by Judy Handley | Jul 1, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 182: Totally Lazy First Day of July
Date: Thursday, July 1, 2021
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Late Afternoon Rain; High 86, Low 73 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Heather, Jed, and boys left this afternoon for two nights of camping at Nickerson State Park in Brewster up near the Cape Cod Bay. The park has lots of ponds for swimming, a bike path, and hiking trails, but the weather forecast is for rain for the whole time they will be there.
They got rain just as Sam was building the fire for cooking dinner, and hopefully that was their only rain for the evening. At least here in Falmouth, we have not gotten more rain. Heather posted a photo of a roaring fire on Facebook with the caption, “Come what may . . .” So even if they do get more rain, I hope they will find creative ways to enjoy their camping trip.
With no Camp Oma today, I took full advantage and did almost nothing. It seems like every single day since the official first day of summer has been jam-packed with activity, so I truly enjoyed the day of nothingness. I did make a quick run to Hyannis this evening to pick up some items from Whole Foods that I can’t get in any of the stores here. But that was it for me today.
by Judy Handley | Jun 30, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 181: Trampoline Water Park, Beach, Wine Group
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Weather: Sunny; High 84, Low 73 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The Goldpebbles and I packed a lot into this last day of June. I thought we were going to the beach, but just as I was leaving home, I got a text from Heather saying the boys had set up a misting hose and had turned their backyard trampoline into a waterpark adventure and they were not going to be ready to head to the beach quite yet. So, we adjusted plans and I watched as they had a great time keeping cool. Their goal was for each of them to be able to do two bounces on their bums and then land on their feet, one Goldpebble after another. They practiced and practiced and achieved their goal which resulted in squeals of joy. They then headed to the deck to make roll their own roll up for lunch and then we were off for a couple of hours at Menauhant Beach. As has become their beach routine, Sam plays hard in the water and then takes breaks to sit on the shore staring at his phone. Typical teenage behavior. Jonah and Ollie play hard in the water and then expend more energy digging in the wet sand and making fortresses of one sort of another.
At 5 pm, I handed the boys off to Heather who came to join in on the beach fun and I headed to a gathering of my wine group. We met all winter on Zoom, so it was a true treat to meet in person. Our theme was New Zealand wines and I took a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc along with copies of a photo taken when Mark and I visited that vineyard . . . the most beautiful we visited. The photo shows the beautiful, cloudy, and layered mountains that are the backdrop of Cloudy Bay Vineyard. My memory of the evening is a little cloudy. I think I enjoyed a little too much wine!
by Judy Handley | Jun 29, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 180: Laid-back Soccer Day
Date: Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Weather: Sunny; High 74, Low 70 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
When the Goldpebbles were younger, Camp Oma summer days were planned and organized ahead of time. But as the boys have gotten older, each summer has become gradually less focused on organized activities and more on just enjoying summer days. I take my cues from the boys now, not the other way around. So today they were feeling lazy and decided they didn’t want to go to the beach. They watched the England-Germany soccer game on television, fixed their own lunches once I set out the choices, and then we went to Trotting Park. Sam was meeting other members of his soccer team for a couple of hours of practice on the soccer field. Ollie and Jonah planned to spend that time in the adjacent skatepark on their scooters. But after a bit of that, they decided they wanted to play soccer, too. We went home to get soccer gear and they got themselves invited to play with Sam’s friends. When I took them home, Heather decided that we all needed to head to the closest beach to cool off, so we did. It was another wonderful summer day.
by Judy Handley | Jun 28, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 179: Afternoon at Menauhant Beach
Date: Monday, June 28, 2021
Weather: Sunny, Windy; High 77, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Sam is going to high school in the fall (How is that possible?) and Jed took him for an organized tour from 12 to 1 today. This, plus the boys seem to move like turtles these days, delayed at arrival at Menauhant Beach.
