Friday Finish!

 I had one more pillow to finish and I got that done today. It seems I have so much to do during the week and only so much energy, so not as much time to craft, as I used to. It is fun to do small projects, while I work on finishing the large ones and prep up the new projects.

This is another design by Deborah Cade. I found a sealed bag with left over balsam, so this pillow will be for Christmas. Most of my old ones are losing their smell, so time to make some new ones.

We were able to spend some time at the beach, a bit of beach combing, swimming and bird watching. I spotted a Cormorant who decided to come up on the beach to dry off. It is rare for them to come on shore, usually they are on posts or rocks. This one was quite the character, a juvenile who is learning how to be on its own.

I also enjoyed watching this seagull who was just hanging out on the rocks by us. He was enjoying the cool breezes.

And a treat to see this Oystercatcher, at this beach. It is always nice to go to this beach, less people and always a nice breeze, coming down the bay. I hope everyone enjoys the last days of summer, I can't believe how fast it went by.

Friday Finish!

 I can't believe it is July, already. A holiday weekend coming up and I have no plans and no plans to go out in the traffic and crowds that will be hitting the beaches. The kids have been sick all week, so we won't be able to get together. 

I keep busy at home, always something to do and working on projects in my spare time. I am almost finished with my seaport applique, and all I will have to do is the accent stitching and I will be done. I decided to make something quick, I can always use more lavender sachets and I love the simple and prim designs by Deborah Cade. 

We spent a few afternoons at the beach. It seems there are more people now and less glass, but still a nice place to walk since it has a Long Beach. We enjoy watching the boats and wind surfers and of course, finding treasures along the way. I saw a little head sticking out of the sand and pulled out a gingerbread man.

This week I have had a lot of activity with the Baltimore Orioles. The youngsters are coming out and this particular one was full of energy and was picking on its sibling.

It is hard to tell the sex at a young age, but the males will turn a beautiful orange color. This guy was enjoying a mouthful of grape jelly.

Last night, one forgot to follow the others home and decided to hide out on my porch. It hid beneath the feeding basket and fell asleep for the night.

Another regular visitor is a chipmunk that lives next door. He scurries under the fence and comes to fill his cheeks. The other day, Bean scared him when he went to chase the squirrel, this little guy was at the feeder and started running and Bean chased him. This week I have been training Bean to not chase the chipmunk or the bunnies in the yard and he will stop when I say no, so that is good. He won't hurt them, he just stays on their tail till they clear the yard.

Happy Canada day to my friends across the border! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.

Weekend Hiking: Part Two

On our last day of hiking, we went back to the Tillinghast management area, but parked further up to try the Wickaboxet trail. This trail was longer and had several points of interest, that I wanted to see.

We started on the main trail and headed to Rattlesnake ledge. The foliage is winding down in some areas and still at peak in others, so I never miss a chance to get about it all, to enjoy the views. The hike up to the ledges wasn't too bad and it comes around the backside, so much easier than climbing up rocks.

The views were beautiful, but a lot of trees blocks the view with a camera, so it was hard to get a shot of the foliage areas to the sides, but still beautiful.

The area was once a thriving village, and you will find several old cellar holes in the area. It is fun to imagine what it was like, when families lived here.

We walked through a beautiful wooded area, no one around, just trees and stone walls. When we came out to the main path, we stumbled onto these odd structures. Believe it or not, they are said to be anthills, Bill thinks they are termites, but whatever they are, they are gone for the winter.

The trail continued on through tall pines, and a soft bed of needles, a nice reprieve from walking on rocks and stumps.

We came out to another pond, I can imagine how beautiful this area was when families lived here and spent summers fishing and swimming in the ponds.

When we came to a fork in the path, I had to check out what was up ahead, on another path and we weren't disappointed. We stumbled onto this cabin, above a small pond and stream.

And a little ways up, in the opposite direction, we found the old graveyard.

Coming back to our path, we headed back and found another smaller graveyard. The sun or an unearthly visitor?

A little further up, we found another homestead, this was an old barn.

We found the steps to the homestead and another hole that had caved in. We also saw old bottle pieces and metal that someone had unearthed and left there. The biggest find was this old stove, just sitting there, a reminder of a time gone by.

I hope you enjoyed going along on our hike and remember, sometimes the best hikes are in your own backyard, so go out and explore and have your own adventure.

Weekend Quilt Show!

This weekend I went to our local quilt show by the Narragansett Bay Quilters. It is not a huge show but a nice one with amazing quilts. I was able to walk around for a few hours before my rib gave out and I was able to treat myself to a charm pack of nautical fabric by Janet Clare which I have plans for and some stick on thimbles for my poor fingers.

There were a lot of quilts at the show and they were all beautiful but some of my photos came out blurry or the color was so off that they looked ugly. I have put the photos in my photo account so you can enjoy them at your leisure and get a better view in the larger sizes. I do have the photos at full size if you need any info on the quilt or pattern.

Here is one of my favorites, you may see more quilts, HERE.

Giveaway Week!

I want to thank everyone for all of your kind words and support. I am not the type who likes to complain but it is nice to be able to vent sometimes;) I have been on a lot of trips since Bill and I have been married and lots of disasters, but this was the worst. 

