by Judy Handley | Dec 7, 2016 | Life After Windbird 2016 |
Life After Windbird, Day 117: Ready for Take-off
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 48, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
Tomorrow I fly to Nashville to visit with my sister, so I spent part of today getting ready for take-off. Then I went to pick Sam and Jonah up from school. Once we got home, I launched into a laundry folding frenzy while the boys did homework and played with Molly and Joey next door. When Heather got home, she fixed a great taco dinner for us and Ollie organized an after-dinner imaginary boat trip to the North Pole with Sam and Jonah’s help. Tomorrow is Jed’s birthday, so I gave him my present tonight. I then said goodbye and headed home. I immediately got online to check-in for my Southwest flight tomorrow. I have never flown Southwest and I have never actually done the online check-in for any flight. Mark always did that. When I checked in, I got a printed boarding pass with no seat assignment. I thought we always had advance seating assignments, so I emailed Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg who are Southwest pros. Helaine called to explain to me that Southwest doesn’t have assigned seating, just an order of boarding dependent on the number on your boarding pass. So all is well. I am set to fly out of Boston at 6:25 pm.
by Judy Handley | Dec 6, 2016 | Life After Windbird 2016 |
Life After Windbird, Day 116: Time Out to Focus on Christmas
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Weather: Sunny and Chilly; High Temp 42, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
I leave here for Nashville day after tomorrow and won’t be home until Saturday, Dec 17th. That is too late to order anything to be sent to Puerto Rico, so I took a time out from other activities today to focus on Christmas. With suggestions from Justin and Jo, I was able to order gifts for Jo and for Coco. I’m still working on Ziggy and Justin, but I made progress. The Goldstones are another issue. I have ordered Heather’s Christmas present and I have an idea for Jonah. But I still need to figure out Jed, Sam, and Ollie. Since I do most of my shopping on Amazon, I can continue this process when I get to Nashville. I certainly don’t want to spend most of my time there dealing with Christmas shopping, but at least I know I can complete the process once I am there if I don’t get it done before leaving on Thursday.
I started my day with a trip to the chiropractor. This was another routine check-in, but today I was released. No more check-ins–just call if I have a problem. So that was good news. When I got home, I continued working on organizing the presentation about our trip around the world that I will make to the Newcomers Club in January and then I ran some mundane errands and did a little local shopping to round out Coco’s Christmas and to buy a few items I need for my trip to Nashville. The low-carb diet I have been on is starting to kick in. I have lost a few pounds and needed a belt to hold my pants up! And I needed socks. So, nothing elaborate, but it takes time to go from store to store to find what you need.
Tomorrow morning I’ll do a little packing and then in the afternoon I’ll head to Heather and Jed’s. I’ll pick Sam and Jonah up from school and then stay for dinner. Thursday is Jed’s birthday, so tomorrow will be my chance to wish him a happy 45th!
by Judy Handley | Dec 5, 2016 | Life After Windbird 2016 |
Life After Windbird, Day 115: Too Many Computers
Date: Monday, December 5, 2016
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High Temp 46, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
I have too many computers! Better too many than not enough, but my day was spent staring at computer screens. That’s not what I intended to do, but one thing led to another that required cross-referencing documents from one computer to another. I was really just trying to get a head start on a presentation I will make to the Newcomers Club here in Falmouth in January about the favorite places visited while sailing around the world. I started by looking through the ‘Windbird Presentations’ folder on the computer I am currently using. This is the Asus that was Mark’s computer. There were lots of files that I knew should be there, but they weren’t. So I turned on the Toshiba computer that I was using prior to the email fiasco in November. The files I was looking for weren’t there either, but there were a few files that were not on the Asus. So I had to cross-reference files and copy and paste the ones that were missing. Then I dug out the computer that Mark used prior to the Asus. I need to get rid of that computer because the keyboard doesn’t work (has to be attached to an external keyboard to type). Near the top of my ‘to-do’ list has been cross-referencing files and folders to make sure everything has been transferred to the newer computers. After just checking the ‘Windbird Presentation’ folder, it became evident that there is LOT on that computer that is nowhere else. So I ended up spending a great deal of the day just getting the one document folder the same on all three computers. The good news is that much of the work is already done for that January presentation. The bad news is that I now know that I really have to cross reference all the other document folders on all three computers—not hard, just time consuming.
While pouring through the contents of the ‘Windbird Presentations’ folder, I decided that I really need a good Pacific-centered map of the world to hang in my hallway. All of the maps Mark and I used in past presentations were Eurocentric and those maps really don’t do justice to the island countries of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. For instance, the Republic of Indonesia is a country of 17,508 separate islands. Only 6,000 of those islands are inhabited and Mark and I only visited something like ten of those islands that stretched over 1,500 miles. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and eighty-some percent of those people are Muslim. It is easy to get side-tracked when thinking about the most important things to include in a presentation when there is just so much information. But back to the maps, I think it is much easier to see the expanse of Indonesia on a Pacific-centered map than it is on a Eurocentric one. I found a beautiful canvas three-foot by four-foot National Geographic world map that I would love to have, but then I found another NG world map that is about four-feet by five-feet. It is not canvas, but I want the really big one. So “hint, hint” for a Christmas gift if either of my children might be reading this!
