Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to make some lavender pillows with a design by Cheri Saffiote. It is part of a larger pattern and I reduced the chickens to fit a small pillow. I was thinking of someone who likes chickens, as a gift for Christmas. 

We also spent a few afternoons at the beach. The surf was rough at one beach, so not great for swimming. We were able to find space at another on the quieter side, so it was nice to swim in calmer water with a sandy bottom. I was amused by this young, Great Black-Backed gull, squawking behind his mother, I guess it was it's first time swimming.

Of course I found a few treasures while walking on the shoreline. One item was hidden in the sand, looks like a can opener, but too big, still trying to figure out what it is. It is not solid, it is thinner and molded in the back, so wouldn't be a great tool.

And I am enjoying, all the young birds who are visiting now. A couple of Chipping Sparrows resting in the tree.

I also spotted a Goldfinch, feasting on my neighbors sunflowers, and a young Bluejay has been coming to visit.

Some birds are harder to ID, but this young house sparrow came with it's dad, who had the red coloring. The young Bluejay is a curious fellow. I hope you enjoyed seeing what I have been up to and my feathered visitors. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to use up some precut pennies that I had from my stash and some from a friend. I still have lots of wool, so it is fun to use what I have and make something new. I decided to do stitcheries on the pennies and used a loose chain stitch so it has a bit of a rope look. It seems a lot bolder since I used a lighter floss but I did wash antique medium over them, to tone it down. The camera seems to pick up more lightness. 

I just added what fit on the back of the piece I had and made it up, as I went along. It was fun to do and a nice way to keep my hands busy while I watched tv.

Over the weekend we had a family get together. My sister got a trip home for her Christmas present from her daughter and son in law, so they came this week, to visit and some sight seeing. My brother and nephew, as well as my son and family, so it was nice to have family get together. It was hot, so we enjoyed time under the trees when the breezes picked up.

I also spent some time at the beach. One day it was sunny and warm, so great for swimming, the next was cloudy and cool, which was so nice with all the humidity we have had. I even found a few treasures. 

Today we had an early dinner and went to the beach later. It wasn't as hot but the waves were rougher. I was able to slip into the ocean for a quick swim, in between the waves and found a few pieces of glass that the waves threw up. More heat for the weekend, so we won't be outside as much. It seems we wait all winter for summer, then it is too hot to be outside. I hope you all have a nice weekend and a break from the heat.

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.

I hope everyone had a nice week and holiday. We stayed home and got some things done, which we usually don't have time for, when we are running around. We have family coming in next week, so plans for a family get together for next weekend. 

I have been working on my seaport piece, still in the works and I may add a few of my own touches. I got the new stitchery from Kathy Schmitz, so I decided to make that this week. I am sticking with a theme for her yearly contest, mine is hot pads. They will be nice for gifts, at Christmas.

This one is a garden bunny and I have a few relatives that like gardening and bunnies. I like giving them a pop of color since others like bright and cheerful decor. I still need to stitch up the outer edge, I like having a bit of a bump there, so they can place things on it, without them sliding off. For some reason the blue marker does not want to go away, so I keep pressing it with a damp cloth and eventually it will go away.

I have been getting a lot of new birds at the feeder, lots of young on their own now, but I still get the ones who make a racket to be fed. In these photos are, a Baltimore Oriole, a Northern Flicker ( first time photo of one in my yard), Red Bellied Woodpecker, and a Blue Jay. 

I hope everyone has a good week. Hopefully I can get out for some paddling and time with the boys.

Friday Finish!

 I can't believe it is July, already. A holiday weekend coming up and I have no plans and no plans to go out in the traffic and crowds that will be hitting the beaches. The kids have been sick all week, so we won't be able to get together. 

I keep busy at home, always something to do and working on projects in my spare time. I am almost finished with my seaport applique, and all I will have to do is the accent stitching and I will be done. I decided to make something quick, I can always use more lavender sachets and I love the simple and prim designs by Deborah Cade. 

We spent a few afternoons at the beach. It seems there are more people now and less glass, but still a nice place to walk since it has a Long Beach. We enjoy watching the boats and wind surfers and of course, finding treasures along the way. I saw a little head sticking out of the sand and pulled out a gingerbread man.

This week I have had a lot of activity with the Baltimore Orioles. The youngsters are coming out and this particular one was full of energy and was picking on its sibling.

