a Blue Heron who was on the hunt and caught a  fish, while we watched.

We saw a few shore birds, but it seems all the smaller ones have left the area.

In the cove were several Oyster harvesters. 

One thing I do before a trip is, look at the area on google to see what is in the area. I found a paved bike trail along a reservoir, perfect for me. The problem is Bean, he cannot ride a bike, so we bought him a bike trailer and now we can go enjoy riding the bike trails when we go on trips.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. We are heading to the Berkshires in Massachusetts so next week will be more photos of our adventures.

Puzzles and birds!

 This week I have been working on my sister's quilt. I have it all together, so now I need to get it ready for quilting. I will be doing prim stitching on the top and then decide on whether to hand stitch or machine quilt, since I want to finish it, so I can get it to her. Now that Joannes is gone, I need to find a place to get discount threads. I always buy on sale days or with coupons.

Since I like to have something simple to work on and a brain break, I worked on a puzzle. I took advantage of prime day and got a good deal on a fun puzzle. 

Last week we got a walk in, at the lighthouse. It is always so much cooler on the island and I got to enjoy some birding. At the marsh I got to enjoy watching the new family. Both parents and two babies were in the nest. The parents were upset since someone was walking closer, from the beach area.

In another marsh, I caught a Great Egret. 

At home the Sparrows are on their fourth batch of babies. This time they had a couple and the babies are always hungry.

And in just one week, they have grown. This one was trying to cool off in the heat. It won't be long before they are out on their own.

I hope you enjoyed your week and have a good weekend. Hopefully I can get more time with my sewing and finish more quilts this year.

Friday Finish!

 

This has not been my week. On Saturday we went out to fix my skis and ended up getting a new pair, with hopes of going out on sunday. Then we went shopping and got a bag of items. Then I got home, picked up the back and it broke open. The heavy lazy Susan bowl set fell sideways on my foot, so now I have a broken toe near the joint.

I hate emergency rooms in our area, so I put up with the pain, but couldn't walk for a few days. Over the week I have been icing it and then I taped around the joints and am able to walk flat footed, as long as I don't use the toes. Hopefully it will heal and I can get out again. The weather is getting better, so I was looking forward to hiking. Skiing is out, so the skis will have to wait till next year. 

Since I cannot sit for long, I made up some small projects to do, while I rested. I have a few more in the works, so those will be done next week. I took some patterns from a large one, by Kathy Schmitz and used those to make mini sachets. Nothing fancy but something mindless to do.

While we shopped at the south end, we stopped for some birding.

Today I wanted to get out for a ride. Riding around the island is always nice with the views. We stopped at one beach and watched a tug bring in a ship.

We also stopped at the east end, the docks are always a nice place to check for birds that may be visiting on the rocks.

Our last stop was the marsh. There has been a sighting of a rare bird to our area, but I never did see it. There is always activity there, plenty of birds stay for the calmer waters and fish that come in and out with the tide.

Tomorrow will be another ride, so I have to decide where to go. I like when we can enjoy the views and I can get shots from the truck. We have nicer weather, but cold coming back again. I hope everyone had a good week and our weather brings an early spring.

Friday Finish!

 This week I wanted to make a little mat for my side table. I also wanted something with reds for Valentines. I do enjoy hand quilting at night, so this was the perfect project to keep my hands busy and make something I needed. It was also a way to start using up old stash and these were precut mini squares, so they were perfect for a small mat.

Last weekend we went to the southern beaches for a ride and look for birds. Lots of birds, but always hard to catch them. I lucked out and found a hawk who was hanging out in the area and stayed long enough for a shot.

Another day we took a trip to the island. At one beach we enjoyed watching a tow boat bring in a larger boat with a long tow rope.

Once they got closer to the bridge, the tow pulled the rope in to be closer to the larger boat. They do this when they get into the narrower channels, for better control.

At another beach I spotted a couple of crows, hanging out on the icebergs. It has been raining today and then cold again, so I am hoping it will warm up so we can go on more walks and less riding. I hope you all have a nice weekend and enjoying the winter months by catching up on your own projects.