Friday Finish!

 I had one more pillow to finish and I got that done today. It seems I have so much to do during the week and only so much energy, so not as much time to craft, as I used to. It is fun to do small projects, while I work on finishing the large ones and prep up the new projects.

This is another design by Deborah Cade. I found a sealed bag with left over balsam, so this pillow will be for Christmas. Most of my old ones are losing their smell, so time to make some new ones.

We were able to spend some time at the beach, a bit of beach combing, swimming and bird watching. I spotted a Cormorant who decided to come up on the beach to dry off. It is rare for them to come on shore, usually they are on posts or rocks. This one was quite the character, a juvenile who is learning how to be on its own.

I also enjoyed watching this seagull who was just hanging out on the rocks by us. He was enjoying the cool breezes.

And a treat to see this Oystercatcher, at this beach. It is always nice to go to this beach, less people and always a nice breeze, coming down the bay. I hope everyone enjoys the last days of summer, I can't believe how fast it went by.

Friday Finish!

 I finally finished my wool piece, a bit wonky as usual, and a bit darker than I wanted, but it does look better in person than in the photo. It is a design by Crane Designs called, Lighthouse Landing.

I also enjoyed watching the moon, I do wish I had been able to watch it rise from the beach,  it was beautiful as it came up.

This afternoon we finally got a chance to go to the beach. While I hunted for glass, I got to enjoy the race, around the island.

A few more from the race, lots of beautiful sails. I have been spending most of my time cleaning and getting the yard ready for a family get together. I seem to have gotten bitten by something and it gave me a reaction, so not being up to par all week, didn't help. So, guests will have to be happy with specialty pizzas from a local shop and a few side dishes. 

I hope you all had a nice week and a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

 Lately it seems I never have time to go online and when I do, it is to quickly scan and hopefully not miss anything. I usually try to catch up on blogs on the weekend so hopefully I can catch up on everyones news.

I decided to start an Americana piece this week, a design by Bird in the Hand Primitives. It was fun to do and small pieces are nice since I can add more to my walls. I traced it in reverse, I guess I placed the design backwards on the light pad, but it looks like either way.

And of course we spent afternoons at the beach when we could. Glass collecting, walks on the beach and nature.

One day I got more distracted by the antics of a pair of Great Egrets, so not as much glass that day. 

The gulls like to hang with them, always a chance of stealing food if they can get it.

And at one point they were doing their dance, but it was hard to catch them in the act.

In the distance on a large rock island, I spotted a lot of Cormorants. This is just a portion of the rock and you can see how many nests are there. 

And we finally got a chance to get to the Veterans Cemetery. My parents are there, Bills dad and second wife, as well as his brother Tom. It is a beautiful place to just walk around.

His brother is in the memorial wall, but it is a new section and they still haven't engraved names on any. The old graveyard is in the back and this sad section is the graves that died at Ladd School, formally called The School for the Feeble Minded. They finally closed it down, a time of horrors to the poor and mentally disabled.

Today we stopped at the main state beach to get passes for our cars. While we were down there, we stopped at another beach for a nice walk, perfect day but the tide was up, so not a good time for glass collecting.

And on a sad note, we said our goodbyes to Moki. He as a stray that wondered into my yard one day. Scared and hungry, and scarred up from battles. It took a few weeks before he fully trusted me and then he came in and stayed. We were not sure how old he was, but the vet said around 3 years. He was silly and loving and will be missed, but I know he is better off from his suffering. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I got a dragon kite for the boys, so hoping we can get out to try it.

Friday Finish!

 Another week went by too fast and a project I started, still needs to be finished. Tomorrow is Nick's first communion and since I am not vaccinated, I still wear a mask when I am around people. I started out wanting to wear a blue and white skirt, but realized I only have black shoes and purse and not in the mood to buy more, so I am going with a black and white skirt. I made up a couple of masks to go with it and these came out better than the last, so more comfortable. They look more bold in the photo, but the colors blend into the black, so good for church. I made a blue, just in case I need one and also good for doc visits, if I ever go to one, lol.

Spending time outside is what makes me happy and we get out, every chance that we can. Saturday we spend at a bird Sanctuary. Beautiful place to walk and beautiful views at the end points.

We saw a lot of birds, most were flying off, but I was able to grab a few shots. A Northern Cardinal, Yellow Warbler, Yellow Rumbed Warbler and a Swamp Sparrow.

They cleared a section on a point, so we were able to walk out and discover a hidden Osprey nest. She was looking down at me and not too happy that I had spotted her. The other nest is on the opposite side and further away.

We also met a few critters along the way, spotting three deer, hidden in the bush and a few snakes who were out on the paths, enjoying some sun.

On Sunday we took the boys out in the afternoon. They were all in for going to our new beach. They had fun exploring and Nick found quite a few good pieces this time.

And Grandma found her own good haul. A beautiful, large lavender and marbles.

Another day this week we found less and then checked another spot, we had heard about. Not a lot, but I found a few nice treasures. We also got to watch, as they put a few boats into the water.

Another day we went and the tide was out most of the way. I was able to walk up the beach, lots of homes but most are vacant till summer. While hunting, I just take my phone, easier to carry and I can snap shots on the go. 

My finds of the day. It seems the marbles always end up in the same area. I almost threw that black piece back, it really looks like a funny shaped rock, but I stuck it in my pocket and forgot, till I got home.

Well, good thing I did. I put it on a flashlight and this is what I saw. What a great find, but a shame that you can't see the color without a bright light. I definitely need to come up with a lighted shadow box for my dark treasures.

