Sweet Summer Days

Another glorious summer day has dawned
here on Cape Breton Island.
We certainly are being rewarded for waiting so long
for it's appearance!

This past Saturday, the NSQBQ (minus one)

(Karen, Lesley, Linda)

was on the road again;

this time, their yearly trek to Pictou, NS for the

(Click picture to enlarge)

annual quilt show.

Sadly, Sheila of Sheila's Quilt World

was unable to join us this year

and we really missed her.

I love this guild's wall hanging.

The lighthouse is shining right down onto Pictou

on the applique of Nova Scotia mainland.

See Cape Breton Island at the upper right?

And that small land mass in the center is Prince Edward Island.

The red plaid applique on the left is New Brunswick.

This quilt shows the maritimes

appliqued in the different tartans that represent each province.

Extremely clever!

I like clever.

Seemsas though we liked, and photographed, the same quilts,

so I defer you to The Scrapmaster, aka Linda,

and Lesley, The Cuddle Quilter

to see all the quilter's eye candy

on display at the show.

Lesley and Linda brought two beautiful quilted creations to

photograph against the harbor scene at Pictou,

but the wind had other ideas!

See how 'straight out' those flags to the left are flying?

I'm surprised the girls weren't launched skyward!

That's sure a funny image in my mind's eye!

Making memories!

We certainly had fun.

~~~

In my last post,

I showed you a picture of Ruddy Turnstones

and gave you a little information 

about them.

Yesterday, I was paddling in a more sheltered location,

and came across more!

I thought you might like to see one closer up.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Check out those bright orange legs!

From a distance, it's head blended right into the rocks.

I kept waiting for him to turn around,

but he was actually staying really, really still

hoping I couldn't see him at all!

Click on picture to enlarge.

The Ruddy Turnstone is so named 

because it is best know for its habit of inserting its bill

under stones, shells, etc., and flipping them over to find food underneath.

The other migrating shorebirds we saw

weren't as obliging as this little guy.

Ahhh, sweet summer!

Hope you are enjoying yours!

XO,

Karen

Full Force

Summer is in full force

and finding time to sew can be difficult!

But I did manage a few finishes.

As I've already mentioned,
I participated in the Repeat - the QAL

with Patty over at Elm Street Quilts.

I sat each evening after the supper dishes were cleared away

and foundation pieced my letters,

a few at a time.

I called it my dessert!

I quilted it with an all over design
of Angela Walters.
I found the design fun to stitch,
but had trouble making it look random
yet all fit together.

I purchased the whole alphabet here

and have already started a new wall hanging.

As it's a gift, it will have to remain 

a secret sewing project until fall.

Color Play
by the late Carol Turznik
aka MamaCJT

is a finish
with some simple straight line quilting.

I had emailed Carol during the late winter months
to inquire about her health.
During the course of our correspondence,
I asked about the availability of this pattern.
She very kindly dug around and found one lingering in her cache
and sent it to me right away.

Sadly, Carol passed away on May 7th.
Her family has left her blog intact
and I often revisit it for inspiration and rememberence.
Carol was incredibly talented,
loving color and whimsy.
I know she touched the lives of many quilters
around the world,
and that she is greatly missed.

~~~

Our first paddle of the season took us out into open ocean

and what a fun ride it was!

While the sea was relatively calm,

the water was rolling in a big way
as it made its approach toward the huge rocks
that so beautifully adorn our coastline.

No breakers, just rolling.

It made it a little difficult to get pictures,

but managed this almost nice one
before I almost crashed into the rocks,
making the Ranger just a little nervous!

(Click picture to enlarge.)

Ruddy Turnstones

(Arenaria interpres)

8" - 10"

"A squat, robust, orange-legged shorebird with a harlequin pattern."

Arenaria is latin for 'sand-loving'.

These shorebirds breed during the summer months in the arctic tundra

and are now on their way south for the winter!

~~~

Have a wonderful, funderful weekend!
I am joining the NSQBQ
for a quilt show in Pictou, NS on Saturday!
What are your plans?