Vacation week!

 It always seems that you start enjoying your vacation and relaxing, by the time it is ending. But, we had a good week and lots of adventures. I am showing some things tonight, I took lots of photos and saw lots of interesting places, so I will do another post when I get home and can go through more of them.

Our camp is nice, right on the river so we can paddle up river and float down. We had three really hot days, so we swam in the river to cool down. The bad thing is the mosquitos, not fun sitting outside. We spent most of our time going places, so we swam, ate and relaxed in the trailer.  Bean is sitting in front of Bill.

Up river we found a sandy place to swim and Bean could play off leash, so it was a nice place. Most of the time he would run into the river and join the other families who were swimming from the launch. The kids loved playing with him, so I didn't mind.

I also spotted a lot of swallows flying around and found their nesting area. There are high banks along the river and they make their homes there.

On Monday we went to Cathedral in the pines. It is a beautiful place on a hill with stunning views. It is dedicated to the men and woman who served in World War II. You can see Mount Monadnock in the distance. 

They also have paths to walk along and lots of garden spots.

The next day we went to Harrisville mill store. They sell looms, yarn and roving. I treated myself to a few bags of dyed roving.

Because of the heat, we were limited to rides and short walks. I found a Gorge nearby and we went there. It was a little cooler, but still humid enough to wear me out. It has a path that follows one side and back up the other.

And we drove into Vermont. Along the way we have seen a lot of covered bridges. We stopped at one in Vermont that has a swimming spot. I walked around with Bean in the water to cool off.

Finally the heat lifted and we got to go to Madame Sheri's forest. It was the site of the home of a socialite. Originally it was a grand home and the pond was where they swam. Now it is in ruins and the pond is a sanctuary for birds. I also thought we were hiking a short circle around the pond and by the time my phone app kicked in, I realized we were almost at the top of the mountain. It was a lot of uphill and the skies looked ominous, so I didn't dare continue, so we turned back. 

I spotted a few birds and a weasel, along with a lot of chipmunks. I caught this Vereo who was happy to pose for me.

Today we visited some new places that are worth a stop, so I will post about them later. I hope everyone had a nice week. I am hoping I can enjoy a rain free day and avoid the weekend traffic on the way home.

Vacation?

 

This has been one of those weeks. trips back to the house, the trailer having to go in for a leak and then I fell. Never start walking while you are taking photos, especially when you are on a step and forget. I am a bit scuffed up and might have broken a few things so I will give it a few days and see what still hurts in a few days.

It is hard for me to type with braces on so I am going to keep this short with a few photos of the good things about our trip so far. I hope everyone is having a better week than I am, lol.

Our site, a nice large grassy site.

Watching the sun set.

Watching the moon rise over the ocean.

The lighthouse at dusk, beautiful colors in the sky.

Walking the beaches, Bean loves the dog beach.

Lots of birds and most are in motion. This Piping Plover stopped long enough for a shot.

And our beach finds, a bit of glass and art objects and lots of beach toys that are left behind. The boys love seeing all the goodies when we get back. That is another bad thing, the boys and Ivy are sick, so they cannot come down.

Another day it was a boogie board and beach shoes.

And our strangest find, one Field and Stream rubber boot at one end of the beach, and as we walked back down, we found the other at the other end, so we took them. Not sure if they fell off a boat or a boat went down,  But they are in new condition, just too big for us. 

Enjoy your weekend and I hope that nothing but good things happen to you this week.

Holiday Happenings!

This has been a whirlwind week, as I am sure it was for everyone. I wouldn't say it was the perfect Christmas, but I enjoyed time with the family and that is all that counts. I have been working on a new project, already planning for next year, so that will be done for next week.

The good thing is Bill is home, the bad thing is, Bill is home, lol. We are able to get out and enjoy a few nice days and he is working on the bathroom, so we might actually have it done in the new year.

One fun thing we got to do was, see the otters on the pond. I noticed people getting shots of them, so we went to check it out and I was able to capture this guy, finishing up his last fish.

Afterwards, we got some time at the beach. We had the beach to ourselves and lots of area to explore, but the wind got too cold, so just an hour of treasure hunting. The pink piece is in the shape of a heart, that was my treasure of the day.

I also get to enjoy the winter birds who are visiting my feeders. This is a Dark eyed Junco.

We also found some old graveyards, I love the old stones. This one was  in the Hopkinton cemetery, I loved the saying on the large stone. It is a shame that so many are so worn, the sayings are worn off.

And in Jamestown we got to explore an old graveyard with a lot of nice angel stones.

And of course there was Christmas. Bean got a little Zealous while I was wrapping and started opening one of Nick's presents. He was not too happy about getting yelled at, but thrilled when he got his own.

We had the kids over Christmas Eve and let them open their presents then. The boys loved their guitars and we decided to keep them here, I don't mind if they want to be noisy. We had Christmas dinner at the kids, and I save a few presents for them, but none of my pictures came out well.

