Winter is Here and More Ducks are Arriving!

Thought I would start things off with another pretty picture of the Cypress trees and Greenfield Lake Park.  The Cypress are pretty anyway but with the Spanish moss and color change, really a nice view!  

The pond behind the aquarium is beginning to fill with the winter ducks that are so familiar  These are a couple of Buffleheads which I will soon see in large numbers in the ocean but for now they are in the pond.

This is a White-winged Scoter.  There were a couple of these but very shy and they took off as soon as I got to the water edge.

Here he is taking off.  You can see where he gets his name here.

One of my very favorites is back as well and there was a good sized crowd of them -- the Hooded Mergansers with their graphic colors.  You can see their yellow eyes even though they were way on the other side of the pond.

At low tide yesterday at the boat ramp, there were a few birds.  Here is a Dunlin in the background (first one this year), a Semi-palmated Plover and two Least Sandpipers in the foreground.  They were quite a distance away.

Thought I would show progress on my winter project -- a wholecloth quilt.  I bought this preprinted top many years ago and decided it would be my winter project down here as I like to have something to do with my hands while watching tv at night.  It is coming along but don't know whether I will get it done in time for either of the quilt shows I will be in this spring.  There is a lot of quilting as it is a queen sized quilt!

I took this picture with my phone camera but I finally finished this top although I still don't like it very well.  To me it is just boring.  It was a lot of work as  you had to trim and iron seams open at almost every step.  I don't think it looks like it was that tedious.  I am a compulsive finisher though and glad to have this done so I can continue machine quilting a top I made down here last year.  It will be done for the quilt shows!!  I may also get back to making some more purses.  The slightly winter weather that we have been having encourages me to sit and work on quilts.  I can't bear to be inside on the nice days!