Friday finish!

 

While I am working on my hand quilting, I like to have a small project to finish. I also like to make something new for the holidays, just for fun. This week I wanted to make a needle felted egg and I found a design from an online coloring book page. It is a bit wonky, but it was fun to make and something different.

Last week we did a ride around the beach areas and got in some walks. One of the places we went to, is a bird sanctuary that goes to a cove, but no birds. When we went to get back in the car, a hawk flew past me and landed across the street. Once I got back in the car, he came back and went back to the hunt. Unfortunately, as you can see in the last photo, he was unsuccessful.

At another cove, I caught a Blue Heron on the hunt. They are fun to watch and this guy was successful in catching a few fish.

We had Bean on one day, he loves going out with us and playing at the dog beach.

It is a nice beach to walk along and enjoy the views across the channel, lots of fishing boats.

On one of the docks, I was trying to get some photos of birds in the channel, when these two flew over to me. They were quite friendly and even more so, with each other.

 

And had no shame in getting together in front of me.

Today we took a hike in a new area. It is called the Great Swamp and there are trails all through it and surrounded by a lot of swamp area. When we came out of the woods, we ended up at a beautiful pond and spotted a few Ring-necked ducks.

And the reason we went there was because I saw that there are a lot of nests in the area. We spotted two Osprey nesting on the telephone poles. There are other nests, but these were the only two that had come in. It is an area we will definitely go back to, I am sure it will be teaming with birds by next month.

I hope you all had a nice week and can enjoy the weekend. We have rain tomorrow, but will be going to Nick's school concert. He is playing the Glockenspiel this year. He also plays the piano, so he is definitely musically inclined. 

The Osprey are out of range, so I couldn't get close ups. We have a lot of nesting areas, so we are watching for more to come in this month.

Friday Finishes!

I hope this posting finds you all doing well. I know for most of you, Easter will not be what you planned, we are eating alone, but I ordered fresh clams for tomorrow and plan on making chowder and clambakes. It is something we both love, so at least we can enjoy a special meal and hopefully some FaceTime with the kids.

I kept busy this week, finishing one project that I needed to make some fixes on. I used what I had and wished I had gone and gotten more light blues, I think the design would have stood out more. I also forgot on some places to raise the heights, so some are higher than. others. But, it came out ok and it was a fun project, even though it took longer than most.

The design is by Michelle Palmer and it was in an older issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher. I like that you can order online issues, and they do have a lot of nice patterns. By ordering a past year,  you save money.

Another project I finished is a free stitchery by Theodore Cleave. This one I left as is, I wanted it to be bright and happy. I also added the word hope, we all need that.

It is getting harder to find places to hike. Last weekend we went to a cemetery, which was nice and quiet and we found some interesting buildings, as well. Then people started coming in and we left.

Then we went back to the Boy Scout area, it was crowded and the roads and trail heads were packed with cars, so we kept going. Down a side road we found another hiking trail to a pond and no people, so we got to enjoy a walk by ourselves.

And on the way home, we went down another back road and found this wonderful fishing area, which is also where you can rent kayaks and paddle up river, we are definitely coming back.

And we did something at home, I got a new barn wood wall in the guest room. The wall was horrid and this way I can hang quilts and my paintings. I set up my desk from my beach room and will work on a new painting next week. Bill is going on 4 day shifts so they can keep the shifts apart, so that means he will be home more and I will have a place I can hide away in.

May you all be blessed with good health, as well as your families.

Weekend Wanderings!

Even with the rain, we had a wonderful weekend to get out. We headed into Connecticut just as the rain was ending, so we were able to enjoy a nice ride and visit a few places. I wanted to stop at Mystic Village which has a quilt shop, but it was no longer there. But we were still able to enjoy a walk through town and get a few goodies at the Christmas shop.

One place in Mystic that I love to visit is the Elm Grove Cemetary. I was hoping to see more foliage, but most of the trees had turned. It is still beautiful to drive through though, it is a garden cemetery on the Mystic river, a peaceful place to walk through.

What a beautiful setting for a family plot.

