Delaware Bay icing over

 Every few years we get a spell of cold weather that ices over the bay.  This year the temperatures are even colder and so here is the result.  The view is from the front of my house looking west.  Temperatures today were about 18 F all day.

Fabric Postcards

Here are some postcards made for swaps.  I sure love sending and receiving them.

Theses were made with some of my hand and snow dyed fabrics.

9 Patch Block Swap

I was asked to join a 9 patch block swap by my Dyehard friend, Ann.  She's been swapping scrappy blocks with friends for a number of years.  I said yes so each month I am making ten 6" finished blocks.  Two blocks go to each of the 5 participants with one block having light corners and one block having dark corners.  I've been busy and actually have made about 120 blocks so far.  Pictured is a sampling of the blocks

Avalon Jetty ~ Scoters

Surf Scoter, Black (immature) & Black Scoters

Avalon Jetty ~ A Time for Reflection

I needed time away from everything to reflect on life today.  It seems that life sometimes  is just like being on a treadmill and goes faster and faster with time slipping away before your eyes.  Today's weather forecast was good for a visit to the jetty to sit, relax and watch nature.  Birds seen were Common Loons, Long-tailed Ducks, Greater Scaup, Black, White and Surf Scoters and 6 Semipalmated Plovers. These were a surprise. Not seen were Purple Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones that are normally there.

Winter's backyard

Not many places for the birds to hide in my backyard on those cold, blustery days so I hunted some Christmas trees.  I brought 7 of them home with my favorite being a blue spruce.  It seems heavenly and looks great.  I have placed 2 by the patio window which is where I'd put the top of a blue spruce last year that my neighbor gave me.  Then I build a little brush pile along the back of the garage and added 3 trees there.  Good for days when the winds are blowing from the South.  Lastly, I have framed in the waterfall with 2 of the trees.  The waterfall has been awesome.  I bought a heating disc to put in the bottom of it which keeps it running even when the temperatures get to 10 with wind chills in the minus range.  I also put up a new pole for the bird feeders.

YoYo's

Found some yoyo's that I intended to use on a wallhanging but just never got it made so decided to make some postcards to swap.  I used some scraps for the backgrounds.  Here they are.

Snow Dyeing

Friday, we had snow so yesterday I did some snow dyeing.  Several pieces turned out well but most were a disappointment.  I haven't done any snow dyeing for about 2 years so I am a little rusty.  Here are 3 pieces that I liked though the last has a lot of white so if we get more snow this year I'll probably overdye the piece.

Remembering Russ on our 34th Wedding Anniversary

I met Russ in the Spring of 1979 and quickly fell in love.  In August he proposed and I said yes.  I wanted a spring or summer wedding but he wanted to marry just after Christmas.  And it was decided we would marry on January 5th, 1980.  I am a worrier and was sure we'd have a snowstorm that would cancel the wedding.  Russ, always the optimist, told me not to worry that it would all work out.

Early January 4th it started to snow.  Ten inches was predicted so my maid of honor came to spent the night and brought all of her things.  Wedding day we were all up early to find there had been about 12" of snow. Calls placed to the reception venue ~ The Inn of the Four Falls ~ went unanswered for hours until about 2 hrs before the wedding they called to say the reception was cancelled. After much discussion it was rescheduled for 1/6/80.  Then to call all of the guests, particularly those living several hours away to let them know about the change of plans. Off to the St Coleman's we went where the ceremony was beautiful.

Then we spent the afternoon back at our apartment entertaining some of the guests.  The next morning it was time to dress again and go celebrate our marriage.

A walk in Cape May Point State Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Field Sparrow

A walk in Cape May Point State Park

Carolina Chickadee

Fox Sparrow

American Woodcock (life bird)

Onto to 2014

Prefect day to start 20014 ~  out birding in the morning ~ highlights ~ Friends I haven;t seen in a while plus lots of great birds including an American Tree Sparrow (life bird), Painted Bunting, White-winged Dove, Rufous Hummingbird and 5 Drake Redhead Ducks (life bird), Eurasian Wigeon and more.  In the afternoon I branched out on my own first going over to the 2 mile island area of the Cape May NWR where the highlight was my fifth Snowy Owl of the season but the first of 2014.  On the drive over I watched a Belted Kingfisher search for food in the marsh along the road.  Then I drove up to the free bridge on Nummy Island to view the 2 female King Eiders that have been there for the past few weeks. A great day ending with 61 species of birds.