Welcome to The Voyage of Windbird . . . and Beyond.  My name is Judy Handley and I live on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  For six years of my life, my husband Mark and I sailed around the world.  I documented that story, one day at a time, in this blog that was then just called The Voyage of Windbird.  Those daily logs from 2005 to 2011 tell the story of our circumnavigation.  While sailing, my daily logs were sent via Ham radio to the internet to appear on this blog spot each morning.  My son Justin made that happen, and to this day, I don’t understand the process.  But it was like magic.  I would sit in the cockpit each afternoon around 4 pm and summarize the day’s activities.  During the evening when the conditions were just right for sending radio emails, my husband would send the log.  The next morning my son, my daughter, other members of my family and good friends would read the news and know exactly where in the world we were and what fun we were having.

After almost 6 years of traveling, we sailed into Woods Hole on Cape Cod.  We continued living aboard for the next five years and I wrote about that, adding ‘and Beyond’ to the title of the blog.  Then shortly before Mark’s death in 2016, we sold our beloved Windbird and my travel logs became land logs.  At this point, I had written a daily account for each and every day for 11 years.  I fully intended to end the blog at that point, but when I wrote that news in a log, I got many responses saying that I really needed to keep posting.  At the same time, I realized that I couldn’t stop writing.  Summarizing each day had become a permanent part of my life and I will probably continue writing until I can no longer.  These postings reflect the ordinary, and sometimes the extraordinary, days in my life and I would like to invite you to join me on my journey.

NOTE: Due to Google upgrading Picasa to Google Photos, many of our old photos are now broken.  We are actively working on fixing this – thanks for your patience!

2024 Life Logs, Day 88: Newport Mansions Field Trip

2024 Life Logs, Day 88: Newport Mansions Field Trip
Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024
Weather: Rain and More Rain; High Temp 49, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Oh, the weather outside was frightful, but it ended being a great day for touring inside two of Newport’s mansions, Marble House and The Breakers. The Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 by the younger Vanderbilt brother, William. It was a 39th birthday present for his most interesting wife, Alva. Three years after its completion, the Vanderbilts were divorced and Alva got custody of the children and the summer cottage, Marble House. Marble House is an opulent 50 room mansion of the Gilded Age, certainly not a cottage. But it was built at the time that the wooden summer cottages of Newport were torn down and replaced with mansions used as summer homes by the wealthy. To the Vanderbilt’s, it was their summer cottage.

The Breakers  (phot borrowed from Wikipedia) was rebuilt by the older Vanderbilt brother, Cornelius. The original mansion on the property burned to the ground and was rebuilt to be as fireproof as possible. It is a 70 room mansion built of masonry and steel trusses with no wooden parts in the structure. To give you an idea of size, the front entry way, known as The Great Hall, is the size of a formal ballroom and was used for that purpose. When the rebuild was completed in 1895, The Breakers was the most opulent house in Newport. Unfortunately, Cornelis died four years later at age 55, leaving the mansion to his wife.

The younger Vanderbilt brother, William, and his wife Alva were both forceful personalities. Women’s suffrage was her passion and William loved sailing much more than running the family railroad empire. Marble House had personalities, but The Breakers won my heart with its library and fabulous kitchen and butler’s pantry, plus the Upper Loggia (second floor) overlooking the water. This is a huge stone and tile porch connecting the bedrooms on one side of the mansion with the bedrooms on the other side and was used as an open-air living room. Today the visibility was zero, so I must visit it again on a sunny day to enjoy the view.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a three-day weekend. As there is no school tomorrow, Ollie is having his trampoline birthday party with friends in the afternoon. We are traveling to Plymouth for that. And then tomorrow evening my dining-in group is gathering at Christina and Warren Brodies. Let the parties begin!

2024 Life Logs, Day 87: A Walk in the Cranberry Bogs and Belated Birthday Luncheon

2024 Life Logs, Day 87: A Walk in the Cranberry Bogs and Belated Birthday Luncheon
Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Weather: Mix of Sun, Clouds, a Little Rain, Warmer; High Temp 52, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Today … morning exercises … a walk with Shadow in the cranberry bogs with friend Olga Mitchell … a delightful belated birthday luncheon with friends … researching what to order for Ziggy for his birthday … final planning for tomorrow’s field trip to tour the Newport mansions. And now time for bed.

