Paddling with a new camera!

Today we went to the state park, over 500 acres of water to paddle and I am tired, lol.
I got tired of hearing my parts are not in yet and waiting for my good camera from my BIL, so i decided it was time to get a waterproof pocket camera. I can put it in my life jacket pocket and just pull it out, no more opening the black box and pulling out my large one. Plus my old camera only takes about 5 shots before it is filled up, not good when you are out on the water and see lots of interesting things.

So, I did some practice shots, used the sony cybershot TX10 on autofocus and it does know what to focus on and gets nice clean shots with great color. I didn't have to do anything, just reduced the size and used as is. With the camera I broke, the photos came out on the red side and the old sony tended to be more blue, so it is nice to get true colors right out of the camera. There are lots of features, I nice touch screen, so I don't have to hunt on the body for buttons. It also takes movies and 3D, plus it is waterproof, I can take underwater photos too, so I can have fun in the water and out.

The bad things are, it is hard to get fast shots of birds flying by, lol. I think if I practice more and get used to what I am doing, I can pull out the camera and get smoother shots of moving objects. Also, since it is so slim and the shutter is in the front, you have to watch where you put your fingers. But for a pocket camera, I loved using it, love how the photos came out and think it is a great camera to use on trips or for your home photos. It even has functions for better portraits, so for an all over camera that is also waterproof, it is worth the buy.

I love how the colors look.



This is at the campsites, not sure where that band of color come from, need to check the lens. Then my photoshop crashed when I went to do another photo, so I gave up. My macbook doesn't have the room for the larger files, so guess it is time to clean out my excess files.

A day in the Cove!

Today I slept in, really needed it. Then I got to the doctors and it was a long visit, seems everyone else needed to get in too and since it is a clinic, you wait your turn. I just wanted to get out so I could go paddling, lol. I will be on two antibiotics this time to start killing off the lyme. I need to be symptom free before I can go off or it comes back and I don't want that to happen.

Since it was late, we went to the cove and paddled for three hours, well, paddled and strolled the shores, since it was low tide.
So many wonderful things today and with low tide, we could walk on and along side the breakers.



On the opposite side is a neighborhood and the old Navy base which is now home to Electric Boat. Anyone missing a boat?



There were lots of crabs and starfish. I like the contrast of colors on these.



Bill said this is a dog fish, wish I could have gotten a clearer picture, he was so ugly, he was cute.



And on the way back we paddled through town and then along the marina's. I guess another boat got lost and found it's way here. Tomorrow we are heading south for a paddle, so were we go will depend on what is open in that area.

The Calm after the Storm!

We were lucky, we got a lot of wind and rain, but no damage.
We did lose power, but then again, so did most of RI, lol.
We have a generator, so we were fine, just annoying to have it rumbling all day and night and cords all over the house.
At night, no lights so I walked into a few things, but now the power is on, so I can keep my night light on.

Today was so beautiful, sunny and warm with a cool breeze, the perfect day.
Without power, the doctor was closed, so have to go tomorrow. We decided to go to the town beach and see how the village looked and if there was a lifeguard still. I wanted to paddle from the beach, but you can't during the summer season and the lifeguards were still there along with a sign, no swimming. The heavy rains create bacteria in the coves, so they were being safe and no paddling today:(

I did get the house all cleaned again, cooking and laundry, so I can have fun tomorrow after the docs.
My garden looks sad, the wind really bent my plants down, but they are still rooted and growing, so at least I can still get fresh vegetables. I hope all of you that are still in bad areas, are able to get things cleaned up and back to normal. Prayers to those in Vermont who are going through the terrible floods.

Giveaway Winner!

Today I think I did more in one day, than I have all month, lol.
I seem to be getting rotten mood and irritability symptoms as the lyme die off, so I worked it off today.
Lots of items in the yard, that you don't think about, but could be projectiles in the storm, so everything got put away.
Then there is my garden, beans and veggies to pick and lots more coming in, especially my tomatoes, so I hope they live through the winds.

