Working on Friday!

 

This week I started a stitchery, but still working on it. I am trying to do old patterns in my to do list and starting new ones. Since it is late in the season, I have decided to move to the holidays so maybe I can actually finish some things in time.

I had material that I love, and thought, why not make mitten blocks, using textured wools. So that is the next project I can work on at night, sewing the mittens onto the backing. I will use the mitten fabric and maybe the skates with mittens, as a border, still thinking on it.

Today we took the boys to the beach. It is the pond that we also camp and paddle at, but this time we went to the main beach. It was not crowded and the water was cool enough to enjoy, and there was a nice breeze. We also had a side, all to ourselves with tree shade, so a nice place to spend the afternoon. 

The boys loved playing in the water. This area is not as shallow as the launch area, but not so deep either, so perfect for them. 

I hope you all enjoyed your week. We have nice weather this weekend, so I plan on enjoying it, before the heat comes back in. 

Weekend Wanderings!

 

This week I didn't get a lot done on my new piece, so hopefully I will finish it this week. I am thinking it is time to start Christmas. I have a few unfinished pieces and ones I wanted to make, along with crafts to make, so a good time to get started.

I got a reservation at our favorite spot in a few weeks for four days, so a great midweek break to get out and try the new trailer. Yes, a new trailer, a much bigger one, so we have room for the whole family now. We will keep the RV since it is great for weekends and day trips and some parks have a size limit, the new one is 32 feet. 

We did get out a few times over the weekend and week. We tried the new double kayak around the lake and did much better this time. I like that we can go to the far coves and have a private spot to relax and swim. This is an old camp that closed down and the state just left it, so a great place to stop.

We got to the lighthouse for a nice walk, lots of butterflies now.

And a Monarch

And lots of birds

And a group of kayakers coming in to practice kayaking and landing at the rocks. 

We went to the beach for a swim at the park, afterwards, but I was so busy trying to get photos that I never did get a swim in.

During the week we went to the town beach, close by so perfect for a swim before dinner. This weekend is iffy, rain on and off, so hopefully we can get out for a paddle before it hits. I hope you are all enjoying your summer. I can't believe it is almost over, but we always enjoy being out in the fall, when the crowds are gone.

Friday vacation: NOT

 

This was not my week for vacation, even though it started out ok. Our first day was a paddle on the lake. The weather was nice, but the wind was awful, so we were only able to paddle along the back cove since the wind was too hard to paddle against. Of course Bean was happy, he got to go swimming in the shallow waters.

The next day we went to the kayak store and got a tandem kayak. I wanted something safe and something we could both paddle, to make it easy to cross to the islands in the bay. We got out gear and tested it in the local cove. It wasn't as easy to paddle as I was hoping and we were both dogged when we got back. Later that evening, we both got sicker and realized we were sick. Then Bill got email from a coworker to let him know, he had gone home sick and had covid, lucky us. The good thing is, we can fit bean and the boys with Bill in this kayak, a lot better.

The next day I stayed home since I felt like garbage. I sat in the back yard and caught a few of the birds that love the berries on the Mulberry tree. I am still trying to get the colorful orioles.

The next day I decided I needed an upgrade for my phone. The new ones have better pixels and camera capabilities, and the battery lasts longer. I was able to catch this baby Wren in the nest, we have 4 different houses with wrens in them, this year.

We spent a couple of days at the lighthouse. It has been too humid, but the ocean areas had cool breezes. Perfect place to get out for some easy walks and fresh air.

We have had a lot of wind this week. I love watching the boats as they battle the waves. This one was a group of kids, learning to sail. They ended up taking the sail down and turning back, I guess it was too much for them to learn on.

There are lots of Red-winged Blackbirds on the island, this one was guarding his territory, his mate was nesting nearby.

Today we went out for a paddle, I took my peddle boat. It was a beautiful day and not too windy. As you can see, it was low tide, so I had to stay in the channels. I have long peddles underneath, so the water has to be deep enough to move.

We went up the cove and landed on the inner beach. Beautiful views and we were able to take a swim on the bay side, where it was deeper.

I took a close up of the light at the end, with my zoom. I didn't realize that there was a nest on top. 

