2026 Life Logs, Day 307: On Election Day
Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 62, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

What an election night! The power of the people in the election was definitely stronger than the people in power and the millions and millions of dollars they spent to try and buy this election. The people of this country said loud and clear through their votes that we are not having it. Candidates willing to fight for our democracy while not taking big money in order to get elected have won the night so far. They did not have the millions from the richest man in the world poured into their campaigns, but they did have millions of people knocking on doors, making phone calls, writing postcards, sending small donations, getting out the early vote … people power is winning!

Heather and I went to local candidate Jack Richardson’s watch party tonight. Jack is only 24 years old and is running against a well-liked Republican incumbent to be the State Representative for part of Falmouth, Mashpee, and Bourne. It was a tense evening as the results from Falmouth in-person voting today showed Jack behind David Viera.

But as the evening progressed and results from early voting were added in, Jack pulled slightly ahead. But when Heather and I left sometime after 11 pm, votes from Bourne were still not in. When I got home, I turned on the television to get the latest update on the national scene. During the watch party, we had watched one Democratic candidate after another being projected to win their races. But it wasn’t until I was home, cuddled up on the couch with Shadow, that I began to truly realize what had been accomplished through this election—truly phenomenal. It is now 1 AM and I am going to bed. I still do not know if El-Sayed in Michigan is going to win. And the results in Maine are still not in. So, I go to bed feeling great about the results so far but not yet celebrating until the final votes are counted.

One thing I do know as I go to bed on this election night is that I have done everything I could in the past year, right up until the sun set today, to use my personal ‘people power’, and that feels good. I will sleep peacefully. This morning I traveled to New Bedford to be a non-partisan election observer for the New Bedford Coalition to Protect the Vote. Foreign-born residents living in New Bedford make up more than 20% of the population and the Coalition wanted to make sure those who are eligible to vote could do so. Federal agents were at the polls for the primary in September, so we were there to make sure those who are eligible to vote could do so. But the federal agents did not show up for this election, at least not at the poll where I was stationed. My only regret when I left there just before noon was that I do not speak Portuguese. So many people in southeast Massachusetts are Portuguese speakers, so maybe this is something I will add to my to do list! Then after getting home to walk Shadow and eat lunch, I went to the Dems Headquarters to get a sign for Jack Richardson and headed to one of the precinct polling places to hold the sign until the sun went down. Thankfully, Heather and Jed invited me over for dinner so I didn’t have to cook before heading to the watch party. It was a full and uplifting election day watching so many people streaming in to vote.

2026 Life Logs, Day 306: On Election Eve
Date: Monday, November 2, 2026
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 62, Low 51 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

Midterms 2026. Months of work by so many people across this country have gone into preparing for tomorrow. But when all is said and done, it will not be the end of anything. It will either be the beginning of a massive effort to begin to rebuild or it will be a continuation of the work we have been doing. I am so hopeful that the people of this country will come out in record numbers to say loud and clear that what has been happening in the past two years is not representative of the vast majority of this country. But whether or not there is a blue wave (I’m hoping for a tsunami), the tide is turning and we just have to keep swimming.

2026 Life Logs, Day 305: Darkness Comes Early Now
Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 55, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

Spring Forward, Fall Back. So, last night we ‘fell back’ by moving our clocks back one hour to Eastern Standard Time. That made for a bright morning, but sunset was at 4:38 pm with last light at 5:06 pm. Darkness coming in the late afternoon is not my favorite thing, so I just have to look forward to March when we go back to Daylight Savings time and later sunsets.

I spent three hours of my day knocking on doors to remind people that have not yet voted that Tuesday is the day. I have committed to doing another door knocking shift and that will end by newfound canvassing ‘career’. Canvassing for political candidates is something that I had only done one time before this election cycle. In 2004 I was convinced by my niece Lynn to knock on doors one afternoon in New Hampshire when Bob Kerry was running against George W. But in August of this year, I realized that knocking on doors and talking to people face to face is the most effective way of getting the word out about candidates. People don’t read the campaign literature sent in the mail. Phone calling can be effective if people answer their phones, but most people do not these days. That leaves door knocking. Some choose not to answer their doors, but most do and most are appreciative of information about the candidates. I have learned so much by talking to people while canvassing. But that said, I will be glad when tomorrow’s last shift is done. And like everyone in this country, I will really be glad when this election is over and done. But we all know that will not be on Tuesday. It will not be over until those people that win on Tuesday are certified and seated in January. Then, hopefully, we can breathe a sigh of relief as we begin the work of putting this country back together. At least that is my optimistic hope.

Today was also Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. I had dinner at the Goldstone’s tonight, and we had a toast to celebrate those who have left us and are now our guardian angels. We also celebrated that Jonah sent off his first college applications for early action (not early decision) and Ollie got a snowplow blade for this lawn tractor.

2026 Life Logs, Day 304: A Halloween Treat
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Weather: Sunny but Cooler; High Temp 54, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

I am giving myself a Halloween treat and taking the night off. I’ll be back tomorrow!