It is hard to tell the sex at a young age, but the males will turn a beautiful orange color. This guy was enjoying a mouthful of grape jelly.

Last night, one forgot to follow the others home and decided to hide out on my porch. It hid beneath the feeding basket and fell asleep for the night.

Another regular visitor is a chipmunk that lives next door. He scurries under the fence and comes to fill his cheeks. The other day, Bean scared him when he went to chase the squirrel, this little guy was at the feeder and started running and Bean chased him. This week I have been training Bean to not chase the chipmunk or the bunnies in the yard and he will stop when I say no, so that is good. He won't hurt them, he just stays on their tail till they clear the yard.

Happy Canada day to my friends across the border! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.

Vacation Week!

Vacations do not last long and it seems, all my plans fall through and we end up doing something else. Today it was nice out but when we got to the beach, it was cool, so we walked a little and headed home. This weekend will be hotter, so hopefully some swimming with the boys.

Yesterday we headed back to Newport to visit some a few places for hiking and birding. The first stop was at Miantonomi Park. I found the back area with pathways and lots of birds in the area, but they were either hiding or flew off.

There is a tower at the top of the hill, and it is a nice walk. It would be nice if the tower were open, I can imagine how great the views would be. The tower is a World War1 Memorial.

The third photo is a beach we stopped at. I had heard it was a good glass beach. It is called pebble beach and I could see why, nothing but rocks and pebbles, no glass and the tide was high. Beautiful views though.

Our main stop was at Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge. It has paths that run along the point and some that go into the bush, for bird watching. This is the path leading to the point.

A few views along the way, as well as a few beach heads, that we stopped to explore. With high tide, no glass was found.

And we saw a lot of birds and a few I had not seen before. Did I get any photos of them, of course not, they hid or flew away, not my day for bird photos. But I did get a couple who stayed still long enough for me to focus and a few baby bunnies were along the paths.

I haven't had any time to stitch at night, so I will catch up on projects next week. I did get to see the new baby Red-Bellied Woodpecker. It was flapping it's wings like crazy and squawking for food, but Dad didn't seem to pay attention and just filled himself. 

I hope you all have a good weekend. 

Vacation happenings!

 

A vacation at home can be tiring, today I crashed, lol. We have been keeping busy and then I come home and keep up around home. I thought I would do an extra post tonight since I have so many photos and hopefully more to come later. I haven't had any time to do any projects, but sometimes it is good to take a break and then I can get back into the projects I haven't finished.

We took a hike at a local bike path, we went off onto a path that leads to a beach and walked the beach. We spotted this Snowy Egret, along the way.

Another day we went to a farm sanctuary. There is a paved area to walk around, but we found a new path in the back, that goes through grapevine covered areas and an estuary. Lots of birds in the area and I was able to catch a few. A Song Sparrow, Red-Winged Blackbird and a Goldfinch. 

The farm has a few donkeys and horses, I just love this little donkey.

On Monday we headed to Newport to visit Colt State Park, which is further up in Bristol. It is a beautiful park, lots of places to walk and expansive views of the bay. A great place to spend the day with family.

I was trying to get a photo of the weathervane and this Osprey decided to get into the picture.

Yesterday we went for a paddle at a salt water pond, that opens to the ocean. We enjoyed paddling around the little islands and landed on a strip that had a path, to the ocean side. Coming back, I spotted this pair of Horseshoe crabs, I guess it is breeding season.

Along the way, I spotted all different types of shore birds. There are also fenced off areas for the piping plovers, but I wasn't able to spot any babies, they are too well hidden. I did spot a few foraging along the shoreline, a Willet, Piping Plover and a White-Rumped Sandpiper, a first for me.

While on the beach, we watched this Tern dig a nest in the sand. Then every time we got up or moved, she got all upset and flew off. Not the best spot to have a nest, with rough seas and people walking down the beach.

While paddling, I spotted this Great Egret on a point. I had to get into a little cove and take a photo while I rocked in the boat and it actually made a nice effect.

And at home, I was thrilled to see Baltimore Orioles coming to the grape jelly, feeder. The Catbirds are more skittish, but this one came to visit and show off his tail. 

We have one more day of cooler weather and then the heat kicks in, so I am hoping my energy comes back tomorrow and we can have some more adventures.