Our first trip was in New Hampshire for a camping trip. We visited Castle in the Clouds and the next day we paddled the lakes in a canoe. Bill got burnt badly and woke up with a fever and the chills, so we headed home. Got home and found out we were robbed and then the store spilled something on our film and we lost most of our photos, but I have wonderful memories of the fun we had and the misadventures. I have had bad rentals that I got to and said, no way, made them give me back my deposit and checked into a hotel. Vacations always have their good and bad, but it is the memories that are important , the ones we use to relax our minds, a mountain top, the sounds of the loons at night. Then there are the memories that make us laugh, because murphy's law is always part of life;)

And here is where we start the giveaway. Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". I am sure all of you have taken a trip, at one time or another and had something go wrong or think after, now I know better, won't do that again. 

My example: Be careful when you rent cabins in the woods, trees and swampy areas are prone to moss and mold growth, which makes a house extremely musty. On ours, you could see the dark stains on the walls and floors, so don't be afraid to ask for a close up shot of the rooms;)

My motto is, be prepared for anything. Someone cut themselves on a fish hook, I  had neosporin bandaids. I even bough Bill's extra glasses and on the day we left, he broke his. He cannot see without them, and he is the driver on long trips.

Now, give me a, "what to watch out for on a trip". It can be the accommodations, area or the travel, anything you want that we might not think of and can add to our list for future vacations. Or if you are one of the lucky ones who have perfect vacations, you can tell us a tip that makes vacations better or easier.

I will draw a name from all of the comments and one winner will get a box of goodies. I will post some photos, of some things, later in the week. Some things will be a surprise. Something handmade, patterns, fabric, etc. You can also let me know what types of crafts and sewing you like to do, favorite colors, etc in your comment. Then when I draw a name, I can customize the box for the winner. 

I will leave the contest open until Sunday, August 4th at 10pm EST. I will also announce the winner that night. I truly appreciate all of my visitors and friends that I have made in the blogging world.

One good thing I did on this trip, was to take photos, one of a church and a few gravestones. I am hoping to have some new patterns next month and get back into creating again.

And I will leave you with one simple message for tonight. This boy already has a sense of humor;)

He is two months, today!

River Paddling!

Today was cool and cloudy, perfect day for the river. This is a river that snakes through the lower half of Rhode Island and comes out to the ocean. We only did a portion of the river, it was 4 miles one way, so 8 miles is a lot for me, wonder why I am so tired.

This is also why I get so tired, Bill just paddles at his rate, forgetting that I am half his size and strength:) That and the fact, that I had my big camera case which weighs a ton and I am basically pushing that too. I never did get to use my good camera, too hard to take out while paddling, so these are with my pocket camera.

This is our first stop, it is a wilderness campground for kayakers. The water was too cold and icky to swim in today. This is me waiting for Bill to get his skirt back on, he is sooooo slow.

This is where we stop, I don't do rapids, even small ones.

This is the old pump house area, someone actually lived here, at one time.

On the way back, we spotted this blue heron. They always fly away if you get close, but this one kept trying and stumbling, so not sure if it was hurt or a baby who hasn't learned to fly. We also saw lots of turtles and a hawk who flew over us, down the river in search of fish, but he was too fast to get a shot of. 

I am camping!

LOL, since this is not exactly camping;)
Our nephew is getting married tomorrow and they reserved a section for the people who want to camp.
Since I wasn't sure about taking the dog, we came home tonight to feed him his dinner and I needed to make a batch of cookies.
I have a special diet and need to make my own snacks, so those are a must have for me.

They reserved a cabin for us and another for our son and DIL. They have a tent and were happy that the cabin was nice and clean and could sleep in that, instead. They are just beds inside, but they are all clean pine. I am sleeping in my bed;) We have lots of room outside, which is nice and their area has a good view of the lake, so that is where we are sitting. Tonight we had a fire and chatted, before we went home.



We spent the day walking, took a swim and went for a paddle down the shoreline. It was only half a day and we came home, but packed lots of fun and time together. We also met my nephews, wife to be and tomorrow will be the wedding. It will be on the beach if it is not too crowded and then a catered party afterwards.

This is Bill and the kids in front of the beach area. I say kids even though they are married adults, because they will always be my kids;)

Wool and Wabbits

Today I washed a load of wool from a shelf. I have been storing my extra in the basement and the cats have been using it as a bed. So, I throw the worst pieces away and wash the rest, then I am storing it in drawers and putting the dyed wools on the shelfs in my room.

This is what I got out of the dryer today. This pile is undyed wools, all thrifts. Some are so dark, I will not dye it, but use as is.
It is not the best for hooking, but some can be dyed and used to hook and some will go into wool sewing projects.



This is already dyed, pieces I shelved, or some from previous projects. So it is a mix of thrift and new wools. Once I get all the wool washed and semi organized, I will reorganize it again into piles for hooking and sewing. Some of the wool has been washed several times, so it is too thick, but works great for small projects.



I worked on my new cross stitch and messed up by grabbing the wrong blue. So, I spent a lot of time taking out stitches.
For a break, I sit on the porch with my coffee. I love it in the early evening and the bunnies come out to play and enjoy the clover.



And for those of you who wanted to know what the inside of Lauri's cabin looks like, she sent me a photo. She is thinking about renting it out. It is perfect for a getaway and central to a lot of areas in Maine. The stairs lead to a loft, where we slept, it is really nice and cozy, with all the amenities, so much better than a stuffy hotel.