by Judy Handley | May 1, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 121: Breakfast, Soccer, Another Cape Dory
Date: Sunday, May 1, 2022
Weather: Sunny, A Little Warmer; High 62, Low 44 F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Jonah, Ollie, and I started our day with French toast smothered with whipped cream and strawberries.
Then Jonah was off to a Scout leadership committee meeting. Ollie went with me to take Jonah, but then wanted to come back to my house while Jonah was in his meeting. In the early afternoon, Heather and I watched Ollie’s soccer game
that Jed was refereeing while Jonah and Sam played soccer on another field with friends. It was Sunday soccer time.
During all this, Heather received an email from the young woman who showed us the Cape Dory 36 yesterday. This morning’s communication was about another Cape Dory, a 33-footer, that could be viewed in Cohasset this afternoon.
Heather couldn’t go as she was hosting her book club, so Jed, the boys, and I went. Heather wanted the boys to see if they thought the reduction of 3 feet made this boat too small for the family. This boat was one year older than the one we saw yesterday, but it was in much better shape and the boys loved it.
In fact, all of us were impressed. And even though the trip took 4 hours of our day, I think we were all glad we went to see it. Jed and boys were going to give Heather a full report over dinner, and I shared all the photos I took.
The boat search will continue, but we have all learned a lot in just two afternoons.
by Judy Handley | Apr 30, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 120: Soccer, a Sailboat, and an Overnight
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 56, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My morning started with a walk with Shadow and a then going to one of Jonah’s soccer games.
The sun was shining, and the sky was a beautiful blue dotted with puffy white clouds . . . but I was still wearing my winter coat due to the chilly north wind.
This afternoon, Heather and Jed invited me to go to Tiverton, Rhode Island with all the Goldstones to check out a Cape Dory 36 sailboat that is for sale.
They have been looking for a sailboat for a couple of months, but this is the first time they have gone to see one. Inside, the Cape Dory 36 is so much like Windbird that I felt right at home. Heather, Jed, and all three Goldpebbles loved the layout inside and, like me, they felt right at home in the cockpit. There are two other Cape Dory 36 boats for sale in New England right now, so they might try to check those out before making the decision to purchase. But I think they have agreed that this is the type of boat for them.
We had planned to have artichokes for dinner at my house when we returned. I had prepared them before we went as I knew the turnaround time was going to be tight as Heather and Jed were going out for a “jazz night” date. But it was tighter than expected because we spent more time going over every inch of the sailboat than planned. So, I sent Heather and Jed home with two of the artichokes and kept the boys with me for dinner. Then after dinner we made an obligatory stop at Smitty’s Ice Cream as it is the opening weekend for the summer. Oh, my, that ice cream was so good! I then took Sam home as he has to be up for an early soccer game tomorrow, but Jonah and Ollie decided to stay with me and Shadow tonight. When I dropped Sam off, they grabbed their PJ’s and back we went to the cottage. It has been too long since they have spent the night and having them here has made Shadow especially happy.
The three of them are now tucked in for the night. Life is good.
by Judy Handley | Apr 29, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 119: Skylark Concert and Travel Planning
Date: Friday, April 29, 2022
Weather: Sunny, Still Chilly with N Wind; High 54, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was another quiet day spent walking with Shadow, working on editing The Voyage of Windbird, and checking into flights for another trip. Justin called yesterday and asked if I would be interested in flying to Virginia in early June to spend time with Ziggy and Coco while he and Jo attend a workshop at The Monroe Institute, Justin’s new employer. We can all stay on the campus, and I will keep Ziggy and Coco company during the days when Justin and Jo are in workshop sessions. I jumped at the chance to go as I really didn’t get to spend any alone time with Z and C while in Puerto Rico. This opportunity is perfect.
