Vacation part III

 I tend to pack a lot in a week, I love seeing new places and there is plenty to do in the Freeport area. Less than a half hour, we went to Mackinac Island for a walk around their paths.

The paths go around the island, so a lot of views of the ocean and the islands. We could see an island in the distance. On one was an old fort.

I realized when I got in closer, there were seals, sunning on the rocks.

There were lots of places to get to the shore, so Bean loved that.

Another day we went for a paddle on a lake above Brunswick. It started on a river, into a nice sized lake. It was a bit windy and I forgot to get my seat cushion and gloves, so it was a wonderful paddle, except for being uncomfortable.

And one day we went for a bike ride on the Lisbon rail trail. It was a nice paved path, along a river with waterfalls along the way. The nice thing about paved trails is, we can take Bean in the carriage.

On the way back we saw a big dam. A lot of rivers with dams to control the waters, during rainy and dry seasons.

And every day after dinner, we went for walks. There were a lot of new trails in the camp, that went through fields, into woods and up and down stairs. I definitely got a lot more exercise that week. Now it is just hot, too hot to even go paddling, so hoping to do some swimming this weekend. 

Friday finish!

 

It took two days of constant stitching, but I finally finished my quilt. This quilt was made, years ago. I had originally made it too long, so I took a few rows out and added the border to make it more of a lap quilt. I had planned on quilting it last summer, so it would be done for my friend's birthday. Unfortunately she passed last spring, so I gave up on making it for a while, but decided I wanted to finish it now. She will not be able to receive it, but it will be my memory of our friendship over the years.

I used an AI program to add a different background, but it added a thin dark piece to the edge, so that is not really there, just the green border. 

Last weekend we went out for a ride around the beaches, something fun to do when the weather isn't great. We were able to see a few of the locals, while there.

On Sunday we went to the fish hatchery in Connecticut. They have cut down more areas, so there were more paths to walk around. We were lucky to spot the resident eagles in their usual spot on the telephone poles. 

Lots of birds in the area, but it was hard to get close enough without them flying away. Here are a few, I was able to catch and some scenes along the river. There was a new Osprey, nesting on a pole, the eagles were not too happy about it.

During the week we had a nice day, so Bill came home early and we headed to the point in town. Beautiful views of the bay.

And in that photo, in the far background to the right, this is what we came to see.

And this rock was loaded with seals. There were others on smaller rocks and in the water, so we got to enjoy watching them, even though they are far away.

And Bean got to enjoy the walk and playing in the bay. Way too cold, but he has no sense. I hope everyone got to enjoy their week and the eclipse. We had a good view from our porch and I was able to get glasses in time, to watch it. Enjoy your weekend and hopefully Spring will be staying this time.

Friday Finish!

 I hope everyone had a good week and was able to create and enjoy some good weather. I know so many areas are getting hit with tornados and snow still. We have rain and nice days, on and off, so I try to get out when I can and create when I can.

This week I am still working on my needle felting piece. It seems the easier a project, the harder it is for me. I decided to take a break and try some fun eggs to use at Easter. I just made two to try it, so I will make more so everyone has one to place their cup on. It is a fun and fast project and a great way to decorate the table.

Great way to use up scraps. You can find the free pattern here: American Quilting and Patchwork.

Being able to get out, has started to make me feel better. I enjoy being outside and the walking is helping to build up my strength. Last weekend we stopped at a preserve and enjoyed a walk and bird watching. There is also a farm to the side and I love to see the ponies.

We also stopped at the ocean and enjoyed watching the waves and spotted another nesting Osprey.

 

During the weekday, we went to another preserve and walked to the coast, and spotted a couple of seals on the rocks. The tide was higher, so we missed seeing more, since it was later in the day.

Another day we walked along the bike path and into the wooded area, to the bay. We spotted more birds and another Osprey heading back to the nest.

Today we went to the island for some beach combing, not much to find since the tide was coming back in. We did spot more Ospreys, this one was at the park we visit. Also, a couple of gulls sitting on the big rock, in the bay.

Near the park is a farm and another nest was being readied by its occupants. Another Osprey was trying to get into the nest so this one decided to sit it out, while the other two battled it out. I think one was trying to steal the sticks, maybe the one from the first nest. The first nest is usually huge, but the winds blew most of it away, so they have to rebuild.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and get a chance to get out and explore. With everything that is going on in the world, finding peace in nature, is the best way to unwind and find a balance.

Nativity Cross Stitch Freebie!

I took one of the designs that I made, and converted it into a cross stitch. I changed a few things and added a bird to this one. It actually took me awhile since Bean has a tendency to want to get in my lap when I am on the computer and then he hits the keys and messes up the design, so I have to redo things.

I hope you like it and I enjoy working with my cross stitch program so I can get better at designing things for the cross stitch lovers. If you make a piece, from any of my designs, I would love to see it. I used colors so you could see the design better, so no set colors, just ones I grabbed from the color picker.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we went for a walk at a local trail that leads to the bay. I left my good camera at home since the seals are too far away to get nice shots. What I didn't know was that I would find seals basking on a rock, close to the shoreline. I will not leave my camera at home, in the future. I had to use my pocket camera on zoom so not the best shot.