Yesterday was a rest day, though I had a ton of laundry and things to catch up on, but the rest of the time, I rested. Today it was time with the boys. We took them to a thrift store, which they had a ball exploring, then a picnic at the point to watch the ferries, then time on the beach. As usual the wind picked up and it got colder, but the boys definitely got worn out. Alex fell asleep and Nick said he was going to go home and chill.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and I look forward to creating in the new year.

Weekend Wanderings!

We had another nice weekend, even though the cold is coming in early this year, it felt nice to be out without getting wet. On Saturday we tried a new area, Old Saybrook in Ct. It is a beautiful town which has a lot of history, but now it is more of a tourist area. It would be a wonderful place to stay in the hotels and condos that surround the beach area.

We explored the town and historical waterfront, then took a walk on the town beach. I found a few pieces of glass, but the tide was coming in, so I am sure there was more at low tide. We also stopped at one of the oldest cemeteries, lots of old stones from the founders of the areas and a view of the Long Island Sound. We started our day here and headed up the Connecticut river, where we passed by Essex, a village with a train museum and you can take rides along the river from there.

We enjoyed some stops at local graveyards and vistas along the river. I had hoped to spot some eagles at an island, they are known to winter at, but nothing on this day. Our destination was Gillette castle, which was open again.

It was nice to get out for a walk, and Bean was happy to get out, and say hi to everyone we passed. Do you see the kitties on the top? The man who built the castle, loved cats.

We got to enjoy a nice walk around the main areas, lots of paths with bridges and a little covered bridge. Some areas still had vibrant colors, but most of the area is turning to dark red.

On Sunday I wanted to go for a ride to Woodstock, they have a prim shop, a Christmas store and an antique consignment store. Not much this time, but the ride is on scenic roads and we got to enjoy a few stops, One at Roseland park, and another at a Rhode Island cemetery. I even found these cute snow dolls, online it said they are snowmen, but I think they look like white owls, lol. I know the boys will love them, they are soft and fluffy. I like to have a kid's display with their nativity, so they have things they can touch and play with.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Monday Finish and Finds!

This weekend I was able to get more work done on my new rock, we had rain on Sunday and today I finished the last of it. It is a bit shiny since the spray finish was still setting. But I need the higher shine since it will be sitting outside.

The design came from a rock painting book by Lin Welford. She has several books for animals and painting on rocks, that have easy to follow patterns and diagrams for each step. Of course I never follow directions and added a few of my own touches. I really do think I do better when I go from a photo, when I try something simple, I make more of a mess, lol. I like the idea of doing churches that I have taken photos of, I just need to find the right shapes.

We were able to enjoy a day at the beach, even though it sprinkled on us, a few times. The good thing was, no people and Bean got to play off leash. I found a few nice pieces, but with a dreary day, it is harder to see glass with all the wet rocks on the beach.

Since we had more time, and the tide was at it's lowest, we were able to walk along the entire beach. It is good to get some walking in and I did find a nice piece of driftwood. The photo is deceiving, I am at the farthest end that you can walk, before you hit cliffs and looking back, there are rock areas and small beaches in between each one, until you get back to the sandier end.

The Rocks in this area are carved out by the strong waves, they remind me of a landscape in the mid-west. It was nice to get out, before the rainy Sunday.

Weekend wonders!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and maybe even thought about exploring your own part of the world. This weekend we had rain and when it finally stopped, I wanted to get out and enjoy some fresh ocean air.

I left the house stiff and weak, so I planned to go to the lighthouse and just relax and enjoy the views. But, I changed my mind and wanted to go to Fort Getty so Bean could play on the beach and I could still relax. Well, as you can see, I started walking and before I knew it, I had walked down the entire beach till we hit a dead end. The ocean seems to be my healing place, I feel better mentally and physically and I did get a bit tired at the end, but it was well worth the mental boost, I needed.

On the way to the park, we stopped and enjoyed the views from Newport side of the island. Even on an overcast day, it is beautiful. We even saw two cruise ships, moored outside of Newport.

We have been to the park and walked around the main area, but we have never walked down the beach, I was amazed at all of the beautiful rock formations and coloring, and textures that reminding me of something you would see in the canyon areas.

I always see shapes in things, but I noticed them more when I looked at my photos, at home. A few faces and I love the sculpted look of the third formation. It is amazing how the rocks range from sand colored striations to jagged shale.

I wonder if the Jimmy Hendrix face will look like that in a few years, and with a storm coming our way, we may see some new formations.

This shows how the sea and weather forms ridges and impressions in the rocks, and it comes with an alligator on top;)

Further down the beach, we found a lot of sand colored rock formations. You can see the smooth, rounded areas and the tiny holes formed from hundreds of years of sea carving. A ridge of quartz runs down one area, it is a very diversified coastline.

It was a wonderful day to walk on the beach, no crowds and we could let Bean run off leash at the beach inlets we found along the way. 

When we came back we stumbled on a wedding party, they were taking photos of the couple, I bet those will be beautiful. It was the perfect way to spend our day, relaxing and magical as we walked around the different rocks and I even found some sea glass and heart rocks.

Weekend Haunts!

