Weekend shopping!

This weekend was cold and windy, so no walking on the beach or hiking on hills, and we need to get ready for Thanksgiving, so we went shopping.

The problem is, I never found anything that I was looking for but I did find a few new things for Christmas, lol. On Saturday we went to the shop to drop off our tapes, which was housed in an old mill. If you are ever in the Mystic, Stonington area, it is worth a visit.

It is called the Velvet Mill and hours various businesses, including crafts and antiques, as well as, a brewery that has kegs for tables. On Saturdays in the winter, they have an indoor flea market with various food vendors and crafts. A great place to spend a few hours on those cold days.

I didn't find anything interesting, but I knew there was a thrift store in the area, so of course we stopped there and I found a few things to decorate with. The nice thing about thrifts is I can buy things for a couple of dollars and not feel bad when I get sick of looking at them.

Here are the items I found, 2.00 dollars for each item. The ornament has a little girl in a bed with a kitty, I couldn't resist that. The small creche is perfect to add to my collection and I can add some items to it. The tree is a two piece wooden tree, not sure if I should leave as is or prim it up. I do like the fun look and maybe decorate around it, to have something the kids would like.

On the way home we stopped at the antique store, I needed some more lavender. They have a section with new items and lots of booths, so of course we had to walk around to see what was new. I didn't see anything else that I wanted or needed, but I thought these mini cast iron stoves were nice, I know someone who collects them, but too pricey for me.

On Sunday we went to the Bees Buzz, another antique barn with booths that has new and old items. I was thrilled to see a new vendor who had roving, and wonderful curly locks that I can use for sheep or beards. They look yellowed in the photo.

Another vendor sells handmade pottery and I love the coloring, but there is never anything I can use. This time I spotted a toothbrush holder and it is something I need and beautiful blue/brown hues to match my bathroom colors.

Next weekend is a large craft fair at Sturbridge Village and I thinking about going, but they charge to get in. I do not understand that, I am going to buy things, so why do I have to pay to shop? I can go to a prim store or the vendors and buy from them without an extra fee, money I would use to buy something, so I am not sure if it is worth it? One of the vendors will be Sassafras Hill Primitives, her booth looks wonderful.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are hosting the family and friends and I am sitting here wondering how I am going to get this house clean and cook food in three days, ugh. I work well under pressure and good at hiding dirt if I have to, lol. May you all be blessed with friends and family or a nice quiet day enjoying some stitching.

Vacation sights!

It is a good thing I take photos, or I would forget what I did, lol. My short term is on the fritz, but I have been on meds again and slowly getting back to my normal. We did a lot in a day, a lot of driving so we didn't get to go to as many places as I wanted, but we did enjoy some wonderful rides and sights.

One thing is, Bean is getting tired of having to stop to have his photo taken, so he is becoming a smart alec. I wanted to take a photo of them walking through the Lupines, that are all over the islands. So, when I told them to smile, this is what I got.

One day we drove to Acadia to walk to Bar Island. The island is accessible at low tide only, so you can walk across to the island and hike up to the top and we made it at the right time, this year. The problem was getting a parking space, there were none. We drove a street up and found one, right at the access road, so much better than parking in town. 

The walk was fun and cooling with the cross breezes and the views at the top of the island, were spectacular. This is looking down at the sand bar and Bar Harbor. We also went to Thunder Hole and the tide was just right to watch the waters come in and pound into the hole. You can see a video on my You Tube Channel.

On the day we went to Nervous Nellies, we also stopped at the Haystack School. They have a public area that you can walk down the stairs, to enjoy the views. The school has art classes and beautiful condo style lodgings on the sides of the hills. 

The last stop was the Tennis Preserve, which I thought was an easy walk, but turned out to be a long walk and lots of hills, roots, rocks and mosquitos, but the views are beautiful. 

On rides we saw some beautiful sites, this field of flowers had a gorgeous view and I think it may be a future design element. 

And at one causeway, we spotted these boaters. Something seemed off to me, and I stopped for a closer look, can you see why? 

We also did a hike up the quarry, we had a path, right from the camp. It was fun climbing around and exploring and this is the view we had, haha. The board shows you what you are supposed to see.

We also stopped in Castine to enjoy the views from the docks and the forts. One reason we like that area is because they have a wonderful dog beach and we explored that for awhile and I even found three small sand dollars, I never knew they were up this far north, now I do. Bill and Bean are exploring the old fort.