It was a beautiful beach afternoon even though it was very windy. Recently, when we have gone to the beach and it is windy, I have needed to wear a long-sleeved shirt to keep warm. But not today. The wind was coming from the southwest and it was warm. I was so hot while at Heather and Jed’s getting lunch for the boys that I had to take off my blouse that I use as a beach cover-up. And I forgot to put it back on. Thankfully, it was not a problem. The air temperature was 80 degrees F and that along with the full sunshine, kept me warm. The boys dug a hole so they could sit in it and be protected from the wind. Ollie and Sam frolicked in the water while Jonah sat on the beach relaxing. I told him he looked like Mr. Hollywood. And they played spikeball on the beach. While much of the country seems to be boiling hot, I’ll take our beautiful weather here on the Cape.
Today’s weather is supposed to continue for the next couple of days, so we will take advantage of it and go to the beach again tomorrow. Heather met us at the beach after work. Jonah is still a reluctant swimmer, so she plans to meet us on as many afternoons as possible to encourage Jonah to swim with her.
Today my neighbor, friend, and landlady celebrated her 96th birthday. Ollie and Jonah made cards for Shirley, and we delivered the cards with a dozen roses and sang happy birthday to her. The boys are so thankful that Shirley lets us use her dock and store our kayaks under her deck. They expressed that in their cards. Happy Birthday, Shirley!
by Judy Handley | Jun 27, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 178: Final Tribute to Lynn Denise Martin
Date: Sunday, June 27, 2021
Weather: Mix of Sun and Cloud, Windy; High 77, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The Boston Red Sox Welcome the
MARTIN FAMILY
Honoring the Memory of
LYNN D. MARTIN
Today’s baseball game at Fenway Park was a rout for the Red Sox, 9 to 2, and the third win over the Yankees in three days. But more importantly, it was the final formal tribute to my niece Lynn. I did not attend the game, but all of the ‘cousins’ did. When they sent me a photo of the big electronic billboard in the stadium with the message above, I cried. Lynn was more into individual sports than team sports, but she would be so proud to see her name and the Martin family name on that billboard.
The other photo today that touched my heart was one of Jonah after getting his first Covid vaccine. He has looked forward to turning twelve and getting the vaccine since that was a possibility. He never wants to have to wear a mask while playing soccer again and I so hope he doesn’t have to. If only everyone would just get the vaccine!
The only big activity today was that Sam and Ollie came over to cut the grass and do some trimming for two neighbors. Just as they finished doing our new neighbor’s yard, they returned home with two extra kids. Friends from their hometown of Larchmont in New York arrived by boat. So suddenly there were three nine-year-old kids and one seven-year-old. Ollie wanted to make more money but playing tag and organizing a club in my basement took precedence. That was fine with Sam as he made more money.
Tonight I talked to my friend Lynne in New Zealand. She mentioned making Vegan tuna salad called No-Tuna Salad. I asked how that was possible. Well, chickpeas take the place of tuna and avocado takes the place of mayonnaise. Can’t wait to try it.
by Judy Handley | Jun 26, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 177: Birthday Celebration for Jonah; Celebration of Life for Lynn
Date: Saturday, June 26, 2021
Weather: Cloudy; High 79, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
06 Bubba, Now Jonah, Day Two
07 Opening More Presents
Happy Birthday to Jonah! Twelve years ago, Mark and I flew home from Malaysia for the birth of two grandchildren. Ziggy was born in New Mexico in April, so that was our first stop. Then we flew to Cape Cod to await the birth of Jonah on June 26, 2009. Because of our sailing schedule, we were able to stay for three months after his birth, but then we didn’t get to see him again until we arrived home on Windbird just two days before his second birthday. When he was born, Jonah was long and thin, had dark hair, and incredibly long and expressive little fingers. But when we returned from our trip around the world, we found a chubby, curly blonde-headed little boy. Now Jonah has what I call BIG hair. It has become his unique personal signature. I loved this year’s birthday picture of him with Shadow who has more curly black hair than any dog ever needed! They make a striking pair.
