Friday Finish!

 

I finally finished a piece I started, made with one of my patterns, Catch of the Day. I made them for punch needle or rug hooking, but most work with stitchery too. I like to have simple things to do at night, while I watch tv and during the day I try to work in my room with the machines and prepping pieces. I really need to start pulling out all the old and unfinished projects, a few that I really want to finish for summer.

We are finally getting some nicer days. Bill had an early appointment this week, so he took the day off and we headed to the beach. The tide was lower, than usual and it was good for Bean to get out again.

At another beach, I walked along the length to the rocks. When the tide is super low, I can walk over the cliff area to another area, on the other side. Lots of rocks in this area, looking down to town. I wear heavy winter hiking boots, so it makes it easier to walk on the rocks.

I have been looking for glass and beach treasures, when we go out. Not as much with the strong tides, but here are a few things I have found, from a couple of trips. 

I hope everyone had a nice week and can enjoy some nicer weather. I do see that some of you are in the storm's paths for tornadoes, so my prayers are with you all.

Friday Finish!

 Well, I worked on my stitchery when I could, but I still have a few more leaves to add. There are a lot of flowers and leaves, so taking longer than usual. So, I worked on another butterfly painting. After this, I have one more butterfly and then I move onto flowers. I work on painting a bit a time, in between cleaning and cooking. I also put together two smaller table toppers to work on, when I finish the stitchery. 

This butterfly was more pink in the tutorial, but I didn't have that color. But, I realized on my next one, I was missing the part that gives recipes for those colors, by using the ones I have. 

Last week we went to the island for some beach time. This time of year is always nice, no crowds yet, so we can enjoy beach combing and Bean can run free.

In the fields we spotted a flock of Glossy Ibis. They are always on the move, so hard to catch one.

I always like to stop at the cove with lighthouse views and was surprised to see the new addition to the Osprey nest. Not sure how it got that white cloth there, maybe stole it from someone's clothesline?

Today we went to the farm preserve. Last time it started to rain when we got there, so it was nice to have warmer weather with a nice breeze. The donkeys seemed to be loving it up today.

We also spotted an Eastern Bluebird.

And a lot of Swallows in the other boxes.

The walk ends in a cove from the river, so we spotted a few more birds there. 

And on the way home, we caught the female Osprey, calling out to her mate. They can be quite vocal and get upset if their mate stays away too long or doesn't come back with dinner.

Tomorrow will be rain, so a day in or maybe shopping. We want to do some things around the house, so we might go looking at supplies to see what we can get and pricing. I am getting anxious to go camping, but it seems to rain on the weekends, so hoping we can go next weekend.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. We had a nice day with the kids. I wasn't going to do a hunt, but Alex asked if we were doing it, so how could I say no. 

Friday finishes!

 This week I worked at finishing my Easter quilt. This was a free pattern being offered on Cheri's Facebook page. They have kept it open in honor of Cheri and her family is gracious enough to let us use some of the older patterns.

I added the extra bird on the branch and lettering. The bad thing is, I used washed fabric and new and it shrunk in the front, not the back. The good thing is, no one can see the back, lol.

One day I wanted a quick project to do. I also wanted to try one of the animals in a kit I got, the bunny was perfect for now. I could not get a sharp photo, not sure why, but always seems to happen with felted pieces.

Last week we went for our usual ride around the ocean beaches. In one parking lot, I spotted this guy, he was really interested in this empty pack, not sure why he wanted it.

I also spotted a Peregrine Falcon, first time I got one, sitting still.

We also stopped at the dog beach, Bean loved getting out. He had teeth removed last week, and since he was feeling better, he was ready for some beach time.

Along the way, we spotted lots of Ospreys and got a few shots. The first one was in a parking lot and every time someone got out to walk in the restaurant, it had a fit. The last one is one of the tallest nests in the state.

One day we stopped by the kids to drop off a box. They were sick so I left it in the back, with some health remedies and goodies for the kids. On the way home we stopped at the park for a walk. The boardwalk was nice and easier for me to walk on. Someday when my foot heals, I want to walk the trail around the main pond.

Today we went to the island to enjoy some time outside, before the rains come tomorrow. Lots of seagulls in the area and others, so it was nice to enjoy walking on the beach and getting some warmer, fresh air.

I hope that everyone has a nice weekend, and not in the paths of the storms. It is sad to see all the devastation across the country and feel blessed to live in an area that is not prone to severe weather.

Friday Finish!

 I hope this post finds you all well and not affected by all of the storms and fires that seem to be taking over the country. We have had some rain, lots of wind and sun, so I can't complain. I had another bunny to do, so I finished that, this week. I went with more yellows and found a yellow ribbon with glitter in an old box of supplies. This one is for me, or Alex who is always stealing the little dolls I make. Of course, Grandma can never say no to the boys. 

Last weekend we did our drive around the ocean areas. We went to one that has a boat launch and there area always birds around. In the photo montage you can see the launch at the bottom and the birds out in the water, that was only a few of them, there were hundreds. The rest were in the breachway, catching things that went out with the tide.

And here are some of the others, fishing in the breachway.

We also went to the island, always nice to walk a little on the beach and enjoy the wildlife and views.

