Friday Finish!

This week I worked on finishing another small table mat. I used different precut mini blocks to make it, using some patriotic and others to match, with matching colors for the border. 

I also got in the mood to do my own painting. I used a photo I took on our trip. I did an outline of the main pieces and then made a mess of it. I wanted the background to be faded like the photo, but it came out too bold. After I watched a video and saw what I did wrong and what I can do next time, a learning experience. I also overdid it on the bird and my paper starts to degrade with too much water. I am used to doing acrylics where you can paint over things but not with watercolor.

We got in a lot of walks and sightseeing in the nearby areas. One area has a nice cliff walk, with views of the bay. And after, we walked at fishermen's beach, and a foggy day by the light.

We also enjoyed the birds and wildlife along the way.

We also walked along the fishing port, fishermen working on their boats.

I caught this guy in the parking lot. He has a filleted fish and swallowed it whole.

Another day we went to the ocean beach. Last weekend they were closed so not as crowded and I spotted this Mockingbird hanging out in the nesting area. 

And always a lot of birds in that area to enjoy.

And this pair in the reeds.

And finally on our last night, a sunset.

On our last day, I paid for the night so we could stay the day. But, I woke up sick again. I guess I overdid it and it came back at me. So this week I went back on stronger meds and rested more, so feeling a bit better again. Lesson learned, if you see mouse droppings, get out and get a mask on.

While Bill got the trailer ready to leave, I sat and enjoyed watching the birds in front of our camp. I finally got photos of the Yellow Warblers, which never stay still.

And this is the one I did a painting of. It sat and sang for a while, a nice way to end the weekend. 

This weekend we will spend time with the kids. Birthday month, so tomorrow we celebrate Ivy and Bill's and next week is the boys. I hope everyone had a good week and enjoy getting out this weekend.

Friday Finish!

 This week I was able to work on my pillow and finish it. It is a design by Whimsical quilts and can be found in the book, For the Birds. The original pillow has a longer side piece, but I wanted to use a material that was not as long, so I modified it to fit my size. 

It is done with a flannel background and wool appliqué. I pinned the pieces in place and did a blanket stitch on them. The background has small stripes that are browns and a blue one, so it fits perfectly with my living room colors. I use it on the back of the couch for decoration and when the sun hits me in the face, I can move it to block the sun. 

Last weekend we went to the island. It was too cold to be out long, but a nice sunny day. A few of the docks and some of the fishing boats.

Today we got out and were able to walk on the beaches, since it got up to a balmy 38. I haven't been able to find as much nice glass, but with the cold, I try to walk more and bend less. There was a ship on a ship next to the bridge. With oversized ships, they cannot get in for repairs, so the larger ship is a dry dock, that they can get on and do their repairs.

I also spotted a group of American Black Ducks.

A male Mallard.

And it's mate. I love seeing so many ducks and other birds that winter on the island. It is a nice way to get out and get rid of the winter blues. This weekend will start out nice and then rain coming in and on Sunday we will get snow in the afternoon. I am not sure how much we will get, since we are always on the line, so hopefully more snow than rain.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and find ways to get out and beat the winter blues. Making new things to decorate with, is always a good way for me to enjoy my days when I am stuck inside.

Friday Finish!

 Christmas is coming and as usual, faster than we would like. I have done my shopping and the house is decorated and packages and cards are all done. Now I can relax a bit and plan our meal, we eat at our house on Christmas Eve with the kids and give them some presents, then on Christmas we go to their house and I save some presents to open then. 

I am working on finishing up my cheater quilt and after going through some of my old books, I decided to make a small piece from a Whimsical quilts book. It was fun to do and I still have plenty of wool to use up, so I grabbed most of it from my scrap drawers. I added the snowflake buttons for fun.

Last week after shopping, we drove around the beach areas. We saw a boat coming in.

And one going out. 

And as we drove by the town beach in Narragansett, we just missed seeing Santa, as he rode by.

