Painting By Numbers And Letters

Lots of fun memories came back to me while working on this "Paint By Numbers" project, a Christmas present from Sam. New and improved this kit uses acrylic paint (quick drying) and a far better paint brush. You not only search for little numbers to paint but letters which mean you combine colors to make a new one. I didn't want it to end but I was assured there are other holidays coming up!

Christmas Cookies

For the past two days Sam has been cookie baking up a storm, the result, a kitchen full of delicious temptations.

Girl Guides Christmas Decorations

"My Christmas Angel I made at Guides"

"Chloe made a Humpty Dumpty Santa Christmas decoration"

"Others in the making from other Girl Guides"

By

Chloe and Tracy Waller

Halloween Tricks

By
Sam Field

Scott And The Giant Pumpkin

Here Kitty Kitty

MEEEOW!!!
By
Sam Field

Happy Halloween

Pumpkins
By
Sam & Mark Field

Autumn Evenings On The East End

Fluffy Bunnies

My present all the way from Maine, two skeins of soft snuggly 40% angora/60% merino wool.

Itty Bitty Fun

Halloween Craft Time

Making cute and scary Halloween decorations out of pipe cleaners on a rainy autumn day.
By
Sam Field

An Open Path By Jonathan A. Neary

Sandy Stream In Maine

“People don’t start with a backpack; they start with a small park with a swing set.”

-R. Bentley

Start with a childish wonder. Reminisce on the days you had an open mind, when everything was new. See the trees. No, really see the trees, as if you would on a lazy Sunday while the rest of the world sat still. See the different textures of the bark, the shapes of the leaves, and start to feel it. Feel the shade cooling your skin, while the glare of the sun bursts through an open space between the canopies as they sway in the breeze. Smell the earth, the spices, the dirt, the ever-moving air surrounding you. Hear the earth. She’s louder than you’d think. Notice the subtle rustling on the ground, the gentle shushing of the leaves, the trickling of water, the birds, all the birds. She’d be loud enough to drown the sounds of cars, of crowded streets, of a concrete empire; if only she had the chance, if only people would stop to listen. Take a step forward, look around the bend – eagerly. Find the curiosity within to take those strides, want to take those strides, want to discover. And notice, contrastingly, the crunching sound each step makes on the ground. Every single step is heard, disturbing, interrupting, announcing your presence. It’s not just you anymore. For once you are the stranger; not in the sense of being one in a million, but one of a kind. For once those steps do count, how hard you let your foot drop, how the soles of your shoes start to scuff. Every little detail of your existence in this part of the world makes a difference. So now that you’re here – now that you’re here with an open mind – I must ask why it’s different in this natural world. Why are so many of the little things ignored every second of every minute of every hour of every day? Why does the creation of “civilization” create a reality of isolation? After all, before you stepped into the woods, did you really ever notice all these details? What is it that makes this setting more fitting for us as human beings – makes us more conscious of ourselves? Now that you’ve got an open mind, and you’re looking for the answers around the bend with each lightly placed step, you’re free to find the answers for yourself.

End Of Summer Fun

Labor Day weekend fireworks at Main Beach in East Hampton

Scotts Brownies

My first attempt at making brownies
By
Scott Bremner

Life On The Beach

Despite living only 200 yards away from the beach I always manage to miss the annual lifeguard competition held at Main beach in East Hampton. That is until today when suddenly up sprouted the American flag...aha...competition time! Tens of tanned muscled men and women running on the hazy hot beach and swimming in the wild ocean to showcase their life saving talents. There were awards to be won but I'm sure just challenging themselves against other great lifeguards was their mission for today. I'm glad I got to watch all the excitement.

This lifeguard was taking people out to deeper water so they could be "rescued"

Lining up for the big race

More photos below

Running around the flag was the halfway point

Trailing the racers

In last place but still doing better than most people

Summer Flowers

Summer Flowers

Stand Up Paddle Surfing

I've been trying to take a picture of this guy for a couple of years, but usually when I spot him he is either too far away or I didn't have my camera. On days the ocean is calm he can be seen paddling back and forth between jetties. It looks like fun and therapeutic, also quite a workout but the scared of water thing would get in my way!

Little Gray Kitty AKA Skitty...Moochie...

This is our wild cat friend who every morning inundates my dog Willa with affection. Willa is unimpressed...she is willing to share her chicken treats with Miss Kitty, but no snuggling allowed!

Hydrangea

Sams Knifty Knitting

Sam made this hat and scarf using her Knifty Knitter tool.

Delicious And Delightful

Whether the reason was not enough room in their luggage or not enough passion for the needles does not matter to me. Jonathan brought back from college this little present he found abandoned in a dorm room. A great find too as the price is still on the bottom at $20.

