Weekend Wanderings!

 

This week I didn't get a lot done on my new piece, so hopefully I will finish it this week. I am thinking it is time to start Christmas. I have a few unfinished pieces and ones I wanted to make, along with crafts to make, so a good time to get started.

I got a reservation at our favorite spot in a few weeks for four days, so a great midweek break to get out and try the new trailer. Yes, a new trailer, a much bigger one, so we have room for the whole family now. We will keep the RV since it is great for weekends and day trips and some parks have a size limit, the new one is 32 feet. 

We did get out a few times over the weekend and week. We tried the new double kayak around the lake and did much better this time. I like that we can go to the far coves and have a private spot to relax and swim. This is an old camp that closed down and the state just left it, so a great place to stop.

We got to the lighthouse for a nice walk, lots of butterflies now.

And a Monarch

And lots of birds

And a group of kayakers coming in to practice kayaking and landing at the rocks. 

We went to the beach for a swim at the park, afterwards, but I was so busy trying to get photos that I never did get a swim in.

During the week we went to the town beach, close by so perfect for a swim before dinner. This weekend is iffy, rain on and off, so hopefully we can get out for a paddle before it hits. I hope you are all enjoying your summer. I can't believe it is almost over, but we always enjoy being out in the fall, when the crowds are gone.

Weekend Camping!

It seems we have had bad luck when camping at the state park lately. The first thing was, I spiked a fever the day we left, the good thing was, my doc had just given me meds so I had something to take so I could enjoy our weekend. The other thing is the weather, hot one week and it dropped to the low 70's over the weekend, but the good thing was, we could go for walks and ride the bikes and it wasn't too hot.

We had a nice site, right near the water. The photo is from the phone so it is a bit warped, but the camp is a straight line down and behind on the right is where the table and fire pit was, so lots of space.

We enjoyed relaxing, took a swim and a short bike ride to test Bean out and that night we went to Quonochontaug pond to watch the sunset. We wanted to go to the ocean, but the beaches on this side do not face the sunset, so this was the perfect place to watch it. Bean got to play with Bill while I took photos, a nice end to the day.

On Sunday the kids came down. It really made my day and was wonderful to spend time with all of them and share new memories with the kids. Alex was happy to just sit and watch everyone have fun, he is such a happy baby.

Since the camp was mostly deserted, we had the little beach, all to ourselves. Everyone else sat and relaxed. My son was making faces at me.

Nick and Bean had a blast playing in the water.

And since no one took one of the rocks I left hidden in the rock, Nick found it and was thrilled to have something fun to take to school for show and tell on the first day. Someone actually found them, and took the whale, but left the alligator in the tree. I was worried someone might walk under it and get knocked in the head, lol. So I put it back and it was still there when Nick came to the beach.

After dinner, Nick and I went for a paddle.

Then we all went for a walk around camp, while Nick rode his bike. He loved being able to ride on the roads.

To end the night, we watched the sunset. Love this photo of Ivy kissing Alex. I had to lighten it since they were so dark. I would like to play with it more in photoshop and maybe do a framed photo for her.

On Sunday we went and got coffee, then enjoyed it at Quonochontaug beach. It was more crowded than I expected, but with low tide, we walked down to the point and had a nice spot for Bean to play. I had planned on paddling but it was windy and I had my play boat, which is too hard to paddle in wind when I am not up to par.

Since it was too cool to swim and too windy to paddle, we enjoyed biking around the campground. Bean is ok in the carriage, but not thrilled with being stuck inside. I think we need to make a more padded bottom, the bumps can be a bit rough. We rested and let Bean play in the water and he made some friends who were happy to play with him, so it was a nice end to our long weekend. Today I crashed, the meds are really kicking in, so mostly resting today. Now to get the rest of the rocks painted and get ready for our next trip. So far it looks like it is going back into the 80's, perfect weather for the ocean and perfect time after the crowds are gone.

Camping and Weddings

Today we went back to camp for the final day. I think I had too much fun meeting new relatives and paddling, so I might sleep the rest of the week;)

The wedding was on the beach in front of the big rock. My family camped here, we took our kids here and now they are taking their kids, so it is a special place filled with a lot of memories.

This is my Nephew George and my new niece Dawn. My mom's name was Dawn, so now we have a new Dawn Tucker and she is as sweet and special as my mom was. I know my mom was smiling down on them.



Today we paddled some more, I do love to paddle:) We followed the coves since it is windy and it gives us more area to paddle and I wanted to get a good one in, since it was our last for this week. It is so beautiful and peaceful, none of the motor boats can get in this far.



It wasn't that hot today, but we swam anyways. It helps my sore muscles, so I can paddle back around. To the far left is a rock, behind that area is where our camps were. She reserved the whole front area, so no crowds, just family members, which was nice.

Come Paddle With Me!

Today I finally got to go out paddling. It has been so hot lately, that I haven't been able to paddle.
Today was perfect, sunny and a nice breeze. We decided to go to our local launch which is in wickford harbor.

Here Bill is going under the bridge. Wickford is an old town, with lots of fun shops and lots of boats in the harbor.



We went back out into the main cove and paddled around the shores and landed at our favorite spot for our rest break.
This is where the boats go out to the bay, so we can sit and enjoy the breezes and the scenery.



This is a view looking back to Wickford, where we had gone first.



This is Bill getting back in his boat. The cove is a wonderful place to paddle, calmer than the bay and little islands to go around.



The treat for the day was what I found as we were heading back to the launch. The tide was high when we started and going down as we came in. As I was paddling near the shoreline, I saw all these little yellow things running into the mud and little holes. They looked like hundreds of big bugs.



When I got closer, I realized they were crabs. Lots of little fiddler crabs with one big yellow claw. As the run to hide in the mud, all you can see if the big yellow claw. It was very neat to see that, once I got over my, it looks like giant spiders fear;)



Then I got to see the bird in the nest that stands in the marshes. The marsh reeds are taller than I am and the pole is about 30 feet up, so I had to use a zoom to get a decent shot. That is not easy when you are in a rolling boat. Bill said it is a hawk, I say it looks more like an Osprey.

A day on the bay

We decided to stick close to home and paddled from our local launch. It opens into a large cove and goes out to the breakers and bay. It was the perfect day for paddling, warm sun and cool breeze. This is a great place to launch, lots of parking spaces and a nice sandy spot to take the boats out.



The first thing I had to see, was the hawk who lives on one of the islands. He was being very vocal with all the paddlers drifting by her nest.



Rounding the island, we enter another cove that narrows down to a dead end.



At the end, it is filled with reeds, that have grown, sky high. It reminds me of "The Land of the Giants".



There is even a tiny island in the middle of this area. No spots to land though, but would be great for a picnic.



We ended our paddle at the breakers. Here is the entrance to the bay. It was a bit windy and wavy, but I do love to ride the waves.



We stayed here a bit before heading back. We took a swim, watched the wildlife and enjoyed the boats sailing and coming in and out of the harbor.

Guess what I did today?


It was a gorgeous day out, a few clouds, a light breeze and the salt water, what more can anyone ask for. This was where we stopped to take a break, more sand here than the other areas. There were also hundreds of starfish that had washed up as the tide went out, but it was just starting to come in and took the starfish back to their watery homes before they dried out.



We went as far as the bridge, where the old lighthouse still sits in it's place of honor. They tried to get rid of it, but luckily it was saved and repainted. Sometimes it is fun to stay close to home and enjoy the beauty in our own areas.