I did take a lot of photos, boats and scenery, but the fog kept getting on my lens and leaving spots, so a pain to clean up, someday I will get to them and some might end up in a design. One thing I love is sunsets, and we were able to get another clear night and headed up to the hill to watch it. The sad thing was, when we got to the turn off, the police had it blocked off. There was a bad accident with one driver getting killed, so we headed back and watched it as we drove down the road. I was able to find a spot that the sun was still coming through and I loved the colors in the sunset and sky. 

Tomorrow I will finish with our paddle and last day, I hope you are enjoying seeing a little of what the Downeast area of Maine has to offer.

Art in Maine!

The one thing that you see a lot of in the Blue Hill, Stonington area is art studios. Lots of painters and pottery but I avoided most of the galleries since they are a bit pricey. Then there are the places that sell pieces that are slapped together to sell to the tourists, not what I would buy.

There is one place that is a must stop, if you are in the area. It is called Nervous Nellies Jams and Jellies. I knew they had art done by Peter Beerit, but I didn't realize how extensive the art and displays were, until we arrived. Peter came to Deer Island to start a jelly business and little by little, he has been creating sculptures from found items and building towns based on his travels.

The minute you come in, you are greeted by this lovely couple for a cup of tea.

Bill and Bean are spending time in the jail for smiling too much.

The sheriff is relaxing in his office, unaware of what is going on outside.

Unbeknownst to the sheriff, a jailbreak is in progress.

There are characters in every building and the surrounding areas. This guy is just chilling.

The piano Player....

Bill is getting his fortune told.

After a stop to get some jelly and maple syrup, we found an entire scene of characters, including a castle.

And back to Peter's studio, where a group of characters, were swapping the local gossip, on his porch.

It is a wonderful place to visit and Peter's art is sure to put a smile on your face. He is continually adding to his towns and characters, and there is much more than I have shown here, and more to come. He also has living characters, who visit the bird feeders, that is builds. This little guy was enjoying his perch, waiting for us to leave, so he could raid the bird feeder.

I hoped you enjoyed seeing a bit of Nervous Nellies with me. More to come this week, places we visited, our adventures and misadventures.

Anniversary Camping!

Well, we made it back, the week seemed to go by too quickly, but it is nice being at home and having my modern conveniences again. I went tired, spent the week tiring myself out and been going non stop since we got home, so I am tired, lol.

Since we did a lot and I have lots of photos, I will be doing more blogs this week of our adventures. Today I will give you the low down on the camp. First we had a beautiful spot on the water with wonderful views. The bad thing was, it was so foggy the first few days that we couldn't enjoy the views and the fog was so thick, it was like rain and we were cold and everything was wet.

Of course Bean had no problem with that, the minute we got there and he saw the beach, he was ready to go, he loved playing and exploring. Another wonderful thing about Old Quarry is, he is a dog lover and Bean could go off leash anywhere he wanted, as long as he behaved. Of course Bean was thrilled to have the freedom and meet lots of new people and their dogs.

If you would like to see a video of our camp and the surrounding area, you can go to my YouTube Video. I have others, but need to put them up.

We had come here because it is a kayaking center, and there are islands all around to explore.  I was not sure I could handle a long paddle and the fog was not something I wanted to get lost in. But, lots of others were going out and enjoying the area, I do wish I had longer since I was feeling better by the end of the week.

The fog did lift and one morning we were up to see the lobster men, putting in their pots.

On our anniversary we had dinner on the dock and a wonderful view, as well as lobster fresh from the ocean.

And with the fog ending, we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset from the docks. Even with the fog, we were able to get out for walks and exploring, further inland. We also got to do a few things that we missed on previous trips, as well as find some fun new places, so I hope you will come back and follow along, as I post more this week.

I really enjoyed camping at Old Quarry, but it would be better in warmer weather, which is why they are always booked. The other down side was, the owner just had lung surgery and our camp fire goes straight to his bedroom, so no fires after 9pm. That is when we like to relax and just sit by the fire and with the cooler air, I really missed having one. It just wasn't worth having one while it was light out and then have to put it out. The other bad thing was, everything is far away, so we spent more time traveling than I would have liked. I hope everyone had a wonderful week!

Must be Monday!

It seems I got nothing accomplished this weekend, having my family home is too distracting;) I had plans to go shopping at my favorite primitive store and there was a for sale sign on the door, very disappointing. The good thing was, I did a search for stores in the area and found out that another store that had closed was under new ownership. We went yesterday and I spent hours going up and down the aisles and revisiting booths. It is a mix of new and antiques so lots of eye candy. No photos allowed but if you are ever in the Rhode Island area, it is worth a visit. It is a large 2 story building filled with booths from vendors that sell antiques and craft items. It is called A Bee's Buzz and I am definitely going back since they have an ever changing stock.

