Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been working on hand quilting, so that will take awhile. I have a box of projects that I made, but never finished, so I took two out and finished them. I made them into little pillows and added a yarn edge. The fox will be a Christmas present to a friend. I have a lot of finished pieces, so I may need to do a craft sale someday.

Last weekend I was still recovering, so we did a few rides to get out, and then rain. Today I was ready to get out for a bit and wanted to get some apples before they ran out. It was not too crowded, so a good day to go. I got a large bag and a smaller one for the kids.

We took the scenic back roads home and made a few stops. One is a pond with an old sawmill. With the drought, they have not been able to open for visits, since the falls are not flowing. It is a nice spot to stop and walk around the pond.

There were a few Mallards enjoying the pond and this couple had a friend, sharing their log.

We drove by the farms.

And a stop at another pond. Lots of colors popping in Connecticut, but a lot of areas have narrow roads and no place to pull over, so I couldn't get shots in a lot of areas. Hopefully tomorrow I will be up to a bike ride or a walk, to catch more foliage.

I hope everyone had a good week and can enjoy the fall weather in your area.

Weekend Wanderings!

We had a nice weekend, one day of sun and one cloudy day, but as long as it isn't raining, I am happy. We decided to head into Connecticut and go across the upper, middle area. That way we could decide which was to go, since there are places in all directions.

We ended up going straight across to a town called Glastonbury, which is on the Connecticut river. The town was really built up, lots of stores and homes on the outskirts and we would have had to go further up to get to the city section and historic areas, so we just made a stop for coffee and headed back down on a scenic road.

We had never been in this area, so we drove until we saw something. Of course there are always lots of churches, so I took some photos and we stopped at one that had a large graveyard. It was in the town of Portland. The church is beautiful, a lot of beautiful detail and sculpture on the church.

There were a lot of old stones, but the slate was deteriorating and most of the fronts were missing. There were quite a few war heroes, from all periods of history.

The next thing I spotted was a ferry sign, so I wanted to check that out. It also means access to the river. There were a couple of cars waiting and the sign said,  honk when you want to come over, lol. The ferry is a barge that is pushed by a tugboat.

As we came down, we saw a bridge across the river and a large area of the town, so we went to see what was on the other side. There was a church right by the bridge and we found a parking lot in the back and an old graveyard. I was walking around and most of the stones were people from Ireland and all their info and place of birth was on the stones.

I had to steal a photo from the internet. I started to walk through the cemetery and I realized it was under the bridge in a bad neighborhood and there were older kids arguing with a man. I listened long enough and the man left, then I left, the kid was still screaming and getting upset, so not the place I wanted to stay. So no photos from me. Now I wish I had known where we  were, Wesleyn College was down the road and there was a larger cemetery on a hill, with views of the valleys. Now I can go back and know the area better. There is also a park with falls, so lots more to explore.

Saturday was a day with the boys, so I didn't want to go too far. I also wanted to try the new apples at the orchard, they are supposed to have a hint of pineapple flavor. I got a few for me and Nick said he liked them, so I let him pick his own small bag for his lunches. Not sure if they taste like pineapple, but it is a flavor that tastes funny but gets better as you eat more, lol.

This is a new crop for them, so these took 4 years to produce. They are called sun crisp.

I decided to take the boys to Mohegan park, Nick's favorite place, which is anywhere with a playground. Alex loved checking out all the fun things at the kiddie section.

And we enjoyed a walk around the pond, Nick likes to run ahead and Alex is always trying to keep up with him and Grandma is trying to keep up, period.

There were areas bursting with color and others, just starting to turn.

We ended the day with a stop at the farm stand for ice cream. The boys enjoyed eating in the old hay wagon.

The clouds were out all day and by the time we headed home, it was nearing dusk, but I was able to get a few nice shots of the pond in Acadia, before we dropped the boys off. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish and Fun!

I didn't get much done this week, been resting my arm, though I tend to do more cleaning and things, so not sure if I am really resting it. But it is good to give it a rest from repetitive sewing. I decided to do a few more rocks since I want to have enough for when I get out. We may also go on vacation in a few weeks, so the choices are maine or stay at home, I am still debating.

