Friday photos!

 This week hasn't been the greatest. Bill got the cold, that Billy had and I got it from him, so for the first time in years, I got bronchitis and still fighting it. We were able to get out for a few days, before the cold knocked us out.

We did make it to the kid's birthday party. They had it at a place that does nerf guns and areas to run around in, so a bit hectic. It is also hard to get good photos with kids running around.

This is a shot of the kids at the party.

And here they posed with the Jeep. There were beat up cars and other things, sectioned off into rooms, so it was a bit dark for photos.

We were able to enjoy a day at the beach the next day. When we went to one, I noticed a few people with cameras and this is what they were looking at, a Great Egret, fishing in the cove. I also took a photo of ship, as it passed by the lighthouse.

At one beach I spotted this Mockingbird, at another, the Cormorants, nesting on the rock. I caught one as he came in with dinner, to his mate. I also found a few nice treasures.

The rest of the week was spent at home, resting, getting a few things done when I could and watching the birds. I got lucky and caught a Northern Flicker, feeding on the ground. I hope you all are in good health, seems a bad common cold is going around now. We had the boys tonight, so my son could take Ivy out for her birthday dinner and tomorrow we will have them for dinner and a family party. 

Friday Finish!

 

Another slow week for creating, but I did get my garden done, just in time for the rain, coming in tomorrow. I have been working on my quilt, and making progress. I went with a shell design for the larger triangle and a modified version for the corner blocks. I have a template for the outer outline, but I have to hand draw the inner portions, so it is not perfectly uniform, but that is ok.

On the weekend we spent some time with the kids. I got them a set of bows and they had fun, playing in the backyard. Alex loves to do puzzles with me. I help with the outer edge and he did most of it himself.

I have a lot of bird activity at home. The old bird house has babies, almost ready to get out on their own. Today two babies from another nest, came to visit on the porch.

I hope you all have a good weekend and are enjoying the spring weather.

Friday finish!

 This is another week where I was too busy to get much sewing done. With the nicer weather I have been working on my yard and starting a larger garden this year. I always need something to make and decided to make a few more rocks to hide. 

I used the paint pens and they look better in person, the close up shows things that do not show in person. I love making fun ones to hide, something to make people smile.

Last weekend we were headed out for a hike and the kids, all wanted to go. We took them to the pond since it was somewhat close to their house. It was a wonderful walk and even Bean got to enjoy it.

When we got back to our cars, they wanted to go shopping, I wanted to hike more, so we took a new path on the other side of the road. It was a lot longer and hilly, than I expected, but it was a good workout.

As we headed to the car,  I spotted something at the edge of the pond, a Night Heron.

At home this week, we took a hike around the local pond. It has been awhile since we went there and there were a lot of new pathways to explore. I was thrilled to see some new birds, even if they were high in the trees.

And a few along the pathway.

At home I was delighted to see some Goldfinches at the new feeder. The Catbird was checking out the jelly, hopefully some Orioles will come to it too.

I caught these two, loving it up on the fence.

Today we went to the beach for a bit and I went to see how the Momma Osprey was doing. She wasn't happy, and calling out to her mate. As you can see, he was in the field, taking a nap. I also spotted a Mockingbird.

And the special thing I found today, the first thing I spotted as we walked along the beach. A large piece of brown glass in the shape of a heart. I hope every enjoys their weekend this Mother's Day. For some, it reminds us of loss, but always of the great love we had.

Friday Finish!

 I was able to finish a project this week. A new design by Kathy Schmitz. I kept mine simple and decided it looked better as a primitive piece. It was nice to take a break from quilting and have something finished. 

Last week we took a ride around the ocean areas, even though it was so foggy, you could hardly see a 100 feet in front of you. I enjoyed watching the silly gulls, on the rocks.

And more of the gulls. The park is open to the ocean, so even with the fog, it was nice to sit and enjoy being out of the house.

Those photos were lightened, so this one shows you how foggy it was.

Today we went to the beach on the island. I enjoyed seeing all the birds, but most were being elusive. These guys were happy to pose for me.

A lot more boat traffic is happening now, with the nicer weather.

And we caught the low tide with no other people on the beach, so I found a few nice treasures. The dark pieces are green. I hope everyone had a nice week. Our weather is finally warming up, so I hope it is, in your areas as well. 

Working on Friday!

 I am still working on my summer quilt and making good progress. I did outline stitching around the sailors and will decide if I want to go around more, after I finish the other sections. I am also thinking it would be fun to, put little ties at their necks and a couple of buttons on the shirt, since it will be a wall hanging.

