Friday Finish!

I actually had time to finish a few pillows this week. I had a few days of down time from getting sick, so it was nice to relax but then I had to do a weeks work in two days, lol. 

The design is by Kathy Schmitz for the Stitch club. She shows different versions and types of stitches you can use, but I have fun coloring them in and I am lazy. I added lavender to bother and one I antiqued because I had a little red running on a few spots. I plan on selling them at an upcoming camp, yard sale to help defray the costs of camping and a cat sitter.

I do have a hard time deciding on prices, it is a yard sale but these are new, hand stitched and filled with lavender. They are about 6" square, would love to hear what. you think they are worth.

We made it back to camp today and I decided to get out for a little paddle. No matter how I feel, being out on the water rejuvenates me and I was able to paddle and bird watch for a few hours.

I saw this pair of Grackles, one was waiting patiently while the other took a bath.

I also visited the Mother Hummingbird, who is getting used to me watching her, and a Red Tailed Hawk flew over for a bit.

And Bill insisted that he had to have ice cream, so we took a trip down the road, to ButtonWoods Farm to satisfy his craving and I enjoyed watching the cows. I have no idea what kind of cows are what, I think these were for milking and I noticed a few had extremely large bellies, so lots of calves are coming.

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

Weekend Fun!

 

I am not sure if I should say fun, I did a lot, enjoyed a few paddles and the kids visited for the afternoon on Mother's Day. But, by Saturday I was sneezing and blowing my nose non stop. My DIL started doing the same thing after an hour at camp, so I hope it isn't going to be a regular thing. I paid for the month and can't get my money back, so camping in a wetlands area, in the spring, might not have been the best idea.

It was cooler this weekend, so I wore my nylon suit. It kept me warm and covered my skin, my burn is gone and now I am tan for the summer, lol. I love sitting on the pond, in a quiet cove, so much activity around me.

I lucked out and spotted Baltimore Orioles flying by. I was able to catch one, as well as a Hummingbird and a female Mallard.

Red Winged Blackbirds are nesting all over the banks. I spotted a few nests and if I got too close, the Males would fly off to distract me. I was also able to find a spot to catch this Mother goose on her nest, I didn't want to get too close or she would leave the nest.

In the afternoon, I decided to go for a little bike ride. Wooded pathways, long hilly roads that pass by river and ponds. I love riding in the forest, but I need to work on my leg strength, I still have to walk up hills.

After my ride, I cooled down by taking Bean for a walk. No one was around, so he was able to go off leash for awhile. 

On the way back to camp we stopped at the observation deck and I caught a few visitors at the picnic area. A White Throated Sparrow, a White Breasted Nuthatch and a Robin who looks like he was attacked.

For Mother's Day, I did what I love, another paddle. This time I went up river. I went up to the fork and spotted a few Yellow Warblers. They are nesting in the swamps, so once I got close, they flew off into the bushes, but I caught one that was trying to hide. We also have birds at the camp, the cardinal and his mate are frequent visitors.

And the catch of the day, a Hummingbird on her nest. She always flies off when I come close, so I picked a spot near some bush and sat, until she came back. It is amazing how well they camouflage their nest. I read that they build their nests so that they expand as the young get larger.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. We are home for the week and I need the rest, lol. I have some projects I am working on, so I will post on Friday with some finishes.

Friday works and Fun!

This week I didn't get anything finished, but I was able to work on a new project. I think I needed a rest and time to get ready for the holiday, so I made up a new stitchery that I can use as a pillow this season. The design is by Kathy Schmitz from her Christmas book and I was lucky enough to find a copy from a local library and copy some of the designs.

I am using three strands of floss so it will stand out more, I think this will be a fun pillow to display.

Today I wanted to get out for a hike, but my body wasn't cooperating, so we went for a ride to the quilt store in Connecticut. The boys have some events coming up at school and need fun masks, so I got the gnomes for them, then I found the cars and thought that was perfect for the guys. I loved the skate material and glad I grabbed a yard, I do have the same black with mittens and one with trees, so I will use it for a quilt and add some greens and reds to the mix. 

I think one thing that wore me out was, the hike we did last weekend. I wanted to try a new trail and hike for a bit to see how far we could get. I was having so much fun finding new ponds and enjoying the hike that we made it all the way to the end, Hell Hollow Pond. We ended up doing over 10 miles, so the longest yet, for me.

And the next day we went back with the boys. The weatherman lied, the rain came early and just as we got to the first pond, it came down. Luckily the trail back was tree lined so we stayed dry until it stopped. We took another short walk and headed to the campground for lunch and relaxing.

I have been watching the birds and practicing manual focus, so I can get the birds in the trees. The camera always wants to focus on the branches, so I was able to catch this Cardinal who visits the feeder.

And the male Downy Woodpecker is getting more used to me. I am still trying to get a shot of the Carolina wren, it comes and sits and chatters at me, but never when I have the camera. 

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a simple, traditional dinner with the kids.