I used designs I found on the web, and then went off on my own and made a mess, lol. Even if my hand isn't steady and I make mistakes, I still have fun and I am sure the people who find them, won't mind the imperfections.

Bill had to work the weekend and It was pouring, so I missed the kid's birthday party. Since the job was finished, he was able to take a day off and we took Nick out for the day. Peaches and some apples are in, at the orchard and it was the only day we could go and get peaches.

Nicks loves the tractor, and this one was bumpier than usual, had to hold on tight.

Nick loved the apples, he ate two while we there and took his own bag of apples and peaches home.

On the way home, I saw a sign for a boat launch, so we stopped for a look. This was a fishing area, to the side of the launch.

We hiked down a little trail, Nick loves hiking with us. That is a really big mushroom in front of him.

We came out to a little peninsula, a nice place to enjoy the views. We will definitely come back to paddle.

We ended the day with a stop at Beach pond. It has been closed for years, seems too many people were coming and partying and fighting, so no swimming now. People can still fish there and there were people who were swimming. It is a shame, it is a beautiful beach and crystal clear water. We go to the other end with our kayaks and swim off a little island.

Nick wasn't too sure about the dog, who kept dropping his toy in front of him. He just wanted to play, but Nick is not used to strange, large dogs. It was a wonderful day and just what I need to recharge for the week.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Weekend Wanderings!

We had another weekend with rain, on and off, so we were able to get out when it stopped. Last weekend my son came by and snuck off without Nick, if we ask, he gets upset and wants to go with them. This time I called and did FaceTime with Nick and asked  him if he wanted to go out with us and he was eager to go, so hopefully his fear of leaving his parents is over.

We too him to Connecticut since I wanted to get some more apples, but we decided to stop by Mohegan Park to check it out. It was a beautiful place to visit, paved walkways around the pond, treed archways and two playgrounds. Nick had a blast and loved walking and playing at the park.

We also found this rock garden on the trail, it is a Connecticut girl scout group that is participating in Kindness rocks. Nick wanted to take more, but I told him to chose the one he liked the best and he took that one that said boo. Further along we found a larger stone with pink butterflies so I let him take that home to his mom for her garden.

Of course he loved the apple orchards, especially since he got to ride in the tractor cart. We let him have his own bag and pick some apples to take home.

And some time to be silly, a fun way to end the day.

Sunday was another overcast day but I wanted to go on a foliage ride, so we headed north to the top of our state. There were a few trees turning and we enjoyed a nice view from the state park.

Next we headed into Connecticut, and I couldn't resist getting a photo of this house, they really like halloween horror. I cut the photo in two so you can see it better.

There was more on each side, it was that big. A cellar door with a creature trying to get out and on the other side a flying witch and skeleton horse with rider. 

From there we headed into Putnam, I always love to stop at the waterfalls and stroll on the river walk.
I did enhance this photo, there wasn't much color, so I made my own, it will be like that next week, lol.

We saw this little guy, sitting on a rock at the edge of the river.

A family of ducks was resting on the edges of the river.

And this fun sculpture, it is called 4 people, not a very creative name, I think Family makes more sense;)

We walked down and I got a shot of the old mill from the backside. I read that they may make them into condos, would be nice to see it restored.

It was a nice walk, but Bean had to walk on a leash, not his favorite thing, so on the way home, I saw a launch sign, which means a place to stop and play. We took a look and it was a beautiful area and I saw a beach down a path, so we took him there to play. A nice way to end the day. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, today was catch up on cleaning and working on my angel.

My Week in Review!

( I had my store closed, while we were away, so for those who wanted to order and couldn't, it is open again)

We had quite the week, not much down time but time on the beach, relaxing and enjoying the views. We had lots of action with high surf and nights watching sunsets and the moonrise. Bean of course, loved it all, he made lots of friends and for the first time, jumped in and swam to retrieve a ball. Of course he would not do that for me, but for his new friend and mom who threw the ball for him. Bean is just a show off.

Bill kept Bean occupied so I could get photos. Low tides are the best time when the shorebirds come to eat on the pickings that are left on the shore.

We spent our days at the beach, Bean played and Bill played chicken with the incoming waves that came flying over the breakers.

