by Judy Handley | Jul 16, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 197: A Trip or Two to Mattapoisett
Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Weather: Partly Sunny, AC Weather; High Temp 79, Low 72 degrees
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
I was not going to confess, but I made two trips to Mattapoisett today. One to get the pin that I got shortened a couple of weeks ago cut to even shorter. And a second trip to get something I left in Peter’s shop. Thankfully there was no traffic.
Peter the is the man I met this spring that helped me with my search for a boom for Ardenna and who ‘mended’ the spreader that had split, and then shortened a pin needed to attach the new boom to Ardenna’s mast. He did exactly what he was asked to do the first time, but when Heather and Jed got the piece attached to the mast, the pin was still too long. Today, as per Jed’s directions, I asked Peter to cut off the equivalent length of 7 washers stacked one on top of the other and redrill a hole in the pin near the bottom. He then proceeded to show me how to measure those lengths with two different kinds of calipers.
I know that doesn’t sound very exciting, but I really enjoyed learning about all of the different pieces of equipment while chatting with Peter about the state of the world.
Peter and his wife Jody finally got their sailboat in the water since the last time I was there. It is on a mooring in Mattapoisett Harbor. Peter reported that they ride their bikes to the harbor, sail or row their dinghy out to the boat, and never use the motor, not even to get off the mooring. Hard core sailors and environment advocates!
I returned home to a very hot house. We are once again having weather that requires air conditioning to be comfortable. So, I caved and turned on the little window air conditioner again.
by Judy Handley | Jul 15, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 196: Truth Brigade Indivisible
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Weather: Partly Sunny, Warmer; High Temp 79, Low 69 degrees
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Today I discovered a ne part of Indivisible, the Indivisible Truth Brigade that I want to share with you. If you want to learn more, just go to https://indivisible.org/campaign/truth-brigade
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What is the Indivisible Truth Brigade?
We are an ever-growing community of grassroots truth-tellers who effectively disrupt the flow of disinformation and misinformation online and offline. We do this by strategically writing and sharing powerful, personal, and unified counter-messages to the most damaging and destabilizing lies. We track our impact, learn, make adjustments and do it again–and again–together, to reclaim a civil society built on the shared value of the pursuit of objective truths.
I loved today’s Truth Brigade message:
DISSENT is Patriotic when …
Voices are silenced.
Neighbors are vilified.
Immigrants are dehumanized.
When science is attacked.
When war is reckless.
The weather once again defied the forecast of partly cloudy. It was another gloriously sunny afternoon. I spent most of the afternoon in an Encore meeting, but before and after, I was outside with Shadow.
by Judy Handley | Jul 14, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 195: Lost One, Gained One
Date: Monday, July 14, 2025
Weather: Partly Sunny, Warmer; High Temp 76, Low 70 degrees
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Early this morning, I drove Claire to the Sagamore Park ‘n Ride to catch the bus to Boston Logan. She was flying to Toronto to spend the next four weeks with her parents who live in the city. Her only sibling, a sister, moved to Toronto with her family last summer, so Claire will be spending time with them as well before returning to Mexico. Kevin stayed in Mexico to work on the boat this summer. I truly missed getting my yearly dose of Kevin, but hopefully they will both be back next year. I consider Kevin and Claire a part of my extended family. It was wonderful having Claire for a few days, but at 8:35 am this morning when she got on that bus, I lost one family member for now.
But then tonight, I gained back one family member when Sam arrived home from his European adventure. He, along with friends Robert and Ethan, left 21 days ago. Jonah and I were the only ones home when he arrived tonight as Heather and Jed were both at meetings. It was so great to see him.
He was excited and talked non-stop to Jonah and I for almost an hour telling us some of the highlights of the trip. I can’t wait to hear more.
by Judy Handley | Jul 13, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 193: Not Feeling Like July
Date: Saturday, July 12, 2025
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High Temp 69, Low 63 degrees
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
The last four days have not felt like July on Cape Cod. It has been overcast and misty with very little sunshine. Not your typical beach days. I expect June to be like this, and a day or two here and there in July. But not four days in a row. And looking at the forecast for the next 10 days, there is not one day forecast with full sun. Hopefully the projected partly sunny days will be more sun than clouds for those of us who love our sunny summer Cape Cod days.
Claire is here to attend a reunion of the Martine Biological Lab’s summer class of 25 years ago. Those attending the reunion weekend were students of science back then, abut are now scattered around the country teaching and researching at various universities or working in one way or another as scientists. They chose to spend their Saturday afternoon together kayaking in Mashpee. So, Claire and I spent a good deal of time in the morning, hauling my kayak from under the house and getting it cleaned up and ready to go. We both searched and searched but could not find the back of the kayak seat anywhere, so we went to Heather and Jed’s and searched their garage for something to use as a substitute. A folding camp seat did just the trick, so off went Claire. When she returned from the kayaking adventure, she then went to Woods Hole to spend the evening with her former classmates. Tomorrow, each of the ‘graduates’ present a talk to this year’s students, and Claire wrangled an invitation for me!
by Judy Handley | Jul 11, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 192: Claire Arrived
Date: Friday, July 11, 2025
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 73, Low 64 degrees
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
After an eight-hour car ride from Guaymas, Mexico, to Phoenix, Arizona, then an overnight flight from Phoenix to Boston, and finally a bus ride from Boston Logan to Falmouth that took almost three hours due to Friday traffic, Claire finally arrived in Falmouth just after 11 am. She hadn’t eaten or had her morning coffee, so we headed downtown to Devour to have lunch and coffee. We stopped at the French bakery to get bread and then at Windfall Market to buy what we needed to make a tomatillo stew and strawberry-rhubarb crumble for dinner. Kevin called while we were putting the strawberry-rhubarb crumble in the oven and was very jealous that he wasn’t here to enjoy it. But in his place, I invited Heather and Jed over for the Claire-prepared vegan dinner from her cookbook which we all really enjoyed. Thank you, Claire! Heather and Jed were childless tonight as Sam is still in Europe, Ollie is still at camp at Mass Maritime, and Jonah was going out to a movie with friends.
by Judy Handley | Jul 10, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 191: Happy 92nd Birthday to My Sister Patsy
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2025
Weather: Overcast with Misty Rain, Cooling Down; High Temp 72, Low 64 degrees
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Patricia Jane Martin Kerwood was born in Covington, Virginia, on Monday, July 10, 1933, during the depression. During those years, my parents moved between my dad’s home in Laurel Branch, WV, my mom’s home in Wikel, WV, and Covington, VA, a larger town where work could be found. They were dirt poor and forever grateful to Franklin Roosevelt. I have one picture of my sister Patsy and my two brothers, Bennie and Dickie, that is one of my favorites. Patsy was probably 5 years old when the photo was taken just after they had been playing in the mud. They were standing on the porch of a newly built house they rented from the government, built by the Roosevelt administration.
Now at 92, my sister lives in an assisted living facility in North Carolina. My nephew Tommy, and friends Brian and Judy Thompson, took her out to lunch and bought her an ice cream cake—her favorite. Happy Birthday, Patsy!
My day was filled with meetings. And tonight, I anticipate the arrival of Claire in the morning. Luckily, I have no meetings for the next 4 days while Claire is visiting!