Since we were in the area, we took a drive to Ender's Island, where there is a Catholic retreat center. It was so windy, it was hard to enjoy the views and take photos. I love the buildings on the island, all made of stone, like the church.

There were still flowers in the gardens and views from Block Island to Fisher's Island in New york. In the distance I could see Latimer Reef Lighthouse.

The great thing about being out later is, we were a half hour from sunset so we headed to Napatree Point. What I didn't think about was, the wind. Coming over the dunes, I was hit with blasts of sand and close to the water, the ocean spray, so it was hard to stay still or get good shots. I was able to get a decent one and you can see the waves coming in. It was so beautiful, but hard to enjoy with the sand getting all over my camera.

Sunday was a beautiful day and much warmer, so I decided to hit the beach, while the tide was out. There weren't too many people in the morning, so I found a lot of nice treasures laying on the rocks.

And with the time change, it was still early enough to go for a ride. I needed more apples so we headed to the orchards to buy them from the store.

Along the way I spied this steeple and stopped for a look. The banks of the river were over flowing, so it was hard to get a shot, since we had to stand in the tree line.

We also stopped on the Thames river, where  you can walk out to the old train tracks. Another nice place to go for a stroll.

Since it was getting late, we decided to do a short hike up Lantern Hill. I wanted to see if I could spot the foliage from the first lookout. Of course the views were limited, so we went to the next height and the next, where we had nice views, but still hidden by the tree lines. So our short hike took us up the hill to the top, which was well worth it. The views are spectacular and you can see all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

The sun was getting closer to the tree line and I really wanted to watch it set, but not from the top. It is a steep climb, so we went down to a lower level to watch it set. Since my photo  had a lot of black space, I added a saying I found on the web. We were able to get down before it got too dark, and my muscles are killing me today, but it was nice to finally get in a real hike.

I hope you all had a nice weekend and your own adventures.

Weekend Wanderings!

I hope everyone had a good weekend, though it was over shadowed by the sad news on Sunday. My heart breaks for the families in Texas.

With so much sadness in the world lately, I do enjoy hiding my rocks and hoping it will bring a smile to the people who find them and a little happiness in other's lives. One thing that really made me feel good is that not only do we help others who find them, but also those who hide them.

Usually we take Nick on one day and he loves finding rocks and I have to tell him that he can only keep one and rehide the rest, which is hard for a four year old. This weekend we found a rock and he checked it out and then put it back in another place on the bridge. Then when we came home, I remembered I had found a heart shaped rock that had gold in it, and he loved it. Then he came over to me and said, I want you to have it, he is finding joy in giving to others now and that warms my heart.

Another story with rocks is that a neighbor loves to find rocks when she goes out and last week, she found one with an angel. She really didn't want the rock, but something made her take it and then she remembered me and bought it over. This rock is perfect for my room and she will sit there for awhile and someday, I plan on giving it to someone who needs it more than I. It says, "Your wings were ready, but my heart was not". Something simple as leaving painted rocks can touch so many others. If you are interested in joining in, you can go to my Facebook group, DSmiles4Miles. It is not just for rocks, but any type of gifts that you can leave in areas you visit, or gifts that you can give to others, to bring a smile to their day.

This is the rock she found, and this is my memorial table for my daughter. The angel is the one we had at her grave, until the stone came and the rocks are hearts and special items I find on the beach.

We took Nick out Saturday and I really wanted to go further up north but I needed to keep it to a few places with Nick along. We drove straight to the falls, no sight seeing or stops, so we could have more time enjoying the area. The falls were running full force, I tell Nick to smile and I get the grimace, that and I think he was a bit nervous being so close to the falls, lol.

From there we walked along the path and through the covered bridge.

Then along the river path and through the woods, a great place for a little boy to play and explore.

From there we went across to East Haddam, I wanted to see the oldest Bell and the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse. The school house was placed on the hill, over looking the Connecticut river, so it is more of a park like setting and another place, Nick could run around.

He went and set in the car with Bill while I took photos of the church and graveyard. It was hard to get a clear shot of the bell, but it was originally made for a Spanish Monestary in 815AD. A sea captain found the bell and used it as ballast for his ship and eventually it made it's way to East Haddam.

