Weekly Happenings!

 

This week I am still working on my new projects. I have been working more on my quilt so I can get that done and will have two to donate. The Christmas piece, I can work on a bit at a time and have ready in time. 

Today the boys had other plans so I decided to go to the island and bring my kayak. The tide was up so I was able to paddle in the inner cove and explore the little inlets along the way.

At the first spit of land, I spotted a laughing gull that was hanging out with the regular gulls.

And only one Osprey was in the nest, when I paddled by.

The coves were filled with activity, lots of shore birds.

And on the outer area along the shore, I finally spotted two Oyster Catchers. 

It was a nice day to get out and I was able to cool off before the tides got too low. At home I also have some new visitors. I think they are younger hawks, since they are staying in the neighbor's yard and squawking all day.

I hope everyone had a good week and are not in the flood or fire areas. It seems so much destruction lately and my prayers go out to everyone.

Happy New Year!

 

With the holidays, I haven't had much time for crafting. I have a little project I started, so I will finish that and get back to my unfinished projects. 

With Bill having days off, we get out more. We took advantage to some sales and did a few rides around the beach areas. On one day we went to Galilee, which is a port with lots of fishing boats and birds. I spotted a hawk on a pole, that was being harassed by a group of crows. He sat long enough for a photo before he got tired of the harassment.

Around the area I spotted a few Blue Herons and lots of seagulls. The Herons looked like they wished they had gone south.

We sat at the docks and enjoyed the views from the car. This building is one that they process the incoming catches of the day. Their idea of a Christmas decoration.

Then we stopped at the fishing area and walked up the hill to enjoy the views.

At another beach, we enjoyed the views across the bay.

Another day we did some areas to look for Snow buntings, none found but I spotted a large group of Lapland Longspurs.

At home our feeders are always busy. Some will stay still long enough for a photo and others, grab a seed and take off. Snow and cold, always brings in more visitors and it is a nice way to find joy on cold winter days. I hope everyone has a wonderful new year, filled with joys and good health.

Friday Finishes!

 This week I was able to finish two items. I like doing small projects while I work on the larger ones. They are simple to do and something fun to do, while I watch tv.

One item is another heart. I do enjoy making rag rugs and a heart is a quick way to make one. 

I also made another small mat for my table. This one I used precuts with a spring look. These are fun to do and I think I will make one for summer with my nautical or seagull prints.

We also got a chance to take Bean with us for a ride to the beaches. It was too cold to be out long, but we got out in certain places and let him roam a bit.

I also caught a few birds along the way.

Along the route we stopped at the college campus beach. 

I was also able to get a shot of the lighthouse, from a different view point. When I opened the photo to see it, I was surprised at the shapes in the doorway. 

One afternoon we had the boys, while dad went shopping. They spent the time trying out my instruments. Nick seems to pick up anything and play it by ear, Alex is getting the hang of following notes.

Today we stopped to see if we could spot the Eagles, none in sight. I did spot a Hawk hanging out in a tree by the pond.

I hope you all had a nice Valentines. I do not celebrate it, too commercialized for me. Weather is coming in tomorrow, so we won't be able to get out too much. 

Friday Finish!

 This week I wanted to make a little mat for my side table. I also wanted something with reds for Valentines. I do enjoy hand quilting at night, so this was the perfect project to keep my hands busy and make something I needed. It was also a way to start using up old stash and these were precut mini squares, so they were perfect for a small mat.

Last weekend we went to the southern beaches for a ride and look for birds. Lots of birds, but always hard to catch them. I lucked out and found a hawk who was hanging out in the area and stayed long enough for a shot.

Another day we took a trip to the island. At one beach we enjoyed watching a tow boat bring in a larger boat with a long tow rope.

Once they got closer to the bridge, the tow pulled the rope in to be closer to the larger boat. They do this when they get into the narrower channels, for better control.

At another beach I spotted a couple of crows, hanging out on the icebergs. It has been raining today and then cold again, so I am hoping it will warm up so we can go on more walks and less riding. I hope you all have a nice weekend and enjoying the winter months by catching up on your own projects.

Friday: Almost finished

 I tried to push my punching so I could finish my piece. It is finished, but a mess. I did use less floss and that tend to be more puffy, so it looks sloppy. Since I am tired and don't want to leave it like that, I will fix up the problem areas and bad contrast on some areas, so it stands out more. The photo makes it look worse, but you can get the idea, this is what happens when you rush.

Last weekend we took the boys fishing. They love to fish, but have no luck. I think it is because they have small lures and no weight to cast out, far enough. Others were catching fish, but they were using live bait, so we will have to get some better gear for them.

The park also has a lot of hiking areas. The boys enjoyed exploring the areas around the pathways. There are a lot of birds there too, but with noisy boys, it is hard to get any shots. 

The next day Bill and I went for a ride into Connecticut. We stopped at a few places and did some hikes, but couldn't catch any birds that day. We enjoyed getting out and Bean got to have fun too. I really want to come here with the RV and spend the day. The problem is, the road has been collapsing so there is no way we can get it there. 

