Big Swells from Hurricane Bill

My brother and his family are visiting from Vermont this weekend. They haven't been to the beach this summer so when they arrived yesterday we headed off, with a weather forecast of probable rain, to Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine. When we arrived we were told at the State Park that the beach was closed to swimming due a strong riptide caused by Hurricane Bill. The Hurricane was far off shore but was still causing coastal flooding, big waves and strong currents (whoo hoo).

Well, we just had to swim, so we proceeded about a mile down the road to Fort Popham where we could access the far end of the beach, just after the boundary of the state park. It was overcast but still super hot and muggy, not much of a beach day, but hot enough for a swim. This is a protected area of beach and though there was a current, the waves were not that big. The water was freezing cold - about 55 degrees (brrrr). Seriously, it is August, right? Maine waters are always cold, but I think the water was extra cold due to the hurricane. We all jumped in too cool off even though it was numbing! The kids jumped in waist deep and decided that was plenty, then busied themselves chasing waves, catching floating seafoam, popping seaweed pods and digging holes in the sand.

Today we decided to head south to Portland Head Lighthouse, a beautiful lighthouse and Maine summer destination. The place was packed with people all hoping to get a glimpse of the huge storm wells caused by Hurricane Bill. The National Weather Service had issued warnings to stay away from the coast, which of course is why we, along with hundreds of others, had flocked to the coast!

It was well worth it - there were huge swells, which even a little bit out to sea didn't look like much, but came ashore and smashed into the rocks below, with sea spray shooting up 50' in the air. There was a group of photographers with enormous camera lenses just waiting for the perfect shot. Volunteers from the South Portland Fire department were also there to warn daredevils who were watching the waves atop ledges too close to the water for their own safety. It was amazing to witness the power of the ocean. Luckily we had finished our ice cream cones just as the raindrops started to fall. Then on our way home, we drove through an incredible downpour (another effect from the Hurricane).

The waves and beach, coupled with a great dinner at the Back Street Bistro and some delicious homemade pizza, red wine and salad foraged straight from the garden, made for a great weekend.

Great Rangeley Lake Area getaway

Last week my family and I (husband and two kids) spent the week on Mooselookmugentic Lake in Maine. Most people just call it Mooselook, since it's pretty much a mouth full (especially for my 4 year old!). The name Mooselookmeguntic is said to have originated from an ancient Abanaki word which means portage to the moose feeding place, or moose feeding among the trees. The lake is HUGE - 16,300 acres, the second largest in Maine. We already live in Maine, and thought it would be fun to explore our own beautiful 'vacation' land. Since we moved here several years ago, I haven't had the chance to travel any further north than Augusta.

We rented a house through Morton & Furbish rental agency and were very happy with our small rustic camp. It was in a super quiet, cool and shady forest of pines, with tons of low-bush blueberries ripe for the picking. The kids thought that was great. Plus we were right on the water and could just sit out on the deck and listen to the gentle waves and the loons calling at night.

There was no cell phone or internet service for miles, which was a little hard to get used to. We took our kids on a tricky to locate, but well worth it, hike up Angel Falls (just north of Byron Maine) which has a huge waterfall at the top. We had to cross the stream several times on the way up by jumping over giant boulders. It was a fun hike and we were impressed that our kids did so much climbing without being afraid or complaining.

In fact, they were so good, we decided to make them hike up to the top of Bald Mountain 2 days later! That was a 1000' elevation gain over 1 mile, and through one of the muckiest, muddiest trails I've seen in a long time (and I've done a fair amount of hiking). Luckily the kids feet were comfortable wearing the brand new sneakers we just got them! Oh well. I had intended to save those new shoes for the start of school, but realized we had to break them out since they had been wearing sandals all summer and had outgrown their sneakers since the beginning of summer. So with mud and muck all over, we hiked on. The very top was a scramble over giant rocks and boulders and we were rewarded with amazing mountain and lake views. We could see Rangely Lake, Mooselook Lake as well as Cupsuptic Lake.

After our hikes, we were ready for some low key fun - a half day with a rented pontoon boat from Oquossoc Cove Marina, hanging out at the Rangeley town beach, and relaxing at the lake house. We also watched a ton of movies on DVD, roasted marshmallows on the hot coals after dinner and generally kicked back.

Hopefully next year we can convince some friends (which shouldn't be too hard to do) to come up and join us for the week.

My next sewing projects and my summer sale

I have a load of items for sale in my Etsy Shop. I have too much inventory and some things are going to expire soon, so I figured I'd mark things down. Plus with my husband away for a few days this week, I'll have some extra time at night for extra sewing. I have plans to make Heather Bailey's Happy Stacker ring toy (which looks a bit complicated). In fact I am making one tester ring right now out of some scrap flannel, just to see how tricky it is. I bought the pattern from Fabric to Sew, another Etsy seller.

If the pattern works out, I'll be using some beautiful Heather Bailey Pop Garden fabric that I got from StarLitNest. I love that shop, it's one of my favorites!

I also have three different sets of 2 coordinating fabrics to make the City Tote, an adorable purse from a Keykalou pattern. So far I made one City Tote from the pattern. It came out great and I decided to keep it for myself. I get compliments on it all the time.

I also have plans for some additional Jumble Balls, and if time permits, some quilted drink coasters from the smaller pieces left from all this sewing!

Fleece and Flannel handmade baby blanket and matching soft cloth baby toy Jumble Ball

I love how this came out. The colors are so pretty and bright. This baby blanket has fleece on one side and flannel on the other and is embellished with coordinating polka-dot ribbon and rickrack.

I also made a coordinating Jumble Ball with the coordinating print flannel along with 2 cute polka-dot fabrics. It has a ton of ribbon loops for baby to explore and a rattle secured inside.

Some of my Etsy Favorites

WoodPondDesigns on Facebook

I'll be doing a FUN Fan giveaway within the next two weeks. I'm so excited to have some new fans!

Etsy Kids Team

The EtsyKids Team (http://etsykids.blogspot.com/) has put together a great new FREE online catalog, which will launch in August. Here is a sneak peak - http://modernhandmadechild.com/

Owls & Polka Dots Jumble Ball

One of my newest Jumble Balls featuring polka dots and owl fabric

Should I blog?

So, I set up this blog a way long time ago, and have basically done nothing with it. I guess I'm unsure if I have the time to blog. In my "free" time, I'd rather be designing a new item for my Etsy Shop or sewing up some of my current projects.

I guess I'll start by adding some new pictures of what I've been up to!

jennifer -

I just put these up on my Etsy site. They would be perfect to play with as little pocket pals, or to put as a gift in an advent calendar, or even as a gift tag.

'Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!'

Super duper cute felt gingerbread men magnets. A strong magnet is safely secured inside each "cookie" so he can cling on the fridge and hold papers up as well (and secure enough that they won't up and run away!). Rick-rack embelishments are hand stitched on and details are embroidered. Edges are finished with a blanket stitch. Each one is slightly different. Because the magnet is attached inside, these can be played with or used elsewhere as a decoration. Approx 3.5" tall.