Friday Finish!

 

I finally finished a piece I started, made with one of my patterns, Catch of the Day. I made them for punch needle or rug hooking, but most work with stitchery too. I like to have simple things to do at night, while I watch tv and during the day I try to work in my room with the machines and prepping pieces. I really need to start pulling out all the old and unfinished projects, a few that I really want to finish for summer.

We are finally getting some nicer days. Bill had an early appointment this week, so he took the day off and we headed to the beach. The tide was lower, than usual and it was good for Bean to get out again.

At another beach, I walked along the length to the rocks. When the tide is super low, I can walk over the cliff area to another area, on the other side. Lots of rocks in this area, looking down to town. I wear heavy winter hiking boots, so it makes it easier to walk on the rocks.

I have been looking for glass and beach treasures, when we go out. Not as much with the strong tides, but here are a few things I have found, from a couple of trips. 

I hope everyone had a nice week and can enjoy some nicer weather. I do see that some of you are in the storm's paths for tornadoes, so my prayers are with you all.

Friday finishes!

 This week I worked at finishing my Easter quilt. This was a free pattern being offered on Cheri's Facebook page. They have kept it open in honor of Cheri and her family is gracious enough to let us use some of the older patterns.

I added the extra bird on the branch and lettering. The bad thing is, I used washed fabric and new and it shrunk in the front, not the back. The good thing is, no one can see the back, lol.

One day I wanted a quick project to do. I also wanted to try one of the animals in a kit I got, the bunny was perfect for now. I could not get a sharp photo, not sure why, but always seems to happen with felted pieces.

Last week we went for our usual ride around the ocean beaches. In one parking lot, I spotted this guy, he was really interested in this empty pack, not sure why he wanted it.

I also spotted a Peregrine Falcon, first time I got one, sitting still.

We also stopped at the dog beach, Bean loved getting out. He had teeth removed last week, and since he was feeling better, he was ready for some beach time.

Along the way, we spotted lots of Ospreys and got a few shots. The first one was in a parking lot and every time someone got out to walk in the restaurant, it had a fit. The last one is one of the tallest nests in the state.

One day we stopped by the kids to drop off a box. They were sick so I left it in the back, with some health remedies and goodies for the kids. On the way home we stopped at the park for a walk. The boardwalk was nice and easier for me to walk on. Someday when my foot heals, I want to walk the trail around the main pond.

Today we went to the island to enjoy some time outside, before the rains come tomorrow. Lots of seagulls in the area and others, so it was nice to enjoy walking on the beach and getting some warmer, fresh air.

I hope that everyone has a nice weekend, and not in the paths of the storms. It is sad to see all the devastation across the country and feel blessed to live in an area that is not prone to severe weather.

Friday Finish!

 I hope this post finds you all well and not affected by all of the storms and fires that seem to be taking over the country. We have had some rain, lots of wind and sun, so I can't complain. I had another bunny to do, so I finished that, this week. I went with more yellows and found a yellow ribbon with glitter in an old box of supplies. This one is for me, or Alex who is always stealing the little dolls I make. Of course, Grandma can never say no to the boys. 

Last weekend we did our drive around the ocean areas. We went to one that has a boat launch and there area always birds around. In the photo montage you can see the launch at the bottom and the birds out in the water, that was only a few of them, there were hundreds. The rest were in the breachway, catching things that went out with the tide.

And here are some of the others, fishing in the breachway.

We also went to the island, always nice to walk a little on the beach and enjoy the wildlife and views.

Today it was windy, so we just went for a ride and a little walking on the beaches. We like to take Bean one day so he can have some fun. On days we stop in shops, he has to stay home. Today it was too windy to be out, too long, but the cove beach was a little calmer.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and can enjoy getting out and exploring your area. If you use Google maps, you might be surprised to find parks and sanctuaries that may be near your area.

Friday Finish!

