Sunday, November 3, 2024

Weekend Chatter

     Hi everyone. Happy weekend to you. I hope yours is going well. Mine has been busy with some outdoor chores. The yard is in the process of being cleaned up and the gardens are almost prepped for  winter. Friday was very windy and many more leaves came down. 🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂 However it was windy enough that all the leaves covering the driveway blew into the woods. ❤


What's very exciting is that with some warm days in October, I still have quite a few roses blooming.



It's almost time to pick my  brussel sprouts too.


    Enough said about my yard and gardens. Today I want to share some art for a couple of challenges. I'll start with another journal page for Wendy's On, In or by the Sea challenge over at Art Journal Journey
 

     This page is in my small journal, and I painted the background a blue-grey color before stenciling the navigation/map line in a metallic black paint. I also lightly rubbed a bit of black ink on parts of the page. I added some punch out and fussy cut images, and then added a few little half pearls just to the right of the sailboat.  It was a pretty simple page to make, and I hope you like it.

    I also have a tag to share for Michele's Day of the Dead challenge at Tag Tuesday. I was really happy with not only how my tag came out, but how it photographed also.


     I used a set of rubber stamps from Pink Ink Designs for all the images. I also did some coloring with markers and a white pen as well as adding a bit of gold sparkles.  I love the  background, which started with a big mistake and turned out to be perfect.  I decided to use a large envelope that had some fun scratchy lines on the inner side. When I glued it down on my tag, and when it had a sat for a few minutes (or more), I realized I had stupidly glued down the scratchy side I wanted to use as my background.  I peeled it off, and where the glue had dried, some of the paper didn't peel off. I think it was a dumb mistake with great results as I really like the way it peeled away. I will definitely need to do this again and hope it works as well as it did this time. 

    I should mention I also used some light pink ink over the entire tag. I did this just before I added the glitter glue dots.

     Lastly (sorry, long post I realize) I thought I'd share a photo from something my husband did last week.  I wish I could have been there with him.


     My husband is a civil engineer who specializes in airports, and when he was visiting one of his clients last week, he was able to go visit the biologist who keeps the runways clear of birds. I guess they put out traps to capture the birds, and then they are removed and brought to a safer place. (Safer for everyone, the bird and the people in the plane.) 

      This day they had caught a juvenile red tail hawk. I think it's exciting how close  he was able to get to the hawk. According to the biologist they usually capture a bird a day. A bird a day! That's  a lot of birds. I know a lot of raptors love airports for all the open land, but I wouldn't have thought they'd be quite so many birds.

    I also learned that they band the bird to keep track of it, and only about 5% of them return to the airport. Usually the ones who return are older birds who have been in the area for some time. I would imagine all airports with either commercial or military planes need to do this since all airports are on more open land.

    OK, enough written for me.  I am also linking up to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.   Have a great rest of your weekend and start to the new week. 



    



20 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I am always amazed at how birds that frequent airports are able to tolerate the incredible noise of jets taking off and landing. Years ago, when airports were more accessible, we used to watch Snowy Owls at Pearson International Airport standing right alongside the runways. Amazing! All the best - David

Tom said...

...birds and planes can be a dangerous mix

Angie's Recipes said...

It's really cool that one can get so close to hawks! That's a beautiful tag....I adore the colours.

Christine said...

Lovely page and tag Erica. My neighbour's rose plant is blooming too. Glad hubby enjoyed his trip.

Jeanie said...

Your roses and Brussels look great. I did a little yard clean-up the other day too, mostly picking up branches that fell down in the wind. What a very cool thing you husband did. I would be over the moon seeing and/or doing that. Happy weekend!

Gillena Cox said...

Beautiful journal pages and photos.
Happy Sunday
Thanks for linking to SundaySmiles

Much♡love

CJ Kennedy said...

Isn't it great when the wind rakes the leaves and not in your neighbor's yard? Your roses are so beautiful. I hope the frost this morning didn't get to them. Your journal page reminds me of Summer. I'm counting down the days. Lovely Day of the Dead tag. I saw a hawk sitting in the yard on Saturday. I don't know what kind it was. It might have been the Cooper's Hawk that hung out in our oak tree last year. Enjoy the sunshine today

Barwitzki said...

Your post about birds is very interesting... if you imagine one bird per day needs to be saved...
I have been following the website "nrk.no/piip" throughout the year, which shows the journey and breeding of ospreys. The eagle is now in its winter quarters in the Sahara and will hopefully return to its nest in Norway next year. It will interest you, I'm sure. Kind regards to you.

hels said...

I haven't brought sprouts for ages …until yesterday! I must have known what you were going to photograph today :)

The Happy Whisk said...

My Gram planted the most stunning roses. She just loved them. Such a pretty flower.

WendyK said...

Fabulous entry for my theme Erika, many thanks. Love the roses and the lovely hawk, I can imagine what a problem birds are on airports. Hugs Wendy

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Your roses are stunning. I'm also impressed with your Brussels sprouts.

That's a clever tag. I like the skeleton. But I really like your sailboat. It is very clever. Thanks for sharing it with AJJ using Wendy's theme.

Mbul Kecil said...

Always enjoy to read your daily journal....i love those red rose...mine is still wait to bloom...
the hawk has a great color and pattern....
it a nice bird and looks rare. Greetings

kathyinozarks said...

Good morning Wow I had no idea about the birds and airports would have been awesome to meet up with the biologist. we love brussel sprouts-yours look wonderful and wonderful to still have rose blooms. loved your art too-Happy new week hugs Kathy

Aimeslee Winans said...

How lucky the driveway leaves knew their place! lol I love brussel sprouts and your rose is so pretty. Very nautically nice page and cool tag, well done. And hubby had fun I bet. The bird situation is bad at some airports. And the wind down here has started another 400-acre fire between where my kids live and Bastrop. Everywhere we have looked at to move has so many problems! Cross that one off the list. xoxo

Iris Flavia said...

You have Brussels Sprouts, ohhhh, yum!!
Oh, yes, I always fear starts and landings on planes because of birds.Hups ... Monday lunch time already - to a new week, hugs!

*Vicki* said...

What a brilliant page and I love the background with the map design! The tag is very very cool with the sugar skull! Fabulous photos!

Elkes Lebensglück said...

Wonderful Journal page and all the photos!
Have a good week, hugs Elke

R’s Rue said...

Lovely.
www.rsrue.blogspot.com

Rostrose said...

Dear Erika,
I have to laugh about two things right now:
1) About I LOVE THE BONES OF YOU (what an original compliment, every woman likes to hear that 😅) and
2) about "sorry, long post" - come to me and you'll see a REALLY long post 😊. I think your readers will be able to handle it.
The roses (and the Brussels sprouts 😋) are really beautiful. As for the leaves in the garden - if they don't pose a (slip) hazard, we just leave them lying. There's a great book (in German) called "The Garden for Intelligent Lazy People" and it says that it's useful to leave the leaves lying because it gives insects a place to hide and birds a place to find food. And it's less work too 😅😁
I really like both of your works of art - and the juvenile red tail hawk is a magnificent fellow!
I wish you a nice November!
All the best from Austria, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/11/weltreise-2024-8-station-new-york-new.html