A long Saturday walk

The air was cool this morning, and hubby wasn't feeling up to kayaking because of back pain, so I decided to go for a walk.  Living close to the Potomac River means that we're in close proximity to the C&O Canal Towpath as well.  Because it was a beautiful Saturday morning and I had plenty of time, I chose to walk on the towpath instead of the city streets.  Come along with me on my walk. 

My walk began near this  beautiful aqueduct, one of 11 that were built along the canal.  This one was built to carry the canal over the Conococheague Creek, near where it empties into the Potomac.  Not much further down the path is this drawbridge, used for trains that no longer use the track in this area.

The towpath is a very popular spot for bikes, and I saw bikers of all sizes, shapes, and ages today.

There were also people fishing, jogging, and walking.  I saw evidence of recent horseback riding,as well, but chose to not photograph said evidence.

I passed a lock, complete with lockhouse. Being a lockkeeper was hard work, and meant being available 24 hours a day to open and close the locks as needed.

Naturally, I found some wildflowers to photograph, and today, I also found one of the first signs of the coming fall.

The rest of my day will be spent in my sewing room, as I begin working on my Sept/Oct goals.  Come back tomorrow to join me as I tour the Sully Quilt Show!

Wordless Wednesday

Makes Me Happy Monday

The holiday weekend is coming to an end, and I'm starting to turn my thoughts to the week ahead. We had a wonderful weekend, and added more memories for our scrapbook.

Our hosts

Live from the Biltmore Estate

Our tour guides took us to the Biltmore Estate today. We toured the house and gardens, and then the Winery. My feet hurt so bad, I'll actually be very happy to sit in the car most of the day tomorrow, as our fun weekend comes to an end. Enjoy the flowers!





I'll be starting on a sewing project when I get home!

Live from Pisgah National Forest

We spent the day hiking and sightseeing along the Blue Ridge Parkway today. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Actually, it was so sunny, that a lot of my pictures didn't turn out very well - too much contrast between the sunny areas and shady areas. But we had a great day, spent with hubby's brother and sister-in-law. They are fabulous tour guides, and we love spending time with them. They spend most weekends hiking, and they know where all the pretty waterfalls are!

Sept - Oct Goals

It's that time again, and I didn't set any goals the last time around, so it's time to get busy again.

1. I will complete at least three rows of my row-a month mystery quilt.
2. I will sew down the bindings on the 4-5 quilts that are prepped, and also add labels to all otherwise finished projects.
3. I will finish quilting my Turning Twenty
4. I will finish piecing, quilting and binding the other class quilt that I started.

IF I get all this done, I will allow myself to start a new project. Sew many plans, sew much fabric, sew little time!

Until next time. . . . I'll leave you with this picture, since there won't be any kayaking this weekend.



Have a nice long weekend, everyone!

Ta Da!

I did it! I sewed! I started and completed a small project. This is the first bag that I've made, and I'm ready to do another.





This is going to a bloggy friend, (who probably knows who she is). I wanted to keep it a secret, but I needed to prove that I made something. My inspiration was a tutorial at p.s I quilt

The sewing room is clean and organized, and I'm deciding on my September goals. I have plenty of project to complete that will require no shopping, so I have no excuses. Hope to have more completed projects to show you in the coming weeks.

Breaking News. . . . . . .

I ventured into the sewing room, and I've unearthed the sewing machine

and the ironing board!


Who knows what could happen next.



Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.

Long Pine Reservoir

Today was a picture-perfect day. Unfortunately, I had to attend a memorial service in the early afternoon, but we were able fit in a little paddling later. And there may have been some shopping in there somewhere, too. I've been hitting all the clearance racks lately!

Long Pine Reservoir is very pretty, but there's not much to photograph, so this will be a short post.


Like I said, a picture-perfect day!


I plan to have some sewing pictures tomorrow!

Along the Nanjemoy Creek

It's Saturday, so it must be kayaking. Are you tired of kayaking pictures yet? Today we headed for Southern Maryland to a spot that we had seen a couple of years ago, but just never got back down there. The first time we were there was for a geocache named 'Where Eagles Dare', and we saw one of the several eagle's nests in the area. Today, there were Bald Eagles everywhere. Adults and juveniles.




We saw Osprey


A Great Blue Heron


A dragonfly posed for me.


And we saw butterflies in the parking lot.




In other news, I finished a baby afghan last night that will be a Christmas gift, so one more for the Early Bird Christmas Crafters. I've also finished the stitching for a pincushion, and just have to assemble it. What do you all use for stuffing? I've heard about using crushed walnut shells, but I've checked two pet stores and haven't found any. Am I looking in the wrong place? What else can be used?

Happy weekend!