Interview Of The Month

This months interview is with crafter Sam Field from Springs Long Island.

Question 1. Who or what introduced you to the world of crafting?

"My art teacher Mrs. Lawler, she's known me all my life and I had her as my teacher for most of my school years. She would show me her drawings and sketches of her home in New Hampshire which inspired me to draw."

Question 2. Do you remember your first crafting project?

"I made a clay duck in kindergarten. It was made of gray clay and I glazed it green with black accents. I still have him on my bedroom shelf. I was very proud of my green duck. I showed every teacher in my elementary school when it was finished."

Question 3. If you were stranded on a desert island and allowed an endless supply of certain crafting items what would it be and why?

"A sketchbook and a pencil because I love to draw especially nature. It relaxes me like meditation, your in your own little world when you draw."

Question 4. What have you always wanted to learn?

"I want to expand my knowledge in crochet, not just doing rows, which is kind of boring. I like Red Heart wool, it's not too thick or thin, it's just right and it comes in so many colors."

Question 5. What project do you have going on right now and what is the next one?

"A crochet baby blanket for my nephew Gavin, who was born March 17, 2010. For my next project I want to make a really big over sized blanket using Red Heart wool in the color camouflage."

A Little Sweet

One of my favorite flavors of ice cream is "dulce de leche" from Haagen-Dazs. The caramel dotted here and there throughout the vanilla ice cream is never enough...and I always feel guilty when I go digging for just the caramel parts leaving nothing for anyone else. Someone told me they know of a caramel sauce that tastes just like the caramel in the ice cream. These little tubs are only about an inch and a half tall and come with a tiny spoon. I no longer have to be a caramel thief...it does taste exactly the same! You can add it to ice cream, spread on cakes or eat it out of the tub because it's not too sweet. I think I would like to try dipping granny smith apple slices into it!

Interview Of The Month

This months interview is with writer Jonathan Neary from East Hampton New York.

Question 1. Who or what introduced you to the world of writing?

"As far as poetry and songwriting goes, Gavin Rossdale of the band Bush was always an inspiration, and my mom first introduced me to the band when they debuted in the ‘90s. As far as other genres, the first book I really got into was S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders,” which was probably what inspired me to write about things I saw in high school. As far as nature writing goes, “Into Thin Air” and “Into The Wild” by John Krakaur were two excellent examples of how to keep my work straight forward and somewhat simple to maintain the focus of the audience while finding other ways to be creative and descriptive. I feel that learning how to be descriptive is the first start to good writing, learning how to use it tastefully and modestly is what leads to great writing. Lastly I’d have to pay homage to my high school teachers and my college professors Jim Reed and Tom Jaques."

Question 2. Do you remember your first writing project?

"Technically my first project was when I was nine-years-old, when I wrote a chiller style short story, however my first real fictional work other than poetry and song lyrics was when I was 15. It started out as a four page assignment for an English class, but later turned into a 57 page story named “My Indian Summer,” which was based on some of the darker events in my town. It addressed alcoholism and death as is typical in some high schools, along with the drama it brings. I thought this was more realistic for my high school than those television shows where the only drama is who dumped who, and this darker style has since been found in a lot of my other work."

Question 3. If you were stranded on a desert island and allowed an endless supply of certain writing supplies what would it be and why?

"First and foremost I would need endless stacks of loose leaf paper, preferably the ones with light blue lines as I’m not a fan of the cheap navy, it clashes with the ink too much. I’d also need a couple of good ballpoint pens. To perfect my writing techniques I’d bring “Making Shapely Fiction” by Jerome Stern, which is honestly one of the best guides to creative writing I’ve ever found. It was recommended to me by a writing professor I had, and it doesn’t just show you the proper ways to do things, but it also helps to inspire you and get you started on new topics and how to develop all aspects of your work, which is useful for both beginners and veterans alike. Oh, and I can’t forget the stapler, all that paper blowing around would be a hassle for written work!"

Question 4. What have you always wanted to learn?

"One thing I’ve always wanted to learn is how to write sci-fi or suspense. I think this taps into a very imaginative part of the brain and would like to learn how to effectively use mine. Although since even the most creative original thought comes from experiences (whether in real life or observed on television, as we typically can’t write about something that we’ve never been exposed to) I’d like to learn how to twist my own knowledge creatively for such things."

Question 5. What project do you have going on right now and what is the next one?

"Currently I’m working on the hardest project, finding inspiration for my next plot. I don’t have any direction yet but what I hope to work on soon is a flash fiction piece, which is a glimpse of a story that has a much larger picture behind it yet can stand alone in under 500 words. I’ve written a couple of these before and I’m currently thinking of what the subject of my next work will be."

Pretty Pink

Sunny Yellow