by Judy Handley | May 20, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 140: A Dear Friend’s Funeral
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Weather: Partly Cloudy Day, Cooler; High Temp 55, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Heather and I drove to Concord, New Hampshire today for the funeral and burial of a dear friend, Alan Kanesgsberg. Alan was many things, but his quest of knowledge as a life long learner was central to his being. One of my favorite photos of him is sitting at his computer, one of the things we had in common.
Alan passed away on Saturday, was buried today, and the days of Shiva will begin tomorrow. Alan and Helaine were Concord Yacht Club friends with whom Mark and I formed a close friendship. Heather and Justin both knew them and today Heather shared a photo with Helaine from her wedding which brought back happy memories. Heather and Jed were married on a point of land in Booth Bay Harbor. The view of the harbor was beautiful. Prior to the wedding, everyone in attendance admired the view. But when Alan arrived, he took out his binoculars to watch an America’s Cup sailing practice in that beautiful harbor. The rest of us were oblivious as we were focused on the wedding. We were admiring the sailboats. Alan was watching the race. Then, just before the ceremony, Heather spotted Alan and ran over to borrow his binoculars to watch. The sight of a beautiful bride holding her flowers in one hand and binoculars in the other made quite a picture.
Alan led a successful and full life as a business entrepreneur, but in ‘retirement’, he became a business consultant and true mentor to many young people starting a business. Two of those successful business entrepreneurs spoke passionately today about what a difference Alan’s mentorship has made in their lives. Alan was a critical thinker and problem solver, no matter what role he was in. Everyone who knew him was always asking for his advice. He was a Rotary member for most of his adult life, missing only one meeting in over 30 years. When Alan and Helaine came to visit Mark and I in New Zealand, Alan insisted on finding a Rotary meeting no matter where we were. We spent six weeks in a rental car together, exploring the North and the South Islands, arranging our itinerary so Alan could get to those meetings. Only Alan would do that while on vacation!
Thankfully, Helaine will be surrounded by friends and family for the next week, so I will wait and visit her one day after everyone has gone home. Alan, we are going to miss you.
by Judy Handley | May 20, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 140: A Dear Friend’s Funeral
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Weather: Partly Cloudy Day, Cooler; High Temp 55, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Heather and I drove to Concord, New Hampshire today for the funeral and burial of a dear friend, Alan Kanesgsberg. Alan passed away on Saturday, was buried today, and the days of Shiva will begin tomorrow. Alan and Helaine were Concord Yacht Club friends with whom Mark and I formed a close friendship. Heather and Justin both knew them and today Heather shared a photo with Helaine from her wedding which brought back happy memories. Heather and Jed were married on a point of land in Booth Bay Harbor. The view of the harbor was beautiful. Prior to the wedding, everyone in attendance admired the view. But when Alan arrived, he took out his binoculars to watch an America’s Cup sailing practice in that beautiful harbor. The rest of us were oblivious as we were focused on the wedding. We were admiring the sailboats. Alan was watching the race. Then, just before the ceremony, Heather spotted Alan and ran over to borrow his binoculars to watch. The sight of a beautiful bride holding her flowers in one hand and binoculars in the other made quite a picture.
Alan led and successful and full life as a business entrepreneur, but in ‘retirement’, he became a business consultant and true mentor to many young people starting a business. Two of those successful business entrepreneurs spoke passionately today about what a difference Alan’s mentorship has made in their lives. Alan was a critical thinker and problem solver, no matter what role he was in. Everyone who knew him was always asking for his advice. He was a Rotary member for most of his adult life, missing only one meeting in over 30 years. When Alan and Helaine came to visit Mark and I in New Zealand, Alan insisted on finding a Rotary meeting no matter where we were. We spent six weeks in a rental car together, exploring the North and the South Islands, arranging our itinerary so Alan could get to those meetings. Only Alan would do that while on vacation!
Thankfully, Helaine will be surrounded by friends and family for the next week, so I will wait and visit her one day after everyone has gone home. Alan, we are going to miss you.
by Judy Handley | May 17, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 137: The Loss of a Dear Friend
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds; High Temp 68, Low 57 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
My good friend Alan Kanegsberg passed away today. He was diagnosed with cancer a year ago and recently found that his body was not able to withstand the treatments. I visited with Alan and Helaine on Alan’s birthday on March 6 and had a wonderful visit. Sometime after that visit, he decided to stop the treatments and go on home hospice care. I am going to miss my very dear friend and am sending positive thoughts to Helaine.
by Judy Handley | May 16, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 136: It Happened
Date: Friday, May 16, 2025
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds; High Temp 69, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
So, ICE was spotted in Falmouth yesterday. I wrote about it last night saying we are living in scary times.
Today I went to my Beyond the White House Class, went to the clinic to get a one-day dose of doxycycline to combat the two Deer tick bites I got this week, and tonight went to Encore’s spring social, Margaritaville. We ate fabulous food and danced to the music of a band called Too Much Fun. The whole evening was just that. Too much fun.