2026 Life Logs, Day 303: Last Day of Noon at Noonan, Visit with Patsy
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Weather: So Warm and Beautiful; High Temp 69, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

Today was the last day of early voting in Falmouth, so it was the last day of Noon at Noonan. I stayed at Peg Noonan Park alone and sent the other three people to stand at the entrance to Town Hall where people vote early. We all had signs that announced the “last day” of early voting, but almost everyone I talked to today has already voted. The weather was gorgeous and it actually felt hot. It was almost 70 degrees and those of us who came to stand out today were dressed for cooler weather.

I am so glad I decided to do the daily stand out. A few people today stopped to tell me that they voted early because they saw us standing there every day. Other people took time today to say that the information on the ballot questions that we distributed was so very helpful. A big thank you to those who joined me during the past two weeks—Jennifer Owens, Luean Anthony, Mo Lewis, Kathy Shaffer, Michael Lambert, and Sandy Faiman-Silva joined me on multiple days. Thank you, thank you.

As I did the noon time walk to Town Hall today, I took time to take photos of the Halloween decorations. My favorite has been right beside me for all 12 days of Noon at Noonan … Lady Liberty. But seashell mermaid came in as a close second.

I was going to go home afterwards, but it was so warm and beautiful that I decided to go visit with my sister and take her outside in the garden to enjoy the sunshine. We had a wonderful time together in the sunshine and then I took her inside for a Halloween party. I didn’t stay for the party, but she was enjoying watching as everyone came in and put on a pair of crazy Halloween glasses. Patsy chose to be a pumpkin! And I told her she was a perfect match for her great-grandson Jack. Patsy’s granddaughter, Jessica, sent a photo of baby Jack as a jack-o-lantern!

2026 Life Logs, Day 302: Noon at Noonan, Trip to Hyannis, Chores at Home
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Weather: Yet Another Beautiful Fall Day; High Temp 64, Low 53 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

Last week was windy, windy, but this week, we have been so lucky to have such beautiful weather for the daily standout at Peg Noonan Park. Tomorrow is the last day of early voting, so it will be the last day of Noon at Noonan. When the clock struck 1 pm today, we closed up shop and I then headed to Hyannis. When I called Lens Crafters this morning to say it had been more than 20 days and was only supposed to be 10 days to pick up the new glasses, they said they emailed me. Somehow, I missed that email, but now I have them. When I got home, I took Shadow outside and I started the process of ‘winterizing by disconnecting all of the outside water hoses. I waited until it was very chilly last year and learned that coiling hoses in cold weather is no fun at all. So, I plan to get it done this year while it is still warm. I then ended my day making signs for last day of early voting. It was not an exciting day, but I got things done while enjoying this wonderful weather.

2026 Life Logs, Day 301: Heartbreaker
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Weather: Another Beautiful Fall Day; High Temp 57 Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

The last regular season game for the Falmouth High School boys’ soccer team was played tonight on Martha’s Vineyard. And it was a heartbreaker. Jed, Ollie, and I took the 3:45 ferry over to the island and arrived right on time for the 5 pm game. After Monday night’s game, much of the team bleached their hair white, so the first adjustment was to figure out who was who. The team members look quite different as “bleached blondes.” Both teams came on the field determined to win. Martha’s Vineyard made the first goal. Falmouth came back in the second half to make it 1-1. You could see that they were putting their hearts and souls into this game, but their determination was matched by the MV players. In the last few minutes, Martha’s Vineyard scored again. Falmouth tried to come back, but they simply ran out of time. The Clippers will still be in the state finals, and hopefully I won’t have to watch another game as heartbreaking as this one.

So that was the end of my day. Going back to the beginning, I was on an Indivisible Falmouth Steering Committee Zoom meeting early. All Indivisible groups on the Cape are trying to prepare for what actions we will take in response to any election issues next week. It is truly difficult to plan for a rapid response when you don’t know what it will be in response to or when it will happen. But that is the state of play right now. Nevertheless, the Zoom meeting ended about 15 minutes early, giving me just enough time to drive to my old neighborhood in East Falmouth on the Eel River to say hello to my former neighbor and friend, Andrew Dearman. He contacted me earlier to let me know he was in town, but this was my only chance to see him. I visited with him longer than I should have, making me a bit late for Noon at Noonan. But I texted Mo Lewis, who I knew was coming today, and she held down the fort until I got there. Again, the weather was beautiful and afterwards I headed home to play outside with Shadow before heading to Woods Hole with Ollie and Jed for the trip to Martha’s Vineyard.

2026 Life Logs, Day 300 (65 days left in 2026): Meeting Grace Ge Gabriel
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Weather: Beautiful Day, but Cooler; High Temp 55, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

It never ceases to amaze me how you can meet the most interesting people in the most common places. For instance, who would think you would meet the woman who founded the China office of the International Fund of Animal Welfare (IFAW) at a reception at your sister’s memory care facility? Well, I did this afternoon. Grace Ge Gabiel was a Chinese-born American news editor who went undercover in Shanghai to buy wild animal body parts and emerged to found the IFAW. It was meeting one particular elephant that changed her life path from journalist to animal rights activist. At some point, Grace brought her mother to this country to live with her, but when Grace’s husband died five years ago and her mother began to show signs of dementia, her life changed again. While working her way through this new phase of her life, she decided to grieve by writing a book. Blood Ivory will be available in January, published by Simon and Schuster. It tells of her fight to save the world’s most endangered animals.