This week I wanted something new to do but something that didn't take too much work. I decided to remake a bunny from my Bunny Buddies pattern. This time I went with bright and fun, using old scraps and floss from the ones I got for the kids to make bracelets. It is also a bit larger than the others, so a fun piece to decorate with. I actually made it for my sister, who is going through medical problems and I wanted to make her something happy to cheer her up. She had asked for some when I first made them, so I hope she likes this new version.

I added the background and the pink bow with photoshop AI. I still have to get out to the craft store to get some pink ribbon before I send it. I have a link to my patterns on the left side column.

Last week I wanted to go back to find the elusive rare bird. We didn't see it, but on the way back out, we saw a bunch of cars and cameras pointing toward the field. It took me awhile to find it, but finally with the help of others, I was able to catch it in the back field. This is a Northern Lapwing, usually found in Europe and Asia. 

We also spent time at the beach, where Bean can enjoy some play time and I can enjoy the views and birding.

Lots of Common Eiders this year.

At home, more birds are leaving and our regulars will be returning. I seem to have a new visitor, a Red Squirrel. This one is a new one, it is living in the neighbors yard and I usually spot two of them, running around the wood piles.

I am still unable to walk much. Today it was shopping in my light hikers but it killed my foot, so no walking on the beach. We have beautiful weather this weekend, so I hate that we can't get out for hikes. With the cooler temps it is perfect to be in the woods and bug free. I hope everyone is doing well with the bad weather conditions that come through. 

Friday Finish!

 

This has not been my week. On Saturday we went out to fix my skis and ended up getting a new pair, with hopes of going out on sunday. Then we went shopping and got a bag of items. Then I got home, picked up the back and it broke open. The heavy lazy Susan bowl set fell sideways on my foot, so now I have a broken toe near the joint.

I hate emergency rooms in our area, so I put up with the pain, but couldn't walk for a few days. Over the week I have been icing it and then I taped around the joints and am able to walk flat footed, as long as I don't use the toes. Hopefully it will heal and I can get out again. The weather is getting better, so I was looking forward to hiking. Skiing is out, so the skis will have to wait till next year. 

Since I cannot sit for long, I made up some small projects to do, while I rested. I have a few more in the works, so those will be done next week. I took some patterns from a large one, by Kathy Schmitz and used those to make mini sachets. Nothing fancy but something mindless to do.

While we shopped at the south end, we stopped for some birding.

Today I wanted to get out for a ride. Riding around the island is always nice with the views. We stopped at one beach and watched a tug bring in a ship.

We also stopped at the east end, the docks are always a nice place to check for birds that may be visiting on the rocks.

Our last stop was the marsh. There has been a sighting of a rare bird to our area, but I never did see it. There is always activity there, plenty of birds stay for the calmer waters and fish that come in and out with the tide.

Tomorrow will be another ride, so I have to decide where to go. I like when we can enjoy the views and I can get shots from the truck. We have nicer weather, but cold coming back again. I hope everyone had a good week and our weather brings an early spring.

Final Finish

 This week I have been getting ready for our trip, so not a lot got done in my craft room. I did finish the stitchery and made it into a wall hanging. I added some buttons and an outer stitch and hopefully the recipient will love it. 

Today was cooking, I made corn bread and a big pot of thick soup. I call it a cross between minestrone and  Pasta Fagioli. I make mine with beef and it makes its own broth and then I use petite chopped tomatoes, which I chop a bit more, before I add it.  For vegetables I use frozen mixed veggies, white beans, onion and garlic, so hearty and healthy meal for cooler days.

The weather is horrible, rain this weekend, but Sunday should be better and then a few nice days. It may rain at the end of the week, so it will depend on how bad it gets, and whether I stay all week. Hopefully we can enjoy time outside, paddling and biking. That is the one good thing, cooler weather means I have more energy to do things. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Friday working on!

