Friday Finish!

 

This week I am working on a stitchery that I got at the store, so still working on that. I also got a book to review and having fun with that. It is a workbook with lessons for butterflies and flowers and comes with a pad of all the drawings, that I can practice and paint in. It has been a while since I did watercolor, so fun to relearn things before I do my own and I find it relaxing. I am using colors I had, and finally decided I needed a new larger set so I can follow along better.

I put it in a fake frame and since I don't want to keep them, I decided to cut it out and put it on the wall for fun. 

Last weekend we had rain and ended up at the island when we got a break. It was cold, windy and cloudy, so hard to get good photos. I was thrilled to spot a Kestrel, but he was not thrilled to be watched. He took off, then came back and had something he caught. When I tried to get closer, he would fly to another spot.

I spotted the Osprey who nests in the radio tower at the lighthouse. 

Today we were at the island again. Rain again, but it stopped long enough to enjoy the afternoon. I had fun watching this Merganser, who was by himself and didn't mind me taking photos.

Lots of geese like to hang out on the lawns and the coves in this area.

I also spotted a Mallard couple, the male was in the water, so I couldn't get a good shot of him.

In the bay there is a huge rock island, the nesting area for a lot of Cormorants.

In another cove, we caught some divers from the university, taking lessons in cold water diving. I hope everyone had a good week and better weather for the weekend. We have more rain, but sunny and warmer days coming next week.

Friday finish!

 

This week was a short one, with the holiday, so I never got a chance to work on my quilt. I decided to whip up a couple of rocks so I will have a stash to hide this summer. I tend to work on night when I am tired and my arm is sore, so I make a mess. I think I do better with paint, since I can go over mistakes and fix things, better than with the pens. 

I saw these designs on the web and had to try them, mine are definitely not as nice as the originals. Working on rough rocks, doesn't help.

We got to spend time at the beach on the island. It is nice since we can walk, collect glass and bird watch. I finally got a look at the new baby, you can see it hiding under mom.

And the dad, he wasn't happy when I got closer from the other side.

With low tide, I was able to walk further into the marsh area. I caught this Glossy Ibis.

And a Snowy Egret with it's catch.

We were able to get out for a paddle one day. We went out of the harbor and stopped at the breakers.

On the rocks behind Bill, I caught these two Cormorants. 

Since my arm was doing good, we went out into the bay and paddled to the town beach. It was a nicer place to swim and enjoy a snack. On the way back, the wind picked up and the smoke got heavier, so it definitely wore me out. But it was nice to be on the bay again, next time I will use my sea kayak, which is easier to paddle in rougher waters.

Another day we enjoyed glass hunting, the views and more birds. I seem to be finding a few large pieces of old brown glass, but no real treasures lately.

I also got another look at mom and her baby. The baby is still to weak to stand up for long, it was trying but kept falling over. While baby slept, mom caught up on her preening.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. We didn't do much since it rained more, late in the day, but it was nice getting out when we could.

Friday Finish!

 Lately it seems I never have time to go online and when I do, it is to quickly scan and hopefully not miss anything. I usually try to catch up on blogs on the weekend so hopefully I can catch up on everyones news.

I decided to start an Americana piece this week, a design by Bird in the Hand Primitives. It was fun to do and small pieces are nice since I can add more to my walls. I traced it in reverse, I guess I placed the design backwards on the light pad, but it looks like either way.

And of course we spent afternoons at the beach when we could. Glass collecting, walks on the beach and nature.

One day I got more distracted by the antics of a pair of Great Egrets, so not as much glass that day. 

The gulls like to hang with them, always a chance of stealing food if they can get it.

And at one point they were doing their dance, but it was hard to catch them in the act.

In the distance on a large rock island, I spotted a lot of Cormorants. This is just a portion of the rock and you can see how many nests are there. 

And we finally got a chance to get to the Veterans Cemetery. My parents are there, Bills dad and second wife, as well as his brother Tom. It is a beautiful place to just walk around.

His brother is in the memorial wall, but it is a new section and they still haven't engraved names on any. The old graveyard is in the back and this sad section is the graves that died at Ladd School, formally called The School for the Feeble Minded. They finally closed it down, a time of horrors to the poor and mentally disabled.

Today we stopped at the main state beach to get passes for our cars. While we were down there, we stopped at another beach for a nice walk, perfect day but the tide was up, so not a good time for glass collecting.

