Pelican Island and Boat Ride



Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying your summer. Here are a few pictures of some pelicans.

In this picture you see "Pelican Island" the actual name is "Black Bird Island" BUT it seems the pelicans live there mostly. One thing noticed right away was the awful smell of Birds. The island was just loaded with pelicans. When they saw us coming they scattered, all heading for the water. Only a few pelicans were brave enough to stay. Maybe they were the guards.....guarding a nest or two. (I am just guessing)

Here you see more pelicans flying off...maybe to distract us.

Getting a little bit closer here, via my zoom lens on my camera. Looks like there might be a few seagulls hanging around on the island. Well we left the birds to their island and headed back.

It was a day well spent and even though it was mostly cloudy, I did end up with a little sun burn on my forehead. Not much on my arms as it was a bit chilly and I had a jacket on.

Well, so much for my mini-vacation....they never last long, but it still was refreshing and a change of sorts. You all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

A NOTE: The previous part of this blog was deleted as per request. Sure hope the Pelicans don't mind their picture taken.

Boat Ride & 100 Mile Challenge & Doggies



As this is the 1st day of September, and such a beautiful day it is. (My gosh, where has this year gone to???) I am going to look back at the last few days starting with Wednesday, August 29th. It too, was a beautiful day. Went for a boat ride, with Sandi, Shirley and Tyler. We had a great time on Butt de More Lake, dropping anchor and having a snack of cheese, salami, bean dip, crackers, celery, zucchini bread, cookies and chips. Should have taken a picture, of the food, but I am sure you have seen these munchies before. It was just fun to rock back and forth with the waves and eat. What a life, I could get used to this life style very easily!!



Here the geese are passing by the Seagull that was sitting on the rock in the above picture....such a peaceful day!! This is actually taken with my "zoom in" on my camera, we were pretty far off from these geese.



Here we were throwing chips and crackers out for the seagulls to catch.....started with one bird and he must have called in his friends, because then we had at least 10 birds flying around. Surprised they did not swoop down onto the boat and help themselves to what we were eating!!! All and all it was a beautiful day to take a boat ride, no cares in the world at that time, that's what I call a VACATION of sorts. I vacated my home to go on a boat for a ride!!! That is what vacation means to me.



As you can see I made the challenge of 100 miles for the month of August. But alas, out of the 32 + women that entered the challenge......I did not win the Salsa and Chobani yogurt, Carol did...........(sob, sob, sigh). "But I shall continue on" in my quest to ride my stationary bike every night, as my journey continues for however long I can go. Hopefully it will be a part of my schedule from here on in until the return of Jesus!!!



Here's Kylie, my lovable little "schnoodle" a cross between a Schnauzer and a poodle. I think she is more Schnauzer though cause she is always smelling something with her nose. She also uses her nose to move things, like doors, cabinets, her bed, garbage cans, leashes, just to let us know she is there or she wants to go for a walk. She moves blankets and whatever else she can get her nose to do....she is a very talented puppy! Kylie has been with us since 2005. We got her at the OshKosh Animal Shelter. She was brought in as a homeless dog wandering around, fending for herself. Someone must have dumped her and left her. Kylie suffered rejection....how sad.



Here's Hyko a bolegnese from Italy, he has been with us since 2003. Hyko was in an abusive home for 4 years then taken to the Animal Shelter. We had just lost our sweet Poppy and it seemed sort of lonely without a second dog. Anna, our little black poodle mix was depressed and so were we. Then along comes Hyko to shake things up a bit. He has been a very good dog, but you know, he is getting old, human years he is going on 13, doggie years his is about 85 years old. In this picture he is comtiplating going down the stairs, we still try and let him do it himself, but lately he has been needing some assistance going down the stairs and going up too.

Yep, even I need assistance, grabbing on to door knobs, ledges and banisters to go up and down the stairs.....No one ever told me it would be this hard to get old....honestly, thanks alot!!!!

Well, I think that is about all for today, need to get some things done around the house. I am planning on having a garage sale this month, so if you don't see me blogging that is where I will be, working on the garage and gathering all the things I thought I needed these past years and stopped using for whatever reason.

