A fun Christmas finish and water, water everywhere!

Brrr... we are going through a cold spell here in southwestern Pennsylvania and I woke up to a chilly 49° (9.4° C)  morning. It was so cold that, when I woke up, I put on my cozy winter bathrobe and promptly went down and baked a batch of my favorite chocolate chip-peanut butter-oatmeal cookies in an effort to warm up the house! I know I've complained about the heat this summer, but I'm not quite ready for fall. How about you? Are things cooling down in your area? The children in this area resumed school today which, to me, always marks the end of summer. (At least it did when my sons were of school age). It's been a very busy three weeks since my last post--lots of trips involving lots of water! Before I share my vacation photos with you, though, I wanted to show you my new finish. Yes, I  finished one of my favorite Christmas pieces ever--"Santa Stops Here" by With Thy Needle and Thread. 

"Santa Stops Here" by With Thy Needle and Thread

Oh, how I loved stitching this one--even that endless brick house! I love that the colors of the brick aren't the traditional reds and pinks. These remind me more of a stone house. It is stitched on 40 ct. woodland brown Newcastle with most of the suggested threads. I did end up using only WDW "Red Rocks" for all of the reds rather than using the two different reds that were charted. But, other than that, the colors are exactly what were called for. Below is a better view of that pretty house... According to the designer, it was inspired by the German houses in the Amana Colonies in Iowa where the businesses are often brick buildings with a simple black and white sign advertising what they sell. She mentioned that this "Candy Haus" is where Santa just might shop for the sugary treats to fill the stockings for all the good little boys and girls at Christmas time. Who has visited the Amana Colonies? I've never been to Iowa at all, but it looks like such an interesting area. If you'd like to read more about it, just click here.

Love the satin stitches on the door and the little beaded wreath. It gives this finish a nice bit of texture. I also added a trio of beads to the center of the red bow.

 

In this final photo is the jolly, old fellow himself with his little snowman buddy. Love all the sweet details from the candy cane laden tree to the tiny red cardinals to the wee trees sprinkled about the design. I will be framing this one--or possibly sending it out to be professionally framed. I think it's such a charming little piece!

So, let's get to all that water that I mentioned earlier! Lots of lakes, rivers, and waterfalls were enjoyed this month. In early August my whole family gathered for a few days at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. We've enjoyed trips there before, but always in the winter for my January birthday. This was the first time we vacationed there in the summer. The weather could have been warmer, but the sun peeked out between the clouds enough for us to enjoy kayaking, paddle boarding, swimming, and fishing. That water was a bit too cold for me, though, so I was the official picture taker :)

Lots of kayaking, paddle boarding, puzzle making, and fishing at Deep Creek Lake in early August.

My little grandson, Mister B, caught the one and only fish of the trip--his very first one and he couldn't have been prouder. As he pulled it out of the water, he excitedly shouted, "I caught a fish for mommy!". He thought she could cook it up for his dinner, but, sadly it was too small to keep so back into the lake it went. 

Mister B with his first fish! Just look at that excited little grin.

This mama duck and her seven babies were frequent visitors

We all enjoyed ourselves and agreed that we'd like to return for a longer vacation next summer! Have any of you been to Deep Creek Lake? It's such a beautiful area nestled in the mountains of western Maryland. Just sitting on the dock gazing at the water and the mountains beyond was so relaxing. For more information on the lake and adjoining state park, you can click here. 

Our next trip was to upstate New York to visit one of my sisters. On the way to her home on Lake Ontario, we stopped in my tiny hometown (on the border of New York and Pennsylvania) to visit my parents' gravesite. It was the first time I've been back since my mom's funeral in 2020. A very bittersweet moment with a few tears--I'm sure many of you can relate. After lunch at a favorite local restaurant we were on the road again.

Our next stop was Letchworth State Park, a place I had visited in the past, but my husband hadn't. Again, the weather wasn't the best, but it was nice enough that we could get out for a short walk to see one of the parks three waterfalls from Inspiration Point. Letchworth is such a beautiful park comprising 14,350 acres. It is sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of the East" and is certainly worth a stop. We definitely want to go back and do some hiking in the future. To hear the roar of the waterfalls and feel its misty spray is really something!

The view of Middle Falls from Inspiration Point in Letchworth State Park

 

The Genesee River running through the gorge in the park

Me! A bit wind-blown, but still smiling!

After we left the park, we began the drive to my sister's home on Lake Ontario. On the way we spotted several rainbows due to the constantly changing weather. One minute it would be lightly raining, and the next the sunshine would break through--perfect rainbow weather! This one was so vibrant even though it was just a partial rainbow. 

It was a perfect day for rainbows.

My sister's home is set right on the shores of Lake Ontario, the smallest of the five U.S. Great Lakes, but the 14th largest (by surface area) in the world. Often, when you gaze out her window, it looks like the ocean with whitecaps topping the water and seabirds soaring by. She gets the most beautiful sunsets (and yes, I'm quite envious, as we never get them here being in a valley) almost nightly. 

The view from my sister's front door! Beautiful skies over Lake Ontario.

The day after we arrived, we took a hike to Chimney Bluffs State Park--a fascinating area filled with spire-like drumlins created by the erosion of glacial deposits from the last ice age. It was a chilly, bit muddy hike up to see them, but well worth the view!

Chimney Bluffs State Park

 

That water was so blue and the landscape so interesting.

There is also a beach below that is open to the public.

An old 1907 postcard of the view of Chimney Bluffs from the water. Over the years, the bluffs have eroded quite a bit due to the weather.

There are so many wonderful things to do in western New York--we'll definitely return for future visits! When I was growing up in that area, I don't think I fully appreciated all of its beauty. Now that I'm an adult and look at things through older eyes, I truly do.

So, that explains why not much stitching was done in August. I do have a couple smaller things which I hope to share with you soon, though. What is everyone stitching on these days? Have you moved on to fall stitching or is it too early? I've been so bad about pulling out my summer bees and sunflowers--in fact, I'm ashamed to say I still  have my 4th of July/patriotic stitching and decor out! I've just not been home enough to be motivated to change it.

Anyway, that's about it for this post. I'll leave you with our sunflowers as viewed from our kitchen door. My husband sprinkled the seeds throughout his fenced in vegetable garden and I just love how cheery and bright this corner of our yard is--in any kind of weather. Wishing you a sunny day with lots of stitching time. Bye for now...

Our cheerful sunflowers (can you spot one of our ever-present deer lurking in the background?)