2017 Life Logs, Day 239: Welcome Home Goldstones
Date: Sunday, August 27, 2017
Weather: Sunny with NE Winds; High 73, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
Welcome Home, Goldstones! They are home from their vacation in Norway and Sweden. After a day jam-packed with outdoor activities, I drove to Providence, RI, to pick them up at 6:30 pm. They all looked great and rested after a wonderful two weeks and I was so excited to see them.
Ollie fell asleep on the plane and slept through Customs, but as we made our way to a close-by restaurant to get some dinner, we started to see eyes. During dinner, all three boys were so animated in relating their adventures and I’m sure I’ll hear even more stories tomorrow. Some of the highlights of their trip can be seen on Heather’s Facebook page—heather m. handley goldstone.
I spent my morning out on Buzzards Bay sailing on Pooh with Bruce Woodin. Jane had to work, so it was just Bruce and me today. Once we got on the boat, we realized that there was enough wind to make it worth the trip out into Buzzards Bay and we had a great sail with ENE/NE winds in the 5 to 10 range. The prediction had been 3 to 5, so we were delighted with enough wind to sail. Bruce’s goal today was to have me do everything on Pooh so I will feel confident in going out on my own. But I’m not ready for a solo experience! I am used to sailing a bigger boat with a wheel. Pooh has a tiller. I learned to sail on a bigger boat with instruments that told me where to go and an auto pilot to keep me on course. Pooh has none of these. It is like the difference between playing the piano by ear and playing it by reading music. Mark and I never really claimed to be sailors. We were cruisers using the sailboat to take us to beautiful places. Bruce sails by ‘ear’,
whereas I need the sheet music.
But each time I go out with him, I learn a little more while truly enjoying being out on the water. After a couple of hours, we returned so that Jane could go kayaking and somehow I ended up deciding to go out with her. Jane is an experienced kayaker. I am not. But the only way to learn is to get out there and do it. So I did. We kayaked in the West Falmouth inner harbor and its by-ways . . . so beautiful and peaceful. Thank you to Bruce and Jane for including me in their water adventures. It was a great day.
