by Judy Handley | Oct 22, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 295: Visit with Friend Leslie Kole in Rye, NH
Date: Friday, October 22, 2021
Weather: Partly Sunny and Warm; High Temp 70, Low Temp 45 degrees F
Location: At Home with Detta and Tom Porat, Greenland, NH
As Shadow and I got into the car to drive to New Hampshire this morning, I noticed that it is finally beginning to look like fall on Cape Cod. We don’t get a lot of color, but this week enough leaves have fallen in my side yard to completely cover the ground. The leaves on the oak trees, however, are still as green as they were in the summer. As I drove northward toward Boston, trees with leaves in all shades of red, yellow, and fiery orange lined the highway. But once I drove through Boston and headed northeast toward Portsmouth, the color began to fade. Many trees had dropped all their leaves. My suspicions that my trip north this fall was too late to enjoy the height of the ‘leaf peeper’ season were confirmed. Next year I’ll have to coordinate my trip with the changing of the leaves.
Due to Covid, I haven’t been to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area to visit with my friends Leslie and Detta and Tom as often as usual. As I got closer to Rye to visit with Leslie, I got super excited. The plan was to spend the afternoon with Leslie and her new dog named Quinn, have dinner with Leslie and the new man in her life, Bob, and then go to Detta and Tom’s to spend the night. I was a little nervous about how Shadow was going to deal with this, but I am happy to say that he is doing great. Leslie and Quinn, a super cute little female white and tan Cockapoo, were waiting for us on the front steps and Quinn and Shadow hit it off immediately. 
Quinn can run as fast as Shadow, so they enjoyed playing chase in the front yard while Leslie and I visited. Then we went for a long walk. We put the dogs in the car and drove about a half mile to New Castle Island. The island is surrounded by the Piscataqua River and there is a lovely, wide walking path to the Great Island Common with a beautiful view of the Piscataqua entering the Atlantic Ocean. Leslie and I talked and talked as we walked back. We took a detour to walk out to Fort Stark which has another lovely viewpoint and then we headed back home. Shortly after we returned, Bob arrived. He and Leslie are planning a trip to French Polynesia in March, so we spent time talking about some of the experiences Mark and I had there. Leslie served a delicious Tuscan stew for dinner and then Detta and Tom arrived to have dessert with us. It was wonderful to be together, but the time passed much too quickly. Detta, Tom, Shadow and I said farewell to Leslie, Bob, and Quinn and headed on to Greenland where Detta and Tom live. They live on Great Bay that leads out to the Piscataqua River.
I had been forewarned about the major construction happening at the Porat’s, but it was even more extensive than I had expected. They renovated part of their house when they moved there, but left an adjoining part to do later. The adjoining part included a family room and the guest quarters where I have stayed many times. That is now gone and the new foundation is in place ready for a two-story addition. The views of the bay from the point on which their house stands are gorgeous. I will be anxious to see the construction and the views in the morning. But tonight, we spent time visiting while Shadow and the Porat’s dog, Addie, played together. Addie is a four-year-old Golden Retriever and quite a bit bigger than Shadow, but they are getting along great. Shadow met Addie about a month after I got him in the fall of 2019, and they seem to remember each other.
by Judy Handley | Oct 21, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 294: Beaches and Seals
Date: Thursday, October 21, 2021
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High Temp 72, Low Temp 63 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The trip to the Outer Cape to visit beaches and see seals today was fantastic. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny. I went with two women that I didn’t know but who are members of the Newcomers Singles Group. I did a shout out on email to members of that group asking if anyone wanted to go to High Head Beach to see the seals. About ten people replied, but only two could go with me on this day and it worked out great. 
We arrived at High Head Beach parking area and walked the half mile on a sandy road and up a dune to reach the beach. You can only drive to the beach in a four-wheel drive vehicle with a permit. I have been there three times prior and each time when I reached the top of the dune, there were lots of seals in view. Today there were none. My heart sunk. But as we started down the dune to the beach, we saw a congregation of seals just a little south of us. 
Whew! And what a show they put on for us. They were frolicking in the water and making noises that sounded like moaning and braying. Tonight when I googled the sound made by grey seals, this is what popped up: “A party of grey seals can be recognized by the utterance of barking, moaning, hissing and snarling noises.” Maybe I imagined the braying as their heads look like that of a horse or mule. In addition to the seals, we enjoyed the beauty of High Head Beach.
On the way home we visited more beaches. I think the next time I drive out to the Outer Cape to visit beaches, I will attempt to stop at every oceanside beach along the way. There are more beaches on the Cape Cod Bay side, but there’s no way to visit them all in one day. That is another day trip. Cape Cod is such a beautiful little corner of the world and her beaches, in the fall after all the tourists have abandoned us, are a true work of art.
This evening I had dinner with Bruce and Jane Woodin. We stopped at the French bakery in Wellfleet today where I picked up goodies for dinner. And now I am home getting ready for my trip to New Hampshire tomorrow. Packing for me is easy but getting all of the things needed for Shadow is a bit like getting ready to travel with a baby. I need his crate, his favorite blanket, his daybed, his food and food bowl, and various other smaller items. So, I had better sign off and get those things packed in the car.
by Judy Handley | Oct 20, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 293: Bath Day for Shadow
Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High Temp 71, Low Temp 55 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
As planned, I spent a great deal of my day bathing and grooming Shadow. He doesn’t look like he does when he comes home from Pampered Paws, but he is clean. With a little more brushing, he will look just fine, and I will have saved the $80 to $90 the groomer charges. So I’ll call that a productive day.
