2018 Life Logs, Day 314: Rye, NH to Wayland, MA
Date: Saturday, November 10, 2018
Weather: Rain Early, Then Partly Sunny and Windy; High 46, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home with Susie Klein and Jim Hammitt, Wayland, MA
The day started with breakfast at The Golden Egg with Leslie and other very good friend from our teaching days, Detta Porat. It is always so good to catch up on what is happening in the lives of friends. Detta was then headed to Boston, so Leslie and I went to the Seacoast Arts and Crafts Fair and then for a walk along the water. Rye and Portsmouth are New Hampshire coastal towns with abundant and beautiful beach walks that I always enjoy. Before I knew it, it was time to drive to Wayland which is west of Boston. Although I have known Susie Klein and Jim Hammitt since 2005, I have never been to their home. What a delight! Once I got off the highway, I found I was driving through beautiful, wooded countryside. I passed Walden Pond that Thoreau made famous before I reached Wayland and found Jim and Susie’s neighborhood. It is a mix of old and new. There is a large green area that was once a field training area for the Minute Men in the American Revolution. The entire neighborhood was then a dairy farm until the current neighborhood of tradition and ultramodern homes were built. Jim and Susie’s house is one of the split level, ultramodern homes in a woodland setting. The backyard adjoins conservation land, so even though you are in a neighborhood, you truly feel like you in deep in the woods. We had a little time to visit before we headed into downtown Wayland to the Unitarian Universalist Church where the Wayland Sailing Association meets. The history of this church goes back to 1641, but the current structure wasn’t built until 1814. We had time to socialize and eat a potluck dinner before my presentation. I think the presentation was well received and I enjoyed telling the story of how Windbird has been passed along to the most capable hands of Sam and Dawn Weigel. And that story includes how Sam and Mark became close friends talking on the phone about Windbird and I am included as one of the Friends of Windbird who gets invited to sail aboard her each season. Definitely a happy story. After the presentation, we headed home. Jim lit a fire in the fireplace and we sat in the living room enjoying the fire and the warmness of friendship on a chilly evening.
