Christmas is Coming!

Time sure flies by, but I am pretty much set for the holidays. There are a few things I might get this week, but the shopping is done and the kids are cooking, so I can relax and enjoy working on my projects.

Today I received a wonderful gift in the mail from my friend Anna. She made a beautiful hanging pillow with my free design. You can find the design Here!

I love how she finished the pillow, beautiful fabrics and stitching, I will treasure it.

This weekend we had snow on Saturday, so a day at home. Sunday was rain on and off, but not so much on the southern shores, so we headed south.

The nice thing was, not that many people so we were able to park at the ferry area and check out the fishing boats. The seagulls let you know where the boats with the fresh catches are.

The rain held off but it was really windy, so even though the temps were warmer, the wind put a chill in the air, as it came off the ocean. It was still a nice day to get out and enjoy the rough seas and fresh air.

We drove around to the lighthouse, and watched the surfers enjoying the waves. I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I am still working on my snowman, but he will be done in a  few days, lots of stitching on this piece.

Friday Fun! and Finds!

Bill decided to take a few days off this week, since next another guy is going on vacation, so we were able to get out a bit and enjoy the beaches without the crowds. I kept it a bit low key for me, I still have to watch my back and I do tire easy with the lyme, but it is worth it, to get out and do something different.

Yesterday it was raining most of the day, but I checked the weather map and saw a break in the storm, so we heading south and hit a store that has a lot of nautical items. I found two sets of hooks that I liked, so I got both and one is too small and one a bit large for the space to hang my oars, so I think we will just make some. But they are nice, and I can  use them in the room or in my bathroom.

After that we went to Galilee and watched some of the boats coming in. Usually the lot is full but there was plenty of room to park and the rain was stopping so we could enjoy some fresh ocean air.

We headed up to the lighthouse and noticed the fishing park was open again. It has been closed since the storm since all the rocks were carried into the lot and it was a mess. It took a long time with back hoes and replacing the rocks and building up the shoreline, but the area is open and my favorite spot to get out and walk on the breakers.

Today it was a beautiful day for a ride to Connecticut. I wanted to check out a dog beach in the city of Noank, called Esker Beach. We had to go down some back roads but the area is full of old homes and churches, so it was fun exploring. The beach was nice but it was low tide and it stunk so bad, I could not stand it for too long, lol. The beach was also full of seaweed and I saw a lion's mane jelly fish laying on the sand, no thank you. It was a nice place to get out and enjoy for a bit and Bean loved walking around and playing in the water.

The beach looks out into the harbor and the surrounding islands. A nice place and maybe at high tide it would be better. It does have a nice boat launch to the side, so we will definitely come back to paddle.

On the way in, I spotted a thrift store, so I had Bill stop on the way out. It was a small shop but always fun to see what they have. I found out it was fill a bag day, so for five dollars I could take what I could fill a bag with. I had found a quilt and I couldn't leave it sitting there, it is hand quilted and she signed her name with stitching. On the edge I could see the date, 1980 for the border fabric and it looks brand new. Not perfect stitching, but you can tell she put a lot of love into it. There wasn't a lot to pick from, but I found a beautiful shirt type dress and a tank that I can use for sleepwear, both look new.

Here is the back of the quilts, you can see, her stitching is neat and nice, but not perfect. I also noticed one edge is narrower than the others, imperfections are what makes it fun. No idea what I will do with it, but it couldn't sit in a thrift;)

To end the day we went to Burlingame boat launch. It is a launch but has a stretch of beach and the waters are shallow. We swam a bit and Bean was having a ball playing in the water. I also took a short paddle to the cove and back, and I am finding that it does hurt my back so not sure if I can do a long paddle yet.

To end the day, we had a beautiful sky as the sun went below the horizon. I wanted to get a photo and when I put it in the computer, I noticed something in the sky that I hadn't seen, when taking the photo. A little bit of love from Heaven. The perfect way to end my day.

Happy Fourth!

I hope everyone has fun plans for the fourth. We are going to go to my sister in laws, time to say yes to invites and we will be seeing her husbands side of the family for the first time and My son and Daughter in law will be meeting all of them for the first time too. If you have ever seen the movie, Moonrise Kingdom, it was filmed in Rhode Island and my sister in law was actually in it, Bruce Willis came to her door when he was looking for the kids that ran away in the movie. It is hard to know it is her, but still neat  that she got to meet him and be in the movie.

