by Judy Handley | Jul 7, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 259, Year 11: Happy Birthday to Mark
Date: Thursday, July 07, 2016
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Humid; Overcast Evening
Location: At Home in The Studio #8, Falmouth, MA
Happy Birthday to Mark! And I think he had a great day. His day began with a call from Justin. Justin, Jo, and kids are currently in France on a family vacation with Jo’s family. They are camping and having a great time, and we were so happy to have the unexpected Skype video call with them this morning. Then Mark got loads of birthday wishes on Facebook. I don’t think he has ever posted anything on Facebook, but he does have an account and friends and family far and near took time to send him a birthday note. It was very special. He went out to lunch with the Romeos and enjoyed that very much. While he was at lunch, I went to Woods Hole for a yoga session. It would have been much more relaxing had I not had a very hard time finding a place to park. Woods Hole is tiny and today it was packed with people and cars. After three trips through town, I finally found a vacated parking meter and then realized I didn’t have enough quarters. But after searching for so long for a space, I put in the quarters I had and hoped that I wouldn’t get a ticket. I didn’t, so that was good. When I got home, Mark and I went to the fitness center close to our apartment. It was a bit of a birthday present for Mark to explore the possibilities at this gym. He has wanted to do weight training and this place has all the equipment he could want in order to do that. We will give it a ‘try-out’ during the seven-day free trial and then make a decision as to whether or not we will join. During all of this, I was making Chicken Magic Mineral Broth, so in the late afternoon I finished that up and we headed to Heather and Jed’s for dinner. Heather and boys had spent the afternoon preparing dinner and making cards for Granddad. Ollie decided that Granddad should become a Tow Boat US captain and drew a picture of his boat on his card. Both Jonah and Sam drew pictures of Windbird and Mark really loved the cards. We had a fantastic dinner thanks to Heather and Jed and then we all headed back to our apartment for birthday cake while listening to the Falmouth Town Band concert from across the harbor. The cake was a chocolate decadence cake with no wheat flour. It was scrumptious and enjoyed by all. Thank you to Heather for making her dad’s 74th birthday a special one.
by Judy Handley | Jul 6, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 258, Year 11: Infusion Day
Date: Wednesday, July 06, 2016
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Hot; High Temp Near 90 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio #8, Falmouth, MA
Today was the day of our weekly trip to Boston for Mark’s infusion. It was a sunny, hot day with a high of 94 in Boston and 87 back here in Falmouth. But we were in an air-conditioned hospital all day and didn’t feel the heat. The days in Boston are long days for us. We get up at 6 am and don’t get home until after 6 pm, but even though it was a long day, it was a good one. Mark is feeling good and on the way home we stopped at a huge furniture store to look at recliners. Mark is having problems with swelling in his feet and ankles and the one thing he can do for that is to have his feet raised to the level of his heart when he is resting. With his birthday coming up tomorrow, I was hopeful that we would find a recliner that would make the whole process easier for him. But finding one that is comfortable AND durable AND that we can afford makes it a bit of a challenge. We came away with some options, but we will have to go back this weekend to narrow the choices.
It looks like we are settling into a schedule of having Camp Oma on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday each week, which gives Mark and I Wednesday and Thursday off. But since Wednesdays are always spent in Boston, tomorrow (Thursday) is the day of the week that will be ear-marked for major food preparation. Tomorrow I need to make Magic Chicken Mineral Broth while Heather and gang will be making preparations for celebrating Granddad’s birthday tomorrow evening. I’m going to a noontime yoga class and Mark is going out to lunch with the Romeos. You’ve gotta love that name. Good friend, Bruce Woodin, has a group of older ‘gentlemen’ who go out to lunch once a week and they invited Mark to join them tomorrow. Later in the afternoon, Mark and I will make a visit to the Anytime Fitness gym just down the street and set up a weekly schedule for exercise. Oh so slowly we are settling into everyday life here . . . and enjoying it tremendously.