When I got home, I looked at my phone and saw Heather had posted something on Facebook. She doesn’t post often, so I checked it out. And it took my breath away. It happened. Today in Falmouth ICE disappeared at least one person in West Falmouth around the corner from where a close friend of Heather’s lives. I won’t reveal names, but I am going to copy what the friend wrote on Facebook, and what another close friend wrote in reaction. I don’t think they will mind that I am ‘borrowing’ their words. I could rewrite the story, but it wouldn’t have the same impact. So, last night I was scared. Tonight, I am terrified and sad and angry. I am not scared or terrified for myself. I am scared and terrified for all immigrants in this country. And if it can happen to them, it can happen to all of us.
Copied from Facebook: Welcome to Hell: Day 116
Today, a man was snatched off the streets of my hometown and disappeared.
This morning, as a young business owner headed out to the first job of his day as a house painter, he was stopped by ICE. They demanded his passport. Then they drove his car to a house on Garrison Road in West Falmouth where he rented the basement. He let them into his home so he could look for it.
As I write this, I can see the street from my window. While I was guzzling coffee and rushing to an early meeting, just a few hundred yards away, someone was taken—without warning, without due process—and ripped from his life.
No sirens. No local police. Just six or seven unmarked cars filled with men wearing black.
I know the owner of the home. She went to Falmouth Academy. She danced at the local Conservatory. Today, she supports mothers of children with disabilities and helps caregivers avoid burnout. She said: “I want people to know this happened. He is not a criminal. And for the first time, I felt afraid. These guys were smug and entitled. They acted above the law. It was terrifying.”
She wants people to know her Brazilian tenant is kind, responsible, and hardworking. He pays taxes. He has a life here with his Serbian girlfriend. No criminal record.
She asked repeatedly to see badges or a warrant. They just smiled—smugly—and refused to show either and closed the car window on her. She said they never even took the passport.
ICE doesn’t care about Massachusetts’ sanctuary status. Under the regime’s latest directive, immigration enforcement has been “harmonized” across all fifty states.
Translation: states’ rights end where federal boots begin. No Miranda. No explanation. Just the execution of power.
He was taken. We don’t know where he is. His phone is offline. The fear is that he is being been moved out of state away from his network of support.
This is the quiet terror of the new normal. It’s not just Texas. It’s not just the border. It’s your neighborhood. Your block. Your neighbor’s tenant.
We must bear witness. We must record what we see. We must resist with all we have before it is too late. The U.S. Constitution, the law of our land, says that “every person” in this great land is entitled to due process. We need to hold the line. We need a hotline. We need lawyers. We need to act.
America has been, as The Boss said so eloquently “the beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years.”
Those who say “This could never happen here” can see that it already has.
A response to the post from a friend:
So, this is how it starts. The landlord is terrified, rightly so, their neighbors are scared and spread that fear to their neighbors and friends. People begin turning in their neighbors to protect themselves. And those that “harbored illegals”, or, otherwise phrased, rented to reliable tenants with an accent, also become targets and have terrible choices to make to protect their families.
What is the action, really? MA reps know the consequences and are doing what they can. What is meaningful? Walkouts? Sit ins? Going to DC en masse and not leaving until enough people join that we are un- ignorable? Hiding quietly?
by Judy Handley | May 15, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 135: Scary Times
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2025
Weather: A Little Rain Early, Mis of Sun and Clouds; High Temp 67, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
For the past three months, I have heard people saying, over and over, how thankful they are that we live in Massachusetts. These people, including me, thought we are in a safe haven. But we have had many cases of ICE or HIS taking people who have done nothing wrong. A least that has not happened here on the Cape. Right? Wrong. Today I received an email from the Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coalition saying they have been receiving ICE sightings here in Falmouth over the past 24 hours in a couple of locations. One location reported is about a quarter of a mile from where I live and another is a half mile away in a different direction. The email went on to outline what you can and cannot do if you witness a confrontation. I truly appreciated the information, but none of this made me feel safe. We are truly living in scary times.
I spent my entire day dealing with Encore responsibilities. Then, tonight, I had a nice, long conversation with my friend Lynne Kirwin. She is coming to visit during the first week of June. Can’t wait to see her. But right now, I had better stop writing and get some reading done. I have my “Beyond the White House” class tomorrow and I haven’t finished reading the chapter about Jimmy Carter. So I’ll sign off with a promise of more tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | May 14, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 134: Encore Day
Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 65, Low 67 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
My morning was spent in an Encore Board meeting and this afternoon I attended a presentation at the West Falmouth Library. This is a program that I have booked to present at one of our Encore program meetings next year, so I wanted to know to what to expect. I am moving from Co-President to Vice President of Programs. Sure hope I’m not moving from the frying pan to the fire! Then this evening I spent some time gardening before getting back to answering emails. That was it for my day.