Bill and I have been able to get out and enjoy the beauty of our own area this week. Yesterday we visited a dog friendly beach at the old base. It is in between the ferry and a ship builder, but the beach is nice and clean and a perfect place to let Bean have some fun at the beach. He finally realized that water is fun to go in and getting braver so next we will have to try him on a kayak.

Today I wanted to try out my mini sit on kayak to see how she handles on the water. Well Bill, who needs a hearing aid, put my sea kayak on, so I used that instead;) I am out of shape, so it was just a nice easy paddle in the main coves and time on the beach to enjoy the cool breezes.

There are two small islands in the cove, they were home to the indian queen at one time, it was there summer place.

We went out to the breakers, we had to go the long way around since it was low tide and we had to avoid the mud flats.

Coming back we enjoyed another trip around the islands and the beautiful views of the harbor. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.

Weekend Wanderings and Winner!

First I will announce the winner of the giveaway. The winner is Sunny! Sunny please pick a pattern from my ecrater site and email me with your choice, congratulations! And thanks to everyone for playing along with me this week. I had some fun and I wore myself out, lol.

The last paddle was Sunday and we stayed close to home since the traffic get to be too much on the weekends, at our favorite spots.

We went out of the harbor and planned on paddling down the bay. As we were getting ready to take off, Bill started talking to another paddler and he ended up paddling with us for a bit, so we had to take it slower and didn't go as far, as I planned.

Here are the guys chatting away, nice for me since I could relax and enjoy the views and take photos;)

The wind was blowing and of course against us, so that made paddling slower too. The fun thing is the waves were larger and I love rolling on the ocean. We decided to paddle to the point and stop there since the cove side is calmer and there is a nice spot for swimming.

And the point is narrow at this end, so I could walk across to the bay side and enjoy the views and the breezes.

On the way back we spotted a trawler coming in, the seagulls were flocking all around it.

Once the trawler came though the breakers, the seagulls all congregated on the rocks. I guess all that tailgating tired them out. Of course the week is over and I am finally relaxing and wanting to go out again, lol. I hope everyone had a fun weekend and now it is time to get back to creating, I have a lot of projects, waiting to be finished.

Vacation Paddling!

We have been paddling every day since Saturday and it is wonderful getting out again and I am loving the fact that I can paddle longer in my new kayak. I admit, I can paddle easier but I also go longer so it is wiping me out each day, but Bill helps out with cooking and I can rest at night.

Yesterday we went to Narrow River which leads to Narragansett beach. It is a wonderful place to paddle along the waterway and the beach end that we land on, is basically a quiet end, only boaters use it, so a nice spot to sit and relax.

After we enjoyed the ocean, we headed back into the cove and paddled around before heading back. We ended up doing 6.5 miles yesterday.

This area has a lot of egrets and they are used to people paddling in the area.

And... this is the perfect way to end the day!

Today we went to Ninigret park. It is a large salt water pond that leads out to the ocean.
We headed right for the ocean, going up the waterway to the breakers that lead out to the ocean.

This was where we landed our boats, a nice quiet spot to sit and enjoy a rest.

And this is the view behind us, beautiful wild roses.

We walked over the dunes and enjoyed some time in the cool ocean breezes, perfect way to spend the day. We did 5.5 miles today, plus some beach walking, so I think that was enough for one day;) Friday is our actual anniversary but it is fun celebrating it all week long, doing what we both love.

Sunday This and That!

Today was cold but nice enough to get out for a bit and enjoy the day. Sundays are a good day to head down to the coast for some shopping and sights. My big buy was an extra long pillow to wrap my old bones around;)

We got to watch the ferry, as it came in.

Followed by the fishing trawlers.

I love to kayak, but this is a bit much for me and way too cold. A perfect day to get out and enjoy seeing what the rest of the world is up to.

Saturday Stroll!

Nothing exciting today, just a ride to the south end to check out some stores and a walk around the beach areas. I got a few fat quarters, been too long without new fabric, so had to get a quick fabric fix;)

We went to Galilee and I was curious, how it got it's name. Yes, I have lived here forever and never thought about it, lol. So, here is what I found.


The town received its name "n 1902, the story goes, Thomas Mann a fisherman from Nova Scotia who had settled here, felt the village that had sprung up with its fishing shacks should be called Galilee, after the fishing village of biblical times. One day, an old timer sat on the docks repairing his nets when a stranger called out to him, "Where am I". The answer was "Galilee". "And what is that?" the stranger asked pointing to the other side of the channel. The old timer thought for a minute, nodded his head and replied, "must be Jerusalem". And so the name of Galilee and Jerusalem have been used since to denote a most picturesque part of Rhode Island.

