Friday finish!

 I finally decided what to do with my bible block. It is from the Bible quilt by Jan patek. I planned on making the whole quilt, but never had the time, so I decided to make the block into a mini quilt. Since it is primitive, I wanted to antique it, as well. I haven't pressed it out, so it looks a bit wonky.

Last week we spent time, riding around the south coast. It was cold as usual, so riding is a great way to get out and enjoy the views. We spotted the Osprey near the seafood restaurant, still waiting for his mate.

And another along a back road.

This week, his mate came in.

Today was a hike at the bird sanctuary. It was a cloudy day with fog rolling into some areas, but I always love walking in the cooler temps. As we walked we could hear all the Ospreys flying around. A lot were hanging out in trees along the pathways.

 

Most didn't like us walking in their area and let us know.

Nearer the ocean, it was foggier. The old timers, still haven't built a nest on the island. Most of the others repaired or built new ones, all destroyed by the winter storms.

And the Swallows were flying around us and claiming their nesting boxes.

And the best surprise was spotting an Eagle in the field. He was carrying a stick, so he is nesting nearby. Tomorrow we will get another nice day, but cold coming back in the afternoon, so hopefully we can get out for an early hike. Then I need to get the side dishes made up, so all I have to do is reheat them. 

I planned on doing a treasure hunt with clues for the boys, but they are saying rain on Sunday. I will have to rethink it to do one in the house, with the last clue telling them where their treasure bag is.

May you all have a blessed Easter holiday.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finished a Thanksgiving piece. I needed something for the holiday, for the front entry area and this was perfect. The design is by Cheri Payne and a fun one to do. 

Last week We went for a drive to see if we could find some fall foliage. Not as much yet, but we did find a few spots with splashes of color. The first stop was a reservoir with a dam, but with less rain, less water coming down. It was still beautiful though.

We took a walk along the path to the old bridge. 

Our next stop was Old furnace park, across the border in Connecticut. It is a bit of a climb up to the cliffs, but worth it for the view.

There are more trails that run along the side of the pond, so we took a walk part way to enjoy the views.

The next day we took the boys out. We took them to the bird sanctuary for a shorter walk on the pond side. They enjoyed walking along the paths.

And seeing all the critters along the way.

And we spotted two Praying Mantis along the paths. Love the look this one was giving me. It is always fun to explore with the boys and good to get them away from their electronics. 

This weekend we have a storm coming in and of course I seem to have gotten a flu from them, so taking it easy for a few days. I hope this finds everyone well and enjoying the cooler fall weather.

Weekend Wanderings!

 

This week we have been busy, getting out and trying a few new places and some old. On Sunday we went to the bike path so I could try a ride. The ride runs along some inlets and end at a beach. It was a nice ride, but I think I need more strength before I do any long rides.

We stopped at another inlet before heading home and I caught a Snowy Egret and a Great Egret, wading for fish.

Yesterday we went to Newport and hiked at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. They have several trails and one took us uphill, along a rocky cliff. Great views and a deer we spotted in the gardens.

Today we went back to the sanctuary and tried a new path. It paralleled the other, but much higher. It came to a high point with a narrow rock, that dropped on both sides. No way was I going across that, so we need the path there. There are a lot of birds there, but most take off, the minute I go to take a shot.

After that, we headed to the next sanctuary. Sachuest Refuge is on a point, surrounded by the ocean. It was a nice walk with cool breezes.

Also a great place for birding. Most are high up or further into the bush, but a few sat still long enough for a shot.

A few more birds and a deer that was hiding in the bush, when I came around a corner. On the way out, we saw a man stop and start feeding this little bird. The bird started following him as he walked away, I wish they would come up to me like that, lol.

And a nice surprise this week. I spotted 3 babies, the House Wren had a good year. My whole yard sounds like a bird nursery, the babies make quite a racket. I hope everyone is having a good week. We have one more good day and then possible storms coming in. I am hoping they hold off till the afternoon so we can get out more. Tomorrow will be a paddle day, so we shall see where the day takes us. 

Friday Finish!

 I am still working on my charity quilts and I wanted a break from sewing, so I made up a halloween piece. I find that I can sit for hours while felting, so it is a good activity when I want to sit and rest. I always start with an idea and it comes out differently, but still fun to make and have something new for the season.

I also, finally, put my scrap quilt together, so now I just need a border and get it ready for quilting. This will be another hand project, I want the stitches to show and it should work up quickly enough, that I will have it ready for Christmas.

Last weekend we went for a few walks. The first was at our local bird sanctuary. Always a nice walk and lots of birds in the area.

A few views on our walk.

And a few of the wildlife, we saw along the way.

On the way out, we spotted a hawk, flying overhead.

