Vacation part II

 It seems my vacations make the need for a rest from the vacation. Lots of laundry, cleaning up the trailer and getting things done in and outside the house. I also feel like one week was not enough, it takes me a week to really relax, then it is time to go home.

I had planned on resting on Sunday and staying at camp, but it was a nice day with possible rain, so we went to Brunswick, which was the next town over. We were lucky enough to be in an area that had a back road to go up, and avoid the traffic on the scenic route.

Our destination was the swing bridge. We started on the opposite side, which had a paved walk along the river. 

It was a nice walk across, even though the wind made it move more than usual.

It also had nice views down the river.

And looking in the opposite direction.

We also noticed a dam and wanted to check it out. You can walk to it from the paths, but we went to the parking lot, that was close to it. 

And on the other side of the dam was a brewery. Brunswick is another nice town to visit. These were all free to see and they also have a lot of shops to explore. I hope you are enjoying following along with our adventures. I tend to find new things in each place we go and if you have any question about an area or the best places to go, I will be happy to help.

Friday Finish!

 First I wanted to say, I have not gotten any emails from the postings. I do enjoy reading your comments and hopefully I will figure out how to get them back, so I can respond. 

I needed a wreath for the front door and the ones in the stores, are just too cheesy looking. I have so much fabric, that I thought a rag wreath would be perfect and a good way to use my Americana fabrics. I used a wire wreath and cut the strips into 5" x 2" pieces. I made up three stars and sewed them up around the entire edge and cut a slit in the back. That way it kept the shapes better and no one can see the sewn up slit. The bow was an old piece of heavy ticking. I attached the items with a jewelry wire. Something fairly easy to make and a great way to use up fabric.

Last week we had a nice walk at the farm sanctuary. This time they had goats in a closed in pen. They were fun to watch and seemed to have fun watching us.

This one wanted our attention and followed us around.

And this one was just silly looking.

And this was was just too cute and pretty, makes me want one.

At the end of the field is another path that leads to saltwater inlets and a bay. I spotted a few shore birds in the inlet.

And a lot of Yellow Warblers in the trees, in that area.

I also got myself a new car, so I could get out more by myself. A Ford Bronco sport, so I can park easier and use off road if I want. I parked behind the old mill which is now home to different artists. The waterfall runs down the path in and goes to the larger pond.

I had no idea where the troll was, but when I got on the main path, I noticed a new path, so I went down that. It was a nice walk through the woods and then I noticed little foot prints on the trees, so I knew I was going the right way. It was fun seeing him and finding new paths to explore later.

I hope you all had a nice week and enjoy your weekend. We have a heat wave coming in and of course Bill has to work, so I will be getting things done in the trailer to get ready for camping, on the holiday weekend. 

Friday finish!

 

I finally finished my stitchery and it was a fun one to do. The design was a free coloring page by Karla Dornacher. I decided to color it on fabric and stitch around it. I made it into a wall hanging that I could put in my room, something inspirational to wake up to. You can click on the link to see Karla's page and sign up for her newsletter. She makes a lot of wonderful inspirational designs and tells wonderful inspirational stories about her life.

Last week we went on a hike to a forest in Connecticut. It was a little cool but it made for a brisk hike and kept me going. We went to the regular path and part way down, all I could see was a swamp, so we had to take the long way around to avoid that. Our first stop was the pond, along the way.

Our end point was another pond, that had a beautiful little waterfall. A great place to stop for a rest and snack break.

On the way back we passed by a lot of small streams and ponds. All the snow melt and rain, made for a lot more waterways. This is a fish hatchery that is open only to kids. Each year they have a fishing tournament  for them.

As we came through the woods, we stumbled onto the old sheds. Previously when we saw them, we had no idea what they were for. Now they have signs and this one was for explosives.

There is another one, further away. It was used to store the igniters and other tools.

Back at the main camp, we passed by the fishing bridge. As you can see, this stream was overflowing, so no one will be picnicking there, anytime soon.

I hope you all had a nice week. This week I will be getting ready for Easter. We always cook the meal since I have a special diet. I hope you all have a nice weekend and it looks like it might be warming up for a lot of you.

Friday Finish!

 This week I am still working on my quilt, and of course I know wish, I had machine quilted it. I have most of the main design done, but the smaller areas have no black outline, so I will have to do those in thinner, matching threads.

I grabbed another item out of my to do pile. This was a design by Lynette Anderson. I used to work punch needle pieces for her, for her booklets. This was one I never got around to and decided it was too much to do more.

Not the best job, rushed it and I did some with smaller needle and others with large, so didn't come out like I wanted. It was a circle, so I wanted to add a base to make it look like a snow globe, didn't quite work out, but it will have to do.

Last week we went to Connecticut. I enjoyed the ride and we were able to stop at the quilt store. I got some nice christmas print to use as a border on some of the quilts I am doing. Then we stopped at a pond to see the colors. They were nice, but not as bright as the previous week.

After we went to Comstock bridge and hiked up the hill. It has a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and river. But, not this year. The trees have taken over, so we could enjoy the views, but not get a clear view with the camera.