Monday night is Scout night for the Goldstones, so I headed over at 6 pm to have my game night with Ollie. We played four different games and then headed upstairs to read. Ollie chose Curious George’s Christmas which is a book of Christmas carols and Raffi’s book of holiday songs. So we sang our way through bedtime reading. Jonah and Heather joined us for some of the singing. They all have such beautiful voices. It was definitely the highlight of my day.
by Judy Handley | Dec 4, 2016 | Life After Windbird 2016 |
Life After Windbird, Day 114: Christmas Parade and ‘Interesting’ Concert
Date: Sunday, December 4, 2016
Weather: Sunny, Windy, and Cold; High Temp 41, Low 27 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
The weather for the annual Falmouth Christmas Parade was windy and cold, but it was sunny. So that saved the day. I drove downtown a bit early to secure curbside seating for Heather, Ollie, and myself. Since Jed, Sam, and Jonah were marching in the parade with the Boy Scouts, there would just be the three of us to watch. I sat there basking in the sun with my winter coat and hood on to protect me from the wind while reading my book. It actually felt quite cozy. And when Heather and Ollie arrived, we settled in to get ready for the parade.
Unfortunately, the people just to the left of us decided to stand out in the street obstructing our view. This is the first time I have encountered this at a Falmouth Christmas Parade. Usually people are extremely aware that they should not stand out in the street, but not this year. And when Heather said something to the woman standing in the street directly in front of her, the woman basically scoffed at her. Despite that incident, we enjoyed the parade. We were cheering as Sam, Jonah, and Jed walked by
and we always love the pipe bands.
Santa drove past at the end of the parade and that made for a great afternoon.
After the parade, I invited the Goldstones over for an impromptu lunch and to help decorate my tree. It was the first time I have seen my Christmas ornaments since they were put in storage in 2003 and it was fun to see which ornaments the boys chose to put on the tree. Some of my ornaments are for a much larger tree and the boys did a nice job of sorting those out. I now have a fully lighted and decorated Christmas tree.
Shortly after 3 pm, we all dispersed. I was headed to a 3:30 concert at a local church with Jane Woodin and Heather, Jed, and boys were headed home. Jane called me just after I arrived downtown for the parade to invite me to the concert. I assumed it was a Christmas concert and thought that sounded like fun. So I said I would meet her at the church. It started shortly after we arrived and it was not what I was expecting. It was a super religious version of a Christmas concert. As I sat there, I wondered if Jane invited me because she thought I needed to give up my sinful ways. But as soon as the not so beautiful singing ended, Jane said, “Let’s get out of here.” When we got outside, she apologized saying that the concert was certainly not what she expected and I gave a big sigh of relief knowing that my friend was not trying to save me! We then headed to Jane’s house to have a glass of wine to wash away the memories of a not so great concert.
When I got home, I had a Skype video call with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. I asked Ziggy and Coco what they wanted for Christmas and got the stock reply from Ziggy—Legos. But Coco gave us a bit of a surprise by saying she wants a castle and her own iPhone. I remind you that Coco is only four years-old, but she has BIG ideas. Justin and Jo will be moving into their new home beginning on December 28, so this Christmas will be a bit of a transition time for them. I would love to fly down to see them for Christmas, but I think it is best that I wait until February or March once they are settled in the new home. Mark and I, plus Heather and family, were with them for Thanksgiving last year and Mark and I spent Christmas in Puerto Rico in 2014. But I haven’t had a Christmas with Heather, Jed, and boys since Sam’s first Christmas in 2007. Justin and Jo and Mark and I joined the Goldstones in Maine that year—the last time we have been together as a family for Christmas. One of the only regrets I have about the years that we were gone sailing around the world is that it meant we no longer had a home to carry on the family holiday traditions. It is a bit like being a man without a country. And once we returned, we found our adult children had fallen into traditions of their own. Heather, Jed, and boys go to Maine every Christmas. And Justin and Jo are always at home, but home has moved from New Mexico to Culebra in Puerto Rico to the west coast of Puerto Rico. In the last five years, Mark and I spent two Christmases with my sister and brother-in-law, two with Justin and Jo, and one visiting with friends in New Hampshire. So this year I will enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Heather, Jed, and boys before they head to Maine the day after Christmas. I’m not sure what I will do during the week between Christmas and New Year. Maybe I can take that week to write about the memories of that very special man that I am missing so much.
by Judy Handley | Dec 3, 2016 | Life After Windbird 2016 |
Life After Windbird, Day 113: Lots of Christmas Activities
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2016
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 50, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home at The Studio, Falmouth, MA
With 22 days left until Christmas, we jammed a lot of activities into this one day. The first weekend in December is Falmouth’s big Christmas kick-off. Heather and boys spent the night here last night so we could use my place as home base today. Three of the big events of the day were taking place directly across the harbor from here, so it was easy to see and hear what was happening right from my deck. Heather went over early to register the boys for the 9 am half-mile Elf Run and herself for the 9:30 am three-mile Jingle Jog. Ollie decided not to run, so Heather went with Sam and Jonah and Ollie and I came along a few minutes later. Both Sam and Jonah really enjoyed being part of the Elf Run.