Bean Loved the walk, he met lots of people and dogs and jumped on lots of people and dogs, lol. He gets so excited on walks, and he loved running on the beach and digging holes in the sand.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and are blessed with friends and family at your tables. We will have our daughter but my DIL is still mad at me, so they are not coming. I want to thank everyone again for the well wishes and blessings, it warms my heart to know I have so many friends around the world.

Weekend Wanderings Giveaway!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, we had one day with rain and one beautiful day, so we were able to get out and enjoy some fun this weekend.

Saturday started out nice, but I knew that we were going to get rain, so I thought it would be a good day for the aquarium. We were able to walk around outside for a bit, then when the rains came, we enjoyed the indoor exhibits. I even sat through a 4D preview movie, very fun but I am not sure I would want to watch a whole movie that way. They also had bubbles, no idea why they did that, lol.

The seals were being silly and giving us quite the show with their antics.

Even the fish in the tanks were being silly. Not sure what this silly guy was thinking as he stared out at me.

I finally figured out if I turned off my flash, I could get better photos of the fish in the tanks. I will have to work on learning more about settings and practice each time I go. I love the seahorses, maybe a future design idea.

And even the penguins were being silly and fun to watch.

Sunday was Gillette Castle Day. I wanted to go back and walk around the grounds and old railway paths. I almost missed this, until someone pointed up to it, can you see what I saw?

And to the right of this kitty, there is another. William Gillette loved cats and the castle was filled with real kitties. He has an interesting life story and history in theater and the beginnings of motion pictures.

There are over one hundred acres and he had over 3 miles of trails for his miniature train,  that you can walk on.

And we stumbled onto the path with a tunnel, it as a bit creepy since it was so dark inside, so I made Bill go first, then Dani, then I followed, lol.

I made Dani crouch down so I could get a photo of the inside. I used a flash and this is the only photo with orbs. I also lightened it, so you could see the interior, it was almost pitch black, walking through. Nothing in the tunnel to reflect from and nothing on my camera, so who knows?

And speaking of ghosts, look who we met up with, on the way back, Sherlock and his wife Mary.

The next stop was to be a ferry ride, across the river, but the road was closed, which meant driving around a longer route. Since I wanted to go to the swing bridge, I looked on the map and saw that we were closer, just driving up to it. We had to take a detour, so much for saving time. Then when we got there, we saw a line and the sound of sirens. So, we gave up on waiting to go over the bridge and drove around the cars and parked on the banks further down and walked up for a nice view of the bridge and the river.

Then we decided to go see the waterfall at Devil's Hopyard before heading home. The falls were beautiful and a nice way to relax at a long day.

Unfortunately we were too early for foliage, but we got to enjoy a nice walk around the falls and then across the covered bridge.

And now for this week's giveaway. You can use the smiling fish or the penguins and give me a caption for either photo. Or you can do one for each and put them in separate comments for two chances to win. The winner will get their choice of any of my epatterns or booklets.I will pick a name and announce a winner on my friday posting.

Seal Watching!

Today was the perfect day for a walk, a warm sun and a cool breeze off the bay.
We lucked out and came at low tide, so we were treated by the seals who love to sit on the rocks in the middle of the bay.

There is a rocky area that pops up during low tide. This is just a part of it, the tide was still going out. From the shore, you can see a few blobs, that might be seals.

On closer inspection,  I found one little guy, sunning himself.

Then after we sat for awhile and the tide lowered, the rest of the gang showed up. How many seals can fit on one rock? LOL Before we left there were seals on all of the rocks. This is when I wish I had a higher zoom.

Sunday's Stroll!

Blessings come in the little things and for me, in the nature and beauty around me.
Today we went for a walk at Rome Point, a great place for me to get some exercise and to enjoy a beautiful day.

It is still cool enough for the seals to be in the bay. They come out when the tide is down, to sit on the rocks, but it was still high when we went. There was enough room for two seals to enjoy some fun in the sun.



I wish I could get a better close up, but I have to use full zoom to see them. In the summer when we paddle, they are gone.



After we go to the point, we walk the path that goes around the inner cove and into the woods. The area used to be a farm, so there are stone walls and remnants of old buildings scattered about the grounds. We took a new path and I found a tree spirit;)



And on another path we explored, we walked through areas of huge rocks that were shaped by the glaciers. And then we entered a bramble area and were delighted with a family of deer. I don't think they were used to people walking on these paths, and disappeared into the thicker areas. I hope you enjoyed a walk with me today.

Seals!

Today I finally got out for a walk and was so glad that I did.
Not only did I feel so much better, getting out in the fresh air, but I got to see some wonderful sights.

This place is called Rome Point and has a nice wide path that leads out to the bay.
We walked along the beach area and then took the path that leads to the point, at the end.



This guy was out laying his traps, with a little help from his seagull friends.



And this is what we got treated with, when we reached the point. Seals basking on the rocks. I had to use a telephoto on full zoom to get them, so not the best shots.



I went to take a shot of the birds on the big rock and didn't realize, until I saw the photo on the screen, there were more seals basking on the rocks below.



I took a photo of a line of rocks with seals. I can only see so far, since I am nearsighted, so it was fun to see what I captured on the camera. This is the right side of the line. The guy on the right must have his own little rock just below the surface.



Then on the other side of the photo, I captured the rest of the gang. It seems like you see one or two and then notice more and more that are disguised by the rocks.



And since I showed you a picture of me, that was 20 years old, I let my husband take a shot while I was enjoying the view.