Friday Finish!

 

While on vacation I stopped at a little shop in Williamstown, called Karen's Quilting Corner. It is a wonderful shop, full of beautiful and unique fabrics. I was good and only got two quilt panels. This one I got for myself to hand quilt. I quilted around the designs and left the border as is, with a little edge with the black binding. It is hard to see the quilted look in the photo. I have clip hangers on my curtain rod, so it hangs there. The next one is a Christmas design, that will be for the kids and I will use the machine on that one.

This design is by Bonnie Sullivan.

Last weekend we went on a nice walk at the bird sanctuary. Lots of activity, as migration has begun. The fields were uncut, so the bees were enjoying the flowers.

Lots of turtles enjoying the warm sun.

And a few more of the wildlife we saw, along the way.

Afterwards, we drove by the marsh to see what was in the area. One area was full of Egrets in the trees, too many to count.

 And quite a few Blue Herons in the marsh.

Today we went for a paddle at the pond. It was a warmer day, so we could paddle and do a little swimming, though the water was cooler from the cold nights.

We stopped at the first beach head at the campground, across the way.

A Heron was in the corner, wading for fish. We saw a few different birds, but none were close enough or still enough to catch. 

We paddled along the back cove, lots of weeds at the end of the season.

It was a nice day to get out and even though I started out feeling sick, the paddle was just what I needed to feel better. This weekend will be cooling down, so it will be nice for hikes and biking. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and can enjoy getting out. 

And yes, I do have hair, long and thick, so I pull it back and it looks like I am going bald in photos.

Friday - almost finished!

 

I worked on my wall hanging this week, something I started over 15 years ago. I can't believe how much time has gone by since I started some projects. I was planning on giving this one to a charity auction for our local shelter, so now I will keep it for now. 

I still have to put some detail on two leaves and I am thinking of putting a saying, Dog days of summer. I have quilted it and done the edge, but I can still work stitches without going through the back, since it is so thick. The bee and grasshopper are designs I got from Wee Folk Art. If you go to her appliqué designs, on page 11, you will see the grasshopper and the story behind it. I was the reader who asked for one.

I will take another photo when I finish the rest. I cannot remember where I got the dog from, the flowers are from books I have and the butterflies were probably from clip art.

This week we missed watching the Viking ship, as it left port from Mystic, so we headed to a beach, further down and were able to watch it as it was making its way to Newport. It will wait there until it is picked up by a cargo ship, to go to Norway. It was far away, so the photo is a bit off.

On the way to the beach, we stopped at the falls. Will all the rain, they are funning faster than usual.

Another day we went for a walk at a nearby park. The falls were heavy there, as well.

During our walk, I was lucky enough to spot another Ovenbird. I use Merlin bird sounds, which is a free app. It tells me what birds are in the area and when I say Ovenbird, I kept looking towards the sound, until I found him.

Today we took a ride around the beach areas, but most were too crowded to bother going to. We decided to stop at Black point, a nice walk along the cliffs and lots of birds. Of course they were all hiding on me, but I enjoyed the walk and the cool breezes coming off the bay.

At home, I have enjoyed all the birds and so far, just sparrows with young, who are quite annoying and noisy. I did spot the House wren making a nest in the old bird house. I also got two blueberry bushes and so far they are doing well with the replanting. I also noticed strawberries on the bushes that Ivy gave me a few years ago, so I am cleaning out the area to give them more room to spread and a fence to keep the critters out.

I hope you all had a nice week and not in the paths of the horrible storms. This weekend is birthdays for everyone, but taking it easy this year. 

Friday: Almost finished

 I tried to push my punching so I could finish my piece. It is finished, but a mess. I did use less floss and that tend to be more puffy, so it looks sloppy. Since I am tired and don't want to leave it like that, I will fix up the problem areas and bad contrast on some areas, so it stands out more. The photo makes it look worse, but you can get the idea, this is what happens when you rush.

Last weekend we took the boys fishing. They love to fish, but have no luck. I think it is because they have small lures and no weight to cast out, far enough. Others were catching fish, but they were using live bait, so we will have to get some better gear for them.

The park also has a lot of hiking areas. The boys enjoyed exploring the areas around the pathways. There are a lot of birds there too, but with noisy boys, it is hard to get any shots. 

The next day Bill and I went for a ride into Connecticut. We stopped at a few places and did some hikes, but couldn't catch any birds that day. We enjoyed getting out and Bean got to have fun too. I really want to come here with the RV and spend the day. The problem is, the road has been collapsing so there is no way we can get it there. 

During the week, Bill had to take a day off for an early appointment, so we had the day to get out. We went to a new place that is owned by the college. They have several areas for gardens and fisheries and allow visitors. 

We walked along a path to an area that is full of trees, all types that the students plant and study. It is also a place full of birds. We heard a lot and saw a few that were too quick to shoot, but I was able to catch quite a few,  and the grove is so peaceful, that I enjoyed just walking around, under the trees. 

In some areas they also had bee hives. It was warming up and you could hear them, so we kept our distance. I think I will go back and bring my portable seat and just sit there.

We took the scenic route home and as we were heading out of the Lighthouse road, we saw a few cars and people milling around. This is why, a Snapping turtle was crossing the road. I got out and took a few shots and then a local lady and I walked along his side, till he got back to the pond side. 

