Vacation part III

 I tend to pack a lot in a week, I love seeing new places and there is plenty to do in the Freeport area. Less than a half hour, we went to Mackinac Island for a walk around their paths.

The paths go around the island, so a lot of views of the ocean and the islands. We could see an island in the distance. On one was an old fort.

I realized when I got in closer, there were seals, sunning on the rocks.

There were lots of places to get to the shore, so Bean loved that.

Another day we went for a paddle on a lake above Brunswick. It started on a river, into a nice sized lake. It was a bit windy and I forgot to get my seat cushion and gloves, so it was a wonderful paddle, except for being uncomfortable.

And one day we went for a bike ride on the Lisbon rail trail. It was a nice paved path, along a river with waterfalls along the way. The nice thing about paved trails is, we can take Bean in the carriage.

On the way back we saw a big dam. A lot of rivers with dams to control the waters, during rainy and dry seasons.

And every day after dinner, we went for walks. There were a lot of new trails in the camp, that went through fields, into woods and up and down stairs. I definitely got a lot more exercise that week. Now it is just hot, too hot to even go paddling, so hoping to do some swimming this weekend. 

Friday Finish!

 

I was able to finish my new piece, just in time for Halloween. This is a design by Bird Brain Designs. It was fun to do and fun to do in color. I am also working on a larger piece with snowmen, and another, so hopefully I can get those done, along with a few quilts in time for Christmas. 

We were able to get out for a ride, last weekend, to enjoy some foliage and some short walks. I didn't have a lot of energy and I guess I was coming down with a flu or the new version of covid, so have been fighting that off, this week. Hopefully the meds I got will knock it out so we can get out this weekend.

This is one place we stopped, a river in Connecticut. Not as much foliage as we had hoped.

The next place we stopped, had more color. A view up river from the boat launch.

The falls were not running as full, as they usually are.

And a view, down river. It is a nice area with a drive along the river, in different towns. I am not sure how much or where the foliage is now, but it is always nice to go for the ride and hopefully some hikes. I hope you all have a nice weekend.

In the works!

 

I am still working on my stitchery. It has a lot of stitching and some things I am thinking on, as I go. The background fabric is coffee stained color from Moda, so a bit darker than I usually do. I am using brighter threads so they show up and adding detail inside so it stands out. A bit more to do and then a christmas fabric for the border. It is another design by Cheri Saffiote. I don't like how the stitches in the mustache look, so I will redo that and I may add some glitter, red knots in the center of his robe squares.

Last weekend we took a ride around a section of Connecticut. Our first stop was the waterfall in Putnam. I never get tired of walking along the river and listening to the roar of the falls.

Our next stop was Goodwin forest, we stopped for a little walk and a view of the pond. A bit of color coming in.

Then we headed over to Diana's pool. It was a bit wet, so the falls weren't as stepped, as they usually are. After that we headed down to Mansfield to see the dam, always beautiful views.

Bill had a day off this week, so we headed to Newport. We enjoyed a walk along the cliff walk. This photo cracked me up when I realized there was a little man, sticking out of the pack.

After that, we went to the bird sanctuary and took another walk. Always a beautiful walk with views of the ocean and I was able to get a decent shot of the lighthouse across the bay.

At the cliff walk, a friendly Catbird was chatting at me and at the sanctuary, I spotted my first Black and White Warbler.

At home, my winter visitors are coming back. I hope everyone enjoyed their week and have a nice holiday weekend. As usual we have a rainy Saturday, but we will have two nice days, so I can't complain.

Friday Finish!

This week I was resting but I needed something to keep my hands busy, so I made up a little piece to work on. It is from a Kindred Spirits book and was part of a grouping of pieces, that would be hung on a stick. I decided to take the reindeer appliqué and add the saying to that for a small wall hanging. 

It was fun to do and I am thinking I might do another, but this time, use a different reindeer and make it more fun, for a piece for the kids. I have a lot of projects I want to finish and start, but I can only stand for so long and sitting isn't much better, but my tailbone is a bit better than earlier in the week. 

We got out for a bit on the weekend. We went for a scenic ride and stopped at a bike trail, this time I walked a small part of it. The views were spectacular from the top of the aqueduct, but hard to envision in a photo. We also stopped at a pond, that we pass by and enjoyed the fall foliage that was coming in. Not sure why, but I guess you could call it a delayed reaction from my fall. The pain got so bad, I could not sleep and I had to get a butt cushion so I could sit. 