And a view from the beach landing. The clouds were coming in, but the storm wasn't expected for hours. So we headed back into the cove and went around the islands. At the last one, I got stuck in mud, so bill tried pushing me forward with his boat to get into deeper water, but there was none. I finally got half his paddle and had to single paddle out of the muck. It too forever to get through it and moving was hard with a half paddle and just as I got into deeper water, the storm hit. So, we were trying to paddle, which isn't easy with a flat stand up boat and lightening was coming down.

We made it to shore, just as it started to rain, then it started to pour. Luckily the lighting stayed away from us and we made it home safely. I was able to snap a shot of the crabs on the beach, they are fun to watch. Hopefully the next two days will be less eventful, but I won't count on it. 

I am doing ok and more of a light flu for me. I have had it before and with meds, can fight it off. I hope this finds all of you well and enjoying your summer.

Camping has ended!

We came home yesterday earlier since we had the boys and I was tired, easier to pack up before it got dark. It was a week of good and bad, the bad was our new neighbors, they were a group of families that were around us and their kids were non stop noisy when they were at camp. Quiet hours meant nothing, was awoken by them screaming by our trailer at six in the morning.

The good was the quiet time, paddles and time with the boys. It seems the birds finally arrived and each day they flew around the trees at our camp. They never set still, so hard to see what they were and get shots, but I was able to get a decent shot of this Downy Woodpecker.

On one of our walks, we spotted this deer, at dusk, so not the best shot.

The last day, we had the boys. It was not the best day to have them since we were leaving, but we had fun and they were picked up in time for us to start packing up. On the way back to camp, we stopped at a farm that we had spotted on the way up. I knew the boys would love it.

They had a large penned in area with lots of animals and a variety of fowl. This guy liked making faces at me.

And so did this one. And he got photo bombed by the cow.

And if that was not bad enough, the kids were doing it too. I wanted a nice shot of them in the flower garden. Not only do they make faces at me, Bill had to stand there and hold them still.

And then it was back to camp for rock painting. Nick wanted to paint, so he had fun painting a few rocks. His method was to mix as many colors as he could, to see what new colors he could make.

And of course, I cannot take my eyes off of any of the boys, for a minute. While Nick was painting, I spotted what these guys were up to, playing in the turtle tank.

Even though it was a little cooler the boys wanted to swim. Alex loves being in the water now and they both love playing with Bean and Bean loves playing with them.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend and making your own memories. And prayers for those in the hurricane's path.

Weekend Camping!

We are camping, but came home for the night. I was happy that the weather is much cooler but it is also windy and cold, so definitely not swimming. Today it as so windy that I couldn't go out to paddle.

Here is our site, there is a little path to the water, so we have our own tiny beachfront, but perfect for us and Bean. No even or paved sites here, lots of bumps and rocks.

With high winds, we decided it was a perfect day for a hike. We went on a trail that goes around the pond. The trail is long and we started late, so we just did a couple of miles.

With all the rain, the paths were lush with growth. They have done nice board walkways since the area can get swampy. Luckily the cooler air kept most of the bugs away. Bill takes horrible photos of me, and tends to wait until I am making gestures and faces at him.

Another section with a snake like path, they also laid roof tiles on one part, since it was downhill and slippery. Bill and Bean do not know how to relax and look natural, haha.

We ended at the covered bridge, a nice spot to stop and relax, before we headed back. We also came back to get the regular kayaks, so we can paddle around the pond tomorrow. We have to carry them on a T-Bar, so we had to bring the trailer down first. Hopefully the winds will die down and we can enjoy more paddling and some bike riding. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Week in Review!

This has been a whirlwind week, going all day and coming home to clean and cook, then back at it, the next day. Today we stayed home and I caught up with some real cleaning and resting. We did look at trailers and picked one out, but it didn't work out. I loved the size, but realized it lacked the storage I wanted. We were all set but Bill's security for credit access, shut them out, so we said it would take too long and we would rather wait. I have decided to look for a small truck camper for weekend getaways and wait until we find the right size and type of trailer, that we want.

We had a great week for getting out, a bit hot but always cooler by the beach. We made beach stops are several places, but the tides were usually high. We did find a bit of glass and some driftwood.