Tomorrow morning, I am off to Truro on the Outer Cape to see the seals at High Head Beach. Two other women from the Newcomers Singles Group are going with me. I don’t know them, but I look forward to having company on this trip. The weather forecast is encouraging. Sunshine and a high temperature on 70 degrees like today. Tomorrow evening I am having an informal dinner with Bruce and Jane Wooden. Jane has knee replacement surgery on Tuesday and tomorrow evening is my last chance to see her to wish her luck.
Then on Friday morning, Shadow and I head to New Hampshire for an overnight stay. I’m hoping there are still colorful leaves on the trees there, but I might be too late. We never really get a very colorful fall here, but this year even the oak tree leaves are not turning brown. They are still a bright green.
Lastly, I just heard Senator Angus King, a long time Independent from Maine and a politician I have always respected, say something that literally brought tears to my eyes. He said he see our democracy in its most fragile state since 1860. Lots of people have been saying that for months and I believe that is true, but it really hit hard to him say this. He feels we have to do something to protect voting rights as the Republications are not even willing to discuss it. I really don’t know what each of us can do, but I know we all have to wake up, face the dire truth of the situation, and find a way to do something.
by Judy Handley | Oct 19, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 292: Car Oil Change, School Early Release, Laundry, Soccer
Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Weather: Another Cool and Beautiful Day; High Temp 59, Low Temp 55 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My day was all over the place today. I started by taking my car in for an oil change. I used to go to the drive-thru at Jiffy Lube. Now I go to Sullivan Tire for most of my car maintenance, but it means I have to go and wait about an hour to get an oil change. That done, it was home to walk with Shadow and then back to town to pick Ollie up. It was an Early Release Day for all students, but only Ollie needs to be picked up. He wanted to play on the playground for half an hour, so I sat in the sun and read while he played. Once I took him home, I put a laundry load in the washer and then made sure all three boys had lunch. Peter Baranowski gave me a container of his homemade clam chowder yesterday for Ollie. Ollie loves chowder and says the best he has ever had was at Legal Sea Foods in Boston, with chowder from the Fisherman’s View here on the Cape a very close second. But Peter’s chowder got a 10 out of 10 from Ollie. Yummy!
Jed came home to get Ollie and take him to a 2 pm dentist appointment in Woods Hole. Heather got home just before they left, and we went over the schedule for the rest of the afternoon. I took Sam to the high school at 2:30 to meet with teammates before a 4 pm soccer game. He has been out most of the season with an ankle injury. Then last Friday he wrenched his knee on the same leg as the weak ankle. Ouch. But he was able to practice yesterday and really hoped to play some in today’s game. Heather and Jed had to go to a parent-teacher conference at Ollie’s school and then I suggested that they both go to Sam’s game. I would take Jonah to his soccer practice at the Cape Cod Academy which is about 30 minutes away. This meant that I would not get home until after 7 pm, so I switched the laundry and went home to play ball with Shadow before taking Jonah to practice. The day was a lot of back and forth for me, but that is life with three active boys. Sam only got to play for 9 minutes, not as much time as he would have liked, but it was great that Heather, Jed, and Ollie were there to support him. While Jonah was at soccer practice, I went to get pizza for him to eat on the way home. We got home just in time for him to get ready to go with the whole family to a Scout Court of Honor. I took a deep breath, gathered my laundry, and headed home.
It was a good day, but I am looking forward to a quieter day tomorrow. It is bath day for Shadow which basically takes all day. I shampoo him, let him dry a little, take him for a long walk (hopefully in the sunshine) to dry out, and then I spend the rest of the day, a little at a time, brushing out his coat. I am taking him to New Hampshire to visit with friends this weekend and I want him to look his best. Unfortunately, the dog groomer couldn’t fit him in, so I’ll do what I can.
by Judy Handley | Oct 18, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 291: Beautiful Weather
Date: Monday, October 18, 2021
Weather: Cool, Windy, and Beautiful; High Temp 58, Low Temp 47 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
“Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day.” Those famous Rogers and Hammerstein lyrics are from the musical Oklahoma in a song about a beautiful summer day. But those words keep looping through my head day after day this fall on Cape Cod. We have had some rainy days, some stormy days, and some cloudy and dreary days, but overall, it has been warm and beautiful. At least that is the way I see it. Today’s high was only in the 50’s and it was windy. But in the sunshine, it felt great. I had an early morning dental cleaning and then came home and took Shadow for a lovely, long walk. I forced myself to come inside and start the editing process on the book chapters I have already written about The Voyage of Windbird. I was enjoying that, but the sunshine finally got to me. I headed outside with my sunglasses, my book, a cup of tea, and Shadow. I also took the Chuck It and a tennis ball to play with Shadow. We sat down by the water playing ball and during Shadow’s ‘rest periods’, I read. Somebody has to do it. Right? Might as well be me. I spent my early evening doing some house cleaning and cooking and that brings me to the end of another beautiful day on Cape Cod.
Quinn can run as fast as Shadow, so they enjoyed playing chase in the front yard while Leslie and I visited. Then we went for a long walk. We put the dogs in the car and drove about a half mile to New Castle Island. The island is surrounded by the Piscataqua River and there is a lovely, wide walking path to the Great Island Common with a beautiful view of the Piscataqua entering the Atlantic Ocean. Leslie and I talked and talked as we walked back. We took a detour to walk out to Fort Stark which has another lovely viewpoint and then we headed back home. Shortly after we returned, Bob arrived. He and Leslie are planning a trip to French Polynesia in March, so we spent time talking about some of the experiences Mark and I had there. Leslie served a delicious Tuscan stew for dinner and then Detta and Tom arrived to have dessert with us. It was wonderful to be together, but the time passed much too quickly. Detta, Tom, Shadow and I said farewell to Leslie, Bob, and Quinn and headed on to Greenland where Detta and Tom live. They live on Great Bay that leads out to the Piscataqua River. 