Then it was off to the castle. At this point, Nick was getting tired, so we took a quick tour around the castle and then a short hike into the woods. I really wanted him to go in the tunnel, which is part of the old mini railroad trail. The original owner of the castle, built a track around his property and had a small engine and cars to take his guests for rides.

Nick was nervous and couldn't wait to get out, then he said, lets go again.

We had a nice walk around the path, back to the car and by the time we got back, his energy dwindled. I decided he needed something to eat and we got him a meal in the next town, but by the time the food came out, he was fast asleep. So he got a good nap on the way home and was full of energy again when his parents came over and we had dinner together.

Sunday was another cloudy day but the rain held off and we were able to take a drive to the ocean. I was dragging, so a relaxing few hours on the beach was just what I needed. I found a few heart rocks and sea glass to add to my collection. Today I crashed, mostly resting and hoping I get my energy back tomorrow for all the ideas that are running through my head;)

Christmas Vacation!

Bill always gets the holiday week off, so we took advantage of the time to get out and do some exploring. It is also a great time to use the coupons and sales to get some needed items like a new coat. I finally found one that is duck cloth, warm inner but not heavy so I can have something to wear when we go on adventures.

We had one day that was considered warm, warm enough that my hands didn't freeze, that is. It was a great day to go for a drive and enjoy the ocean. It seems everyone was out enjoying it, as well. A few were doing some parasailing which looks like fun to me, though I am not sure I have the strength to control the sail.

Lots of surfers, birds and action going on at the beaches, but I realize, I need a zoom to get good shots of those. I did catch this little guy who was running back and forth on the beach.

The treat was, as we were coming home, the sun was going down. We went down a side road and stopped at the pond to watch the sunset. A wonderful way to end a day.

Another day we went to the Watch Hill lighthouse. It was a bit cool and breezy but a perfect place to sit in the car and just enjoy the views. From here you can see the rhode island and the long island sounds.

Today we went to go to a park on the opposite side of Westerly. The river runs through Rhode Island, and empties into the ocean. The park was small but a nice little walk with views of a graveyard across the river.

I found a road from here that took us across, into Connecticut and to Barn Island. We have been here to paddle, and I wanted to just go for the views.

When we got there, I noticed a lot of people parked at the hiking trails. We have never been on the trails, I assumed they were just short walks to look at the estuaries and it was too swampy to walk. Well, I had to go check it out and I was surprised to see nice trails that led through the area with views of the inlets and areas in the woods.

Lots of old growth trees, reformed by the weather and storms.

We even got to see a blue heron, another time I wish I had a zoom. The area is so beautiful and peaceful, definitely coming back to do more hiking when it isn't so cold.

Before we headed home, we went further down so I could get some shots of a church with my wide angle. I plan on using churches in my area to do new pieces, so I took shots and this one was an experiment in art photography, you can see some of the church, lots of character for a new piece.

I hope everyone is having a nice week and rested from the holiday festivities. I did make something new this week, but was so tired when we got home, I didn't get a chance to finish it off. A few more days of goofing off and then it is time to start working on my projects again. I hope it will be a productive year for all of you. May the new year bring good health and blessings to you all.

New Punch Needle Pattern!

I finally finished my piece and the pattern is ready. I made a few changes and finished it off with a white cording. The finished piece is 6 1/2 x 4 1/2. I think this would make a great gift idea for an ocean lover or a church lover. I may do it in an art quilt with a saying, love redoing designs in different ways.

I had Bill check out my DIL's Facebook page, I still am not on her list, so I have not seen any photos of Nick in months. There were a few and here is one with Nick and the baby, along with his cousins. A few more weeks and they should be coming home, can't wait to see them.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. Bill told me he can take off a couple of extra days, now that the job is finished. But, all of the camps are full and I cannot imagine how crazy they would be on the last weekend of summer. It is also cooling down, so I told him not to take off time now and wait till next week, so hopefully we can get out and have some fun, after the holiday crowds have gone home.

Still working on it!

