Vacation is Over!

It makes me laugh when I use the word vacation, not sure if I would call it that, more of a get away, lol. I get less sleep, I go all day, run back and forth to take care of kitties and basically the same things I do at home, but in a trailer. I think this week is more of a vacation, at least when I recover.

Today was catching up and lots of resting, my body finally gave out. But, it was good to do something different in a different place, it makes you appreciate home more. For me, I remember the moments, and we had some nice ones.

The area has a lot of estuaries and lots of birds, frequent the area. We were treated to a couple of egrets who foraged and danced.

A juvenile Cormorant made me smile, he would submerge most of his body in the water to look for fish and then make the funniest movements, trying to keep it in his bill. The adults all stay on the rocks, but the young ones are not afraid of people.

And the starlings are migrating and there were thousands at the beach. We would walk in and they would be all over the beach, then take off and fly all around us, what a magical thing to experience. From the beach we could see the formations they made, as they flew around the area.

Bill snuck a photo of me, searching for glass, even Bean found a few for me, by digging up the area. A lot of seaweed comes in, which covers the pebble beds, so harder to find glass. We also had to search more in the twilight, so it was harder to see, but we got some daytime searching at the end of the week.

We met a couple who were waiting for the sunset. It reminds me, that no matter how bad things seem, at times, there are others who are going through, much more.

The clouds came in that night, but I was awed by the rays beaming through the clouds, onto the ocean.

And on the weekend, there was a charity swim.  It as just ending as we got there.

And after the sunsets, we walked along the beach for a bit. We found lots of beach toys and even found a nice chair, I guess people don't want to take them home after vacation. And of course, before the last light, we admired the castles along the shoreline, before the last of the tide, swept them out to sea.

And of course, my favorite activity is glass hunting. We found a bit of glass, pottery bits, brick pieces that will be used for roofs and houses and I got a couple of large shells, to try some paintings on. I have been finding ideas to use with the glass, so will be trying those soon and I think it is time for a giveaway, so look forward to that, maybe a beach glass ornament.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and prayers for those in the hurricane's path.

This and That Tuesday!

It has been another one of those weeks, hopefully things will settle down now and I can try and relax again. It was also stressful for Bean, he hates loud noises and having an air show with jets, did not help. He kept trying to run to the car and get in, I guess he thought we would drive him to the beach and the noise would go away, lol.

Another thing that happened was with Alex. Last night he got into his brothers hot sauce and had a reaction. I am not sure of the details, but his dad had his surgery this morning, so I haven't been able to talk to them yet. I am glad it was not a bad reaction and this way they can figure out what he is allergic to, so it won't happen again. I am almost suspect that he rubbed it into his eyes, it seems the rest of him is ok.

Today I decided I needed a fun day, so we went to the beach. This is my favorite spot for now, but I know more people will find it as the summer goes along. It is mostly rocks, so not a great beach site, it is just one section in a row of sections that go for miles, so lots of room for the regular beach goers. We enjoy swimming there as well, the other sections are sandy and start out shallow, so you can play in the waves without going too deep. It is a bit warped looking, not the actual layout.

And of course my favorite pastime, beach combing. We found a lot of nice larger pieces and old pottery. Some is just laying on the beach, some we dig for and some washes up with the waves. Tomorrow looks like rain, so a good day to find some more glass jars, I am almost out of room, for all the new pieces.

Holiday Weekend Part II !

We packed in a lot of things in 4 days, I am still recovering, lol. Cleaning and cooking to catch up and then to top it off, I won a contest. I won a free class from Teresa Kogut, Angelic Strokes Tutorial. I was totally surprised and thrilled, never thought I would win one of her classes. I love her angel designs and her style and now I am learning the technique she uses while making one of the angels.

Today was shopping for supplies, even though I have painting supplies, I didn't have the ones I needed. I still didn't find everything, but I can substitute on the ones I didn't find. Today was cutting up paper and applying that to the canvas, then tomorrow I seal it all, then I can start painting on the next day.

The camp we stayed at was close to multiple beaches, so we stuck close by and enjoyed each one. We did get cooler temps, but warm enough during the day to get out for some walks. At night we got some rain, so I didn't get to enjoy as many sunsets or see the meteor showers, but it was nice to get away and give me a change of pace, just what I needed to recharge.

One nice thing about off season is, we can take Bean to the beaches. We realized after, that this month is off limits to dogs, but everyone else had their dogs on the beach, so I guess they don't enforce it.