During the week, Bill had to take a day off for an early appointment, so we had the day to get out. We went to a new place that is owned by the college. They have several areas for gardens and fisheries and allow visitors. 

We walked along a path to an area that is full of trees, all types that the students plant and study. It is also a place full of birds. We heard a lot and saw a few that were too quick to shoot, but I was able to catch quite a few,  and the grove is so peaceful, that I enjoyed just walking around, under the trees. 

In some areas they also had bee hives. It was warming up and you could hear them, so we kept our distance. I think I will go back and bring my portable seat and just sit there.

We took the scenic route home and as we were heading out of the Lighthouse road, we saw a few cars and people milling around. This is why, a Snapping turtle was crossing the road. I got out and took a few shots and then a local lady and I walked along his side, till he got back to the pond side. 

And at home, I have seen an influx of new birds and our summer visitors are returning. Today we spotted a huge Woodpecker, so hoping it will come back for a photo. It looked like a Downy, but bigger than a Hairy should be, so not sure what it was. 

I hope you all have a nice weekend and good weather. We have Alex's first communion tomorrow, and possible rain on Sunday. I am looking forward to nicer weather, but not the heat of summer.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted something small to work on and I do need some new lavender pillows, as I redo boxes and storage. It really helps to keep the musty scents away. I took two patterns from my Fraktur design booklets, Horses and Rooster. These two make nice stitcheries and fun to color in. 

To color on cloth, I use freezer paper. After coloring, I use a paper stylus to rub the color into the cloth. With these two stitcheries, I used two new threads. The horse was done with cheap black floss, not the best floss and a bit fuzzy. The rooster was done with Anchor cotton floss, that comes on a spool. I like the Anchor on a spool, so much easier to use and no messy skeins to store. It is a bit thinner, but nice if you want more defined lines. On the horse, I used antique ink, spattering it on with a brush.

The cold has settled in and that makes it hard to get out for walks. We do enjoy driving around the beach areas. You never know what you will see and the water views are always nice, especially in a warm car.

The Breachway was a nice spot to see a few birds, but it was so windy and cold, I hate to take a few shots from the window. The gulls across the way, were feasting on something that must have died in the storm. Most beaches still have debris and damage, but slowly rebuilding the beaches and cleaning up.

At home I enjoy watching the birds who come to visit. The Red-bellied Woodpecker is very shy, so he stays in the tree and waits for me to leave. I have also spotted a few hawks this week, this one was checking out the grounds, behind our RV.

A few of the birds who visit the porch. The Sapsucker is making holes in my maple tree, he will have some nice sap, come spring.

And the ground feeders. Since the ground is frozen, I can throw some feed out, so they don't have to find scraps that fall to the ground. They have been coming up to the porch more, with snow on the porch, it is more natural for them, to forage. I noticed the White-throated sparrow is missing a toe.

I hope you all enjoyed your week and can enjoy your weekend. We have bitter cold coming in, so car rides will be all I can handle. 

Working on Friday!

 I am still working on my summer quilt and making good progress. I did outline stitching around the sailors and will decide if I want to go around more, after I finish the other sections. I am also thinking it would be fun to, put little ties at their necks and a couple of buttons on the shirt, since it will be a wall hanging.

It has been a rough week, I lost my friend after a long battle. She was a dear friend and I will miss her. I was able to get out for a hike on Sunday, a good way for me to reflect and find my inner peace. 

We walked on a new path which was nice, but I did have to remove a few ticks that tried to crawl up my pants. I guess I need to stay off paths that have too much brush. It is land that had a few homesteads, so we found a lot of remnants of homes and the people who lived here.

It also had a few streams and a hike up a rock for a view of the surrounding area.

We also went back to the refuge that we took the boys too. This time we hiked the entire trail and a side trail. A beautiful place to walk that is close by.

Today we went to another bird sanctuary. This time it was teaming with birds and wildlife, so I was able to get a few shots of the birds.

We also met up with some critters, as well as more birds.

One of the older nests was being occupied by the female, while the male watched over things in a nearby tree. 

Here is a close up of the male. 

I also wanted to have something to remember my friend by, and her favorite color is purple. I saw this lilac bush and it was perfect. It was a nice way for me to process my pain, the day I heard and something I can watch bloom every spring.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We have rain coming in so maybe some shopping and relaxing with my project. 

Friday Finish!

 

Another hectic week, seems it goes by faster than I can keep up with things I want to do. The weekend was slow,  a few drives but no good shots. Rain and wind seem to be the norm lately. This weekend might be a little better and spring is coming, I can't wait for nicer weather and getting out more.

I was able to finish my stitchery, another design by Kathy Schmitz. This was fun to do and I have a feeling my sister will want it, when she comes to visit. She is into long range biking and always goes home with pieces I have made.

I did get a shot of a visitor to our neighborhood, he seems to be a regular lately. He was in my neighbors yard, next to the chicken coop. He was watching something and would jump down on something and then look around, with a where did it go, look. He never did catch anything.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and better weather, lots of snow up north, but all we got was rain, so I can't complain. Also, I do appreciate comments and sorry if I don't always answer, it seems I am running until bedtime lately and need to organize my time better, so I have time to reply and visit everyone's blogs.