I love going down back roads when we go places,  you never know what you will find. In Stonington Connecticut we passed by a park and enjoyed a short walk along the path. Bean loves walks and was happy to get out of the car for a bit.

The path goes around a marsh and pond, but it was way too cold to do the entire walk and I think all the critters went underground.

I got back to working on my punch needle today. It looks like a mess from the back;) I am usually too tight and close so I am working on spacing better. When I am finished, I look at the piece from the front  with and see if there are any gaps and fill them up, if needed. This is a large piece, I had to put it on my rug hooking frame, luckily it turns so that makes it easier as I work. It is over 7" tall.

Tonight I was trying to get things done and Bean was trying to annoy me. He has calmed down a lot but tonight he was in high gear and running around the house. I gave him a biscuit and I think that is what made him hyper, so no more of those.

Looking for a fun, quilted project to do? Check out The Patchsmith's blog for a quilted Christmas tree tutorial.

Good Friday!

Today was truly Good Friday. It was a beautiful day and I was having a good day, health wise. A day like today is when I truly feel blessed. We went for a ride down the back roads to the prim store, that will be the second part of my post tomorrow. Then we went to Stonington Connecticut. It is a town on a peninsula and filled with historic homes that line the streets, which are so narrow, we had to pull over to let others pass. But it was well worth the drive down the narrow streets to get to the point, for a view of the Atlantic Ocean.

I took this photo with my iphone and noticed the rainbow of light coming down from the top, truly ethereal.

There is also a lighthouse museum, but it isn't open till next month.

After enjoying our visit at the Connecticut ocean, we rode back to Rhode Island and took a walk at the bird sanctuary. It was a bit windy and cool, but it was a nice brisk walk. Before we left the Stonington area, I saw a thrift store, of course I had to stop. I found a couple of yards of wool from one of the stores that closed a few years ago, only 3.00 for new wool, not bad. It is a tan brown, but looks grayer in the photo.

Anniversary Winners!

First of all, I will announce the winners. Patti of Winding Vine Wanderings, the first comment and the first right answer is the winner with Piping Plovers. Now, the island has fences all around it and signs that say, not to go in the areas of the piping plovers, so duh to me, lol. They are so cute, they look like little chicks, but with pretty markings.  Patti, please send me your choices of two epatterns or ebooklets.

The winner of the random number generator is #11, Valerie of The Wooden Acorn!
Valerie, please send me your choice of an epattern or booklet.
Thank you to everyone who commented and played along and for the Well Wishes. This year was our 37th and hopefully we have many more ahead of us.

As for yesterday, I was going to take it easy, but I loved going to the island so much, I had to go back. During the weekends it is too crowded, so being able to go when there is room to park, was a treat for me.

If  you noticed the scenery behind the gull in yesterday's picture, you will see a point, off in the distance, that was our destination. Things look a lot closer than they are and this was no exception, lol. The paddle up was nice, we stayed close to the shoreline and enjoyed the views.

Here Bill is enjoying the views and watching the boats coming through the channel. I think he should move;)

We made it to the point, here is the Stonington Lighthouse Museum, if you visit the link, you can see some interesting displays that they have there. When we got to the end of the point, the water changed, a lot rougher and windier out in the open waters. I decided it was too much for me, so it was time to turn around.

As we paddling back down the coast, I decided it would be quicker and fun to surf back to the island. Well, when you enter the channel, the waves got a lot higher and were churning back and forth between the tide changing and the boat waves. I don't know if you call it surfing, but I was paddling like a mad lady and bracing with my legs to keep the boat steady and flying across the waves. And it was a lot longer across than I thought, so I was exhausted by the time I got to the island.

Since I could not take photos and paddle in this water, I made Bill go back out and paddle in, so I could take a photo, lol. I am such a mean wife, but he loved it, his boat is larger and taller in the front, than mine.

And here is a photo of the waters in the main areas, this is more my style, nice rolling waters.

At the island, we enjoyed the views, a swim in the calmer waters, all types of sea birds and a nectarine for lunch. Fresh fruit is a great pick me up, after a tough paddle. In all we paddled about 6 miles, so today was a rest day, if cleaning and cooking is considered rest;) This weekend, I will be back out on the water and paddling along the coast in our bay.

Sailors pray, For fair winds and a following sea The smell of salt in the air, The feel of their skin as it's touched by the spray An albatross soaring above, Dolphins in the ship's wake at play To witness a work of art that only God can create, The sunset at the end of day At night a million stars in the sky, Safe anchorage in an islands lee When the time comes to die as for all it must, To awake in Sailors Heaven where nothing ever rusts And always there would be, Fair winds and a following sea