by Judy Handley | Mar 7, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 66: Memories of Sled Dog Racing
Date: Sunday, March 7, 2021
Weather: Sunny, Still Cold; High 34, Low, 22 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Whoa! This day went by in a flash. I did sleep an hour later than usual, took Shadow for a walk, and then started writing. Then suddenly it was afternoon and Justin and Jo called and we talked for a very long time. It was wonderful to talking to both of them and to Ziggy and Coco. One of Coco’s friends came to visit while we were talking, so she was off and running. Life is good for them in Puerto Rico right now. After we talked, I had a very late lunch, went for another walk with Shadow, and delivered a little birthday tidbit to Peter Baranowski. His birthday is tomorrow. Then I was off to the Goldstones to deliver some memorabilia and pick up some seed catalogs and the picture Jonah painted for me for my birthday.
Last night Jonah mentioned that he is involved in an Iditarod Sled Dog Race project at school and that the 2021 was beginning today. Hearing that jogged a memory of what now seems like a totally different life. While living in northern Minnesota from 1976 to 1979, Mark and I raced sled dogs on racing weekends. Winters are very long in the cold northlands and racing sled dogs certainly helped to fill the long winters. 
Last night when Jonah mentioned the Iditarod, I reminded him that his mother won a sled dog race when she was just two. I think, but am not sure, that the race was on White Bear Lake and was part of the St. Paul Winter Carnival. I do know the lake was near Minneapolis and had ‘bear’ in the name. Sure wish I had been writing my daily logs back then. Anyway, near the end of the major races that day, they called for all children who wanted to enter a short race across the lake. We entered Heather with our lead dog named Sugar and they won the race. Heather still has her trophy from that win. Sugar had been a lead sled dog for famous Alaskan racer named George Attla. We were told that Sugar had run in the Iditarod, but since the first one was in 1973. I believe Sugar probably ran as Attla’s lead dog in the 1969 preliminary and much shorter version of today’s Iditarod which he won. At least that makes sense when looking at the timeline. What I know for sure is that George Attla sold her to a teenager named Marty Grahek from Ely, Minnesota who was a serious sled dog racer in the Lower 48. And in 1977, when Sugar was no longer competitive in the serious race circuit, we took her as our lead dog and she won a race with Heather. So, this evening, I gathered some of the sled dog memorabilia from my bookshelf, plus a photo album from Minnesota, and took it to the boys to see this evening. They were watching the beginning of this year’s Iditarod on television when I arrived, so I just left the booklets and the photo album for them to look at later. In that album there were photos of Mark tucking baby Justin in the dog sled with Heather standing by, me racing a five-dog team, Mark with Sugar, Mark lining up with other racers for a 30-mile long distance race, and a victorious photo of Mark with another racer at the end of that long race on a day that was 30 below with the wind chill. Fun memories. But tomorrow I will be back on the sailing circuit, writing about our weeks in the Galapagos.
by Judy Handley | Mar 6, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 65: Vaccination and Celebration
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2021
Weather: Sunny, Still Cold; High 35, Low, 21 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was the day of my first Covid vaccination at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and my birthday celebration tonight at the Goldstones. I also snuck in a little visit with my good friends, Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg to deliver personal birthday wishes to Alan whose birthday was today. The last time we were together on our birthdays was in 2007 when they came to New Zealand for a month to do a land tour of the north and south islands with Mark and me. Alan and I are both a little older now, but the friendship has weathered the years beautifully. Happy Birthday, Alan.
The Covid vaccination experience at Gillette Stadium was fast and efficient. I was vaccinated at exactly the time of my appointment at 11:54 am. I am so happy to have gotten the vaccine. But there were so many people. I have not been in a building with that many people since the lockdown last March.
But everyone was kept 10 feet apart and during the 15-minute wait time after the vaccine, you could go outside the upper floor doors and walk around the rim of the stadium. Almost no one did that, but I did. While I was out there trying to take a selfie, a young woman came out and took the photo for me. The turf had been removed and there were no goal posts. It was interesting to look down on a completely empty stadium.