So how did I meet Grace today? After visiting with my sister Patsy at Bridges afternoon, I went to the community room to attend a reception introducing the new executive director of Bridges. I didn’t see anyone I knew, so I walked over to the table laden with gorgeously presented appetizers and a woman walked over and introduced herself to me. It was Grace. It was when she told me she had worked with Jane Goodall that I became totally enthralled. About 45 minutes later we stopped talking just long enough to toast the new director. We parted by sharing contact information and with a promise to meet again.

I love it when special things happen on special days. If Mark were still living, today would have been our 52nd wedding anniversary. Meeting Grace inspired me to think of all of the wonderful encounters Mark and I had with various animals on our sail around the world, both on land and in the water. Meeting Princess, the orphaned orangutan who was raised by Dr. Birute Galdikas at Camp Leaky on the island of Borneo was definitely the highlight. As was watching a pair of Galapagos tortoises mate and anchoring next to a colony of Galapagos penguins.. And then there was the close encounter with a hippo in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The afternoon we hovered over an octopus showing off his changing colors in Madagascar was so special. As was the day I met my first clown anemonefish in the Komodo islands in Indonesia. And in honor of Grace’s love of elephants, the baby elephants in Kruger. I could go on all evening, as these are just a few of the breathtaking encounters with animals around the world. Thinking about these things were my gift to myself on this anniversary evening. What a wonderful world of nature!

2026 Life Logs, Day 299: Back in Falmouth for Jonah’s Senior Soccer Night
Date: Monday, October 26, 2026
Weather: Beautiful Day; High Temp 61, Low 46 degrees F
Location: Back Home on Lakeview Ave with My Shadow, Falmouth MA

The alarm went off at 5 am and Heather, Sam, and I were all in high gear. We had one hour to get Sam’s car packed with the multiple bags of food and supplies that he needs to move to where he is staying this week. While he showered, Heather and I got the car packed. I fixed a quick breakfast to go for Sam and by 6 am he was off to work and then on to his new home for this week. By 6:30 am, Heather and I had double checked all of the directions for turning things off when leaving the cabin and my car was packed and on the road. Goodbye lovely cabin in rural Vermont!

We made only one stop on the way home for gas and I decided to make that stop in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Plymouth State University is a school that has the 5-year athletic training program Jonah is interested in, and none of us has ever been in Plymouth. As long as we were right there, I thought a quick drive through town and around the campus, a stop for gas and a Dunkin’ coffee was in order. It only took an extra 15 minutes and that got us home just in time for me to arrive at Noon at Noonan right at 11:30. I usually arrive at 11:20 to set up, but at least I was there for the start time. We talked to lots of people about voting early and then I came home to have lunch. The early morning get up got to me after lunch, so instead of doing something productive, I crashed and napped for an hour. I almost never nap mid-day, but it was worth it, as I felt great when I got up.

Before I knew it, it was time to get ready to go to Jonah’s Senior Soccer Night. Before the game, each graduating senior player walked was announced and walked onto the field with family. Photos were taken and then the game began.  Before we went out onto the field, I was able to get a few photos, including a photo of Jonah, Kaiden, and Jean-Luc, Jonah’s tightest circle of friends, with their proud ‘soccer’ moms.

We were playing Yarmouth-Dennis. It was a fast-paced, exciting game to watch. Unfortunately, tonight is Falmouth fall Town Meeting and Heather and Jed were both supposed to be there. Jed and Ollie opted to stay for the entire game, with Jed going to Town Meeting late. But as Select Board Chair, Heather had to leave after 20 minutes of play. She missed seeing Jonah play one of the best games I have seen him play. And he made a beautiful goal late enough in the second half that cinched the win, making the score 2-0. The final was 3-0 and the entire team came off the field all smiles. There was an after-game party with pizza and cake, family members and players mixing and mingling, while the team goalie played music on his boombox. The goalie this fall is a ninth grader that played soccer with Ollie the past couple of years. He is young to be on the varsity team, but he is good. Each of the players was given a huge basket of snacks and bags of candy provided by the 11th grade players on the team. Everyone was having so much fun that no one wanted to leave. I finally snuck out to take Jed to Town Meeting and left Ollie out on the field playing soccer with friends. Jonah’s friend Kaiden was going to bring him home. By the time I got back to pick up Ollie, everyone was gone, but it was a fun and successful evening for the Falmouth varsity soccer team. The last game of the regular season is Wednesday on Martha’s Vineyard. Heather is in Boston for a conference, but Jed, Ollie, and I decided tonight that we will hop on the ferry for the 5 pm game. The win tonight probably assures that Falmouth will be in the playoffs, at least that is what we are hoping.