And on a sad note, we said our goodbyes to Moki. He as a stray that wondered into my yard one day. Scared and hungry, and scarred up from battles. It took a few weeks before he fully trusted me and then he came in and stayed. We were not sure how old he was, but the vet said around 3 years. He was silly and loving and will be missed, but I know he is better off from his suffering. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I got a dragon kite for the boys, so hoping we can get out to try it.

Weekly Ramblings!

 

Nothing to show this week, I think I might have had one hour to work on a stitchery. I have a few things I am working on, but with Bills appointments and doing double the work at home, not much time or energy for myself. But I have been getting out, which I do need, good for my health and good for the spirit.

One thing I did this week was, buy Nick a used bike. It is a nice bike and I got it for a good price, but it was bigger and heavier than I realized. He loved it and rode it, but was really nervous about falling. I told him, if you are falling, jump off and let the bike fall, a few dents won't hurt it and he is more important.

I did get a new one for his birthday this month, similar type but less heavy, so hopefully it will be just right. 

One good thing with Bill's appointments is, they are in nice areas. After his first doctor appointment, we went to Watch Hill in Westerly. Bill enjoyed sitting at the wharf while I walked up and down the beach.

The tide was going out, but not a lot of glass on this beach. The point is the site of an old fort.

I walked on one side of the beach, but the paths across the dunes were closed off, so when I got to the end, I had to backtrack until I found a path I could cross. 

His physical therapy was in a town with old mills and a river walk, so I enjoyed walking around the river. Much better than sitting in the waiting room.

And another day we spent a few hours at my favorite glass beach. Not as much as I usually find, but still nice to walk and find some treasures along the way. 

And today we set up our trailer on my favorite site. We had a yard sale and made enough to pay for a month at the campground in Connecticut. Our site is on the river, so I can paddle and ride my bike in the surrounding, state forest. I have a quilt that I can hand quilt and my art bag, so hopefully I can find time to get back in shape and time to be creative. It will be easier than finding places that Bill can enjoy, since he can relax at our site while I am out and now that he is more mobile,  he can take short walks around the campground.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We will be staying overnight on some nights, but mostly day tripping to camp. We have to hire a pet sitter for Moki's shots, so that adds up if we are gone a lot. 

This is our site, tomorrow we will put up a screen tent and rugs. The bush hasn't come in yet, so not as lush yet. But, it will be great for bird photography.

Weekend this and that!

can't believe Christmas crept up on me again. This year is the first year I felt like decorating more and I love having the house lit up, especially when the kids come over and see it. I got a pencil tree this year, since a large one would get in the way of the tv, lol. I also have smaller trees around the house, as well as garland and string lights.

I found a new thing this year, string lights with remote control, I love it. I can use one remote and turn them all on at once. No more walking around and flipping switches.

Here is my tree, I put ornaments that are more prim and given to me, by friends, over the years.

And since I do not have a tree topper yet, I decided my kitty was prim enough. When we redo the basement into a family room, I can put up a bigger tree and do a tree with all my kitty ornaments and topper.

Another thing I needed was something to put on the sled, under the buffet table. I had this puppy I got for Nick a few years ago and he loves it, so it was perfect to put there and he and Alex can play with it, when they come over. The problem is, Bean is scared to death of it, so he will not go in that area and hides by my feet. Tonight I decided to put it under the tree, he is still afraid of it, but it won't keep him from sleeping on the couch, but it does keep him away from the tree and bothering me to play ball while I am trying to relax, so a good solution, at least for Christmas.

This weekend we picked up our DVD tapes. I was surprised that we had good video still, but it does not do well on large screen televisions. Bill and I watched them when we got home and it was fun to see the kids when they were little, one had our first halloween and Christmas at our new home.

This clip is Danielle and Billy at our Neighbors, she was like a grandmother to them, but passed away a few years back. Danielle had a witch mask, but she was getting hot wearing it.

We also did a little shopping, a few outfits for the boys and a few toys, we are keeping it simple this year. One fun thing we found was indoor snowballs, so we got a small box for Nick and a large pack to give the kids who spent Thanksgiving with us. They will be spending Christmas with all of us, so I got some stockings at the dollar store and I can put snowballs and some candy in each one, a little gift for them too.

The nice thing about shopping is getting down to the beach. We were able to get a nice day for walking and enjoying the views.

We saw this boat go by and at the same time, hundreds of cormorants came flying by. I guess they were chasing a school of fish.