2024 Life Logs, Day 86: Pampered Paws

2024 Life Logs, Day 86: Pampered Paws
Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Weather: Overcast, Some Rain; High Temp 41, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Every seven weeks, I deliver Shadow to Pampered Paws up by the Bourne Bridge and about six hours later I drive the 20 minutes back up to the bridge to pick him up. Pampered Paws is the name of the place where Shadow gets groomed and today was that day. Between transporting the beauty queen, taking Ollie to saxophone lesson, sending out final plans for a field trip on Thursday, and finalizing the agenda for next week’s Encore Board meeting, my day frittered itself away. And I forgot to mention the exercises in the morning, riding the exercise bike in the evening, and walking and playing outside with Shadow, and food preparation. Nothing exciting today, but Shadow sure looks good.

2024 Life Logs, Day 85: Catching Up

2024 Life Logs, Day 85: Catching Up
Date: Monday, March 25, 2024
Weather: Overcast, Super Windy and Chilly; High Temp 40, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

March is doing its windy thing. We are in the midst of another gale warning through tomorrow afternoon. The temp today was 40 degrees F, which isn’t all that cold, but with the strong north wind, it was freezing outside. So, after going to physical therapy this morning, I spent most of the day inside. I caught up on communications with a few friends, did some Encore work, did some indoor gardening, and just generally enjoyed a laid-back day.

Olivia White forwarded a piece to me today that my daughter wrote on her Heather Goldstone for Select Board Facebook page on St. Patrick’s Day.
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May the luck o’ the Irish be with Falmouth Public Schools – Massachusetts Clippers Women’s Hockey today as they take the ice at TD Garden to bring home the state championship!
This contest caps off a week that has showcased so much hard work and accomplishment by Falmouth students — first at All Bands Night, then at yesterday’s STEAM Fair. We also saw at the Falmouth Education Foundation – Massachusetts Gala the spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy that supplements the Town’s generosity to make our schools exceptional.
Public education in Falmouth is strong, and that’s one leg of the stool upon which a thriving, diverse, and resilient community sits. The other two are a bit wobbly. From ponds to coastlines, we have work to do to protect and restore our precious environment. And we have to address our housing crisis so that it is possible to both live and work in Falmouth.

At the same time, we can’t take that strong leg for granted. Staying at the top of your game takes constant work and investment (as any athlete knows), and there is always room for growth and improvement (something our educators and school administrators embody every day). Our schools can also be a hub and engine for progress throughout our town. That’s why education will remain one of my core issues and priorities as I shift from School Committee to Select Board. Go Clippers!”

And I say, Go Heather! I knew she had a dedicated Select Board page, but I wasn’t sure how to get to it. So, wanting to know what else she has posted, I just typed in Heather Goldstone for Select Board and Facebook took me right to it and I clicked to be a follower so I will get notified if there are new posts. Then I read the top of the page where she makes this statement, “I am an independent problem-solver focused on Falmouth’s future as a thriving, driving, resilient community.” And I am an independent proud mother.

And then there is Justin and Jo. Yesterday I saw their Silvermouse summer European music tour calendar posted on Instagram and I had another very proud mother moment. From Puerto Rico to Norway, carrying all of those instruments and electronic equipment!

Get ready to embark on a mystical musical journey!
Silvermouse goes BEYOND this Summer
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We are taking our fully brainwave entrainment supported body of work on tour: our ALL LIVE psychedelic weavings of multi-instrumentals (violin, guitar, mandolin, flute, ukulele, and other, random, magical instruments); live electronic compositions; and live psychoactive beat frequencies.
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Announcing the first wave of tour dates! Where will the magic take you?
Silvermouse Summer Tour BeyondTour2024
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Confirmed Dates:
Aguada, PR – May 18
Washington, DC – May 30
London, UK – June 13
Frome, UK – June 15
Totnes, UK – June 21
Kragerø, NO – July 20
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More enchanting destinations to be revealed… Stay tuned!
.