Today it was windy, so we just went for a ride and a little walking on the beaches. We like to take Bean one day so he can have some fun. On days we stop in shops, he has to stay home. Today it was too windy to be out, too long, but the cove beach was a little calmer.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and can enjoy getting out and exploring your area. If you use Google maps, you might be surprised to find parks and sanctuaries that may be near your area.

Friday Finish!

This week I wanted something new to do but something that didn't take too much work. I decided to remake a bunny from my Bunny Buddies pattern. This time I went with bright and fun, using old scraps and floss from the ones I got for the kids to make bracelets. It is also a bit larger than the others, so a fun piece to decorate with. I actually made it for my sister, who is going through medical problems and I wanted to make her something happy to cheer her up. She had asked for some when I first made them, so I hope she likes this new version.

I added the background and the pink bow with photoshop AI. I still have to get out to the craft store to get some pink ribbon before I send it. I have a link to my patterns on the left side column.

Last week I wanted to go back to find the elusive rare bird. We didn't see it, but on the way back out, we saw a bunch of cars and cameras pointing toward the field. It took me awhile to find it, but finally with the help of others, I was able to catch it in the back field. This is a Northern Lapwing, usually found in Europe and Asia. 

We also spent time at the beach, where Bean can enjoy some play time and I can enjoy the views and birding.

Lots of Common Eiders this year.

At home, more birds are leaving and our regulars will be returning. I seem to have a new visitor, a Red Squirrel. This one is a new one, it is living in the neighbors yard and I usually spot two of them, running around the wood piles.

I am still unable to walk much. Today it was shopping in my light hikers but it killed my foot, so no walking on the beach. We have beautiful weather this weekend, so I hate that we can't get out for hikes. With the cooler temps it is perfect to be in the woods and bug free. I hope everyone is doing well with the bad weather conditions that come through. 

Friday finishes!

 This week I actually got more done, the good thing about being laid up a bit. I still have a black and blue foot, but the swelling is down and I can walk on it, as long as I don't push off on my toe area. But the good thing is, I was able to make up some projects to keep my hands busy.

I tried another Easter egg. I saw the floral design on Pinterest and figured it was ok to copy it, though mine didn't come out as nice. I added a blue butterfly for an added touch. I can never get decent shots of my felted pieces, they look all fuzzy, but not in person. I started with a foam egg and wrapped the white roving around that, then felted it in, so it did warp it a bit. 

I also had one more stitchery to finish. Since I was sewing that and making lavender sachets, I decided to pull some scraps with fun designs, to make more.

I also spent a few days to finish my puzzle. It was not the easiest one to do, lots of details.

Last week we had a nice ride around the beach areas, always nice when I can't walk and it was still cold, but I could get out enough to get some shots. Lots of the ocean areas were fogged over.

At one beach we spotted the Horned Larks and another, I just caught the Kingfisher as he flew away.

We parked by a breachway and ended up sitting in the truck as a flock of gulls kept flying over us. It looked like a few had missing legs, and one with a broken one. They are constantly fighting over food, so they do get hurt.

And at another breachway we watched the Mergansers, fishing. In a pond I was shooting at the ducks and noticed a lone Merganser following the pair. I think it got separated from its flock and being younger, decided the ducks were his parents.

We stopped at another beach since I could get out and stand on the boardwalk, while Bill took Bean for a play on the beach. 

The last stop was at the wall to watch the surfers. It was really windy, the surf was rough and the surfers were not doing too well. I got a lot of shots of surfers in the surf instead of on it and a few legs sticking up in the surf.

This weekend will be windy and nice, so hoping we can get out a bit when it calms down. It is also my son's birthday, so we will have them over for dinner on Sunday. Next week we have nice weather coming in, so I am hoping I can get out and see if I can do a little biking on the paved bike path. I am really getting out of shape with all the injuries I keep having, so that might be a good way to get out until my foot heals.

I hope you all enjoy the coming week and enjoyed following along with me.

Friday; Will be working on!

 I am still working on my hand quilting, but finally at the top design. Once that is done, then the border and putting it all together. The next quilt I want to do is one I made years ago and planned on doing fancy free motion on. 

The fabrics in this quilt were gifted to me by Barbara Brackman. I made it with a center design, thinking it would go on our bed, but it would need more edge, to do that. I will finish as is and it will be a summer, Americana quilt. I am going to have to decide on the quilting, maybe not too fancy, but it will be machine quilted. There is a darker red, solid border on it.

This weekend, we enjoyed time with the kids. We had a fun Easter egg hunt. 

I also got a croquet set and the boys enjoyed playing a few rounds with me. 

Over the weekend we were able to get out for a bit and enjoyed a ride around the beach areas. I got a surprise when I saw two birds, fighting in the sky. I was able to get a quick shot before they flew off. A juvenile Eagle was trying to get a fish from an Osprey.

We also found another Osprey couple, who made a home near the ocean road. The male had a nice catch and the female was upset that he was eating without her.

He finally flew up and gave her the rest.

Today we spent the afternoon on the island. I never get sick of the view from the cliffs.

And we found a bit of beach treasures today. I really need to start making things with all the treasures. I hope you all had a good week and get to enjoy the solar eclipse. I got some glasses so I can watch it this time. 

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.