We spent one day in Newport, the tower was impressive, but closed, so we couldn't go to the top. We also did a 4 mile hike around the trails at the bird sanctuary and then we stopped to get photos of the Castle lighthouse. As usual, we had bad timing, there was a wedding going on and they were about to get photos at the lighthouse, so I took a quick shot from the path.

The next day was spent with the boys at the state boat launch in Burlingame. The launch has a large cove with shallow water, so it was perfect for the boys. I was so happy to see Alex get over his fears. He did not want to go in and being in deep water was ok if I held him. But after a while, he was going up to his chest without a life jacket and going out in the boat with me. Nick was showing me how he could swim and even paddled by himself.

Thursday we wanted to go back to the pond, but they closed due to high bacteria. Found out later that it was only certain areas, but better to be safe with the boys. We took them on a picnic near a waterfall and then went to another boat launch beach, lots of shallow waters. It was so crowded we couldn't park, but I got out with Nick for a quick look and someone left, so Bill parked the truck and we were able to enjoy a few hours at the shore. The kids loved playing in the water and seeing the little crabs, running around in the shells. We even go to see two large horseshoe crabs.

I got a few shots of birds at the sanctuary and spotted a Great Egret at the boat launch. Wonderful to see such a variety this week.

Today I got caught up. I also had to empty the trailer and clean it, and now it has to be repacked. But it is good, it needed a good cleaning and a lot of things will be left out so I have more storage space. We even found a good spot at the ocean in two weeks, so a three day weekend will be nice.

This week our Robin's eggs hatched. Her fist eggs never hatched, so I was happy to see that two survived. Even though I am exhausted, it was a week filled with beauty and happy memories with the boys. I hope you all had a wonderful week and a fun filled weekend.

Weekend Camping!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, we had a nice time, though the weather was not very cooperative. Sunday was nice, then rain most of the day Monday and today was cool.

We had a nice site, right on the water with our own access to the water. Bean spent all his time watching the water until we took him down.

It was the perfect place for him, he could play off leash and we didn't have to worry about other people being around. Looking back to camp.

We also played at the main beach, more room for us to swim and Bean loves to play there.

I love taking my little sit on in the cove and going around the banks, the trees are filled with birds and beautiful flowers mixed in with lush greenery.

The clouds were coming in that night, but we enjoyed a golden sunset, before the clouds took over.

Monday we woke up to rain, but it was nice to sit under the tarp while we had breakfast and tea. Then we went home and took a hot soak and took care of a few things. The wind was too heavy to paddle, so we took a nice walk around different sections of the camp.

This morning we went out to get coffee and took a ride to a nearby boat launch. Bill played with Bean while I took photos. Lots of birds flying and getting the catch of the day, I guess it was worms today.

It was cool today with gusty winds, so it was the perfect day to go for a hike. We took the trail from the back of the camp, to another trail called Kettle pond. It took us to a Wildlife center that had a nicely stoned trail to a wooden tower. It is also wheelchair accessable.

The views were wonderful, from Ninigret pond, the East Beach banks and out to Block Island. When we got back, I took a rest and was able to do another short paddle around the cove, a nice way to end our mini vacation.

Before the storm fun!

Even with the storm, we had a nice time at camp. Our spot was huge, and we had a nice view of the lake.

Bill is setting up camp, so much easier with a trailer.

Bean loved it too, lots of room for him to have his own space.

Of course the water was Bean's favorite, he could swim all day if you let him. We spent half the time in the water and the other half, taking pee breaks. I think he swallowed half the pond.

I got a little sit on kayak, to play around in. I actually got Bean in it and he was pretty good, but he wanted to stand on the edge and there is not enough room for that, so we had to give up.

While Bill and Bean played in the water, I paddled around the coves. The water is shallow and with the little boat, I could get close up to the shorelines and as you can see, the water is shallow, even further out. That is Bill and Bean playing on the shoreline, to the left of my bow.

After dinner we went for long walks around the campground, lots of side roads to explore and then we would come back to the beach to watch the sunset.

And to end the night, we had a campfire. Bean liked that too, he loved that he could stay outside all day and night. Now he wants to stay on our porch, and I don't blame him, it is a lot cooler outside.

I didn't get time to do any stitching or relax, so hopefully I can on the next trip. I did finish my stitchery when I got home. I think I might try tea staining this one. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!