Vacation happenings!

 

A vacation at home can be tiring, today I crashed, lol. We have been keeping busy and then I come home and keep up around home. I thought I would do an extra post tonight since I have so many photos and hopefully more to come later. I haven't had any time to do any projects, but sometimes it is good to take a break and then I can get back into the projects I haven't finished.

We took a hike at a local bike path, we went off onto a path that leads to a beach and walked the beach. We spotted this Snowy Egret, along the way.

Another day we went to a farm sanctuary. There is a paved area to walk around, but we found a new path in the back, that goes through grapevine covered areas and an estuary. Lots of birds in the area and I was able to catch a few. A Song Sparrow, Red-Winged Blackbird and a Goldfinch. 

The farm has a few donkeys and horses, I just love this little donkey.

On Monday we headed to Newport to visit Colt State Park, which is further up in Bristol. It is a beautiful park, lots of places to walk and expansive views of the bay. A great place to spend the day with family.

I was trying to get a photo of the weathervane and this Osprey decided to get into the picture.

Yesterday we went for a paddle at a salt water pond, that opens to the ocean. We enjoyed paddling around the little islands and landed on a strip that had a path, to the ocean side. Coming back, I spotted this pair of Horseshoe crabs, I guess it is breeding season.

Along the way, I spotted all different types of shore birds. There are also fenced off areas for the piping plovers, but I wasn't able to spot any babies, they are too well hidden. I did spot a few foraging along the shoreline, a Willet, Piping Plover and a White-Rumped Sandpiper, a first for me.

While on the beach, we watched this Tern dig a nest in the sand. Then every time we got up or moved, she got all upset and flew off. Not the best spot to have a nest, with rough seas and people walking down the beach.

While paddling, I spotted this Great Egret on a point. I had to get into a little cove and take a photo while I rocked in the boat and it actually made a nice effect.

And at home, I was thrilled to see Baltimore Orioles coming to the grape jelly, feeder. The Catbirds are more skittish, but this one came to visit and show off his tail. 

We have one more day of cooler weather and then the heat kicks in, so I am hoping my energy comes back tomorrow and we can have some more adventures. 

Weekend Wanderings!

It seems someone gave Nick and I a cold, luckily he is just sniffling and I got stuck with the joint aches, lol. Of course that did not stop me from getting out this weekend, I always feel better when I am at the ocean.

On Saturday the wind was kicking up the surf, so we went to the fishermen's site and walked in, and enjoyed the views of the ocean surf. I can't wait until they finish cleaning up the parking area so we can drive in again.

The seagulls were gathering at the shore, waiting for the horseshoe crabs to get washed in, they had a feast that day. It was nice getting out and I was happy to go home early, to relax and do some stitching, but my son decided to come over for dinner, so no rest that day;)

Sunday we went to the island, it was Bean's day and the beach is the perfect place for him to run off leash and play in the water. Funny how he was afraid of water at first and now I can't keep him out.

We enjoyed a ride to the lighthouse and then went to the forts on the other side and enjoyed a walk around the cliffs. It got colder and started to rain, so that was the end of the day. We did get to enjoy watching the ships come in.

Today I am beat, luckily Bill works nights so he watched Nick this morning so I could rest and get going on a new project I started today and finished, thanks to his tiring Nick out and he got a good nap in. Bill is tearing down the old fence posts so we can get the new one up, Nick loves helping, cart the rocks to the garden.

I hope you all had a good weekend, hopefully I can show you the new project on Friday, since it is a gift, I will wait till it arrives.

Sunday Paddle!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a beautiful day yesterday and I decided to get out for a paddle. We went to the town launch and stayed in the cove. It was high tide so it makes it nice to be able to go in and out of the coves and not worry about hitting bottom.

My daughter wanted to go, she is loving kayaking but she needs better gear.

Dad and Daughter paddling past Smith's Castle.

We went around a few coves and landed at the little beach by the breakers. This is the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the views and take a swim.

We even had some visitors. The circle of life continues, even for horseshoe crabs, lol.

Sunny Sunday!

Another beautiful day, warm sun and cool breezes, perfect for a paddle. Any excuse is a good excuse to go paddling;) The tide was high, so we were able to paddle in all of the inner coves and got in a much longer paddle, and I am definitely sore, but a good sore.

Bill enjoyed himself and here he is in front of one of the old building at Smith's Castle. It is right down the road from us, but I have never gone there, maybe someday.

I was walking in the water and stumbled upon our old friend, the horseshoe crab. He was swimming around the bottom and a few times tried crawling onto Bill's foot. Here are a few fun facts about the Horseshoe crab.

1. This is a crab that isn't a crab!  It is distantly related to spiders and scorpions.  To avoid confusion, let's call it by its correct name, Limulus polyphemus. (Pronounced Lim-u-lus poly-feem-us)

2. The Limulus is a "living fossil" whose origin dates back to Triassic times, over 200 million years ago, a time when the first dinosaurs and primitive mammals appeared.  Few other well-known animals can claim that record.  It is not easy to be a living fossil.  To apply for this category, that animal can only have, at most, a few close relatives.  The body form should not have changed over the years.  A true living fossil's family tree must be tens, or preferably hundreds, of millions of years old.


3.  Its tail is NOT a weapon.  The animal almost never carries it in an upright position so there is little chance that people might step on the upright tail.   This tail, or telson, serves one real purpose: to assist the animal in turning over should a wave tip it on its back.


I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Sunday Paddle and Freebie!

Yes, I was out on the bay again, it was just too beautiful to be inside and I had no desire to do any real work, like cleaning or yard work;)

We went back to the cove, it is close by, nice launch and no traffic. It was hotter today, but nice cool breezes on the bay.

At the beach stop, there was a family having an outing and they pulled this guy out of the water. He was not too happy about that and was crawling back to the water.

Since it was low tide, we couldn't get into the coves as well, so today we did a short practice run into the bay. I love paddling in the bay and riding the waves, so maybe next week, we will try a short run in the open waters.

And if you would like a wonderful freebie to make, check out Kathy Schmitz's blog, she has a beautiful sewing roll to make, definitely on my to do list.

Don't pick up Hitchhikers!

I had to get my brain centered today, to get myself going, but I finally got in a better frame of mind and was glad I went out.
We paddled for over 3 hours, and since it was high tide, we could paddle in and out of the coves further in. I just took my time and enjoyed being out. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

"Didn't your mother tell you, to never pick up Hitchhikers!"



Why I never let Bill take pictures of me;)



We went into the village cove, lots of boats and the restaurant smells were making me hungry. I forgot my snacks at home. It was Bill's night for cooking, so we had fried shrimp, so now I am happy and full.

As for the time it takes to cook my green beans, I have no idea. Maybe because I cook them on low? But, the time in soaking and simmering, gives you the most delicious beans, just tender enough to eat, but not too soft to be mush.