This weekend we did a little exploring. On Saturday we went to Connecticut to Hurd State Park. It is a large park with an adjoining park next to it, so a lot of area to explore on the Ct. river. We only did a short hike, about 3 miles but a lot of uphill, so I got a good workout.

Or course Bean loved this park, the minute he saw water as we walked down the trail, he got more determined to pull that way. We let him have some water time before we started our hike. This area is a picnic area, so lots of grassy open spaces on the river.

We climbed up the hill to the rocky ledges, beautiful views of the river.

On the way up, we noticed another park, so we stopped at Machimoodus State park which is just down the road. I looked it up on the internet and saw that it is supposedly haunted, but no weird noises while we hiked, lol. I found it peaceful and with another hike up, over 2 miles total, we got to enjoy views of the Salmon River. You can read more about the park and the legend at Road Trippers.

On Sunday we went apple picking. I used the older apples to make apple crisp and got a fresh bag since I love eating them for a snack. It was crowded and it seems everyone was picking from the bottom of the trees, so I had to have Bill's help to get the apples up top.

On the way back we stopped at the Bee's Buzz. I didn't find any goodies this time but they were having a raffle and I made Bill fill one out, well, he won a basket. They said to come in and it is first come, first pick, so hopefully there is something good in the ones they have left.

We passed a park on the way up and it is an Audubon sanctuary, so no dogs. We left Bean home this time so we decided to check it out. It was another uphill climb and this one was rocky and full of roots, and I wasn't wearing my hiking boots, so we took it slowly.

I didn't want to go to far, but I saw photos of waterfalls. We got to the stream which was dry and I had a feeling there wouldn't be water with our drought season, but up ahead it looked like some interesting rocks and I love rocks. It wasn't just rocks, it was cairns. The sign said there are over 100 of them in that area, and they are not sure how or why they are there.

On the way back I wanted to take a photo of Bill on the bridge. When I got home I looked up the park and they said it is haunted and have gotten high readings in the area. Well, I didn't see any ghosts but when I looked at my photos, I noticed a strange foggy mist at the top of the photo and in that is a blue orb. What do you think, haunted or not?

Another fun thing I enjoyed this weekend was time with the boys. The baby is still leery of me but Nick was ready to explore the house with me and look for the kitties. They went out to do some shopping so Nick and I took Bean out for some play. He is disappointed that the tractor is broken, he loves it when Grandpa gives him a ride.

I hope everyone had a fun weekend. This week will be more rain on and off, so I am working on my blocks for Cheri's free BOM.

Vacation Fun!

Bill has this week off, since he worked straight for three weeks, he needed a break. So what to do, run him ragged driving me around to my adventures, lol. We started Saturday with hemming and hawing on what to do and finally decided to go to the beach for an ocean swim.

It was a bit cooler and the fog was rolling in but it was nice to get out for a bit, and the waves were picking up. Bill went out for a bit and played in the waves, then I went out and the waves got bigger. The area starts out shallow, then drops deep, then shallow again. I spent the time trying to get out the to second shallows while the waves kept pushing me back. I woke up sore today, it is definitely a good workout.

Sunday was the same thing, was tired from the beach but I wanted to get out so we decided to go to Jamestown for a stroll around the cliffs. It was a beautiful day and the tides were coming in and crashing on the rocks, a peaceful place to walk around and just enjoy the fresh ocean air.

Of course I had to find a hidden path that led to a rocky crevice and an island, so more climbing and exploring.

Today was our first planned day. We headed to Connecticut to visit a few places along the ocean. The first was Harkness State Park. We headed up a broad walk to the beach and enjoyed the views.

No swimming at this beach, so we strolled along the beach to the rocks at the point. The New London ferry was coming out of the Thames River to Long Island. A trip I took every summer to stay with my grandmother.

Above the point is the original home of the Harkness family, a Mansion with beautiful gardens. It is open to walk around, and they do tours of the inside of the home.

We walked around the area and found this fun tower. It is definitely worth a visit.

The next stop was a place I found last minute and had to take a look. It is Seaside Sanatorium that was built as a hospital for children with tuberculosis, then a nursing home and then an institution for the mentally ill and that is when it went downhill and they closed it down. They say it is haunted and now it is run down and the grounds are open as a park.

No swimming now but it is a beautiful area to walk around and Bean enjoyed being able to play a bit.

The next stop was our main stop, Rocky Neck State park. It is separated from the beach by a train track, so you go under the tunnel to get in from the parking lot. We walked outside the beach area to the picnic area and along the rocks.

We found a hidden cove with a beautiful sandy spot for Bean to play at. Wish I had bought our suits, it was warmer there and the water was nice, at least I got to cool down a bit. 

There is also a large pavillion so we walked up the rocks and along the porch. Of course I saw a sign on the other side that said, no dogs allowed in the pavilion, oops. Higher up above the picnic area and beautiful views of the Long Island Sound. 

We drove back through New London, saw a few lighthouses, the ferries going out and headed home. It was a long but fun day and the rest of my night has been busy catching up around the house, so no time to visit blogs, so hopefully I can catch up with all of you soon. Tomorrow is another day, who knows where we will end up;)