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!

Bill had two extra days off so a nice long weekend. We made the best of it by enjoying our own area and were able to get out and enjoy a few good days before the storm hit. The weather is not bad here, but the winds were whipping up the waves and making it hard to swim at the ocean beaches. Today we got the winds and a little rain, hopefully we will get more rain before the warm weather comes back.

Saturday we decided to go to Connecticut and check out a boat launch we could never find, which I finally figured out. You drive over the border and go into Connecticut and then down a long back road and back towards Rhode Island and there is a nice big boat launch at their end of the lake.

Since we had never been and I wanted to walk a bit, we walked along the path that follows the shoreline. The path goes back to Rhode Island but we were just exploring. It was a beautiful part of the trail, lots of areas to stop and enjoy the views.

From this viewpoint I saw some little islands and people swimming, so we walked to that point and checked it out and went back to get our suits on and our kayaks. It was funny, Bean and I were waiting for slow poke Bill and Bean started whining and hopping into the kayaks, I guess he has decided he likes kayaking.

I also think he knows, kayaking means water fun and we had our own little spot on the island to relax and go for a swim.

After our swim, we did a little more paddling and enjoyed the shoreline, love the rock ledges in this area.

On Sunday we wanted to see the ocean and watch the waves from the storm that was approaching. We went to Fort Wetherill which has views of the bay entrance and ocean and on the other side is Newport.

This fort still has a lot of structures still standing, so we could walk around some areas and on the tops to enjoy the views.

We then took a path that led to the ocean cliffs, spectacular views of the outer bay and the sailboats.

We continued along the paths and came out on the Newport side, beautiful views from every angle.

We left the fort and headed to Battery Park. I found it on a map and wanted to check it out. A nice walk through the woods to an area that was once used in the American revolution and then for the world wars. There is not a lot left, but it was fun to visit and we even spotted the coast guard boat, anchored in the harbor.

On the path back we came across the fire control stations. I cannot imagine being stuck in that hole, looking out through the slats, all day and night.

Here is the sign that was posted nearby, it shows what it was like and a bit of history about them.

And today we spent the morning, cleaning out the yard and removing projectiles, just in case. I noticed that is was nicer in Connecticut and the orchards were open,  so we headed back over the border to go apple picking. Not only did we get some fresh apples, but some pears, as well.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and not effected too badly with the storm.
If you are bored and want to see the little slide show I made up, you can watch it at My Youtube Channel.

Saturday Stroll!

Today was a beautiful day, warm sun and cool breeze, perfect for a hike in the woods. We went back to the pond that we hiked at, last week, but on the opposite side. There are tons of trails so we took the main trail and hiked into Connecticut.

The trail follows the pond, most of the way and winds around as you head towards Connecticut.

Gorgeous views, as we walked along. We walked along the path until we reached Connecticut and came back along another wooded trail. Lots of rocks and ups and downs, so I got my exercise today.

If you have an iphone or android phone, you can use the All Trails app, free version.  For free you can find trails or mark you own trails, take photos along the route and share with friends. With the pro  you can plan trips or print out maps. What I like is the fact that I can see where we are going, and how far I hiked. And, if I take a wrong trail, I can find my way back. All of the information is stored on their website, so you can go over the information on your home computer, as well.

Another great reason to have a camera phone..... sometimes we forget to put the battery back in our camera;) Luckily I also had my pocket camera in the pack, so I used that for these photos. The hike was a lot of hills and easy climbs and a few brook crossings, tempted to go back and try another trail tomorrow.

Saturday Stroll!

Well, I don't know if I would call it a stroll, it was more of a hike. I wanted to try a trail that goes along a pond and up to a ledge with a view of the pond. I am out of shape, and I had to slow down and climb slowly, but it was well worth it and a beautiful day to be out.

The trail goes up and down, rocky paths and a lot of trees and branches from the recent storms. Most of the trail on this side, follows the pond with lots of areas to stop and enjoy the view, but I am not sure if we were on a real path at this point, lol.

The photo came out dark because of the bright sun in the wrong spot, so lightening it up, made it look like Bill is superimposed on the rock, lol.

The path goes up and around a high cliff area. I was out of breath on this one, need to do more uphill exercises.

But, it was worth it when we got to the top, views of the pond and the surrounding forest. Connecticut is on the other side of the lake. We walked along the path for a bit, I really wanted to walk into Connecticut but then I realized I didn't know if it was hunting season on that side or the rules, so we walked back, the way we came in.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, filled with the blessings that surround us.