 

This week I did not get anything done. With the holiday I was busy getting out and doing things around the house. I also spent a lot of time, looking for my smaller hoop. I still can't figure out where it is, so today I finally thought of a solution.

I added extra fabric on the top and bottom and now it fits on my larger Morgan hoop. It is the only hoop that will hold the fabric tight when you have the thicker punching started. What I did was, sew a thick edge so I can pull it really tight and it will hold.

Last week we were all set to go to the seaport and see the wooden boat show. We left early and when we got there, the lot was full and they were parking people on what grass areas were left. I figured it was way too crowded to bother, so we headed to the owl sanctuary.

We took all the paths we could for a longer walk and in the fields, we were delighted with the bird boxes and watching the parents, feed their young. One box had Bluebird babies.

Another had swallows. They were harder to catch, they fly in fast and leave fast. As you can see in the first photo, I was getting some dirty looks. They had enough of me, staring at their box and one covered the hole with its body, while the other threw darts at me. 

We also walked some new paths, further in the woods and stumbled onto a few critters along the way.  The deer let me get pretty close and the bottom right photo is a nesting Dove that I spotted, hiding in a tree over the pond.

With the humidity and crowds at the beaches, we spent more time on the island this week. The air is so much cooler and I am able to get in nice walks. This day the weather was kicking up so more boats were heading in, then out.

This guy was sailing alone and it looked like he might tip any moment, but he didn't.

A few more scenes while walking around.

Another day we walked around and we stopped in the lighthouse museum for fun. They had open hours that day and I really wanted to go up into the lighthouse, but that is a lot of steps and a ladder to get to the top, so I decided I didn't have the legs for that. The egrets I saw in a field, on the way back.

We also stopped at the park on the way back. There is a path that takes you to a platform to see the Osprey nest. I only spotted one baby, so not sure if more were hidden, but it seemed like just one.

They are very vocal when they want to eat. Dad was hanging out in the marsh.

And then there was today. It was cloudy with a chance of rain so we went to the beach, so bean could play in the water. It was way too rough to swim, I just went into my waist.

And then it poured, so everyone left and we hid under the picnic area. Once it stopped we got to enjoy the beach, all to ourselves. No good treasures, but Bean found a nice dog ball that washed in.

At home, the feeder has been busy with the new babes. I was even surprised when I spotted a new one, a Rose-breasted Grossbeak, in the lower left.

And since we put out an orange and grape Jelly, I have had a lot of Baltimore Orioles. First the parents were feeding the babes, now the babes come alone and they are less timid. 

I hope you all had a nice week and can enjoy the weekend. Hopefully the winds will die down here and I can get out for some paddling and swimming.

Friday Finish!

 

I had big plans to finish my quilt, but that didn't happen. Instead I spent most of the week with a sinus infection and joint pain, so I rested a lot. Since I can't stand just sitting, I worked on another quilt I had prepared for quilting, so did some hand quilting.

Then I found this cute design and it made me smile, so I had to make it. It is an old design that I found on Pinterest. A design by Sami's Stitcheries and was offered as a freebie. You can still get the pattern download on Box.

Last week we got out for a ride before the rains came. We took Bean with us, so stopped at a few places to enjoy the views and let him enjoy some outdoor time. I always love the views from the Breachway, the waves were crashing.

Then we went to the dog beach, and Bean got to play off leash and made a new friend.

At the end of the beach, sits this house with a lighthouse. It is a private home and a place I would love to live.

Before we left I went to the marsh side and tried to catch a few birds I saw in the bush. Then I spotted this guy. Of course, once he saw that I was taking photos, he took off.

On the way home we spotted the new couple, this one is lighter.

And this one is the darker one, both beautiful Red-tailed Hawks. This weekend we have more rain coming in, but it should be overnight, so that won't be so bad. It does make it hard to get out hiking, since most of the trails we hike, are in swampy areas. I hope you all have a nice weekend and not stuck in the storms path.