When I returned to Falmouth, Heather, Jed, and boys invited Shadow and me to take a walk with them around some cranberry bogs that have been reclaimed. Shadow and I came home after the walk to put away the weekly delivery of Misfits fruits and veggies, then we headed to Heather and Jed’s for a birthday celebration.
When I arrived Heather and Jonah were making chocolate covered strawberries. Then we had a sushi feast followed by my very favorite dessert . . . chocolate decadence with whipped cream surrounded by chocolate covered strawberries. I got three new books as gifts and can’t wait to read them. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek just sounds like fun and Sue Monk Kidd’s book, The Book of Longings sounds intriguing. Heather has read that one and says it is one of those books you just can’t put down. The third book was Legendary Locals by the Falmouth Historical Society. I think I’ll start with The Book of Longings and read a little of Legendary Locals each day as a daily history lesson. Jonah painted a beautiful picture for me. It is his impression of looking through the ice to see water in the pond with sunlight shining through. I didn’t get a photo of it and forgot to bring it home, so tomorrow night I will post a photo of it. I have gifts coming from Puerto Rico, but with our new and improved postal system imposed on us by our previous President, they didn’t arrive on time. Hopefully early next week I can have another celebration when they arrive.
by Judy Handley | Mar 6, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 64: Birthday Discovery
Date: Friday, March 5, 2021
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Cold; High 35, Low, 21 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Reached the Galapagos in my writing today. Woohoo!
Received so many wonderful birthday greetings from family and friends. Woohoo!
Covid vaccine tomorrow. Woohoo!
Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco called to sing happy birthday to me. Woohoo!
Birthday dinner celebration tomorrow night with the Goldstones. Woohoo!
Life is good! Woohoo!
What a day! I awoke early to ding after ding on my phone of birthday wishes from friends and family near and far on Facebook. If you were one of those friends or family members, thank you so much for the birthday wishes.
Shortly after I got up and started my day, friends Karen and Peter Baranowski drove by to drop off a bag of goodies that included some of my favorite dark chocolate in the world—Taza Super Dark, made just outside Boston in Somerville. Another wonderful birthday surprise. Thank you, Karen and Peter.
Then things settled down a bit and I got into my writing. My goal was to reach the Galapagos today so I could write about one of my favorite places on earth on my birthday. Well, I made it to the Galapagos, but just barely because I got delayed by what I am calling my ‘birthday discovery’. I have written a log every day since Mark and I left Boston to sail around the world in October of 2005. But I have never gone back and read all of those logs until now. Each time I begin a new chapter, I copy the pertinent logs into my word document and read through them as I write. They are my research documents for the book. As I read the log for the second day of our passage to the Galapagos this morning, there was a Captain’s Ramblings attached at the end of the log. On his overnight watches, Mark had decided to write his impressions of our voyage. As I read his words, I felt like he was right here beside me. What a wonderful birthday gift. Then two nights later he wrote another attachment to my log. At the time I named them Captain’s Ramblings as that is how I saw them at the time. Mark was just pouring out all of his thoughts of the moment. I knew immediately that they have to be incorporated into the book, but I wasn’t sure how. I wrestled with this for a while and then finally decided that I will hold them to the side and decide how to incorporate them after the book is written. I know there are more, but I am not sure how many. They give a different voice to our voyage and I just have to find the right way to incorporate them. I am going to end this log by sharing the second of those Ramblings, my birthday discovery, with you. Mark described our experiences of the moment so beautifully. And it was so special to have his surprise visit today.
Captain’s Ramblings II: Cruising Life in the Pacific
S/V Windbird
March 14, 2006
Maybe this is the way sailing is for my multi-hull friends. I can set a drink down and not worry about it spilling. Well, actually I worry because I am a mono-hull sailor, and everything falls off the table when we sail – usually. But now everything is staying put. We are not heeled over. And yet we are doing six to seven knots. We are on a broad reach with light winds and no waves, just the large, gentle Pacific swell. The swell is so large that it hides the boat traveling with us up to above the boom – probably eight feet or so. But the distance between swells must be several hundred yards so we hardly feel them. Instead of rocking over the waves like a hobby horse, we gently rise with the swell and slide softly down the other side. The effect is mesmerizing. I can understand why Balboa (it was Balboa, wasn’t it) called it the “Pacific.” It is so peaceful.
