Friday Finish!

 

I was able to finish a piece this week. It seems I have so many plans for the week and it is gone before I get half of it done. I always love getting the new stitchery from Kathy Schmitz, something fun to look forward to each month.

This year she is doing a theme for the yearly contest, making sets of pillows or small quilts with the designs, so of course I am going with pillows. She offers wonderful prizes at the end of the year and this is the first time I can actually enter with what I make.

I added lavender to it, I think it makes nice gifts and I also plan on selling off a few things this year. I thought it looked off balance so I added the words, I do wish I had thought of it, before I put it together, then I could have done nicer lettering.

We had a nice day with the boys. I had gotten a raft for Alex, but hadn't found one for Nick. So we bought his over and they loved playing with them in the pool. Nick had to show me how well he is riding his new bike, he loves it and hopefully we can get to some bike paths and ride together.

We also got to spend some time at the beach, when Bill got home. The tide was coming in this week but I found some nice goodies for my collection. We also had some threatening storm clouds, roll in, but luckily they went in the other direction.

And glass is not the only thing you can find on the beach. This is a skate, some places use them in place of scallops by using a special cutter. Two had washed up with the waves, not sure why.

We also had a day with fog rolling in. I love how it looks as it moves across the bay.

At home I have been enjoying a few new young birds that are coming to visit the feeder. This is a young female Downy Woodpecker.

And a young female Cardinal. I also set up a jelly feeder and saw my first Oriole today's so hopefully I can get some photos of them, when more come.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather and getting outside more. One more week and we take our Anniversary vacation. We are staying close to home since it is hard for Bill to drive long distances. I was lucky enough to find a cancellation for the state camp near the beach, so we will be spending the week there.

Camping Month and Birthdays!

Well, the month is over and the last weekend, which is the one we looked forward to, was a washout, so we came home early. For me, camping is being outdoors and if I am stuck inside for 3 days, I would go nuts, lol.

We did get to spend one day before we left, so at least I got in one more paddle and time enjoying the wildlife. It is amazing how many birds and animals live along the waterways.

I was able to find a new nest and  get a shot before I disturbed her enough, to leave the nest. I would think the blackbirds would be used to all the boaters who paddle and fish on the pond.

And here is another Redwing Blackbird couple, she was not going to take that worm to her babies until I left the area. The male just makes a lot of noise and hopes I will go away.

Since the weather was on and off that day, we took a ride to the observation deck and spotted this Hummingbird high in the tree. There were a lot of birds, but they move too fast and hide in the bush, so that is a hard area to get shots.

And I tried to get some shots of the birds near the waterfall, but the rain was blowing into my window, so I couldn't get a clear shot. I decided to make a montage with a saying, for them. 

And since we came home early, we had a little party for the family, Ivy, the boys and Bill, all have birthdays this week. Nick got his new bike, which was too big for him, and since they couldn't take it home, we offered to drop it off the next day. In the meantime, I had Bill take it back and get one a few inches smaller. I rather have him ride a bike that makes him happy than one that he is afraid to ride. Once he got used to it, he was riding like a pro and smiling, that was all I needed to make my day. Alex loves space and wants to be an astronaut, so we got him a play mobile spaceship, play set. 

While we were there, I noticed a lot of activity in their backyard. I guess I don't need to go far to find birds, I can just sit in their backyard.

I spotted a robin, bring dinner, only one baby in her nest.

  

On the side of the yard, another nest, this one a Catbird. She had two smaller babies in her nest.

I also caught a Blue Jay, who was kind enough to pose for me.

And a few of the other visitors to his yard. A Downy Woodpecker, a Carolina wren, one of the neighbors chickens came to visit, a Chipmunk and lots of bees. It definitely was a lot easier than taking photos from a moving boat. 

I hope you all had a wonderful week and a weekend filled with joy. 

Friday working on and camping!

