Friday Finish!

 

Another week has come and gone and I was able to finish my stitchery just in time, for the new one that came out today. I love this one since it was fun to do and will make a nice gift. I do enjoy coloring them, but I think I need to get more pencils to widen my color palette. It is fun to do brighter colors though, it makes me happy when I work on them.

We got to spend an afternoon with the boys. They love our beach, fun to treasure hunt and play at the beach. We bought the trailer so they were able to have lunch and then go back to the beach.

Unfortunately we got rain, so we waited it out and took a walk around the park, before we left.

The next day, Bill and I went for a bike ride on a rail trail in Connecticut. It goes through the woods, and past several ponds. It was a wonderful place to ride but I realized my seat was a bit too hard for my bony butt, lol. I was able to order a seat cover with cushion, so that should do the trick.

And of course, we spent a few afternoons at the beach. This was a beautiful day and there were a lot of wind surfers on the bay.

The last day we spent there was Wednesday. I had to wear a sweatshirt with the cooler weather and of course, now that I can't swim, the water was nice and calm. I wasn't feeling great and of course got worse for the rest of this week. Lots of meds and vitamins and so far I am fighting off, whatever I have. I am hoping I am up to getting out this weekend, the weather is cooler and it is so nice to get out for walks and maybe get some photos.

We didn't stay as long but I found some nice large treasures that were washing up on the beach. I hope you all have a wonderful week and stay safe and healthy.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on my painting and got more done, but I also drop my brush so much that I make a mess and have to fix the blobs of paint that I drop, lol. I decided to take a break and give my arm a rest, so I worked on a new stitchery. Yes, I agree, I do not know how to rest, but a brain break to think about my next steps on the painting.

The new stitchery is done with a design by Kathy Schmitz for the One Stitch Club. I do love pieces with inspirational words and this was a fun one to make. I colored the bee but the new colored pens seem to bleed more than the ones I get in the craft store, I don't think they are the same quality. So, a bit of black went into the yellow but I can live with that.

I like making pillows, something I can sell or gift and most people have room for a little pillow, more than a wall hanging.

I also got to spend last Saturday with the boys. The kids dropped them off so we took them to the island. We started with the diving beach, since most people are boating or diving from that spot, so there were only a couple of people on the beach. The boys loved playing in the water, even though it was cold.

After the beach, we drove over to the picnic area and found a nice big spot to park the rig. The boys loved having all that space to run around in and a picnic lunch in the trailer.

After lunch we went for a walk to the old forts. The boys loved exploring the forts and seeing all the graffiti, luckily Nick noticed the drawings more than what some said, lol. It was nice to spend the day with them and Nick told me he had a good day, which makes my day. I hope everyone is doing well and save from the fires, illness and able to spend time with your families.

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.

Friday Finish!

I hope everyone had a nice week and enjoying the summer as much, as is possible. I didn't get much done while we camped or during the week, it was mostly catch up when I got home, but I worked on my quilting and finished another little pillow today.

This is another design by Deborah Cade, and I made up two more to do later.

We had a nice time camping, but it was hot. The campground has a pool, but you have to sign up in the morning to get a time slot, so we were able to take a swim on the second day.

This is our spot, right on the river and surrounded by woods and lots of birds, a peaceful place to relax.

Of course being on the river means, I am on the water as much as possible. It is a small river but deep and it leads to a pond. The pond is full of lilies and plants, but the main passages are easy to paddle along and all deep water.

The area in front of me is all state forest, so a lot of wildlife and birds in the area. I had a hard time getting photos since they were camera shy, but I finally came out later in the afternoon and sat in the lilies to catch a few photos.

This Great Blue Heron was there when I went out each day, I was lucky enough to catch him on the hunt and catching his dinner.

Lots of turtles and dragonflies in the lilies, such a calming place to sit as they flew around me.

And on the way back, I caught this Redwing Blackbird, who had made a nest along the river banks.

It is a nice place to camp and they have activities every weekend. For the fourth they had a wonderful Southern country, rock band and a parade of golf carts on the fourth. Most people didn't wear masks but we kept clear of others and stayed away from the other events, but we will definitely camp here again, everyone was friendly and nice.

This weekend we will rest a bit and catch up on things, but also get out a bit for a day trip. The Ocean beaches are so crowded, you cannot move without people so we will stay away. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and you and your families are blessed with good health.

Weekend Wanderings!

This weekend we spent with the boys, always my favorite thing to do. They love getting out and exploring with us and with the trailer, they are comfy on the ride and we have plenty of snacks. We had a change of plans and headed to Connecticut to see if we could find a good spot at the state park. I decided to see if the camping area was open and there was no one at the gate and found out from the ranger that it is ok to park for the day, just no over night.

We picked a campsite across from the beach, nice and shady and no one around.

Alex fell asleep as usual, so Nick and I sat outside and an ice cream truck came by, perfect treat for a hot day. When Alex got. up we walked around the camp, also a good place to bring their scooters, with the paved roads.

The ranger also said it was ok to let the boys play on the beach, though they ended up in the water and got wet enough to cool down. Of course Bean had fun too.

We got the boys pizza and treats for lunch and while they ate, I walked around to see if I could catch some birds. Of course they all hid when I came, but I was able to catch a Baltimore Oriole.

And across the pond, I spotted a Great Blue Heron.

Yesterday we stayed home so I could do some cooking and catch up around the house. I wanted to get things done so we could go out today, but thunderstorms rolled through Connecticut so we will do that trip tomorrow.

They dropped the boys at our house and they had fun swimming and sliding, perfect for a hot day.