The next day we stayed closer to home and visited a reservoir. The views are beautiful and they have a nice walk around the pond. We walked a little way to a bridge before turning back. It was a painful walk, but nice to get out for a little while.

And I finally felt up to going to the beach for a bit. I only walk up and down for a bit and stick to looking for large pieces so I don't bend too much. The fresh air always makes me feel better, but I do limit myself for now. I actually found a huge hunk of white, just sitting on the beach, it is 1/2" thick. Bill always finds a few pieces too, so just finding some nice ones, makes me happy.

Tomorrow the kids want me to go with them to a park, an hour away and take photos for their Christmas card. Then Sunday it will be a drive to find more foliage. It is popping in some areas and some are still green, so hopefully we will have a few more weeks to enjoy the colors. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday works and Fun!

This week I didn't get anything finished, but I was able to work on a new project. I think I needed a rest and time to get ready for the holiday, so I made up a new stitchery that I can use as a pillow this season. The design is by Kathy Schmitz from her Christmas book and I was lucky enough to find a copy from a local library and copy some of the designs.

I am using three strands of floss so it will stand out more, I think this will be a fun pillow to display.

Today I wanted to get out for a hike, but my body wasn't cooperating, so we went for a ride to the quilt store in Connecticut. The boys have some events coming up at school and need fun masks, so I got the gnomes for them, then I found the cars and thought that was perfect for the guys. I loved the skate material and glad I grabbed a yard, I do have the same black with mittens and one with trees, so I will use it for a quilt and add some greens and reds to the mix. 

I think one thing that wore me out was, the hike we did last weekend. I wanted to try a new trail and hike for a bit to see how far we could get. I was having so much fun finding new ponds and enjoying the hike that we made it all the way to the end, Hell Hollow Pond. We ended up doing over 10 miles, so the longest yet, for me.

And the next day we went back with the boys. The weatherman lied, the rain came early and just as we got to the first pond, it came down. Luckily the trail back was tree lined so we stayed dry until it stopped. We took another short walk and headed to the campground for lunch and relaxing.

I have been watching the birds and practicing manual focus, so I can get the birds in the trees. The camera always wants to focus on the branches, so I was able to catch this Cardinal who visits the feeder.

And the male Downy Woodpecker is getting more used to me. I am still trying to get a shot of the Carolina wren, it comes and sits and chatters at me, but never when I have the camera. 

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a simple, traditional dinner with the kids. 

Friday Finish!

This week I finished one small project and about to finish a few more projects. I always like to have one small to do during the week and found a small simple one. A friend sent me a box of goodies last year and I had forgotten that it had kits in it, so I decided to make the little heart pin cushion.

After I made it, I decided to turn it into a lavender sachet, I really do need a lot of those. I am putting one in every box of supplies and also drawers, as well as books, the lavender keeps the musty smell away and it seems to keep the moths away, as well.

Nothing fancy, but fun and relaxing to make.

I also finished the second snowman pillow top. I was all ready to finish them, I added a border, then I noticed how crooked they were. So now I am trying to figure out if I need to redo the outer stitching, or cut more of the main piece, to follow the lines better. I am not sure if the lines are straight on any part, so I may just redo the bottom stitching and leave it as is, what do you think? I am waiting for my brain to work better, before I redo it.

We also got out last weekend, visited some new places, but no eagles. But, I did hit the jackpot with cemeteries, two old ones with a lot of unique stones, so I may just do a booklet and add some sayings and local folklore. I really got a good workout, between hiking and walking up and down hills, along with deep knee bends for better photos. It took a few days for my legs to recover, lol.

We also stopped at local waterfalls,  I love trying the Bulb feature to slow down the water's motion. I don't use a tripod, so I can only do a quick burst, but I was pleased with how this one came out. And if you notice the rocky outcropping, it reminds me of a dog with a stick in it's mouth.

And today I got a nice surprise, a belated Christmas box from my friend. She sent me some fun nautical decorations and made me this wonderful cross stitch piece. I always treasure the things my friends make me.

It looks like a storm is heading our way, so we may not get out as much, but I have been reorganizing and cleaning and today I made a lot of progress, so I can finally move my furniture around in my sewing room, to make it more functional. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay safe if you are in the storm's path.

Weekend Wanderings!

