Friday Finish!

 

This week went by fast with the long weekend. We cut our vacation short, since it was raining on Sunday and more rain on Monday, so we came home. When we do weekends close to home, I plan on being outside and easy access for biking and paddling, rain kills that. We have our big vacation coming up next month, so I plan on getting things done at home and getting ready for that. 

This week I decided to start painting the stones I had. I plan on taking some on our trip, so I start with painting them all white and adding the group name on the back. People can sign up when they find one, but not necessary. The photo makes them look funny, since the camera seems to pick up things that don't look spotty in person.

Before we went home, we had one day that was nice enough to go for a walk along Black Point. I hadn't been there in a while and found a new stairway at the end of the path. I had never been down to that section before, so we went to check it out.

It was a nice spot to walk around on the rocks.

We even found a heart in the rock.

The path way goes around a point, that had a home, that is no longer there. 

They even had a new sign that told about the former history.

Today we got out for a walk at the park. It has several paths to explore, that traverse along the salt water pond, to paths through fields and woods. At the pond, I spotted a few Snowy Egrets.

In the trees I could hear a lot of birds and spotted a Baltimore Oriole.

And in the wooded path, lies this old tree that has so many unique knots, that I could spot 4 tree spirits, hiding within. It was nice to get out and a little cooler near the ocean.

Tomorrow we will celebrate everyone's birthday. The boys were born on the same day, a day after my husband's birthday and Ivy was born a few days before, so we celebrate them all. I had planned on doing it at camp, but the rain cancelled that. I hope you all enjoy your weekend. We have some rain tomorrow, but a good day to cook and get ready for the kids for a dinner party.

Friday finish!

 

This week I was in the mood to paint some rocks. With camping trips, I like to hide them in areas we visit, so I want to make as many as I can for the summer. I find ideas on the internet and there is also a Facebook site, where she gives step by step instructions. Of course I just take the finished one and free hand it myself, so not always the best, but fun enough. The problem was, I realized all my old varnishes are thick and no good, so I have to wait to finish them.

Last week we took a walk on the beach. The tide was low so I was able to find some treasures and then we walked to the other end.

 Along the way we ran into this crab, who didn't want to be seen, so he ran to the surf and buried himself in the sand.

Today we took a walk at the bird sanctuary. It is a never ending joy since each time I see new birds that are coming in and we get a good 3 miles in. The weird thing I spotted today was a large dead bird in the osprey nest. Her mate was in a nearby tree, pruning himself. When a pair of geese tried to come onto the island, he chased them off, he is not one to mess with.

I also saw that the long term couple, finally made a new nest on a lower branch. 

Another nice surprise was, catching a Palm Warbler, who sat still for a second. 

We went by the marsh and I caught a group that were foraging. This one got itself a crab.

So far the weekend looks good, so hopefully we can get out for some more walks or maybe a bike ride. I am bummed about next weekend. The weatherman said rain, now he is saying warm and sunny. I had to make. decision yesterday when I thought it was going to rain or I lose all the money for camp, so I cancelled. It used to be that I could cancel up to 2 days before, so it makes it harder. 

I hope everyone is doing well, I heard the news about the tornadoes and bad weather and hope that no one was affected. 

Friday Finish!

 

This week I was busy getting the trailer ready. It seems I take all week with packing and planning and cooking, on top of taking care of the house but I was able to get it all done and not forget anything. During the week I got a chance to finish a small pillow. Another stitchery I never finished off, so bit by bit, I am whittling down items in my box.

Last week we went to the island for some beach combing. I noticed a goose, close to shore and was able to get close enough to see it was in distress. He has wry neck and that can be a sign of Avian flu. It cannot raise its head, so it is unable to fly. I also saw two dead birds on the shore, so it is possible with the large flocks of geese and gulls in the area. I contacted a few organizations in the area, so hopefully they could help it.

Lots of Ospreys have come back and new ones are nesting so not sure if this is a regular or a new one who may be thinking of nesting in the tree.

Today we got to camp. We got a nice spot on the cove, so it's a great place to relax.

After we set up, we went to the beach and enjoyed some time beach combing and the cooler air. A storm was coming in, so we couldn't stay out long.

Back at camp, I enjoyed relaxing and watching the storm as it rolled in. With the tide being so low, I was able to walk out further in the marsh with my boots. Tomorrow is cloudy and cooler, perfect for bike riding. Sunday will be rain, and I paid for the night so we could stay all day, so it will depend on the rain.

I hope you all had a nice week and can enjoy some nice weather, though I saw there are some bad storms in some areas. 

Friday finish!

  

This week I tried a new stuffed owl. It is a fun pattern and easy to do. I didn't like how the ears came out with the inset and the bottom piece, kept me from being able to keep the opening on the bottom. So, I redrew it a bit larger for a pillow size and changed it up a bit. Hopefully I can get another done next week.

Last week we took a drive around the ocean road and made a few stops, but it was too cold to be outside, too long. We stopped at the docks and watch the boats and birds in the channel.

The next day was slightly warmer, so we went to the island so Bean could enjoy some time out. It was foggy most of the time. Looking across to Newport.

Not too many birds lately, but I have seen a lot of Mallards. 