The update on my brother-in-law’s gallbladder operation is a positive one. Joe’s gallbladder removal was done laparoscopically and he was in and out of the hospital in just a couple of hours. Today he is recovering nicely at home. We have lots of healthcare issues in this country, but one of those is NOT surgeries. Our surgeons are good at that and we are so glad that Joe’s surgery went so smoothly.
by Judy Handley | Jul 5, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 257, Year 11: Recovering from the Fourth
Date: Tuesday, July 05, 2016
Weather: Rain AM, Partly Sunny PM, Humid; High Temp 77 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio #8, Falmouth, MA
It was a low-key Camp Oma day as we were all recovering from the Fourth. Last night was a late night, so Ollie and Jonah slept in. Sam never sleeps in, no matter what time he goes to bed, so he was up early as usual. It was raining this morning, sometimes just misting, but not an inviting beach day. So we skipped the first day of swim lessons, had a late breakfast, and then headed downtown to see the Scholastic Summer Reading Bus visiting in Falmouth today. I have to say I was very disappointed. Instead of promoting reading, it seemed much more like one big promotion for the children’s book store on Main Street. I avoided the $15 per child face painting activity by letting each boy choose a book, game, or toy we could take home and that wouldn’t wash off in the rain. We then went to see Granddad and have lunch at the apartment. We had a long, leisurely lunch and read, played games, and watched an episode of Wild Kratts. I then took the boys home to play, but I took a very long way home so the boys could get a little nap. So there is no big news from today. It was just a nice, low-key summer day.
Tomorrow we are off to Boston for Mark’s treatment and then on Thursday we will be celebrating Mark’s 74th birthday.
by Judy Handley | Jul 4, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 256, Year 11: Happy Fourth of July
Date: Monday, July 04, 2016
Weather: Partly Sunny, Still Windy; High Temp 75 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio #8, Falmouth, MA
Lovely day just hanging out at home . . . HJSJ&O came over for dinner . . . beautiful red, white, and blue sunset, really . . . walked a short distance to watch fireworks . . . fireworks with music were spectacular . . . boys were supposed to spend the night but backed out at the last minute . . . late night for the boys which means they will be super tired for their first day of swim lessons tomorrow. Rain is in the forecast, so maybe Wednesday will be the first day of swim lessons and tired boys can just play at home and hopefully take an afternoon nap.
Hope you had a Happy Fourth of July!
by Judy Handley | Jul 3, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 255, Year 11: Rex and Diana Head to Maine
Date: Sunday, July 03, 2016
Weather: Partly Sunny and Windy; High Temp 78 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio #8, Falmouth, MA
Mark and I drove Rex and Diana back to Logan Airport in Boston this morning so they could rent a car and head to Maine. We had a wonderful visit with them and are so glad they started their New England vacation on the Cape with us. After dropping them off, we made some shopping stops on the way home. We went to Home Depot to get a grill for our deck, but we didn’t find what we wanted. So instead, I bought two huge pots for my deck tomatoes, some basil to plant among the tomatoes, and a big bag of garden soil. We also went to IKEA to get another set of under-the-bed storage drawers and then went to The Christmas Tree Shoppe to get another small table and chair set for the deck. By this time we were shopped out, so we headed home. It was great to have a quiet afternoon and evening at home. We’ll have a quiet day at home tomorrow morning and then sometime late tomorrow afternoon Heather, Jed, and boys will come over dinner. And then we will all watch the fireworks from here.
by Judy Handley | Jul 2, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 254, Year 11: Day Trip to Martha’s Vineyard
Date: Saturday, July 02, 2016
Weather: Beautiful, Sunny Day; High Temp 79 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio #8, Falmouth, MA
After sending the log last night, we had a preview of Fourth of July fireworks with thunder and lightning and lots of rain. But the storm seemed to clear the air and today was an absolutely gorgeous day. Mark, Rex, Diana, and I walked down the block and boarded the Island Queen for her 9 am departure to Martha’s Vineyard. We had a great day on the island traveling by local bus from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown to Aquinah (Gay Head) and back to Oak Bluffs. We walked among the gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs, had a late breakfast at Behind the Library in Edgartown, and spent time at Aquinah (Gay Head) admiring the beautiful views of the cliffs along Vineyard Sound. We sat on the top deck of the Island Queen for the ride back to Falmouth and just enjoyed the beautiful afternoon. Great day!