A long weekend means a lot of activity and we kept busy, each day. We were lucky enough to have nice weather so we could get out.

On Saturday we did an easy day and went to the beach. It was a little cooler, but that meant less people. We have been making friends with the regular beach combers, so Bean had fun too, meeting up with his friends.

We got a few nice treasures, I just enjoy being outside and chatting with people, so anything I find is a bonus.

With the recent storm and winds, we wanted to check the girl's graves to make sure there was no damage. Everything was fine and the cemetery was full of fall colors.

We made one more stop at the pond and let Bean go for a short walk and enjoyed the views and the colors were starting to pop in some areas.

On Sunday we went up state and visited with my nephew who was camping, so we got a late start to the day. The colors popped in some areas and some are still green. Of course, I see a cemetery and have to stop for a look. I loved this memorial and the fall colors.

We stopped at a few ponds and headed to Putnam. The falls and surrounding area are worth the stop. They also have a lot of antique stores and historic buildings, as well as a river walk. A few sights along the river.

Today I woke up late, so we went for a shorter ride and stayed in central Connecticut, near the city of Norwalk. The first place we headed to was Occum, a small town but the ride up, is along the river and beautiful views. We stop at the Dam to see the falls and this time we drove to the other side and found a little country church. The larger church is in the city of Norwalk.

Next on the stop was Yantic falls. We always love going there, unfortunately the leaves were just starting to turn.

And another stop at a nearby cemetery, Connecticut has plenty of churches and cemeteries. And cemeteries are the best place for old oaks, maples and color.

We ended the day with a trip to the apple orchards and filled our bucket. The orchards are almost bare, so that is going to be the last batch that we can pick. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed exploring with me.

Weekend Wanderings - Part One!

We had quite the weekend, beautiful weather and lots of traveling and lots of walking, so I will do day one, today and part two on Wednesday. The foliage maps said the foliage was best at the upper corners of Connecticut, so we went up from RI and crossed over from there.

Since we were at the upper end of Rhode Island, I wanted to visit a campground I had seen online. It is a state park and they are just putting in real bathrooms and showers this year, so I wasn't sure how nice it was. I was surprised at how beautiful the campground was, large sites and a beautiful wooded area on a lake. We will definitely try a weekend next year.

They have a beautiful beach area, lots of sand but the dry season really lowered the lake. Of course Bean was happy to get out and enjoy some beach time. This would be a wonderful place to paddle, as well.

From there we crossed into Connecticut and I saw the sign for Quaddick State Park. Another area I have wanted to see and I was not disappointed. The park is beautiful, lots of picnic areas and a nice place to launch the kayak, we will be returning here.

We continued on and enjoyed the beautiful foliage and headed down to Putnam, our main destination. I always go online and looks for fun things to do in areas, we are traveling in and the Putnam River Trail looked like the perfect place to go for a walk. There are various places to park, so we took the one, closest to the falls.

The falls are amazing and this is with a lower water level.

We walked down the trail a bit further and I took a photo looking back up to where the falls come out to the river. The river has several old mills along the banks.

I saw several interesting building across the river, and the bridges were narrow, so I decided to drive around, since I was nervous about walking Bean on a narrow sidewalk. The first building that caught my attention was this old stone, Baptist church, framed by the beautiful foliage. It was on the corner of two streets, so it was hard to get all of it in a photo.

We found a park and walked a bit down the river, to another mill and waterfall. It is a beautiful area, and there are also a lot of antique stores and art studios, but we skipped that, on this trip.

Another area that I wanted to visit was Old Furnace State Park in Killingly. It was later in the day and I wasn't sure if I was up to another hike, but I wanted to at least visit to see what it was like and maybe enjoy some views from the lake.

We got there and found a nice parking area, and a trail that led up from the backside of the cliff. I couldn't pass up a view from the top, so up we went. The trail was not that bad, but it was all climb, the good thing is, it was a short hike and the view from the top, was well worth it.

No photos with Bean at the top, I wouldn't let him near the edge, he doesn't comprehend heights and is always trying to pull towards water, so not this time.

When we came down, we walked along a path at the bottom of the lake, and found an opening so we could look out at the pond and see the ledge, where we were standing. It was a long day, lots of walking and hiking, but rejuvenating. When we got home, the kids were here, so they visited and had some dinner with us and I crashed. And instead of staying home and resting, we took off on Sunday, stay tuned for part two, coming Wednesday.