It has been a rough week, I lost my friend after a long battle. She was a dear friend and I will miss her. I was able to get out for a hike on Sunday, a good way for me to reflect and find my inner peace. 

We walked on a new path which was nice, but I did have to remove a few ticks that tried to crawl up my pants. I guess I need to stay off paths that have too much brush. It is land that had a few homesteads, so we found a lot of remnants of homes and the people who lived here.

It also had a few streams and a hike up a rock for a view of the surrounding area.

We also went back to the refuge that we took the boys too. This time we hiked the entire trail and a side trail. A beautiful place to walk that is close by.

Today we went to another bird sanctuary. This time it was teaming with birds and wildlife, so I was able to get a few shots of the birds.

We also met up with some critters, as well as more birds.

One of the older nests was being occupied by the female, while the male watched over things in a nearby tree. 

Here is a close up of the male. 

I also wanted to have something to remember my friend by, and her favorite color is purple. I saw this lilac bush and it was perfect. It was a nice way for me to process my pain, the day I heard and something I can watch bloom every spring.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We have rain coming in so maybe some shopping and relaxing with my project. 

Working on Friday!

 

This week has been busy with walks and bird watching, but I managed to start a new project. I got an appliqué top from a friend, with a nautical theme and I wanted to work on that now, so I can have it for the summer.

The piece is square, so I decided to leave it as is and do some fun quilting. It will make a nice wall hanging. I got the design from a book I have, then I had to freehand it onto the quilt, since I didn't have any transfer pencils. Not bad, a little wonky, but I don't mind. I started with a blue marker to fit it in, then used the white chalk pencil to redo a few parts to even it out. I am working with white pearl cotton so the designs stand out. 

Last weekend we tried a new hike. It was a beautiful area with lots of hills, but it was warm and buggy, so we only did 4 miles. I will go back to hike more of the trails in this area. It is old farm area, so a lot of cellar holes and I spotted some old cars near an old foundation.

We followed a few streams which was nice, since those areas were cooler. Lots of birds in the area, but they were all hiding in the tall trees.

Another day we went for a ride, to find Osprey nests. I found a lot of nests but here are a few unique ones. This guy was nesting on a light pole and moved over to this one when I got too close. 

I found this pair in someones chimney. I guess they won't be using it, this year.

We made a stop at the beach and I got a wonderful surprise, when I spotted this guy, laying on the beach. It is a Northern Gannet, which live in areas like Newfoundland. Not sure if he was lost of making a stop on his way home, but I thought he was hurt since he could barely walk. I found out later that, they do not do well on land. They stay in the water and only go on rocky cliffs to nest, so once he went to the water, he seemed fine.

We also spotted some Sanderlings. They are fun to watch, running in and out of the water.

And this gull was funny. He got a crab, a live one. He found out the hard way, the crab did not like being eaten.

In the marsh, I spotted this Snowy Egret.

During the week, we went for a hike to see the seals before they leave. It seems the point is always windy, so hard to hold steal for shots.

This seagull was making faces for me.

On the way out, we spotted a family of deer. There were five in all, and this one posed for me. I hope you all had a good week and enjoy your weekend. We have one decent day and then rain, so hiking day and rest day for me.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finally made the time to finish my daughter's quilt. I was working on it for her 30th birthday but we lost her five days before. Over the years I have wanted to finish it, but didn't have the heart, but this year, was the year.

It felt good to finish it and I am thinking we will use it as a family quilt for now. It was a pain to put together, since I used a cutter to make the blocks. I would rather cut the fringe, after piecing. Having them cut before, just got in my way. I had planned on adding another row of denim for the outer edges, since she had a queen bed, but it doesn't have to be that big now, so I left it as is.

We have been getting out more with the nicer weather. We had a nice Easter with the kids, the boys checking out their finds from the hunt.

The next day we picked them up to go fishing. They loved their new poles and I realized I miss fishing, so I got a license, now I need to get a new pole. 

We enjoyed time at the beach, and I spotted this shy gull.

And they are all nesting on the big rock in the bay, all the Cormorants stay on the same rock.

We spotted the Ospreys in the cove, along with two Oystercatchers, a first time I have seen them inland.

In the nearby farm, a lot of birds were gathered in the fields. The Glossy Ibis and Killdeers were wonderful to see.

Today we went back to the beaches. It was really hot the last two days and now there are fires going up in the woods, so it was nice to get away from the smoke.

I got to enjoy watching this new pair, doing their mating dance and showing off.

And the final act, I hope they have a successful year and I get to see their young.

I want to thank you all for your prayers. Cyndi is still in ICU, but she has improved and we are all hoping she keeps fighting. I hope you all enjoy your weekend.