The next day we went to the kids to drop off a few things. The boys didn't want to go out, so we decided to head to the pond down the road. We go all the time, but have never walked around the pond. I was surprised at how nice the walk was and it was nice to be out without driving for hours.

The first thing we passed was the troll.

And came out to beautiful views of the pond.

On the opposite side is a waterfall.

And a side view of the area, in better light.

Coming around to the other side is a point with tall pines.

When we got back around, we went across the street and walked down the boardwalk to another pond. 

Today it was too windy to be at the beach or the woods. We went for a drive and ended up at the ocean. The tide was coming in and the waves were coming up. I hope everyone had a nice week and not hit with the flooding that some areas got.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been working on hand quilting, on a cheater quilt for the fall. I am stitching around the designs, so almost half way done and should be done by next week. While camping we stopped at Herman Melville's house and museum. We didn't take the tour since we had Bean with us, but we were able to go in the gift shop. I got myself a whale cookie cutter and tried it out this week.

I decided to add a Christmas hat on him, for fun. Then I glued him to a small piece of driftwood. I did an AI background so the driftwood is thicker than it actually is. It was fun to try, but I think I do better when I freeform my pieces, cookie cutters have their limits.

This was Melville's home, where he wrote, Moby Dick. There are also fields and paths to walk on the property.

We got to go on another bike ride. This time we did the upper area, between two towns, so we enjoyed a quiet ride. It goes through a lot of wetlands, so we saw lots of critters in the ponds and marsh birds.

It also went through wooded areas and then along a river.

Another day we went to the Natural Bridge park. The natural bridge was formed by years of glacial melt.

And this bridge was built by man, roped off since it is dangerous now.

And while shooting photos, I noticed this strange formation, caused by the waters carving it out, over the years.

We did ride along the Mohawk Trail. There are a few stops with views of the mountains, nearby and you can see some of the ones in the surrounding states.

We spotted this sculpture, along the way. 

Another place we visited was an area called Greylock Glen. We found a beautiful waterfall, and also the park nearby. There are paths at the park and ones that take you to Mount Greylock, so we walked around a pond and enjoyed the mountain views.

Another place we visited was the Norad mill, which houses 3 floors of shops. We went to the pet store and Bean got a new toy and a bag of cookies. Then I went to the candy store and got the boys some treats.

It was a wonderful place to stay and the area has a lot to offer for outdoor adventures. We stayed at Mount Greylock campground, similar to a state park with spacious sites, but more amenities. 

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoying the fall weather.

Vacation: Part two

We got to see a lot of things and visit new places, too many to show. A lot of the views were on the ride and a lot of places have no place to stop for photos, so I just enjoyed the ride and the mountains in the distance. Lots of river ways and lakes are in the area. 

The bad thing in NH is most lakes and ponds are private, but we did find one that was free. Surry lake is a large lake with a boat launch and beach and it is free to the public. We stopped and let Bean get out for a walk but it was a little cooler and windy that day, so I wasn't in the mood to swim.

We started that day with a ride up the river to Bellows Falls. It is a historic town on the Vermont side. I wanted to see the old mill and get a photo. I was surprised at how beautiful the area was and also a lot of industry with the dam and fish ladder.

What I loved was the paintings on the buildings. This one depicts the town in a time, gone by.

At the mill area, I spotted a lot of paintings along the walls.

The mill museum.

As we walked by the building, I noticed a road and pathways along the river. They had a park in the back with gardens and viewing areas. This town is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. The only thing I regret is, I found out I missed something. When I got back on Facebook that evening, a link popped up for the area. There are petroglyphs on the rocks below the dam area, I wish I had been able to see them.

After that, we headed inland to check out another place I found on the map. It is called Vilas Pool Park. They were getting ready to open next month, but we were allowed to walk around. It is another free place to picnic and swim, but they do have a donation box.

It has a small parking area and you walk across the falls, on a bridge.

The surprise was a bell tower up on the hill. They opened it up for us and the girls rang the bell. I asked, shouldn't it play a song, there are multiple bells. I guess the girls were new and when I walked inside, I saw the mini piano. So, I played a bit of the first noel, which was fun. As we walked back to the car, I heard the bells ringing and playing different songs. Now that the girls learned it could play songs from the charts they had, they were trying them out, lol.

I pick an area I want to visit and look for things along the way. The last day we took it easy and drove to the Connecticut river and found a nice path along the river. When we got back I rested, since I was still a bit sick. Then I hopped in my kayak and took a leisurely ride up river. I always feel better on the water and I got a nice surprise. I spotted a young Green Heron, fishing on the shore. 

On the way home we took the scenic route. I wanted to take a midway break at the Quabbin reservoir in Massachusetts. We took the wrong way in and got confused on which was to go for a parking lot and there was no reception in the park, so we had to turn around to get out, not easy to maneuver a trailer on park roads. I did enjoy a few views and plan on going back. We can camp closer to the area and visit all the towers and viewpoints at the park. Sadly, no dogs are allowed, so car watching is all we can do.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the beautiful places we visited. Enjoy the rest of your week and hopefully I will have my project I started, finished by Friday. I have been busy cleaning up and getting ready for the fourth.