Friday Finish!

 This week I worked on finishing my quilt. It is a panel, so I stitched around the black lines of the designs and then used red and green for the smaller areas. It is hard to see the stitching since it is on the lines, but looks quilted in person. I was thinking of doing a couple of large snowflakes in the empty spaces, so I may try to do that this week, before they come for dinner. I really wish I had machine quilted, it took weeks to finish and I have more to do. At this rate, I might get one done.

Last week we went for a ride in Connecticut. The new bike was great on the rougher trails, I do love having shocks. We did a section going up and turned back to the other side and did a few miles on that side. It was a beautiful trail, lots of wooded areas, riding along hills, and along ponds and swamps. We will definitely go back and do more of the trail. 

Today I turned 68 and I wanted to do a bike ride. The weather was a bit cool and my joints a bit stiff, so we went for a walk at the bird sanctuary. It was cloudy and cool, but perfect for a walk. Along the field we stumbled onto this young doe. She was not afraid of me and let me take a close up.

On the other side was her sibling. 

The pond was full of ducks today. I am not sure what we were seeing in the big blocks, but I am pretty sure these were American Widgeons.

We also saw a few that were swimming closer to us. I guess the various ducks flock together as they head south. 

I saw a lot of birds today, but most were high in trees or flew off, when we startled them. With the clouds, I couldn't get clear shots today, so I just enjoyed a walk in nature.

This week I am going to be busy. Three days to get the house organized and cooking. Then three weekends to get the house decorated, get the cards out, last minute shopping and making time to finish at least one quilt. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Friday Fun!

 

This week I am still working on my quilt. I was also busy with a lot of other things, so I didn't get as much done, as I would have liked. Hopefully it will be done next week and I can get to the other projects I want to finish.

On Saturday we surprised our grandson with a new bike. He was thrilled with it and couldn't wait to go riding. Nick had confirmation camp, so we took Alex to a local bike path. We started at the college, which has a path to connect to the main trail. It goes by a farm and fields.

 The main trail goes by the Great swamp area and further down, but we only did part of it.

We turned around and headed the other way and ended at the train station. It was a good spot to give Alex a rest and snack, while we watched the train come and go.

On Sunday we picked up the boys and took them to the Boy Scout camp. I wanted to try them on dirt track and more hills to see how they did. Alex was ready to go.

I wanted to go on the main dirt road, but realized it was too rocky and hilly for the boys and Nick took a spill. So, we rode down a paved road in camp and the boys got to stop and enjoy the lake area. Nick enjoyed riding the bike I gave him.

We took a stop at another spot for a break and a snack. It was a great day and it gave me a better idea of what they can handle, so we will stick to paved paths and better trails.

Today I got my new bike. It is an electric mountain bike, so it has shocks and much more comfortable on trails. We went back to the southern path so I could get used to it and the power source. It has regular gears so I can use my own strength and power settings when needed. It is also lower so I can put my feet down and not fall. It was also cold and windy today, so we only did a part of the trail, which took us 7 miles. 

Tomorrow might be nice enough to do a trail ride. I hope you all have a nice weekend and get to do something that brings you joy.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to try something new. I had seen a quilted ghost and thought it would be fun to try one. First I sewed 41/2" blocks together. 

Then  I used a coloring page ghost and printed it out on printer paper, so it was a bit small. Then I put it on freezer paper and traced around that and retraced again to make it larger. Then I put the freezer paper cut out onto the back of the fabric. Added a backing and batting, right sides together with the batting on the back of the back piece. I left the freezer paper on and sewing outside the cutout and just went about it to add a little extra sizing and curves. I cut off the excess after sewing. I left an opening on the side, then turned it back to the front sides. I sewed along the outer edge with a machine, closing the opening.

I hand quilted it with floss and added eyes and a mouth. A fun project that you can do in a day and a great way to use up scrap fabrics. I use rug tape on the back and stuck it to a wall.  

Last week we went for a bike ride on a paved path. We tried a new route that went through a lot of woods, so it was nice and cool. It was shorter and with an electric bike, I had enough energy to go a little more in the opposite direction. We went by a pond and took a break there.

I spied a Blue Heron in one of the coves.

Another day we did a couple of walks at the park by the ocean. 

I spotted an Egret, trying to catch fish, but ended up with weeds.

And a Green Heron in the pond.

Today we went to the island. Bean hasn't been out with us as much, so we thought he needed a fun day. We took a walk around the lighthouse area, where he got to meet new people and pet by the kids.

After we took him to the beach, so he got to walk in the water, while I looked for glass. The tide was high so not much to find. 

I hope you all enjoyed your week and are enjoying the nice fall weather.

A day late!

 

We had quite the week at Mt. Greylock. We packed a lot in, in a short time. Today we were up at six, and headed home by nine. A big storm was heading our way and we wanted to get ahead of it. Tonight we are getting hit with storms in our area.

I will show you a few photos from our first day. We went up the mountain, which is right next to our campground, so only a short drive to the park road. The ride up takes less than a half hour and has some beautiful view points along the way. Once on top, they have parking areas and a short hike to the monument on top. There are also trails, all along the way and this mountain is where the Appalachian trail, crosses over.

We had Bean and I wanted to climb to the top. We had to take turns since Bean couldn't handle going up the spiral staircase. It has 89 steps, so it was tough on my weak legs, but I made it. The tower is a memorial to veterans.

The views from the mountain are spectacular, you can see for miles and miles, into Vermont and New York. This was looking out  one of the windows at the top of the tower.

While there, a lot of wind sailers came to the cliff side, so we got to sit and watch them, as they took off. 