Of course, we are not always sailing. We are in the ‘doldrums’ after all. We have probably motored about half the time on the trip from Panama to the Galapagos. Because we want to conserve on fuel, we have gone slow. Motoring at 1800 RPM’s we use about half a gallon of diesel per hour. At 2400 RPM’s we use a little more than a gallon per hour. But while fuel consumption is doubled, speed is only increased about 20 percent: from about 5 knots to 6 knots. We are in no hurry, so the extra speed is just not worth it. Besides, we have had a positive current with us of about one and a half to two knots for almost the entire passage. So, our five knots turns into almost seven knots over the bottom. Motoring at 1800 RPMs is also a lot quieter. The hum of the engine is always with us, but it is not loud so that we do not even notice it and feel almost as though we were sailing.
Since our computer stopped working a couple days ago, we have decided to buy a new one. My immediate thought was that I needed to talk to someone who knew what the best computers for the money were. So, I used the satellite phone to call Steve Bothwick who is the computer guru for New Hampshire Public Radio. Doreen answered the phone at the office and I was suddenly back home again and feeling very much among friends. We bought our satellite phone from Doreen, whose husband had it when he was stationed in Afghanistan. She got Steve on the phone and, sure enough, he had the answers I needed. Then he transferred me to Maureen Anderson because I so wanted to talk to everyone on the staff and I knew that Maureen would convey my feelings to them. It was a short call (satellite phone calls are expensive), but I was reminded of just how much I miss all the crew at NHPR, the staff and the Board. I spent a lot of time in the hours after that call thinking of each and every friend I have back there.
When I think of all our friends, I want to write them each a personal letter. But then, that does not get done. I just can’t seem to find time. You would think that we would have lots of time in this lifestyle. After all, we are retired (at least for now) and we are sailing, which is supposed to be a relaxing activity. And it is relaxing. But it is also demanding. We get up every day with a list of things that need to be done. Judy writes about some of them in our log. The ocean is a harsh environment. Metals rust, salt builds up on everything exposed, and the constant movement of the boat causes chafe and wear on all sorts of things. The sun deteriorates any finish so that varnishing of wood is a never-ending job. Canvas covers and shades need water-proofing. Stitching deteriorates in the hot tropical sun and needs to be re-sewn. And computers and cameras stop working because of the humid environment. We patch torn sails, sew webbing on areas of the dodger and bimini prone to chafe, sand and varnish woodwork, clean scum off the bottom of the dinghy and off the waterline of the boat, change the engine oil and filters, replace a broken bolt on the alternator, grease the pump mechanism on the head, and put grease in the gear box of the water-maker. And the list goes on and on. But I am not complaining. After all, the definition of cruising is “working on your boat in exotic locations.” How else could I get to these exotic locations? And once there, we have to tear ourselves away from boat work to enjoy the place we visit. For those of you who know us, Judy and I have always drunk life from a fire hose. We don’t know how to do anything half-way. We are constantly trying to fit ten activities into the time that any sane person would only attempt one or two. And we love it that way. So, if we don’t write, at least we hope our friends will read our logs (which are our letters home, after all) and keep us in their thoughts as they are in ours.
by Judy Handley | Mar 4, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 63: Same, Same
Date: Thursday, March 4, 2021
Weather: Partly Sunny, Getting Colder Again; High 42, Low, 21 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I really don’t have much to report today. First thing this morning a plumber came to assess the water heater situation in the basement. He will prepare an estimate for installing a new water heater that will meet the requirements of the National Grid, the natural gas company that will then do insulation work to tighten up the cottage. Then, I wrote all morning and early afternoon. Same as yesterday. I went to pick Ollie up after school and then I took Jonah to the skatepark for an hour or so. After that, I came home and wrote until about 8 pm. Same as yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite make my goal. I had hoped to get to the Galapagos today, but I am still on passage. I will probably get there by noon tomorrow, so maybe I’ll get to write about my first impressions of our arrival there tomorrow afternoon. It was such an exciting time for me. I had read all about Darwin’s arrival there in 1835 aboard the HMS Beagle and was so anxious to see the wildlife he observed. We spent almost six weeks there and I enjoyed every day of it. I am really hoping to get to write about a little of that experience on my birthday tomorrow. That will be my gift to myself.