We watched as it went by the sun, love the effect on the boat and the colors when I shot into the sun.

This guy was by himself, the tide was out and just starting to come back in, so I caught the waves coming up on him. We walked along the rocky beach and I found a few pieces of glass, it was nice to get out in the fresh air and get a little exercise. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Time for me to get busy with cards and presents, so I can get them out this week. I have a few projects to finish, so those will be done by friday, then that will be it for gifts. I will be making things for fun and maybe a few gifts and items that I can hide as surprise gifts for those that find them.

Friday this and that!

With the long weekend, I didn't get as much done at home and we decided to extend it one day, since the weather was so beautiful. We ended up going to Newport and enjoy the fresh air and walks in the area.

We went to one beach to let Bean play, but there were a lot more people and surfers, so we enjoyed watching them and headed back to the cliff walk. We were lucky to find a spot close to the walk entrance, even if we had to pay to park, it was worth it. Here is a view of the beach, after the walk, we rested here and had a snack lunch and I collected a lot of glass. The waves would roll in and push pebbles and glass in, then go out and come in with another batch. A lot was new, so I just took the worn pieces.

The cliff walk was nice, but it was a lot hotter than I expected, so we only went half way. I realized later that half was was 3 miles, so I guess I got a good walk in. Hard to notice how far you walk when you have views like this.

We took the scenic route back and stopped at Fort Adams. At this point I was tired and it was low tide, so Bean was able to have some fun on this beach. It was nice getting out, but it did wear me out.

Since Bill had more time off, we went shopping and found some boards for my beach room. They are aged gray, so I am leaving them as is, I like the gray and will make a nice backdrop to hang art pieces. I am not sure about the darker boards now, maybe I will white wash them, later.

I also started a punch needle. It is a design by Tonya Robey from Primitive Quilts and Projects. It is a rug design, so I reduced it for punching. I had to redo the face, my needle had a burr and I realized when I looked at the front that it was all messed up. I am still debating on the background, thinking dark blues to bring out the lighter colors?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I am hoping the rains stay away and we can get out and see some foliage.

Weekend Wanderings!

This weekend was mixed, some good and some bad. Saturday was mostly rainy, but we got out for a ride and I was able to get out of the car and take some shots before it started again. We went to the lighthouse in Westerly since you can park and enjoy the views without getting out.

I spotted some cormorants sitting on the pole, and got a quick shot off, but the minute I hit the beach, they took off, was hoping for some closeups.

I watched a sailboat go by and then the rain started, but at least I got out for a little while.

On the way back, we took a back road that followed the coastline and spotted an egret in the marsh. We saw a whole flock in another area, but no place to stop and park so I could get a shot.

On Sunday we got to get out with Nicholas. My son was working on the house so he dropped him off and I was getting snacks ready and Bill let Bean back in. Bean went flying into Nick and Nick went flying into the dishwasher and smacked his face into it.

It was just open enough that he hit the door with his mouth and cut up the inside of his lip and of course he started crying and crying for his daddy. I called and he was going to come back, but while we were waiting, Nick calmed down and I asked him if he wanted to go home or go to the beach, that made it easy, the beach of course. Nick was afraid to go near Bean but by the end of the day, he asked if we were going to go back and see Bean, so that is good, I don't want him to be afraid of Bean, Bean is just a bit excitable when Nick comes over to play.

We took Nick to the Denison Sanctuary to see the owls and go for a walk. Bill found out that you are supposed to pay, even if you just go for a walk, oops. So, we paid, which I didn't mind since the money helps to rehabilitate the owls.

Nick loved walking around the pond, we got to see the turtles and ducks and a huge snapping turtle came by, while we were at the shore.

He wanted to keep walking, I wasn't sure how much hiking he could do, but he was full of energy and wanted to explore. Grandpa held his hand on the rougher areas, one accident was enough.

We also went inside the center. They have areas with dioramas of different animals and their habitats, along with some live ones. Nick was afraid of the snake, said it was bad, but I told him that our snakes are friendly and helpful. I think he got the fear when he was in malaysia, those snakes are bad, lol.

And as promised, we took him to a beach. It was on the inner harbor, since it was getting cooler, but he was happy enough, just as long as there was sand and rocks to throw.

So the day ended on a good night, he had fun and was happy again, but he will be eating soft foods for a few days. I hope you all had a good weekend.