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Sunday, June 30, 2013

....And The Livin' Is Easy

Welcome to summer everyone! Down here, summer begins in mid-May and oozes along until past Halloween.  But after so many years of living in Florida, I've learned to roll with the tide.   Let me start with some of the summer fun we've been up to Florida-style, and then I'll move along to stitching news.

Our latest beach adventure was a day trip to visit the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse   Having only been there once before, a return trip seemed like the right way to spend a Sunday.  The lighthouse itself sits on a small barrier island that can only be reached by ferry.  This is the view that greeted us.

 
Funny thing about lighthouses though is that you can never get to the top without a climb. 
 
 
But conquering all those steep steps and sharp turns was quite worth the effort.  The view from the top was much more impressive than the struggle to get there.
 
 
And the view straight down and directly in front to the lighthouse was interesting too...
 
 
In all our beach escapades, I've never seen so many sharks cruising so close to the surf line.  From the top of the lighthouse, I could see them all along the beach.... amazing! 
 
And in stitching news, now that Atoche is in the finished pile, I have made a tiny bit of progress on Ann Grimshaw, but nothing to have a lot of excitement over....I'm not sure when I'll feel the love for Miss Ann again, but maybe in a few months.
 
 
What has caught my attention though is the return to "Once Upon An Island" that I've been raving on about for a while now.  I don't think this design is available any more, so this is what first caught my attention many years ago.  Please excuse it's tattered appearance - Molly has managed to trounce it more than once while claiming her place on my lap in the middle of the stitching jumble. 
 
 
 
I just love little pieces like this because they seem so ready for personal changes to the design.  After a few attempts at color choices  that were closer to the original, I decided on a faded, sort of washed out beach palette for it.  Not a lot of progress so far, but I'm having fun dabbling with the colors.
 
 
I rememered I'd acquired several cards of the most intriguing overdyed floss at a local stitching shop several years ago and never had a real project in mind for them until now.  Anyone ever heard of "Stranded By the Sea" fibers?
 
 
Reworking Once Upon an Island seemed like the perfect project to play with them on, so at last I've given them a place.  You'll see the dividing band under the first row of letters is worked in the card on the right side of the picture.  I doubt if I'll use all of them, but then I've learned to never say never when it comes to changing my mind about color shades.    
 
So that's what's going on down here in the swamp these days. Thanks so much for checking in! 

7 comments:

Margaret said...

Yikes! Did those people know the sharks were there? Eek! What lovely views from the lighthouse though. And the shot of the stairs -- so pretty! Love your Ann Grimshaw! And I love what you are doing with that Once Upon an Island. I've never heard of those fibers -- very interesting!

Catherine said...

Very cool lighthouse! The sharks don't surprise me. A friend of mine flew training mission all along the gulf and Florida coast and had pictures of the sharks ~ I wonder how many people would still go in if they knew just how close the sharks were! Love your stitches!!!

Krista said...

What great pics, Mary! I love lighthouses, but don't like climbing them!! lol! And sharks! yikes!! that is why I don't go in the water!
Your Ann Grimshaw looks great, you are making better progress with her than I am with mine. I have not had the urge to tackle her for a while now. Love the new one you are working on, for some reason it makes me think of St Petersburg, Florida!

Lois said...

Lovely pictures Mary. What a beautiful spot to spend your Sunday. Those sharks are so close to the water's edge! Nice to see Ann again even if you're not feeling the love just yet. Love your new start - your colour choices are lovely.

Penny said...

I enjoyed the pictures! Oh my goodness, those sharks are a little too close for comfort. :) Your stitching is looking pretty! Looking forward to seeing more! I really love those threads.

Melissa said...

Mary, thanks for making the changes so here I am!

Love the travel photos - that one with the sharks is somewhat spooky!

Ann is looking great. I'll have to check out the floss that you mentioned.

Have a great day!

Anne said...

What a lovely post Mary! I love your photos of the lighthouse! You must have a really good camera. Ann is beautiful and Once Upon an Island is looking good.