Today we decided to head to the ocean to get a pass for the trailer and take a swim. We found out that we cannot take it into the state beaches, but there was one that takes trailers, so we headed there. I could not believe there were only two others there. They have acres of grass that you can park on and spend the day. We will definitely spend more time here with the family, perfect for picnics and space for the boys to play, as well as miles of beach.

Weekend Wanderings and Works!

It is that time of the year where I get out more and we had a full weekend, so I thought I would do my Monday postings to share our adventures with you. I also started prepping materials for more masks. Today I cut out the masks and made more Tshirt yarn for the ties.

It took me about 3 hours to make it, it is time consuming but worth it to get a continuous string to avoid waste. For now I am doing the main shirt, but I did find a video to cut a continuous piece from the upper parts as well, so I will try that when I get a chance.

I cut off the upper and bottom piece, then cut 1 1/4" strips, then I take the piles of strips and watch tv while I pull on the piece, which makes it twist into the rope shape. It is tough on the joints, but worth it to do a lot at once, so now I have plenty to last a while.

On Saturday we took the boys out for a birthday, day. They got their cameras and off we went. We started at a graveyard on the river that goes to the ocean, but Alex fell asleep, so Nick and I just walked around for a bit. Then we took them to a new place, a bird sanctuary that goes to a salt water pond.

The boys loved this place, an easy walk for them.

And of course they had to show off their jumping skills. Nick likes to do the spin and jump technique.

Alex is at such a fun age, everything is fun and exciting and he loves to play superman.

And while we were out I was able to capture a few birds. An Osprey, a Willet and a Salt Marsh Sparrow.

On Sunday we took them on another outing. This time we drove into Connecticut and visited two parks in the same park system. The first we found a great open spot to park in and got to enjoy a hike around the campgrounds.

The second was at another campground and beach area, so we enjoyed hiking around the trails. The photo with them sitting in front of the pond is from the first camp. They are closed for camping but allowing people to come for picnics and hiking, which is nice since our camps are closed to all access.

It was nice to get out and with the new camper, the kids are comfy and we have our own bathroom, which helps since bathrooms are closed. Nick took some photos and this one is my favorite, he loved taking pictures and when he found out it played games, loved it even more. Alex's camera took longer to charge and the next day he forgot it.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. With all that is going on, it is good to get out and find joy in our lives.

Friday Finish and Fun!

This week I finally got time to finish my stitchery that I had been working on. It is one of the designs offered for Free from the Facebook group, Australian Stitch Along. I love the saying on this one, and more fun colors for my art space in the guest room.

I also made some more masks. My sister is going to her granddaughter's wedding, and she doesn't have a decent mask, so I made her two to match her Navy blue dress and some Native American prints. I had one piece of ribbon left, so I put that in one mask, to fancy it up.

And the boys got their first ride in the trailer, they loved it. We sat them at the table, but tomorrow I will put down the table and put in some pillows and a blanket so they can stretch out and be more comfy for longer rides.

And we ended up back at our house but that was fine with them. It was hot and a few squirt guns and they were happy. I am not sure who had more fun, them or Bean, he loves playing with the boys.

Their birthday was this week so we are planning on a day out. Nick said he wanted to have a picnic at the waterfall with hiking trails. I am assuming he means the one in Connecticut, which is good since they have large parking areas and picnic areas along the river. We got them cameras, so they can use them to take their own photos.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We are in phase 2, but I plan on avoiding the beaches and areas that just opened, I know they will be mobbed.

Friday this and that!

This week Bill was home for half of it, so I didn't get any of my projects done. I did make more masks. I got a request when someone saw mine, so I made up a big batch that I can take in and hopefully sell to others at the trailer place. This way I can pay for my supplies and give away masks to others who cannot afford them.

I was able to go to a local quilt shop and they had a lot of fun fabrics, but I had to go quick, tell her what I wanted and get out, lol. They only took in one at a time so it kept others from waiting. Though the lady before me was taking her time and getting lots of fabric. I did get two nice ones, a fun camping print and flags. I also got some eagles and native American from Walmart, the only two bolts they had, but great prints.

We also had a day at the beach, but the other glass collector was leaving just as we came in, so I know she got all the surface pieces, but I was still able to find a nice collection.

 And we got to spend the day with the boys. They were full of energy and having a wonderful time at the boys camp, they really needed a day out. They both love jumping but Alex doesn't understand that you are supposed to say catch, before you jump into someone, lol. Luckily grandpa has quick reflexes.

And they explored and played with items they found on the beach. Alex enjoyed throwing sticks and logs into the water, then he would say, bye bye. One log was a bit too big and heavy to throw, but he tried with all his might.

And we had some quiet time so grandma could rest, and of course the boys had to be goofy for the camera.

And the next day we went hiking with Bean. We found a new place that went along a river and then into a farm field. The birds are what we spotted along the way and the bridge is from the next hike.

Since we were in the area, we checked out another hiking area and decided to try that one too. Another one that was wooded and ran along the river and no people. We even stumbled onto an old cemetery from the original owners of the land.

And to top our week off, we are not getting the big trailer, but were able to get a new class C that had just come in. Our dealer gave us first dibs and it is just the right size to go on adventures with and take the boys out for day trips and weekends. I was apprehensive about having to find good spots for a large trailer and the fact that we cannot camp right now, so now we can do day camping and just have fun and still camp when they open again. It will also be nice because I can bring our food and have picnics while we watch the sunset or stop for lunch on long drives, especially if we take the boys with us, much easier than hours in a back seat.

I hope you all have a good weekend and prayers that this virus dies out soon and we can all get back to a new normal.