2024 Life Logs, Day 84: Goldstones Over for Dinner

2024 Life Logs, Day 84: Goldstones Over for Dinner
Date: Sunday, March 24, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Windy, and Chilly; High Temp 38, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Shadow and I walked a mile this morning, so we are getting back on track after a winter of inactivity. I have to wear a knee brace when walking more than around the block, but for now, that is working. I am also back on the exercise bike and doing the PT exercises. Today, by the time I did these things, had breakfast, and read the morning news, it was almost noon. I invited Heather and family over for dinner, so this afternoon I went grocery shopping and cooked. We had veggie curry, chicken tiki masala, and saag paneer. I had hoped to make pakora, but that didn’t happen. Next time.

2024 Life Logs, Day 83: Ollie the Farmer

2024 Life Logs, Day 83: Ollie the Farmer
Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024
Weather: Overcast and Rainy, Gale Warning Tonight; High Temp 50, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

By the time Ollie was two, he started putting a tractor on his Christmas lists for Santa. When he was three, I was his chaperone for a trip to the Coonemessett Farm and while all the other kids were admiring the animals, Ollie would lead me over to show me the tractor of his dreams.

09 Ollie Loved the Tractor

For his 4th birthday, Ollie got his first tractor. It was a John Deere pedal tractor with a trailer. We learned over time that it was very hard to pedal. But Ollie persisted and continued to ask for a motorized tractor. Fast forward to 2022, and Ollie was sitting proudly on a kid-sized motorized tractor. Then his Christmas list changed. He decided he wanted a real tractor. Since he doesn’t live on a farm, a real tractor seemed like a bit of a stretch, so this past Christmas Santa gave him the promise of a small lawn tractor as a combined Christmas/birthday present. It arrived today and he was thrilled. He is good driver, so I guess all the practice on his little motorized tractor paid off. I watched as he backed it up, headed out of the driveway, turned it around, and then headed back down the driveway to park it. I was certainly impressed.

Sam participated in a statewide Model UN today somewhere near Boston. He had to be on the bus by 6:30 am and didn’t get home until early evening. “Model UN is a world-renowned program in which students role-play delegates representing member states of the United Nations.” The Falmouth High School group have had preparation sessions after school since the beginning of the school year. I look forward to hearing about his experience.

I spent my day walking with Shadow in between spurts of heavy rain, did the set of exercises I am to do once a day between PT sessions, made a spinach mushroom soup, set up the grow lights for the things Ollie and planted last weekend, and somehow this filled my day. It was certainly not a day for outside activities. Tonight, it is roaring out there and raining harder than it did for most of the day. The rain is supposed to end by midnight, but the strong north wind will continue into tomorrow. It looks to be a rainy week, but the forecast for next week is promising with warmer temps and sunshine. I’ll be ready.

2024 Life Logs, Day 82: Physical Therapy Evaluation … Finally

2024 Life Logs, Day 82: Physical Therapy Evaluation … Finally
Date: Friday, March 22, 2024
Weather: Sunny and Chilly; High Temp 37, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Nine weeks after my back surgery, today I finally had my physical therapy evaluation. I had to wait three extra weeks to get the physical therapist I wanted , but I think it was worth the wait. I was very pleased with this first session. I will have two sessions a week for six weeks, have one week off, then knee surgery, and the physical therapy will start again. From now until the end of June, my goal is to focus on getting my body back into shape. It has been months since I could really walk long distances or do exercises other than stretching. I am truly looking forward to the challenge, and a challenge it will be. Actually, more like a miracle!