Tonight, I attended a Skylark concert. Skylark is a vocal ensemble made up of vocal soloists, chamber musicians, and music educators from around the country. Listening to this group sing is truly like listening to voices from the heavens and tonight’s concert was especially interesting. “What might happen if Robert Langdon, acclaimed professor of Symbology at Harvard University (and fictional hero of Dan Brown’s best-selling novels, including The Da Vinci Code), were enlisted to explore hidden symbols, secret codes, and long-forgotten historical connections buried in manuscripts of choral music over the centuries?” This concert was created by Skylark’s conductor, creative genius, and three-time Grammy-nominee, Matthew Guard, along with composer Greg Brown, and his brother, author Dan Brown. It made for a fascinating evening of code-breaking music.
by Judy Handley | Apr 28, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 118: A Quiet Day
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny, Cold North Wind; High 51, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Finally, a quiet day mostly at home. I got up for the first time this morning at 6:45 am to take Shadow out and was greeted with a very chilly north wind and only a tad of sunshine. We went out and then came back in and went back to bed hoping for better weather in an hour or so. When I got up the second time, the weather was no better. The wind continued throughout the day, but since I spent most of the day inside, it was not a problem. It looks like we have two more days with north winds and nighttime lows in the 30’s before it warms up a little. Then the rain begins. Springtime on New England!
My neighbor Shirley came for a short visit today to see her beautiful Japanese peach tree that is in bloom.
She had an appointment with her primary care, so stopped by to see the tree. I’ve mentioned previously that she is currently living in Scituate with her 103-year-old sister, Doris. I know Shirley misses her home here, but she will stay with Doris to the end.
Shadow and I braved the wind and walked in the neighborhood today. Then mid-afternoon I took Shadow for a drive to Hyannis. I had planned to take Sam to rowing and run errands while he was on the water. But it was just too cold and windy for rowing, but I went anyway to run the errands. Tomorrow is another quiet day at home with an evening outing to go to another Skylark concert with friend, Kate Eldred. Her husband cannot go with her, so she invited me to be her ‘date’ once again. Lucky me!
by Judy Handley | Apr 27, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 117: Mah Jongg and Wine Group
Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 57, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a busy one . . . walking with Shadow, Mah Jongg lesson, and wine group gathering. The wine group focus this month was Napa Valley wines.
Everyone did their homework and we learned tons about Napa Valley wines, enjoyed the wine tasting, and the paired foods.
by Judy Handley | Apr 26, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 116: Dinner at the White House
Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Tonight; High 53, Low 49 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Tonight, my dining-in group met at Terry and Olivia White’s home which we fondly refer to as the White House.
It is so delightful to meet in person once again. Throughout the pandemic, we managed to continue to meet (when the weather was not freezing) in Peter and Karen Baranowski’s fancy garage that we called the Taj Garage, masked and socially distanced with the garage doors open. That was great, but it is really nice to meet inside. 
Dinner tonight featured brisket with gravy, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, cooked carrots, and oven roasted Brussel’s sprouts. Then we had sponge cake with strawberries and ice cream for dessert. All delicious.
I missed the last two weeks of Mah Jongg lessons, so today friend and Mah Jongg teacher, Christina Brodie, had me come to her house for a private refresher. I remembered enough to win one of the three games we played, and now I feel much more prepared for tomorrow’s group lesson. I also meet with my wine group later tomorrow afternoon. Whew! Vacation mode is definitely fading.
Then Jonah was off to a Scout leadership committee meeting. Ollie went with me to take Jonah, but then wanted to come back to my house while Jonah was in his meeting. In the early afternoon, Heather and I watched Ollie’s soccer game
that Jed was refereeing while Jonah and Sam played soccer on another field with friends. It was Sunday soccer time.
Heather couldn’t go as she was hosting her book club, so Jed, the boys, and I went. Heather wanted the boys to see if they thought the reduction of 3 feet made this boat too small for the family. This boat was one year older than the one we saw yesterday, but it was in much better shape and the boys loved it.
In fact, all of us were impressed. And even though the trip took 4 hours of our day, I think we were all glad we went to see it. Jed and boys were going to give Heather a full report over dinner, and I shared all the photos I took.
The boat search will continue, but we have all learned a lot in just two afternoons.