And of course, I couldn't resist picking up treasures on the beach. The large dark piece is green and I found a few glass hearts.

And at home, I have been seeing the Red-shouldered Hawk. This one was jumping down to the ground, trying to catch something. Not sure if he ever got anything.

I hope everyone had a good week and it seems like another week of cold weather. Hopefully spring will be here soon.

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.

Saturday finish!

 As usual, I get so wrapped up in so many things, I forgot other things, including doing my blog on Friday. This week I made a Christmas stitchery. It is an older design that was gifted to me and it was time to make it. The design is by Mulberry Folk Art. There were more stars on hers, so I cut back on those.

For the stars and snowflakes, I used glitter thread.

I enjoyed going to the lake with the boys and wanted to do a paddle, the next day. When we got to the launch, there was no parking left. We decided to head inland and go on a river paddle. 

It is a long river that goes under bridges and mostly state forest. We only saw a few people along the way.

We ended at the waterfall, where we usually land and rest, but it was running too fast for me to get to the top edge. So, we paddled back, which is going down river. Which was good, I was getting tired. I forgot how long the river was, we paddled for 7 miles and I am not in shape for that. I also forgot the lotion for my bare legs and got a good burn, so a week of sore muscles and lots of aloe on my legs.

At home, I am getting more of my regulars and a few new birds. Today I was delighted to see a House Wren with her young one. I also have a sparrow that seems to like to rest on the porch, especially in the heat. She found a nice place to keep cool.

I hope you all had a wonderful week. I also need to find a place for quality quilting threads at a good price. None of the stores here carry anything like Joannes had.

Friday Finish!

 

This week seems to have gone by too fast, but I have been busy putting away the Christmas decorations and cleaning as I go. I also had to get the basement cleaned up quickly since we discovered our heater is too old to replace parts. With no idea how long the fan would hold, it was time for a new one. Today they were here all day and got it all done, along with a new air conditioning system. I have wanted one and this way it was included with price and labor, so made it more feasible. Our house has windows in the wrong places for air to circulate properly, so now I can stay cool, no matter what room I am in. 

One thing I needed was another sunglass case. I throw them in my purse and they tend to get scratched and ruined. I found a cute design on the internet and made it up on a wool backing to felt. Nothing fancy, but fun and kept my hands busy. The photo makes it look messy and fluffy, but it is flatter and nicer in person. After felting, I did a simple wet felt to smooth the fibers.

Another thing I did was, prep a couple of projects. One is a long pillow with appliqué that I am working on now, so hoping to have that done by next week. Another is two more panel for the Christmas quilt. The appliqué is on black background, so I tried a little trick. After cutting out the appliqués, I laid the freezer cut out on the background and traced around it with white chalk pencil. This way, when I go to needle turn, I know how much to pull under by keeping under the line. Not the perfect method, but it works for me.

And this is how it looks when done. The pencil stays on long enough for me to work the appliqué. 

I hope everyone is not affected too much by the storms coming through. We will not get much, maybe a dusting when it reaches here. My prayers go out to all those who are devastated by the fires in California.

Friday Finish!

 

Since I never got a chance to do any drawing at camp, I decided to whip up a stitchery from one of my photos. There are so many birds at camp, but most are hard to catch. I happened to spot a group of Goldfinches and caught one who sat for a few seconds.

I decided to make a stitchery from a photo I too, which you can see in the photo below. It is not as detailed, but perfect for a little pillow sachet. I would like to do more ideas with my photos and add sayings to them, for patterns.

During our walk, we saw a lot of birds and critters. The area is beautiful and even though the camp is full, the back areas are quiet.

I also got to paddle one day. I went under the bridge and around the corner, I spotted two Green Herons. 

And in the inner cove, an Osprey was hanging out on a post. We got a lot of walks in and even on the rainy day, we had breaks so we walked in the cove, during low tide. Bean loved that, could walk for miles and never go over our lower legs. This week we are resting, catching up around the house and planning our next trip. We want to take a week and head north, so not sure yet. I hope everyone had a good week and enjoying the cooler fall weather.

Final finish!

 

All I got done this week is finishing my dog quilt. I added a saying and the stitching in a couple of leaves I missed. I used a chalk pencil to draw the saying on, so it's not perfect but I like how it brings a theme to the quilt, for summer.

Last weekend we took the boys out for birthday shopping and then to the island for some beach time. They ended up getting new sport sneakers and a soccer ball.

A few more sights at the beaches.

The next day, Bill and I went back and took Bean for a walk at the lighthouse. 

It was really foggy in some areas, it just hung over the tower, where I spotted the pair of Ospreys.

I was able to catch a few of the many birds, that hang out in the surrounding bush.

And as we were walking, we spotted a ship, coming in from the fog. We drove to the far end of the island and I was able to catch the ship as she came into the harbor.

Today we took an afternoon walk at the nearby park. It is a great place to get a longer walk in and Bean loves that it ends at the beaches. 

The park is filled with a variety of birds, but none would sit still or show themselves. In one inner cove, I spotted a few blackbirds, this one had a meal he found in the brush.

I hope you are all having nicer weather and can enjoy your weekend.