by Judy Handley | Jul 31, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 212: Marathon Beach Day
Date: Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Hot; High 86, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a marathon beach day. I headed to Menauhant Beach with the Goldpebbles and neighbor Joey Keefe for swim lessons that began at 10 am and we returned home at 4 pm. Hours of fun in sun. Joey’s mom, Melissa, joined us later in the morning and after lessons we celebrated by buying ice cream from the traveling ice cream truck that visits all of Falmouth’s beaches. Anticipating that this would be an all-day affair, we packed a lunch and stayed for the afternoon. We walked from Menauhant Beach to the Menauhant Yacht Club to greet the arrival of the small sailboats that were towed there from the Waquoit Bay Yacht Club for an afternoon race. Joey’s sister and ‘adopted’ sister of the Goldpebbles, Molly, was in one of the boats, as were Jonah’s good friends Kayden Holt and Lillie Karl. None of us had ever been at the Menauhant Yacht Club, so this was a fun adventure for all.
Tonight I watched the second night of Democratic debates. Maybe my impression is colored by my admiration of our State Senator Elizabeth Warren. But at the end of the two nights, I think she was the clear winner. We’ll see how that translates in terms of support and polls. I must admit that tonight’s debate made me a bit nervous with candidates going after each other, whereas last night’s debate was much more positive. There are so many good candidates and it is very early in the process, so we will just have to see where things lead.
by Judy Handley | Jul 30, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 211: Coco’s Birthday and Goldpebble Beach Fun
Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Hot; High 91, Low 71 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I heard the ding on my early this morning that told me I had a text message. I didn’t get up to check right away, but when I did, I found that Justin had sent a couple of photos of Coco opening her birthday present from me . . . a new pair of roller skates. I got her a pair a couple of years ago which she has outgrown. But she hasn’t outgrown her love of roller skating, thus today’s gift. I also got to talk briefly to Coco to wish her a happy birthday, but it was brief because I had to get to the Goldstones and Coco’s birthday party was beginning. It was 9 am here, but 2 pm there. We signed off hoping to have a Skype call later in the day.
Today was another swim lesson morning at Menauhant Beach and we stayed a little beyond swim lesson time as the boys were having a great time playing with friends. It was a beautiful summer day—perfect beach weather. When we got home, there was barely time to get showers and lunch before Jonah and I had to take off for his weekly guitar lesson. When we returned, the boys sent Happy Birthday texts to Coco and then we had a quick a Skype call. At the end of the call, we watched as Coco went out into what we would call the backyard of her grandparents’ home (what the English call the ‘garden’), and Sam exclaimed at the beauty. I admit with envy that Phil and Margaret’s ‘garden’ is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Lucky Ziggy and Coco that get to enjoy that beauty every summer.
The morning and early afternoon at the beach today was absolutely perfect. Each of the boys had a great swim lesson and they got to play with friends. I always love watching the ‘jump the river’ competitions on the beach and today all three boys got to ride on the rescue board. And Sam and Joey Keefe from next door excavated parts of large concrete posts from the swim area. Tomorrow we are planning to pack a lunch and be prepared to spend more time at the beach if conditions are the same. Watched the Democratic Debate tonight. I’ll reserve comment on that until after the second debate tomorrow night.
by Judy Handley | Jul 29, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 210: Happy Birthday to Coco
Date: Monday, July 29, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Hot, Not Humid; High 89, Low 70 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It is still July 29 here in the USA, but in England it is already July 30—Coco’s 7th birthday. When Coco is visiting here on the Cape, she is always with the ‘boys’—the Goldpebbles and her brother. But when she goes to England to visit with her other grandparents, she has a female cousin and playmate. I checked Jo’s Facebook page and saw that that Miss Coco has been enjoying her time there. What Jo had to say about Coco is that she is made of magic. I agree. Happy birthday to my only granddaughter, a very special Miss Coco!