And we found a section with no people, which Bean was thrilled about since he gets to go off leash. He was really good and stayed with us, but if he is close to kids and dogs, he wants to go play and jump on them, so I am careful about that. He loved playing in the ocean, I guess the cold doesn't bother him.

We got down before sunset, so we got to watch as the sun went down, then the clouds took over and we never got to see the full setting, but still beautiful as it went down.

On Sunday we spent the morning watching the ferry go out and then headed home  to get ready for Easter dinner. The kids cooked and my son smoked beef and salmon and made foods I could eat, it was a real treat not to have to cook and be able to eat most of the items at the table.

They also did an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Hard to take photos when they are running around so fast, you can't keep up. Nick is so cute, he kept up with the older kids.

Alex is at the age where he is aware of everything and seems to have taken cues from Nick on making faces for photos, he is such a ham with his expressions. Most are blurry though, he never sits still.

Now it is back to creating again, hopefully I will have some progress of my painting and a new stitchery block, by friday.

Weekend Wanderings!

First I would like to mention something a follower mentioned, about my previous post. On the word, It's, it should be Its, no apostrophe. I got the idea for the bell, then the saying since it had bell in it and looked it up to get the right saying, and I took one that had the apostrophe without thinking. I do that a lot and I know I write my posts without thinking and no editing, so I need to be more careful, since they do seem confusing, even to me.

With the lyme, I have days where I cannot remember what I did 5 minutes ago, forget words and mess things up, so you will have to bear with me on those days;) Other days I am back to normal, it is an up and down process but I am having better days, so that gives me hope.

One of the things that helps me feel better is getting out in the fresh air and exercising. Now that I can move again, I thought it was a good time to go to the beach. It is relaxing, lots of fresh air and swimming is one exercise where I can move freely without pain.

Bill had Friday off so we could go to the beach without the crowds. We decided to go to East Beach since we never get to go there on the weekends and there is limited parking. It is a strip of land that divides a salt water pond and the ocean. They also have two camping areas at the end, but no dogs allowed.

It was a beautiful day, the water was warm and very few people on the beach.

The tide was going out and that means more waves. It was fun body surfing in the waves, not so fun when I got slammed a few times when I wasn't looking, lol. The island in the distance is Block Island, that is where the ferries go.

Saturday we we went to East Matunuck Beach. This beach is harder to get to since the roads are narrow, but perfect for a Saturday. Not as many people as at the main beaches and great waves.

It is also a nice place for great views, the channel was to our left and we could watch the ferries that go to Block Island.

They also have large areas with salt water marshes behind the beach, and an area where the Piping Plovers nest. Great place to stroll along the beach and look for heart stones.

I was hesitant about going to the beaches on a Sunday, but we decided to go later in the afternoon and this time we went back to Roger Wheelers Beach. They have a larger parking area and separate sections so you can pick a spot away from the main crowds.

We parked at the end and walked up the dunes, figuring there would be less people.

The minute we got to the end, we ran into, wall to wall tents. This must be the party end, luckily they all set up at the main entrance, we walked down, closer to the water. The tide was going out so we were able to find a spot further down and enjoy a few hours, even with the crowds. Great place to people watch and watch the boats coming in. This beach is on the other side of the channel, that we were at on Saturday. We could watch the ferries as well as the fishing boats that came across, to unload their catch at the docks.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and if you would like to see my videos, you can check out my YouTube Channel. You can see more of the views and hear the sounds of the sea.

Weekend Wanderings Giveaway!

It was an easy weekend, not too much but I got out for a bit and enjoyed some time outside. I also decided not to do too much work on my little dog, I just did some tweaking and made him a ball, so I thought I would show you how he looks with his ball. I enjoy making fun things instead of realism but I may try more dogs and some cats too.

On Saturday I wanted to get out but not go for a long ride so we took Bean to the dog beach. It wasn't too crowded and the tide was going out, so more waves coming in. It felt good to be in the cool breezes.

And now for the contest, give me a caption for this photo! The winner can pick any one of my e-patterns or e-booklets. If you can't think of anything, you can just leave a comment and I will draw a name on Friday night.

There was a group using the area to picnic and sail their boats from the beach, not sure why they didn't go to a regular launch site, makes it hard for us dog lovers when others use the beach and Bean doesn't have the freedom to play. I can just imagine what he would do if I let him off leash, no one on the beach would be safe from his loving.

On Sunday we went for a drive to the south end. We did a little shopping and then went to the beach. It was cloudy and the forecast was for rain showers, but we didn't get any and that meant the beaches weren't crowded. I finally gave in and got a season pass, it is well worth it and we got to enjoy a little time on the beach and a swim. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.