 

It seems this month went by fast and the end of the month is here, last weekend of camping at this campground. The good thing is, I might get more done now. I have been working on a project that I was hoping to finish for my Daughter in Law's birthday this week, but still working on it. The good thing is, we postponed the party till next week so I may still be able to. 

I plan on doing a nice floral print border and making a wall hanging with it. The design is by Kathy Schmitz, one of the patterns I got with my winnings.

Most of my time at camp is spent on the water or going for walks with Bean. I just love hearing all the birds around me, I just wish they would sit still. Even so, I was able to take a few photos last week.

I was finally able to catch the Baltimore Oriole, and hopefully I will be a closer, clearer photo one day.

I also enjoyed watching the Great Blue Heron, fishing. That is until, another larger one came diving from the nearby trees and attacked it, and chased it away. I guess that was his fishing spot.

And I always know when a Blackbird nest is nearby, the males yell at me, the minute I get close to one. Not the smartest way to keep the nest a secret, lol. Most just yell a lot, but the one near the bridge, has decided to dive bomb me, when I paddle by.

One day we went for a ride and decided to come back along the fire road and stopped at Hells Hollow Pond. We were lucky enough to come when a family of Geese were swimming nearby.

And another nesting pair, Mallard ducks. Today we got to camp early, so I was able to get some photos and spend time outside before the rains. I will save those for next week. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend and find something that you love to do.

Friday this and that!

 No finishes this week, I did work on my stitchery, but forgot to take a photo of my progress. It seems I spend the weekend at camp, come home, do a million things to catch up and then a few days getting ready to go back to camp, definitely need to organize my time better.

I did get out for some nice paddles last weekend. Even if I cannot get photos of all I see, I do enjoy the solitude of being on the water and just watching the natural world around me.

I was able to finally catch the Great Blue Heron, he doesn't like to be bothered and when some paddlers got too close, he went up to the treetops. 

The next day I was able to catch him fishing. I can only get so close before he takes off and the pond always seems to be windy, so hard to stay still myself.

I enjoy watching the Hummingbirds in the area, they are all about and my neighbor has a bunch of feeders, so I was able to catch one at her camp.

I was also able to catch a different angle of the Hummingbird mom on her nest. 

While on the river, I spied a nesting Redwing Blackbird. They do not like it when you come near, so I was very quiet and took a few shots without disturbing her. 

I also spied an Eastern Kingbird along the river.

And the two Goslings are growing.

And since we are inland most of the time, I just had to get out for some beach time. The bad thing was, our favorite spot is open to camping, so we went to the other side of the island.

And I was lucky enough to find a few nice pieces of glass and pottery, unusual for that beach but I hit the tide just right. I hope everyone's week went well and you enjoy some time to enjoy time outside.

Friday Finish!

I actually had time to finish a few pillows this week. I had a few days of down time from getting sick, so it was nice to relax but then I had to do a weeks work in two days, lol. 

The design is by Kathy Schmitz for the Stitch club. She shows different versions and types of stitches you can use, but I have fun coloring them in and I am lazy. I added lavender to bother and one I antiqued because I had a little red running on a few spots. I plan on selling them at an upcoming camp, yard sale to help defray the costs of camping and a cat sitter.

I do have a hard time deciding on prices, it is a yard sale but these are new, hand stitched and filled with lavender. They are about 6" square, would love to hear what. you think they are worth.

We made it back to camp today and I decided to get out for a little paddle. No matter how I feel, being out on the water rejuvenates me and I was able to paddle and bird watch for a few hours.

I saw this pair of Grackles, one was waiting patiently while the other took a bath.

I also visited the Mother Hummingbird, who is getting used to me watching her, and a Red Tailed Hawk flew over for a bit.

And Bill insisted that he had to have ice cream, so we took a trip down the road, to ButtonWoods Farm to satisfy his craving and I enjoyed watching the cows. I have no idea what kind of cows are what, I think these were for milking and I noticed a few had extremely large bellies, so lots of calves are coming.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy your weekend.