And at home, I have seen an influx of new birds and our summer visitors are returning. Today we spotted a huge Woodpecker, so hoping it will come back for a photo. It looked like a Downy, but bigger than a Hairy should be, so not sure what it was. 

I hope you all have a nice weekend and good weather. We have Alex's first communion tomorrow, and possible rain on Sunday. I am looking forward to nicer weather, but not the heat of summer.

Friday Finish!

 

Another hectic week, seems it goes by faster than I can keep up with things I want to do. The weekend was slow,  a few drives but no good shots. Rain and wind seem to be the norm lately. This weekend might be a little better and spring is coming, I can't wait for nicer weather and getting out more.

I was able to finish my stitchery, another design by Kathy Schmitz. This was fun to do and I have a feeling my sister will want it, when she comes to visit. She is into long range biking and always goes home with pieces I have made.

I did get a shot of a visitor to our neighborhood, he seems to be a regular lately. He was in my neighbors yard, next to the chicken coop. He was watching something and would jump down on something and then look around, with a where did it go, look. He never did catch anything.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and better weather, lots of snow up north, but all we got was rain, so I can't complain. Also, I do appreciate comments and sorry if I don't always answer, it seems I am running until bedtime lately and need to organize my time better, so I have time to reply and visit everyone's blogs.

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.

Week of Exploring!

 

This has been a busy week with day trips and keeping up at home, so no crafting time for me. By the time we get home and get things done, I am too tired to do much else.

On the weekend we started with a drive to the beach. I wasn't expecting it to be so nice, but it was warmer than I thought, so we spent more time walking and enjoying the ocean breezes.

The waves were high this day, so I enjoyed watching them, too rough for me to swim in.

We enjoyed the birds, running in and out of the surf, as well as a fly by, for some colorful planes.

Lots of rocks are on this beach, perfect place for glass, but I only found a few pieces. 

Our  first trip was to Harkness park in Connecticut. We were able to park the RV on the lawn in front of the bird sanctuary. The perfect spot to relax and enjoy the birds, who frequent the area.

A pair of Great Blue Herons, rested in front of our spot.

A young Semi - Palmated Sandpiper along the rocks.

We also walked around the grounds. The mansion sits on a large grassy area, with views of the sound.

The gardens are still in bloom and beautiful to walk through.

I was hoping to catch the butterflies, but there were only a few and they are always on the move.

On Tuesday we headed to Windsor Locks. It is a place where you can see eagles and other birds that frequent the area. Of course there were no eagles around and the rest were hiding in the bush. I was able to catch this silly guy, a Cormorant.

And we got a nice long walk along the bike path. It follows the old path from when they pulled boats along the inner side of the locks. We weren't able to do the whole walk, so we will have to bring the bikes the next time.

One day was more of a rest day. We got things done at home and it rained a bit, so once it stopped, we spent some time at the beach. Bean has been loving all the time out, as well.

 

I was able to find some nice treasures, with the lower tide.

And I finally got on my bike. It has been years but we went on a bike path that was paved and mostly flat. I was able to do 12 miles and enjoy some beautiful scenery along the way. And the nice thing was, it is only a few towns away, so we can go back anytime.

Today was another rain day, so we got things done around the house and once the rain stopped, we headed to the beach. Always nice when there are no crowds, and I have the beach to myself. It was a bit cloudy and a bit sunny, but the rain held off.

And of course I found some new treasures. Each time I find some interesting shapes, it gives me ideas for art pieces, so I will have plenty to keep me busy when I finally stay home and sit still, lol. I had such a nice time biking that I am hoping we can get out some more this weekend. I hope everyone has had a nice week and enjoyed my photos of the places we visited. 

Friday Finish!

 

I was able to finish a piece this week. It seems I have so many plans for the week and it is gone before I get half of it done. I always love getting the new stitchery from Kathy Schmitz, something fun to look forward to each month.

This year she is doing a theme for the yearly contest, making sets of pillows or small quilts with the designs, so of course I am going with pillows. She offers wonderful prizes at the end of the year and this is the first time I can actually enter with what I make.

I added lavender to it, I think it makes nice gifts and I also plan on selling off a few things this year. I thought it looked off balance so I added the words, I do wish I had thought of it, before I put it together, then I could have done nicer lettering.

We had a nice day with the boys. I had gotten a raft for Alex, but hadn't found one for Nick. So we bought his over and they loved playing with them in the pool. Nick had to show me how well he is riding his new bike, he loves it and hopefully we can get to some bike paths and ride together.

We also got to spend some time at the beach, when Bill got home. The tide was coming in this week but I found some nice goodies for my collection. We also had some threatening storm clouds, roll in, but luckily they went in the other direction.

And glass is not the only thing you can find on the beach. This is a skate, some places use them in place of scallops by using a special cutter. Two had washed up with the waves, not sure why.

We also had a day with fog rolling in. I love how it looks as it moves across the bay.

At home I have been enjoying a few new young birds that are coming to visit the feeder. This is a young female Downy Woodpecker.

And a young female Cardinal. I also set up a jelly feeder and saw my first Oriole today's so hopefully I can get some photos of them, when more come.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather and getting outside more. One more week and we take our Anniversary vacation. We are staying close to home since it is hard for Bill to drive long distances. I was lucky enough to find a cancellation for the state camp near the beach, so we will be spending the week there.