They were using the currents to fly around the mountain area. These guys has seats, attached like a suit, so they could be comfortable. According to the guy who was helping them get out, they go as far as they can and radio in when they land, to get a pick up. 

We also went biking. We got Bean a new trailer and he loved going on the bike path. The path goes for 12 miles, so we did it in sections. The paths go through wooded areas, along a lake and along wetlands. I loved riding there and wish we had a place like that. The paved trail is so much nicer since I can use my electric bike and get up hilly areas easier.

This was the path in a different area. This day, Bill left the roof open and Bean loved looking out. The problem was, he decided he wanted more room and chewed half of the front netting off, ugh. 

I forgot where we were on a ride back, since I tend to try different back roads. There are lots of farm fields in the area and in one, I spotted something unusual, so we stopped so I could take a photo. I had spotted Sand Hill Cranes, something they have spotted in Connecticut, but never seen myself. With the warmer weather, more are coming our way. With the way they are more mottled, I am assuming they are younger ones.

And to end the post, a sunset, seen from the ranger station. They say it is amazing to see from the top of the mountain, but no way was I going to the top and driving down that winding, narrow road in the dark. The sun was so bright, I could not get a photo, until it set.

I hope everyone had a wonderful week. I will post more photos from our trip, this week. I took some with the camera and some with the phone and they didn't all come through, till I got home. So I need to sift through them and pick my favorites.

Weekend Wanderings!

 

This week we have been busy, getting out and trying a few new places and some old. On Sunday we went to the bike path so I could try a ride. The ride runs along some inlets and end at a beach. It was a nice ride, but I think I need more strength before I do any long rides.

We stopped at another inlet before heading home and I caught a Snowy Egret and a Great Egret, wading for fish.

Yesterday we went to Newport and hiked at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. They have several trails and one took us uphill, along a rocky cliff. Great views and a deer we spotted in the gardens.

Today we went back to the sanctuary and tried a new path. It paralleled the other, but much higher. It came to a high point with a narrow rock, that dropped on both sides. No way was I going across that, so we need the path there. There are a lot of birds there, but most take off, the minute I go to take a shot.

After that, we headed to the next sanctuary. Sachuest Refuge is on a point, surrounded by the ocean. It was a nice walk with cool breezes.

Also a great place for birding. Most are high up or further into the bush, but a few sat still long enough for a shot.

A few more birds and a deer that was hiding in the bush, when I came around a corner. On the way out, we saw a man stop and start feeding this little bird. The bird started following him as he walked away, I wish they would come up to me like that, lol.

And a nice surprise this week. I spotted 3 babies, the House Wren had a good year. My whole yard sounds like a bird nursery, the babies make quite a racket. I hope everyone is having a good week. We have one more good day and then possible storms coming in. I am hoping they hold off till the afternoon so we can get out more. Tomorrow will be a paddle day, so we shall see where the day takes us. 

Friday Finishes!

 

This week I was testing products for review, so I made a few things from the supplies I got. The first was a needle felting kit. It came with plenty of roving and nice instructions to make 4 snowmen, so I made one for now. I rushed a bit to get it done, so it is not like the original, but I always like to add my own touches. It was fun to do and a fun piece for Christmas. 

Another product I tried was Arteza transfer markers. You are supposed to use transfer paper, which I didn't have, so I used parchment paper. It also recommends using white cloth and I used a darker fabric, so the colors were a bit dull. You use an iron to transfer it to fabric, so something fun to try. I think I prefer to color them in myself, but it will be fun for the boys to use, maybe some t-shirts. I made it into a lavender sachet.

On the weekend we did some biking. The first trip was back at the airline trail, starting from the end point in East Haddam. It was a nice trail and went over two Aquaducts.

We went on this section and continued onto the next section and ended at the Colchester end. It was a beautiful day to ride, even though the foliage was almost gone.

On Sunday I decided to do a shorter ride, over the border and do an undeveloped part of the trail. It ran along a river which was beautiful, but it was also, bumpy and rocky and then we ran into long areas of water. We had to walk our bikes over a foot path, over steep hills and back down, on slippery leaves, not fun. I do hope they finish the trail system, it runs from RI, into Connecticut. 

When we got to the end, I decided I did not want to ride back on the trail, so we went on the road. That was a lot easier, but it was also, uphill most of the way back. That definitely wore me out, so this weekend I am taking it easier. 

I hope you all have a nice weekend, a few views of the moonrise over our town of Wickford, this week.

Friday Finish!

 

Another week has zipped by, but I was able to find time to finish my Christmas stocking quilt. I used pearl cotton to do simple quilting around the blocks and stockings. This is one I will use on the couch and let the boys use, so I kept it simple and durable with the heavier block fabric. It was a great way to use older fabric and scraps.

We got out for a bike ride on Saturday. We rode up to the town of Bolton in Connecticut and rode the rail trail from the park, to the town of Vernon. It was a nice ride through forests, past a pond and into the town of Vernon, a stop on the old railroad. 

On Sunday we stayed closer to home, rain was headed our way and I wanted to go hiking before it came. We hiked around a pond, where the foliage was coming in nicely and along the river.

We hiked along the bike path and old railroad bridge.

And we ended up in the fields, surrounded by amazing fall colors, and back to the pond.

We were getting ready to leave when I spotted a white spot in the trees, across the pond. What a nice end to the day, I was able to get a shot of the eagle just as it started to rain.

Unfortunately Bill and I woke up on Monday with a flu or bug, but we are fine now. Another nice weekend ahead and hopefully more adventures to be had. At home I enjoy watching all the new visitors who have come to stay for winter. This Blue Jay was nice enough to sit and pose for a photo.

May your weekend be filled with blessings and joy.