And I am one of those that hates being stuck in a dirty house, lol. I cleaned the house too, so we can rest and listen to the wind howl;) And laundry and some cooking, things that I might not be able to do if we lose power. We do have a generator, so I will have power for the important things like the refrigerator and the tv and a light to sew by.

If you enjoy giveaways, make sure you don't miss next friday. I will be doing a review and giving away a copy to one lucky quilter, so you don't want to miss that post.

And before we get to the winner, here is what happens when someone leaves the door open, while he brings things in;)



And I am not making this up, this is what happened and what they were saying;)



And onto the winner! The Random Generator picked number 2! The lucky winner is Anna of Woolie Mammoth!
Anna, you can pick any pattern from my ecrater site, just send me an email with your choice. And for the rest of you, a hurricane special for this weekend, buy one pattern and get any other of equal or lesser value for free. Just put your free choice in the comments section. If I loose power, it may take longer to receive your patterns or if you lose power and want to take advantage of the special, you can email me after Sunday and still receive a free pattern, just tell me your power went out;)
I hope all of those in the hurricanes path, stay safe and prayers for you and your families.

Halloween Mini Quilts!

I am still working on my ark, but I wanted to do something different and quick, for a break.
I decided to make some Fall pieces and made one for me and one I can give as a gift.
It is a good thing they are prim and Halloween, since my brain is really crooked this week;)

The pieces were made from a free pattern by Tiffany of Primitive Blessings.
She has lots of wonderful free patterns that you can use and lots of wonderful patterns that are priced just right, so worth a look.

Don't forget the giveaway in the previous post. I enjoy hearing your ideas and like the idea of using white on the peacock lane fabrics, I really think that will set them off. I also like the idea of cutting the summer house blocks in half and using that as a design, so keep them coming. I am still having bad days, so i rest more and try to keep busy when I can, but hopefully things will get better and I can start doing more quilting again. Next week, Bill has off, so he can do the work and take me kayaking all week, that has to make me feel better;)

I win, you win giveaway!

I have been lucky this month and have won some wonderful prizes, so I thought I would have a contest and you can help me out.
I won two charm packs and would like to use them for charity quilts. The top fabric is Peacock Lane by Violet Craft and the second charm pack is called summer house, which I won from Jolly Jabber.

Now what I would like you to do for the contest is, give me some ideas on how I can use these charms or if you know of a good quilt pattern that would work with these, give me a link so I can check it out. Or, how you might quilt a basic quilt for charity, something simple, but still special. Victoria of Bumble Bean quilts is doing a drive to get 350 more quilts to give to a local shelter, so I am hoping I can do a few before the deadline, but if I can't, I will donate them to a local shelter here.

So, leave a comment, throw me some ideas or links and I will draw a name on friday. The winner will win their choice of one of my epatterns. If you are not a quilter, you can still leave me a comment, maybe some ideas for other items I can make for charity or gifts for the holidays.

And for those of you who commented before I added a link, the creature on my kayak is called a Horseshoe crab and they are big. This guy was floating into the cove with the tide, so no, I do not pick up live crabs and put them on my boat, lol.

Don't pick up Hitchhikers!

I had to get my brain centered today, to get myself going, but I finally got in a better frame of mind and was glad I went out.
We paddled for over 3 hours, and since it was high tide, we could paddle in and out of the coves further in. I just took my time and enjoyed being out. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

"Didn't your mother tell you, to never pick up Hitchhikers!"



Why I never let Bill take pictures of me;)



We went into the village cove, lots of boats and the restaurant smells were making me hungry. I forgot my snacks at home. It was Bill's night for cooking, so we had fried shrimp, so now I am happy and full.

As for the time it takes to cook my green beans, I have no idea. Maybe because I cook them on low? But, the time in soaking and simmering, gives you the most delicious beans, just tender enough to eat, but not too soft to be mush.