Weekend Wanderings!

Yesterday was a cold day and we got snow and rain, so it was a good day to go shopping. I found a new store that I wanted to check out and had fun walking around the rooms, at least three times. The store is called Carol's Country Corner and she carries primitive and country goods. You could walk around a second time and see things you missed the first time, so a fun activity for a rainy day. There were a lot of wonderful prims and some antiques and I took some photos, but most came out bad or blurry. This was one of my favorite displays, wouldn't this set up, be fun in a corner of the house.

Here are some of the goodies I got, the sheep and the spool candle will go with a sewing display, that I will be doing in my sewing room. Bill bought the tin candle and striped candle, he had to have it, lol. He is worse than I am, he went so far as to pull that garland off a tree, since it was the last one. He said he liked it, think I should leave him in the car, next time;)

Today was beautiful, a bit cloudy at times and a bit of drizzle, but the rain stayed away and it was a lot warmer. We wanted to check out the area at Point Judith, where there is the lighthouse and fishing area with the breakers. This is what we found at the fishing area. The area was deteriorating from some recent storms and hurricane Sandy did a lot more damage. This is the parking lot now, before it went to the sign, way in the back of the photo. Half of the old parking area, is gone.

We also went to Black Rock. The high cliffs were fine, but as we walked, we realized all the bush was gone. Then we went onto the beach and saw why, the storm came up and ripped away at the land and took half of it, back into the sea and left more piles of rocks on the beach and the pathways.

There was a lot of damage further up and areas where the path got taken down, but it is still a beautiful place to walk and enjoy the views. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Storm Recovery!

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we went for a drive and visited a few beaches and did a little shopping. The clean up is still continuing on the beaches. The waves bought in a lot of sand and rocks that still litter the streets. The sad thing was the stores, most were cleaned out and you could see where they were tearing up the floors and redoing them. This is a boardwalk type of area so it is as close to the beach as you can get, the hazards of being so close to the water.

The main beach lots were covered in sand. They are shoveling it out of the area.

And were are they putting it? Back on the beach of course. They are piling it up and the surf will smooth it all out, eventually. The beach houses did well, though a few were missing stairways. Even with the mess, the beach is still a beautiful place to walk.

There was a lot of erosion on the dunes, but the homes on the ocean are protected by walls and the lighthouse looked fine. It was great to get out and enjoy the warmer temps, while they last.

If you are looking for a good bargain on wools, my friend Bren is having a sale at her Destash Blog

I got a gift certificate for my birthday, so I used it to get some more whites. If you look at number 4, that is what I got, it is wonderful for snow pieces.

Hurricane Sandy...The effects continue and Giveaway!

It was a beautiful day out yesterday, so we decided to go for a walk at the Trustom Pond bird sanctuary. It is a salt water pond that is closed off to the ocean by a barrier beach. If  you click on the link, you can see an aerial photo of the pond and the small sand bar that separates the pond from the ocean.

It is home to over 300 species of birds and we arrived at the first platform, just in time to hear and see a flock of geese coming in.

We also noticed the water marker. It is used to mark the highest waters, due to flooding from storms. I guess it isn't needed now. This was our first indication that something was wrong.

The path we were on, takes us to a point which passes by the inlets, which are inaccessible. Not today, it is now a beach. This area was once covered in water.

At the point we go onto a raised platform to see views of the ocean and Block Island. The pond usually reaches up to the platform. Now, it has wider areas that stretch out into points and the shallows have revealed rocks, all through the pond.

And here is why, the storm broke through the barrier beach and it is now an inlet to the sea. The pond is now affected by the tides. The islands that provide safe harbor for the nesting birds, have land bridges which can be crossed by the foxes and other critters. I have no idea what this will mean for the future of the sanctuary and have heard that they plan on leaving it, as is and let nature take it's course.

We decided to go down the road, to the beach and see how the houses along the shore, fared. It looks like this house is a goner, there is no more support for the house. This is a house that has been there for years, built when there was more land. It shows you how much the ocean has worn away the coast and this storm took even more.

I spied this critter, hiding in the bushes, when we were leaving the beach. What do you think it is? Give me a guess and I will draw a name from the comments and one person will receive their choice of a free epattern from my ecrater shop. I will draw a name on Wednesday at 10pm and announce it that night, along with something for everyone.

The storms are still affecting so many people who live along the coast lines. There are a few places that are looking for help with quilts, blocks and monetary donations. If you have the time, or a spare quilt, or even a few dollars, those who have nothing right now, would appreciate anything you can do to help. Below are links to sites and information on how you can help.

Bumble Bean Basics is still looking for quilts to help those in New York and the New Jersey area.

Phoenix Quilts has rerouted quilts that they have received to help those on the coast, but funds are needed to help out with shipping costs.

The Rock Center has a list of those requesting help and organizations that are helping with the relief cause.

Quilting Gallery is looking for help with their block drive.

Stitch This has a list of places for quilters and other craft needs.