So, it got it's name, just because someone decided that would be it's name, lol.

It is a major fishing port, lots of boats coming and going, during the day.

And since there is a restaurant in the parking lot, the seagulls like to hang out in the area, waiting for scraps.

Coming in for a landing.

And this rock seems to be the favorite spot, the toughest gull gets to be king of the mountain.

What was it giveaway winner!

I admit, I knew what it was, but not what type. So I looked it up and found out it is just a juvenile seagull, simple as that, lol. He had beautiful markings though and a nice wing span.

This is what he will grow up to look like. Though this guy looks a bit rough around the edges.

I used the number generator and number 9 is the winner, Carol of Firecracker Kid Primitives!
Carol, email me with your choice of an epattern or booklet. I also noticed I am close to 400 followers, guess it is almost time for a follower giveaway, so once I hit 400, I will be hosting a giveaway.

Have you made anything new for fall or Halloween? Check out This-n-That's fabric blog, they are having a contest, so check it out and get your entry in.

On Sunday it was so nice, we decide to keep driving and go to the breakers and lighthouse at Judith Point. It was a lot more crowded, and the road is narrower with all the storms, but with a jeep we were able to find a spot in the back lot.

We climbed up a hill that has beautiful views of the area and an area with benches to sit and enjoy the views.

We sat for awhile and I noticed that there was some room opening up at the lighthouse, so we headed over and was thrilled to find out that the gates were open for the coast guard house and we could go out onto the lawn and walk around.

Did you know that the Coast Guard Coordinated the evacuation from Manhattan and that it is known as one of the largest evacuations in the world's history. Here they guard the coast and rescue people who have no sense and stand on slippery rocks;)

This was such a beautiful place to just sit and watch the surfers. We won't mention that the area is surrounded by rocks, but I guess they know where they are.

                                     

And this guy was catching a nice wave. Perfect place to spend the rest of the day.

Sunday Stroll and Giveaway!

Today it was cool so we decided to go on another drive. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect day to stroll the beaches and enjoy the larger waves.

Today I will show you a few photos and then a few more on Tuesday, when I announce a winner.

I took a lot of photos, but birds and people do not stay still for long, so I get a lot of fuzzy shots and just use the ones that come out the best and the ones, that I hope you will enjoy.

Today we went to a beach called East Matunuck Beach. The area is surrounded by salt marshes and opens to the ocean. It ends at the breach way at Galilee where the fishermen and ferries port.

We started in the middle of the beach, they have a nice new beach house and platforms to stand on, if you want to just relax and take in the view.

As we walked up the beach, the waves were crashing against the shore and the sand pipers were running back and forth to get food. They are so funny and so quick, but I got one shot that came out nicely.

We hit the breakers just as a fishing boat was coming out.

It wasn't long before another came by, I guess they start late in the afternoon.

A few minutes later, the old ferry came by. We also have a high speed ferry, but I think the ride to Block Island is part of the fun.

I saw this guy on the beach and walk towards him to get a shot, love his coloring. What do you think it is? Give me a guess and I will enter all guesses and one winner will win a free epattern or booklet. I will draw a winner at 10pm on Tuesday, so you can enter until then and I will announce it that night. 

                                       

Saturday Paddle!

Yes, I was out on the water again, I love it, I love to paddle, I love the cool salt air and rocking up and down in the waves, in my boat. Today was tougher, my muscles are getting tired, but I realized, I am feeling my muscles, so I must be getting some strength back, so that is good. It was a beautiful day out, high tide and just enough waves to have fun without a struggle.

I hope you enjoy my photos of our paddle today, the feeling I get when I am out in the water, is hard to explain, but is like being in heaven. Today I left my good camera home, so these are taken with my pocket camera which has horrid zoom.

The launch cove was nice and calm, but too hot to stay in the cove today.

We headed for the breakers, heading out to the bay.

The cormorants were enjoying the bay too.

Past the lighthouse and heading down the coast.

In coves and out of coves and around another point.

A rare photo of me, of course Bill cannot take a decent photo, lol.

Then into the cove at Rome Point, this is where we go for walks to see the seals. 

They leave in april, so no seals today.

Then to the point, this was our stopping point. We sat and enjoyed the boats and views while we had a snack. This photo was taken with my iPhone, not bad for a phone.

Then back down the coast, riding with the tide and the waves, till we got back to the harbor and made a stop at the little beach to cool off, before we headed home. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.