We also roamed the rocky beaches by the lighthouse. A great place to collect new rocks to paint and a place to enjoy other's rock art. The rock protruding from the water, reminds me of King Kong climbing up to shore, lol.

The surfers were out in force, on both sides of the point.

We watched boats go by, this guy was getting quite the ride with the waves and wind.

And of course, we saw beautiful sunsets each night.

I love the solitude of these shots, with the birds in one and the man in this one.

And my first ever moon shot, where you can see the craters. Not bad for hand held, with winds and sea spray. The bad thing......I had to get up on a rock ledge to get shots and I asked Bill to keep me from falling, but.... he pushed me and I went flying into the rock and bashed my head, with my sunglasses so they jammed into my head and I banged my knee. But, I can still walk and I am hard headed, lol, and I got a great shot that night.

We decided not to leave in the morning so left, late that afternoon, so we could get home and eat and get some things done. Then Sunday we took a ride to Connecticut to go apple picking. Not only did we get apples, but they had pears and nectarines. The farm fields are so big that they give you tractor rides to the orchards that are open for picking.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and for those in the path of the storm, that you made it through, safe and sound.

Weekend Wonderings!

Well, I am in a cynical mood tonight, I had fun plans with Nick for the weekend, and on Friday night I got hit with The flu that is going around. I was ok on Saturday, I was sick and weak but used my energy for Nick and Bean and I even fell asleep with Nick when he took a nap.

Bill had to work the weekend so no help there. Today he took the day off, no help there, haha. He did take Bean out for me, that I could  not do, too weak and woozy. And he cooked french fries and hamburgers, not what I really wanted, but I ate it anyways;)

So, Saturday had it's up and downs and fun memories with Nick, Sunday my son pulled a muscle so told me he wasn't dropping him off, even though the fact that I was sicker from pushing it on Saturday, that wasn't part of the equation;)

I am on meds and vitamins and my body is on overload and I cannot stand sitting still all day, so hopefully I can get my energy back tomorrow and work on some new projects.

I was out of apples and I knew I needed them now, so we took Nick to the local orchard. The apples are not that great, a bit small and not as fresh, but still better than the store's.

Nick loved it, he loves apples and walked around saying apple, apple, apple. Grandpa helped him pick his own apple.

He had his own two apples, he was not letting them go. This is a place that you pay by the bag, so we had a full bag and Nick's two, just try and stop us, haha.

Just walking and kicking the leaves, being a boy.

I am not sure if he has ever seen a chicken, but he was laughing and loving their antics. We also spent the day playing with Bean and they are becoming best friends, Bean even put some of his balls in Nick's wagon and he never shares.

Do you like free patterns and looking for a fun gift to make for your dog loving friends? Check out Connecting Threads and sign up for their newsletter. They are offering a free pattern each week and this week, they have a scottie dog placemat. Once you sign up, you can also look through their pattern archive.

A Freebie Finish and Weekend Fun!

Today I made a halloween cone from a freebie I found on the web. It is from Country Sampler and I added a link to the PDF File, since it asks you to subscribe to get it, for some reason. But, I found a direct link so you can use that and make one for yourself.

I messed up, seem to do that a lot lately, lol. I forgot to put it on the fold when I cut, so I just did a blanket stitch to sew it together. In the original, the sew line is in the back. I also added the tie and a couple of jingle bells. I had to take a photo on the floor in the kitchen so I could get better light on it.

This weekend we watched Nicholas for the day while his dad worked on their house. He played outside with grandpa and Bean and then we took him to the toy store. He used the word, Wow, a lot. I was looking for a few things so he would have toys to play with, at our house, but nothing good and we ended up going to a smaller store that carries toys and a little plastic wagon that he can use in the house. Of course he had to try out the toys in the store, I think this is, what do you mean, you aren't buying it for me, look;)

Sunday we went to the antique barn, and I was so excited when I saw a vintage tin halloween garland, then I realized, it was not for sale, errr. Since we were at the north end, we went apple picking at the orchard I went to as a child and we took our kids there. It has new owners, but the new orchard is dog friendly and Bean was in heaven. He was like a kid in a candy store, apples, people, dogs and more apples. Nothing like hundreds of round red balls on the ground to get him going.

" I think I need my own bag!"