Weekend Fun!

 

I am not sure if I should say fun, I did a lot, enjoyed a few paddles and the kids visited for the afternoon on Mother's Day. But, by Saturday I was sneezing and blowing my nose non stop. My DIL started doing the same thing after an hour at camp, so I hope it isn't going to be a regular thing. I paid for the month and can't get my money back, so camping in a wetlands area, in the spring, might not have been the best idea.

It was cooler this weekend, so I wore my nylon suit. It kept me warm and covered my skin, my burn is gone and now I am tan for the summer, lol. I love sitting on the pond, in a quiet cove, so much activity around me.

I lucked out and spotted Baltimore Orioles flying by. I was able to catch one, as well as a Hummingbird and a female Mallard.

Red Winged Blackbirds are nesting all over the banks. I spotted a few nests and if I got too close, the Males would fly off to distract me. I was also able to find a spot to catch this Mother goose on her nest, I didn't want to get too close or she would leave the nest.

In the afternoon, I decided to go for a little bike ride. Wooded pathways, long hilly roads that pass by river and ponds. I love riding in the forest, but I need to work on my leg strength, I still have to walk up hills.

After my ride, I cooled down by taking Bean for a walk. No one was around, so he was able to go off leash for awhile. 

On the way back to camp we stopped at the observation deck and I caught a few visitors at the picnic area. A White Throated Sparrow, a White Breasted Nuthatch and a Robin who looks like he was attacked.

For Mother's Day, I did what I love, another paddle. This time I went up river. I went up to the fork and spotted a few Yellow Warblers. They are nesting in the swamps, so once I got close, they flew off into the bushes, but I caught one that was trying to hide. We also have birds at the camp, the cardinal and his mate are frequent visitors.

And the catch of the day, a Hummingbird on her nest. She always flies off when I come close, so I picked a spot near some bush and sat, until she came back. It is amazing how well they camouflage their nest. I read that they build their nests so that they expand as the young get larger.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. We are home for the week and I need the rest, lol. I have some projects I am working on, so I will post on Friday with some finishes.

Weekday Aventures!

 

This week has been a whirlwind of activity and going back and forth to camp, so no time to create. While I have the time and opportunity to get out more, I am using my time to be active and get back in shape. Every day I go for walks withe Bean and paddling on the river.

I have a small sit on that I use, it makes it easier to get into coves and shallow coves. One day I explored into a river way that had two small falls and now that the water is higher, I was able to scoot over them and see what was on the other side.

It opened up into a larger river, surrounded by forest and stumps, unfortunately I couldn't find out where the Blue Heron was hiding, probably on the other side, that I couldn't get into.

I was able to find a spot to sit at, in the larger pond. I could hear and see the birds, so I sat still until a few were curious enough to land nearby. A Yellow Warbler and a Red Winged Blackbird.

And one day the Geese came to the boat launch and I was able to get closer to the Goslings.

With the higher waters, I was able to get further up into the river. I admit, I get a bit scared, being out in the middle of nowhere by myself, but I kept going to reach the fork in the river. It is a beautiful area, nothing but nature and the sound of birds. A lot of turtles along the banks. I only took my phone with me, so wasn't able to get close ups.  

I also found a place called Heron Cove, but no Herons in sight. I did find a nice trail and realized that it goes back into the state forest, maybe a hike for another time.

And, we went for a little ride up the road and I found this little old Schoolhouse, the Wylie Schoolhouse. It looks like it had some damage and the Bell was missing. It has two outhouses in the back.

I snuck a peak inside by pressing my camera against the window, would be fun to go inside. I hope you all had a wonderful week and find adventures in your own area. Lots of hidden treasures when. you take the roads less taken.

Last night we came home, I got laundry done, food cooked for the weekend and plan on staying at camp over the weekend. Maybe then I will stop and relax for a bit and work on my quilting.