by Judy Handley | Mar 3, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 62: More Writing on a Slightly Warmer Day
Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Weather: Mostly Sunny and a Little Warmer; High 43, Low, 30 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Yes, it was warmer today and the sun was shining through partly cloudy skies, but when I went for my morning walk with Shadow, it still felt a little icy. The sun shining on my face felt warm, but the air I was breathing is what felt icy. It is going to be an entire week before the north and east winds turn to come from the south and the daytime high temperature will be in the upper 40’s. I am really hoping that will feel warmer.
In the meantime, I will continue to write. I did get out of mainland Panama today and am currently writing about our few days in Islas de las Perlas, commonly referred to as Las Perlas. These are islands in the Gulf of Panama. Sometimes these islands are referred to as The Pearls. They were named for the large, black-lipped pearl oysters that were once abundant there. I expect tomorrow that I will write about leaving those islands and heading into the Pacific to cross the equator and arrive in the Galapagos. I wrote an email to a friend today saying I was “going” to the Galapagos on Friday as a birthday gift to myself. I think she thought I was literally going there. It was then that I realized that I am truly living in two worlds right now. But at least I now know that I need to be more explicit in saying that I am writing “about” going places, not literally going there! Thinking about going to the Galapagos made me ask myself the question, “Where would I go right now if I could go anywhere in the world?” I think I would take Heather and Justin and their families and go to Palau to do some serious snorkeling. Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands located about 600 miles directly east of the Philippines in Micronesia. Where would you go? I would love to hear from you with your answer to that question.
by Judy Handley | Mar 2, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 61: Wind Chill
Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High 31, Low, 24 degrees F (as low as 2 F with wind chill)
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
After I sent my log last night, the north wind started howling. It was so loud that Shadow was barking at the wind. I think ‘barking at the wind’ would make a great book title! And the wind continued through the night and for most of today. But at least it was a bright and sunny day. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it feel any warmer. I could only make it for a half mile walk with Shadow before my ears and fingers were freezing. And, yes, I had on a hat and gloves. Even though the wind has calmed down tonight, the temperature outside right now is 26 degrees F, but it is 15 degrees with the wind chill. Tomorrow and Thursday are going to be a little warmer and then the temp drops again. I will surely be ready for spring when it comes.
At noon, I picked Ollie up from school and went to get Jonah to come here for an early release movie afternoon. Ollie had spent part of his morning at an orthopedic doctor’s office and I heard all about that visit. Heather had already let me know, but Ollie wanted to tell someone about his experience. He said the doctor numbed his knee with an injection that really hurt and then the doctor put in a needle to withdraw the fluid on his left knee. This child complains about little, but he said it hurt so much it made him cry. Afterwards, however, he said his knee felt fine and he went on to school. The fluid was to be tested and later this afternoon the confirmation came that Ollie’s Lyme test was positive. No one knows when the bite happened, and until now, Ollie has had no symptoms. Evidently when there is a delay in treatment, the bacteria from a tick’s saliva that is injected when you are bitten can settle in the joints. For Ollie that joint was his left knee. He will start a month of doxycycline tonight to fight the infection. The doctor told him to ice his knee, so this afternoon as we watched Spider-man: Homecoming, he had that knee propped up with an ice pack much of the time. I enjoyed watching Tom Holland, the young actor (24 years old) that plays Spider-man. I love that he does most of his own stunts—a bit of trivia Jonah passed along to me. Afterwards, we watched part of a documentary called My Octopus Teacher. I have been trying to interest the boys in watching this since I saw it sometime before Christmas. They really enjoyed it. My Octopus Teacher is available on Netflix.
I returned home and wrote for a couple of hours, but I am still in Panama. I will definitely begin the passage to the Galapagos tomorrow. When we left the mainland of Panama, we went to the nearby Las Perlas Islands for a few days. We arrived in the Las Perlas on March 1st of 2006 and anchored off the island of Contadora until March 4th. So, tomorrow when I am writing about that experience, it will have been exactly fifteen years. Thankfully, I have my logs as my memory.