2024 Life Logs, Day 81: Happy 12th Birthday to Ollie

2024 Life Logs, Day 81: Happy 12th Birthday to Ollie
Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024
Weather: Sunny and Windy; High Temp 40, Low 27 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Happy Birthday to Oliver Preston Goldstone! Ollie and Simon Ackerman were born on the same day twelve years ago in adjacent rooms at Falmouth Hospital. And now they live in the same neighborhood and can walk to school together. This morning, Simon’s mom, Kate, took a great photo of the boys carrying their saxophones to school and this evening we had a family dinner at the Goldstones to celebrate. I went over to take Simon and Ollie to soccer practice at 5 pm, but they had both decided to skip practice. So, I took Ollie to Falmouth Pet Center to talk with Doug, the owner, about adding more fish to Ollie’s aquarium. Doug is always willing to share information and answer Ollie’s many questions. At Doug’s suggestion, Ollie is going to add the new fish after he has given the aquarium a good maintenance cleaning this weekend.

The Goldstone boys always get to dictate what we have for dinner on their birthdays. Tonight, it was homemade sushi and chocolate cake. When I arrived for dinner, Heather and Jed were both busy making rolls. Very impressive! There was sushi grade tuna and salmon, calamari, scallions, avocado, and cucumber. The rolls were beautiful, delicious, and cost about half what it would have cost as take-out.

Sam had to leave by 7 pm to go to soccer practice. He got to eat, but he missed the opening of presents and cake. I gave Ollie a subscription to Mark Rober’s Crunch Labs which are build-it-yourself engineering kits you receive each month. Mark Rober was a NASA engineer who is now a YouTuber and just so much fun. He started Crunch Labs to get kids to think, play, and build like an engineer. Heather recommended this purchase and Ollie was delighted. Evidently both of Ollie’s grandmothers think alike as Grammy Marti sent him a similar kit from a different company. Jed gave Ollie a huge box of gray Legos. I asked why just gray, and Heather explained that she is forever being recruited to sort through the hundreds of Legos for gray bricks to build ships. But the biggest present of all was that a decision was finally made tonight on the lawn tractor to purchase. This is something he has wanted since he was two and it was his combined Christmas and birthday gift from Santa and mom and dad.

Lighting the birthday candles on the cake was quite the affair tonight. Ollie started lighting the candles with a grill lighter, but every time he lit a candle, Jonah would run through the dining room and blow it out. Jonah finally grabbed the lighter and hid it, so Ollie went to get a grill lighter that looked more like a mini blow torch. That did the trick and we finally got to sing Happy Birthday. And before I left, I shared the Welcome to Crunch Labs video that I received after subscribing where you learn how to make the best paper airplane ever. When I left, Ollie was adjusting the wings and the trim to make the plane do loops. He was one happy 12 year old tonight.

The rest of my day was spent in Hyannis getting an eye exam and ordering new glasses and then heading on to Costco to get a few items I needed. Tomorrow the only thing I have on my to do list is to go to my PT evaluation. Finally, I get to start PT post back surgery.

2024 Life Logs, Day 80: Happy Spring!

2024 Life Logs, Day 80: Happy Spring!
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny Turning Cloudy PM; High Temp 49, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Spring arrived last night at 11:06 pm, the earliest spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere in 128 years. It continues to be windy making it feel colder than the thermometer says, but when the sun was shining earlier in the day, at least it was a down vest, not a winter coat day. I spent this first full day of spring at morning long Encore general meeting and then spent my afternoon indoors catching up on things I had put aside to get ready for the meeting. But I did spend a big chunk of time outside enjoying the sunshine while playing ball with Shadow. I was enjoying being outside so much that I wore him out. He finally ignored the tennis ball and just plopped down on the ground. I took that as my cue to bring him back inside!

2024 Life Logs, Day 79: Tuesday Work-a-Day

2024 Life Logs, Day 79: Tuesday Work-a-Day
Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Easterly Wind; High Temp 45, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Today was just a repeat of yesterday with the exception of taking Ollie to his saxophone lesson this afternoon. He was very sad because yesterday their male kitty, Mel, somehow got out the front door and ran away. When I talked to Ollie about his birthday coming up on Thursday, today he said all he wants is Mel to come home. They put food in the garage and left one of the doors open part way so he could come in if he wanted. And Heather and Ollie were going to put up posters around the neighborhood. When I got a text from Heather later this evening saying they found Mel in the garage under Sam’s car, I immediately broke out in tears of joy. He is very scared and smells funny, but he is all in one piece. Now Ollie can get on with the birthday planning.