I started my new punch needle and this one is much better with the detail and rocks. I also made it a bit smaller. This is the kind of piece that I think would look wonderful in Valdani threads, since they have a nice variety of shades.

Bill has to work again so I will be working on finishing this piece and getting the pattern ready. I also have ones I have done and need to be finished and made into patterns, one is for fall, so that will be next.

It is so hard to get true colors and this is a piece that looks better in person. The seagulls look large, but that is how punch looks before it is all filled in.

Here are the two together, you can see the difference in size. I still have to do the upper sky and border. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

The photos are more wonky since they are laying on a curved couch.

Friday not-Finish!

I have been working all week on my new piece and as I worked it, colors were not working with each other. Some were too bold, some are too close in hue, so they got lost. So, I started changing colors and changing colors, over and over and now the backing is getting to the point where they threads are not holding properly, so I think I am going to have to start over.

I made it larger and used 6 strands, so I may reduce it and use a mix of 6 and 3 strand, as well as valdani where I can. I had an idea in my head and it just isn't working the way I wanted. The original sea was a mix of blues and greens, a nice look but the colors around it got lost, so it is a choice of changing the sea to a lighter color or making items like the fence a lighter color to go against the darker sea. The cliff is a mess now, I was trying to outline with a black and lost track of where the rocks had crevices, so it is a mess now.

This is how it looks now, I might save this and use some art pens to add some detail and fix things, then I can give it to someone who doesn't care if it is perfect, lol. I also plan on making it into a nautical pillow with a saying and a matching stitchery, wall hanging, so it will be another week to work it all up and get the pattern ready.

Another thing is the position, I think I like the back better, going the other way, just seems to work better but I may change a few things, so I better get to work. Bill has to work the weekend, so I can work on the pieces, though I rather be at the beach;)

The design is called Sailor's Sanctuary and will include a saying.

I decided to give up this afternoon, it was making me nuts, the new changes looked horrible with the light sea, it does have to all come out and I don't know if the backing can take it. So, what to do instead, organize my floss. It is a mess, I have to use floss with numbers for the color charts which usually means new floss and then I make more mess with lose floss, so time to organize it and keep it organized so I can use what I have.

I used card stock and cut strips with my paper cutter. I wrote the numbers on ones I had and the others can go into a hit or miss project. I cut a little slit on the side and top so I could keep the threads from coming lose. For now it is in a box, then I can put it in a more organized box by colors. Easy way to store the thread and a lot cheaper than buying floss cards.

And for fun, here is Izzy, Bald but Beautiful, haha. She is such a conceited cat. The good thing is, she has not puked since she got the cut, so it is well worth it. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will take it easy and work on the stitchery and give my brain a break as I work out the details to better my design, maybe it is time to use my watercolors to do designs first, so I can make better color choices.

The best things in life are free!

Well almost free, seeds only cost .99 cents and it is one of the things I enjoy every day. I planted a couple of pots with Cosmos seeds and one pot is blooming with beautiful orange and yellow flowers. I love the look of the flower and you can get them in different shades and they attract butterflies. I seem to be attracting more bees, though.

The first two flowers that bloomed, came out with a yellow-orange variation. The rich colors are stunning and they are an easy flower to grow.

Yesterday, more flowers bloomed but they are more yellow and light orange shades. No variations like the first flowers, but still beautiful. The flower is real, but I made the background into an art paper on this one. I am thinking of making a border on this one and printing it out for my daughter. She likes bright and happy things for her walls.

Every day and night I have visitors hopping around my yard. Today was an older guy, sunning on the side of the yard, two older youngsters playing leap frog and a new baby bunny who is getting used to me now, so he let me take a photo of him.

And for something quilty, here is a sneak preview of the project I am working on. It is my version of an antique quilt and just the center portion. I am hand stitching it now, so hopefully I can finish it, this weekend. I also got a wood burner and plan on making my own quilt stencils, so I will try and get photos and let you know how it works out. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

And yes, there is a boo boo on it, I accidentally cut in too far on the cross appliqué, but I used it anyways;) I am using some leftover fabric from Barbara Brackman and the rest of the log strips that my friend Kelley sent me.