Today we went for a short visit, but I found some really large pieces of green bottle stems. The weekend is going to be cold and windy, so I doubt we will be beaching. I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy the week ahead. It looks like warm weather is heading our way, and hopefully in yours.

Friday Working on!

 

Another slow week, seems there is too much to do in a day and not enough time to craft. I am sure my afternoons at the beach is eating into that time, but time well spent. I have been working on my wool piece. I have to set things down and make sure everything is straight, sew a few things on and redo things for the next ones. 

The lighthouse looks off, but there will be a building on the side, so that will get hidden. I also do not like how the rocks look on the left. That is the layout, but I am thinking, I would rather take it out and make my own rocks to put there.

Last weekend we went to the beach and walked up and down the shoreline, not a lot on this day but it was a nice walk.

On the way home, we stopped at a Land Trust area to see what it was like. We ended up walking around the base trails. It was a nice area and a lot of trails we can explore on another day. It was the site of a mill, then a Girl Scout camp.

Today Bill got home earlier, so we spent the afternoon at our favorite new beach. Rarely anyone there and it has expansive views of the Newport shoreline.

The tide was coming in and the waves were splashing up large pieces of glass. Lots of greens today and the bottle top in the left corner, was a nice find. Pieces like that will be used in a display, I just like looking at those. I have been looking at shadows boxes for the darker pieces, something I can do art in, or display with light behind them, so you can see the color.

And another fun find at that beach, a Clam worm. I shot it with my iPhone and was glad it came out, so you can see a sea critter that lives in our bay. They are also used as worms for fishing.

At home I have been enjoying the spring migration. My regulars are coming back and the hummingbird is back. I was thrilled to see the Goldfinches are back. The Osprey is a shot on the way home from a beach day, he was enjoying a fish in a tree off the road.

I hope everyone had a good week and fun plans for the weekend. I am still fighting off a cold and my son said his is still hanging on, so hopefully we are both ok for next weekend. Nick will be taking his first communion and I found my son's silver cross that I had given him on his first communion. I polished it and plan on giving it to him that day, to wear.

Friday Finish!

 

Another week has gone by and a few more weeks for Christmas. I have gotten out my packages and most cards, so I can relax now.  I finally got a change to do the stitchery of the month, by Kathy Schmitz. I decided to use up the last of my balsam and making a pillow for my neighbor. 

I used glitter yellow thread on the stars and ties, to give it a fun pop.

At home I am still able to get out, even though the days are cooler, but the fresh brisk air, does wonders for my energy levels. We went to the docks to see what was going on and stumbled onto an event. They were doing a 24 hour polar plunge for Special Olympics. Every hour for 24 hours, they jumped in. Way too cold for me.

While waiting, I caught this guy.  He was trying to break it by dropping it in the sand, but he finally figured out, he had to drop it on the nearby rocks to crack it open.

Then we sat and watched the boats come in. The parking is at the entrance, so we can sit in the warm car and enjoy watching them.

The next day we went to Moonstone Beach. I haven't been in ages and wanted to see what it was like and do some birding. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed, I thought that was just during breeding season, so we couldn't stay. I got out to take a few picts of the beach and actually found a green piece of glass, laying on the ground. 

We drove down the back road and followed the coastline till we found a private beach that is open to all, off season. If you look at the photo above, you can see the house in the distance, that is where the other beach starts. 

And this is the beach we ended up going to. The tide was the lowest, I have ever seen, so we enjoyed looking through the rock piles for treasures. Not as much glass, but what we found was nice and a few large pieces. The house you could see in the last photo, is at the end of this beach.

And this is the house, it has been through a few hurricanes and been moved a few times. The original area was grassy with a lot of summer homes, but the ocean has claimed all but 3. The one next to it, was a carriage house and all that remained of the main house. 

Today I was out walking Bean and spied a hawk, scouting the area. Once he was gone, my feathered friends came back for the food I had put out. I hope you all had a wonderful week and can find your own ways to get out and explore your area.

The big guy is a Red Shouldered Hawk. Then a Dark Eyed Junco, White Breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse and another nuthatch.

Friday Finish and Finds!

 It seems each week goes by faster than the last, but I also seem to be busier than usual. I was able to finish my. newest creation, even if it wasn't exactly how it started out. When I work with roving, it is like reverse carving, I start with an idea and change things as I go.

This gnome is made with wool roving that a friend gave me,  a large hank with mixed colors and some glitter. I ended up going with a wizard for a halloween theme and I made him a little broom with craft twine.

We were able to get out for a hike last weekend. The trail starts a few feet away from where I grew up. When I was younger, we walked along the old stage coach road that went all the way past a farm and back onto the new route for cars. Now most of that is overgrown and they have made new trails in the area, that go to the old Girl Scout camp on the river. It was nice walk, but a bit wet and buggy.

One day took us to the Ocean beach, not a lot of treasures, but it was nice and cool and I enjoyed watching the Sandpipers,  running back and forth, in the waves.

Of course we spent more time at our favorite beach, a late afternoon stroll along the beach and a few treasures.

Another day I spotted the Egrets in the cove, but of course they flew off before I could get a close up.

And our best day this week, Bill had an appointment, so we got there at low tide. We got to spend more time as the tide was coming in and she was generous in what she threw up for us. You can see how high the tide was, as we left. That area is where the boys usually sit and hunt through the stone piles.

You can see that we got quite a bit of glass, especially some large pieces. Those came up with the higher tide. The large yellow-green piece is almost 3" long.

I hope you all had a good week and enjoy the upcoming weekend. We are taking next week off, it looks like a nice week and hopefully we will be doing some trips into Connecticut this time.