With Bill working days, he gets up early and falls asleep early, so hard to get out at night to see the lights around town. He does have a long week off for the holiday, so hopefully we can get out more to see them before they are gone.

I hope you are all enjoying the holidays and can enjoy some time for yourself and Christmas around your area.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been getting my energy back, so catching up around the house and yard. I made another heart sachet, something I enjoy doing while watching tv at night. It is fun to do something with bright colors and something cheerful. You can find this design, along with others at  Pinker N' Punkin.

This week I had a new visitor. The first time I have seen a buck, not sure where its mother is.

And more birds are coming to visit. Lots of young and the new jelly feeder, has bought the Baltimore Orioles.

Last weekend we got in some walks at the lighthouse. It is always cooler there and a good way for me to get my strength back.

We got out for a walk at Ninigret park. I was able to catch a Common Yellowthroat.

And I was able to catch a few others along the paths.

Today we got to Trustom Pond. It is a 3 mile walk and always full of wildlife. The humidity was gone and we had a nice breeze, so it was nice to get out for a longer walk.

The Osprey was giving me the eye, they do not like it when you get near their nesting grounds.

I saw a lady, taking photos of something and she showed me the Swallows in the nest. I would have missed it, if she wasn't there. The mom was feeding her baby, a large dragonfly. The other two were fledged and out on their own.

More of the critters we saw along the paths.

Afterwards we heading to a nearby beach for a short walk along the shoreline. I almost missed the baby Piping Plovers, they blend in with the rocks and are tiny. They are so fun to watch. The moms were close by, watching and if you got too close, the mom would feign a broken wing. The males fly over head and dive bomb you, if. you are in their area.

The Fishing boats are coming back to bring in their daily catch. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon and unwind. I hope you all have a nice weekend and are not in the paths of the storms.

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.

Working on Friday!

 

I am still working on my Christmas quilt. I am quilting it now and almost done, so I will definitely be finished by next week. I think for next year, I need to work all year to get all the other projects done. The colors are a bit off in this photo, so hopefully I can get a better one, when finished. I had to hand write the saying, and I think I made mine a bit larger than the original, but I like how well it stands out. 

We got out last weekend and spent some time at the ocean. It was warm enough to walk along the beach and enjoy watching the Sanderlings, running along the beach.

Today it warmed up a bit, so we got to spend some time at the beach. The marina has their own Christmas decoration. I bet it looks beautiful when lit up at night, the lights run down, along the crane.

And I found another odd object that got washed up with the tide.

And I found a bit of glass and some pottery. It was nice to be out again and tomorrow will be nice, as well, so some time at the seaport for some Christmas activity and maybe a hike on Sunday. I hope. you all have a nice weekend and able to get out and enjoy some of the holiday festivities.

Friday Finish!

 

I actually made time for stitching this week. I always love getting the new stitchery each month from Kathy Schmitz and this one wasn't my usual like, but I decided, if I reduced the size, it made the perfect tea cup mat. Sadly, this is the last year of the club, she is going to end it, this summer. 

Last weekend we got out for a ride and enjoyed a nice walk on the beach. We watched the sail surfers in the bay, looks like fun, but a bit cold for me, to be on the water.

We also went to the point to look for birds. I saw quite a few and a new looking hawk, flew over head, but I couldn't get a shot in time. We enjoyed walking on the inner beach and seeing the fishing fleet, across the  way.

At home, I am enjoying the birds who are coming to my feeder. The Red-bellied Woodpecker even came to the porch, while I was out. I have gotten a lot more visitors this year, so hopefully I can get photos of the others.

And while I was watching the birds, I noticed, I wasn't the only one watching. The Red Shouldered Hawk, was sitting in a tree, checking them out. I was surprised he stayed so long, usually if I look at him, he takes off. 

A lot of rain this week, but a nicer weekend, even if it is cold again. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and can enjoy some crafting time, in the winter months.