Here on the Cape, it was back to swim lessons for the Goldpebbles this morning. The boys have ways of making their magic at the beach—playing Jump the River, digging caves, relaxing on top of each other, riding on the life saving raft, and running with the wind. This is the last week of swim lessons for the boys. Next week Sam goes away to Scout Camp and Jonah goes to all day soccer camp, and Ollie and I making plans for a fun week together. High on his Wish List for the summer was playdates with friends, so we are trying to set those up. I love summer and this one is flying by way too fast.
by Judy Handley | Jul 28, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 209: Back Home
Date: Sunday, July 28, 2019
Weather: Another Sunny, Beautiful Day; High 87, Low 70 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Heather and I flew home from North Carolina this morning, arriving in Boston just after noon. But after stopping at a Whole Foods to do a little shopping and grab some lunch, it was after four by the time we got home. Our trip south was a quick one, a little exhausting, but wonderful to be with family, especially my sister Patsy. She was married to Joe for 62 years. Considering that he was her constant companion for all of those years, she is doing an amazing job of handling his death. I wish we didn’t live so far apart as it makes visiting very difficult. Thankfully one of her daughters, Janet, lives close-by and is there for her.
The Goldstones invited me to dinner tonight and we got a chance to talk about the upcoming week. Camp Oma is back up and running starting tomorrow morning. We’ll be back to mornings at the beach for swim lessons and it looks like we are going to have beautiful weather for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. We might get rain on Thursday, but that forecast could change. Now to bed to get some rest.
by Judy Handley | Jul 27, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 208: Family Celebration of Life
Date: Saturday, July 27, 2019
Weather: Sunny, Beautiful Day; High 89, Low 63 degrees F
Location: Wingate by Wyndham, Mooreseville, NC
Today was the family ‘Celebration of Life’ in honor of my brother-in-law, Joseph Edward Kerwood . . . a life well lived. Heather and I represented the New England members of the family at the Mooresville, North Carolina gathering, about 30 miles north of Charlotte. My niece Candice Todd and her husband Char who live near Boston, represented the New England family members last weekend in another celebration of Joe’s life in Akron, Ohio. Today we met on the shores of Lake Norman at the home of family friends, Judy and Brian Thompson. Only one of Joe’s siblings survives him, his younger sister Judy Aylestock, who lives near Charlotte. Judy, along with her daughter Janie and her family, plus Joe’s nephew John and his wife Lynn from Atlanta, came to share their stories from Joe’s childhood. My nephew, Tommy Martin, along with my nieces Janet Kerwood and Jennifer Price, Joe’s daughters, invited all in attendance to share stories from Joe’s life. Joe was an avid golfer, so his beloved wooden driver from St. Andrews in Scotland, was passed around to those wanting to share a story. Many friends from the Charlotte area came, as well as Joe’s secretary from his many years working for Monsanto. She found out about Joe’s death through Facebook and drove up from Florida to be with us. After the sharing of stories, the youngest members of the family enjoyed water fun in the lake while the older members took the opportunity to visit with one another. My sister Patsy and I are the only siblings left from our generation, and it was wonderful to share stories with the children of all of our siblings, their children, and in some cases, their children . . . four generations of the Martin family.
by Judy Handley | Jul 26, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 207: Fun Friday
Date: Friday, July 26, 2019
Weather: Another Beautiful, Sunny Day with No Humidity; High 88, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Monday was laundry day, Tuesday was house cleaning day and dining-in with friends, Wednesday I watched democracy in action as Robert Mueller testified before two different House committees, and Thursday was gardening day. So, I decided to end my week-off Camp Oma by having fun with a friend–a grown up playdate. Jane Woodin and I went out for a nice kayak trip down the Eel River in my two-man inflatable kayak. It worked great as we could paddle and talk the whole time and then we returned here to the cottage for lunch. After Jane left, I had to go into town to get my car which was getting an oil change and tires rotated. I took the bus, which takes more time because of walking to the main road to catch the bus and then waiting for it to arrive. It always seems to run late, but you can’t depend on that, so you have to be on the route waiting at the scheduled time.
Tomorrow morning I pick Heather up at 5 am and we head to Boston to catch our flight to Charlotte. As I was shutting down my computer last night, I got an email saying our flight out of Providence had been cancelled and we had been booked on a flight that would get us to Charlotte late tomorrow afternoon. That wasn’t going to work, so I got on the phone. After an hour of waiting and then working with an American agent, we came up with a flight out of Boston that would work. This morning when I checked in for the flight, I realized I didn’t have a seat assignment on the new flight and the only seats still available at this late date were quite expensive. Sure hope there are no more hitches to this quick trip to Charlotte. I am looking forward to seeing my sister and other family members at my brother-in-law’s memorial celebration.
