Wild weather and craft collaboration

 December has been pretty volatile, weather wise, so far. Temperature swings, snow, rain, wind.

Wet snow, that actually had to be shoveled,

but the ducks were still here.

Out in the bay; looks like a barge and a gas rig???

Then the snow melted and Rick and I went looking for some walks that we had not done before.

Next to the sewage treatment plant behind Port Rowan, a short walk around a pond. With a few male Buffleheads,

Canada Geese,

and many female Buffleheads.

3 Wood Duck nesting boxes. We will have to come back in the spring to see if they actually attract any.

As it had been a short walk we also took the Bird Studies trail and were rewarded by Sandhill Cranes

coming in to land in the marshes

in the moody evening light.

It was really to dark for taking photos when we scared up the Great Blue Heron.

and saw the lone Mute Swan.

A few days later the wind kicked up to Gale Force and I took a quick drive down to the pier on my way to teach the Beginner Rug Hooking class. The waves were breaking over the pier, obscuring the lighthouse

and washing over the road, tipping over garbage cans and making it impossible to walk along the edge. It was garbage night in Port Dover and there were garbage bags and cans blowing all over the downtown streets. There were 8 "lakers" sheltering in the bay.

Nicola came down for a couple of days and we finally attempted something that we had been talking about for quite some time. A craft collaboration. First she pieced and then quilted material on to rug hooking backing

and then I hooked on it. We made some mistakes, know how to do it better, learned a lot and were quite pleased with the final product.Of course there are all sorts of  ideas now floating around in our heads  so I am sure we will do it again.

Rasta was, of course, his usual helpful self.

I have finally finished hooking the rope border on Cigi's rug. I wont be doing another one of those any time soon! (if ever).