Take care and keep looking up for your redemption drawth nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

New Set of Cards Listed Today

Finished these cards the other night and just listed them in my Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/listing/76107609/set-of-6-everyday-cards There are 2 Happy Birthday cards with the seagull, 2 Happy Anniversary cards with the roses and 2 Thank You cards with the lighthouse. The technique is called "Direct on paper" where you take an ink pad and swipe it across the paper, then stamp the image and saying. I used the copic marker to color the lighthouse and roses. Didn't color in the seagull as I thought it looked fine as is. Perhaps I might color just one in just to see what it looks like. Made lots of these cards and may make more as the technique is quite fun.

The Lighthouse

The Seagull

The Pink Rose

Hope you like my cards. Please leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by. Check me out at http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Cards4ubylouise/ should take you to my facebook page, "like me" please. For Twitter go to http://www.twitter.com/louisellen/ Have a great day ~ Cheers ~ Louise

~~No Exercise Today Please~~

Nope......no exercise today please.........just don't feel like it....lol.

This is my new little series of exercise cards...."Garfield's Scale" included. Been having fun coloring my exercise lady with Mark-It and Copic pens. Have a few cards made and just put this card up on my Etsy store also, go to: http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ She is $3 + postage and you will receive a bonus card plus and bookmark and thank you card along with this card for your use. Here is a full view of the card.

Made this Seagull card, it is called "Seagull on Watch" which turned out really nice. Using Mark-it and Copic pens and my new large scalloped punch which gives the effect of a curtain, mmmm wonder what other uses it could have. This card is also up in my Etsy store as well.....$3+postage....and you will receive one free card plus a bookmark and thank you card.

I am going to try to upload a picture of my husband (if I can find it)....mmmmmm....year unknown, standing along side his 1924 model T Ford dump truck...........that sure was a fun truck to have, I think we gave it away though, if we'd have kept it and had it restored it would have been worth thousands, who knows, we would be just guessing at it's worth.

We had quite a few tractors also, that we actually used on our 20 acres.....not like this one ....>

which my friend Kandie took on her trip to MN. Here is her blogsite if you would like to see more of her lovely pictures. http://www.khixkrafts.blogspot.com/ I think this would make a wonderful painting, it has such character........aaaahhhhh yes, to have the time I would like to have, to do all things swirling around in that grey matter upstairs in my head...hahahaa.

Have a great day in the Lord.....are you getting enough vitimin D....just a day in the Sun can lift your spirits, a good vitimin pill and it is FREE!!!!!

Sea Side Sea Gulls - Treasury #6

Here is my newest treasury...........Makes me homesick for the sea and I have never lived there. Maybe that has been one of my dreams......I love being by water and listening to the sound of waterfalls.........so soothing to the spirit.

The Seagulls always remind me that they should be near the sea, but they seem to thrive in Wisconsin............maybe they think the big parking lots at the Mall are the "sea".......who knows. And when it snows??????????? More water!!! Seagulls are a very curious bird, I love to watch them.........they seem so free, flying around, surveying the area for food and swooping down on their targets.........fun to watch. I wonder if they long to be by the sea?????? Did they get lost traveling in the skies? Probably not, they just must love Wisconsin.

My husband and I have lived in WI since 1976........wow that is a long time. Did we get lost? No, don't think, so we wanted to get away from the "ratrace" of Chicago. We had 20 acres, built a poleshed and lived there for 9 years, raising cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Had a big garden, did lots of canning and freezing of vegetables..............what a good life, would never trade that time...........sometimes I long for it again and wonder if we made the right move.........back into the "ratrace"........I wonder, if I am like the Seagull in a way........longing to go back to the sea, but I stay, someday I will go back, living in the country was a good life. But for now, I am, where I am, in this life and must make the best of where I am. Because it is where God has planted me for this time in my life............like the Seagull. "Bloom where you are Planted" I hope I have done that.

Well, I better go, I am rambling and I have to go get ready for my job......I do merchandising and go into stores doing audits, put cards up, take things down, move things around.......its fun at times, sometimes hard work........but is something I can do in my retirement and still make a little money to pay the bills.

Talk later, have a good day,

Louise

PS be sure to click on the treasury........it will zoom to 100% so you can see it better.