The weather has been fantastic so we drove to Island Beach State Park with the kayak to paddle in Barnegat Bay. The scenery is just a bit different from the Adirondacks.
We saw several great blue herons, lots of brant,
and this great egret.
But the paddle was cut short by duck hunters. We had no idea they were allowed to hunt within the park. We came across a boatload just getting set up - positioning the camouflaged boat, setting out the decoys - and then they started shooting, while we and other kayakers were quite nearby!! We high-tailed it out of there and came across another boatload heading in. We weren't comfortable being there with any hunters around, so we got out. At least there was the alternative of walking on the beautiful beach, so we got to stretch our legs in addition to paddling.
Plus of course I loved designing it and I can hang it in the stairway at camp. The fabrics are all florals as you can see in this closeup.
The machine quilting worked better than I expected. I'm gradually getting the hang of it. But I think I'm going to buy a new machine. One designed for quilting with a larger bed and handy things like automatic needle down. Good thing I have lots of knowledgeable quilting friends from the guild from whom I can learn about such things.