On this birthday, I could not be here for Jonah’s party as I was driving back to northern Massachusetts for a celebration of a very different kind. Family and friends were gathering at 1 pm at the Tewkesbury Country Club to celebrate the life of my niece that died in October. So, I started my morning at the Goldstones where Jed and Sam assembled my birthday present to Jonah—a trampoline. We stopped halfway through to have a birthday breakfast as I had a two hour drive and needed to leave. Before I had to leave, Jonah got to see the assembled trampoline without the side screening in place and he opened his other presents. Later in the afternoon three friends came over and they played lawn games and spent a lot of time on the trampoline. Two of the friends got him the same gift—a beach ball sized soccer ball that was perfect for play in the trampoline enclosure. And getting two was perfect as he can use one at the beach and one on the trampoline.
When I got back from Tewkesbury, Heather and Sam had gone to my house to get Shadow and I met them all back at Heather and Jed’s for a birthday dinner. During Jonah’s party while the boys were jumping on the trampoline, Heather and Jed cut back bushes to clear a permanent area for the trampoline. We had done the measuring of the location for the trampoline back in March before things started to grow. When I looked yesterday morning, my heart sunk as I saw there was no way the trampoline was going to fit there. So, we set it up temporarily in the yard. I figured it would take the next few weeks to clear the area. But tired as they were from the late last night, Heather and Jed did most of the clearing during the party when the boys were playing on the trampoline. And still after dinner Jed found the energy to ride bikes with Jonah and Ollie to see the last hour or so of a Commodore’s baseball game. The field is so close that you can hear the announcer from Heather and Jed’s deck once in a while. Hearing that little bit while we were eating dinner on the deck convinced Jonah that he just had to go SEE the game. I headed home and Heather and Sam crashed. But Jonah had a great birthday from morning to night.
The Celebration of Life for Lynn Denise Martin was just what Lynn would have wanted. It was a wonderful gathering of family and friends. Lynn was the first grandchild for my parents, and Lynn’s parents, my brother and his wife, lived in the same town. I was seven and had just completed first grade when she was born, so I felt more like her sister than her aunt. In fact, she always refused to call me aunt once she was an adult. But when Lynn was only ten, my brother Bennie died at the age of 33. My brother’s wife, Sue, was from the Boston area, and she moved back home with her three children. But my entire family kept in close contact with Sue and the three children over the years and as adults Lynn and I reconnected. Today there were lifelong high school friends of hers in attendance, some I haven’t seen since the 1970’s. Lynn came to spend a few weeks with me in Cleveland, Ohio, in the summer of 1972 and four of those friends made a road trip to Cleveland and crashed at my apartment. It was fun to reminisce about those days. There was another friend of Lynn’s who spent a week with us on our farm in West Virginia in the early 1980’s. And I got to talk with Gina Vanderloop for the first time in years, a close friend of Lynn’s that I consider a friend of mine as well. Gina follows my blog and I check in on her Facebook page from time to time. She mentioned that grandson of mine with the great hair and I said it was his birthday. She loves Jonah hair!
And it was wonderful to have the afternoon with my other nieces and nephews who were there. Lynn spent her life working to make this world a better place. She spent many years working as the Director of Communications for IPPNW, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. And she was a political activist, not just in name. She always put her personal time and energy into volunteering and marching for causes she believed in. And she also loved the outdoors—hiking, cross country skiing, sitting on the beach and reading.
She managed to get me to go cross country skiing with her, drug me to street corners to hold signs for political candidates, made sure I attended political rallies with her, and Mark and I invited her to fly to Samoa to spend time reading on the beaches with us. Lynn invited me to a special event with Ted Kennedy once and at another event I sat next to Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States, at a dinner Lynn had organized. On the night of the 2004 Presidential Campaign, she and I spent the entire evening walking the streets of Boston watching people like Al Franken and David Gergen getting made-up for appearances on MSNBC live from Quincy Market, walking to the hotel where near mid-night John Kerry came out to address the crowd because the election was too close to call but not looking good for him, and then crying all the way back to Charlestown to Windbird . . . special memories that will always be with me.