And also flying overhead, were a group of World War II planes.

The next day we went to a park in Connecticut. A nice walk along the coastline with views of the ocean, along the way.

We spotted quilts a few groups of birds, who are resting on their way south.

And more shore birds along the way.

Lots of Monarchs, flitting about, gathering nectar for their trip south.

And quite a few dragonflies and bees, as well. Unfortunately we also ran into quilts a few mosquitos and I got bit, way too many times. It was a hot day, so to the best time to be in a swampy area.

Today we went to the island to do a little walking and glass hunting. It was a bit windy and cool, and the waves were higher in the inner bay, due to the hurricane, passing by. I found a few treasures and was delighted to see that the black piece I found was a cobalt blue piece.

I hope everyone had a nice week and plans for fun this weekend. A lot of the places we visit, are ones I found by using Google maps and exploring closely to find walks and parks in the area. See what fun things you can find to do, in your own backyard

Friday Finish!

 

This week has been slow with crafting. With a long weekend, I tend to wear down, so I rested and caught up on things around the house. I decided to paint some more rocks, to hide. They are fun to do and this way I will have some, each time we go out. I only hide a few at a time in different places, that way, one person doesn't find and take them all, that does happen.

I have been finding designs on the web, I browse Pinterest sites for ones that interest me and are not too hard to copy. 

I did make a mess of the kitty in the pot, his side hair is not in the right position, my brain went on hold for a bit. Not the best photo, the light makes them look wonky.

To enjoy some time in the nicer weather, Bill took Friday and Monday off. On the weekend we had one nice day and one rainy day. On Saturday we took a ride up state to see a Blue Heron Rookery. Not as many as I expected and the sun was directly in front of me, so I had to do a lot of editing to get a few decent photos.

This pair was fun to watch and the closest. He brings her sticks and she places them in the nest, doesn't look too comfortable.

And while shooting, they decided to get started on their family.

Sunday we got to the beach for a bit and Bean was happy he got to get out to his favorite place. We also went to the beach this afternoon. A bit cooler today and the wind was kicking up, and the tide was high, so we only had a small area to search in.

On Monday we went to Connecticut. I wanted to see a few places where the ospreys were coming in and visit a few parks along the way.

Our first stop was our last stop, we went to the river, where there is a boardwalk into an estuary.

At the end there is a higher platform to see the nests in the area. There were a few already nesting in the area. We also spotted a few in areas further down, it is a place I would like to get out and paddle, to get closer to the sanctuary area.

We also found another area for a hike and bird viewing. 

Our last stop, which is last since we went up and travelled back down, towards home, was at Rocky Neck Park. It is a large park with camping and picnic areas, a bird sanctuary and a beach. I would love to camp at their parks, but they do not allow dogs. 

A few views around the park.

A lot of birds in the inner marshes.

And to make my day, an eagle. I had decided not to take a ride around the river and do more hiking than driving or hunting for eagles. While I was shooting, I heard a commotion. A flock of birds was trying to chase another bird away. I had to take a few quick shots, but when I got home, I was able to see, it was a juvenile eagle.

I hope everyone had a good week and fun plans for the weekend. 

Friday Finish!

Another week has flown by and I hope this post finds everyone, doing well.  With the cooler temps and shorter days, it means more time inside to work on projects. This week I found some fun new projects to do from Farmhouse Friends, on Facebook. 

This design is one of the freebies they are offering each week and a design by Heart to Hand.

I am not great at following directions, but I stuck to the original design and used glitter thread for the leaves and berries, it adds a nice touch to the piece and will be pretty when the lights, hit it.

We also got out for some nice day trips last weekend. We decided to go up the opposite side of the Connecticut river. Our first stop was an old cemetery that sits on the river. Beautiful views but no eagles on this day.

The second stop was another cemetery. A beautiful place to walk around and there were bits of color, here and there.

The next stop was a riverside park where you can launch your boats or sit and enjoy the views. It is also a stop for the tourist trains. 

Our last stop was the ferry, across from the castle. We had the truck so we were able to finally take a ride across the river. A fun way to get across and quicker than going around to the bridge.

On Sunday we were able to get up early and head to Hammonasset Beach. The park is huge, lots of parking areas, walking areas, birding and camping there. I definitely want to go back with the kids. We spent our time at the point which is the main bird sanctuary.

Just that area is so big, we spent all our time walking on the paths and along that section of the beach. The only regret is that we couldn't spend more time there, but we wanted to head back before it got dark.

We left before it got dark but enjoyed a pre-sunset sky.

And we also got to our beach, on afternoon. Another bad thing about the time change, we only have an hour before it gets dark, but the good thing is, we get to watch the sunset. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and upcoming week.