Spirits were running high with everyone dressed in crazy Christmas costumes. When Sam and Jonah finished the Elf Run, the got a big kiss from momma and then I drove the boys back to my place.
We put our chairs out in front of The Studio to watch the Jingle Joggers as they ran past. There were more people in this race than I expected and everyone was in a jolly mood. We could see Heather coming in her red shirt and green leggings.
We cheered Heather on as she ran past and when the last runners went by, we headed back to the apartment for hot chocolate to warm us up a bit. It was a gorgeous day, but the wind made it feel even chillier than it was. I left the front door open so we could hear the music from across the harbor, but Ollie quickly requested that we shut the door—too cold. Sam and Jonah, however, sat on the deck to drink their hot chocolate and watch the activity across the harbor. Heather returned and we all watched from the deck as Santa rode into the harbor in a boat and docked just across from us.
As he got off the boat, the boys yelled, “Merry Christmas.” But they opted to not stand in the long line to sit on Santa’s lap. They unanimously decided to write letters to Santa and put them in the special mailbox on the Falmouth Green. Instead, we went to Coonemessett Farm to buy Christmas trees. Since Sam was born in 2007, the Goldstones have never spent a Christmas at home. They always go to Maine to be with Jed’s family. But this year they are going to stay home until the day after Christmas when they will drive to Maine. So this is the first time the three boys have gone to get a Christmas tree for their own house. They chose a beautiful Frazier fir and I chose the skinniest tree I could find as my space is really limited. I think I have a balsam fir, but not sure. I loved the fullness of the Frazier firs, but they were all just a little TOO full for my space. We went back to Heather’s to put up their tree and decorate it.
The boys dug into the plastic bin of Christmas decorations just like it was a treasure chest.
I helped Heather get the tree into the tree stand and then Sam took over to help her put the lights on the tree. Once the lights were on, Jonah and Ollie pitched in to put the first decorations on—real candy canes. And then they dug into the box of Heather’s ornaments. Every year since their births, Mark and I gave Heather and Justin a special ornament. We continued this up until they got married. Since then we have continued the tradition to include spouses and grandchildren, but not every year. But Heather’s thirty some ornaments from 1975 to 2003 were more than enough to fill the tree along with the few ornaments added since then.
After the tree was decorated, I borrowed the boys’ boom box and headed home to put my tree up. Heather offered to come with the boys, but I knew they needed some at home time. It is not as easy to put up a tree by yourself, but I got it up, got the lights on, and enjoyed doing it. Since I have decorated all the windows and sliding doors in the apartment with white icicle lights, Sam suggested that I buy colored lights, like the ones on their tree, for mine. Jonah and Ollie agreed, so I followed their advice. I haven’t had colored lights on a tree for years, but I like the contrast with all the white lights in the windows. I will save decorating the tree for a time when the grandkids come over and can help, but I love just sitting here and looking at the lights. And I’m using the borrowed boom box to play my Christmas CD’s. On Windbird we had a 10 CD-changer, but I have no such thing here. I guess I’m going to have to invest in some sort of stereo system, but for now, the boom box with one CD at a time works just fine.
I think by evening, we were all on Christmas overload. That plus degraded children’s behaviors, and the time Jed needed to be picked in Sagamore (30 minutes north of here), meant that we did not go to the lighting of the Green tonight. I offered to go get Jed so Heather could stay home with the boys and hopefully enjoy some peaceful time together. Not sure if that happened, but I can always hope. As Jed and I got close to home, he said he guessed he would have to start working on Christmas lights. I smiled when we drove up to the house and the Heather and boys had the Christmas lights already on in the front yard. And I know they were really hoping to surprise him with the fully decorated Christmas tree.
Today behind us, we now have to gear up for tomorrow’s Christmas parade. Unfortunately, I am feeling just awful. I have had terrible sinus issues the past two weeks but during the night last night, I woke up sneezing with what is now a full blown head cold. Ugh! Hopefully I can get this under control before I head to Nashville on Thursday.
by Judy Handley | Dec 2, 2016 | Life After Windbird 2016 |
Life After Windbird, Day 112: Some Days Work, Some Days Not So Much
Date: Friday, December 2, 2016
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 50, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home at The Studio, Falmouth, MA
My day got off to a good start with a walk with friends Jane and Olivia. I came home and put up Christmas lights around the inside of the windows in the apartment and that went fine, too. But when I went to pick up Sam and Jonah, things quickly went downhill. We needed to get packed up for the overnight at my house, but Jonah wanted to play and just wouldn’t cooperate. We ended up in a shouting match that was none too pretty and from there things continued to go downhill. We barely made in time to pick up Ollie and then had to backtrack to downtown to pick up the pizza I had ordered an hour earlier. We made it to the Lighthouse Christmas caroling event late, but we did make it. There was a cold wind blowing in off the water and it was quite chilly, so as soon as the singing was over we headed home to have hot chocolate. By this time Jonah and I were once again speaking to each other in a civil tone. I felt terrible about the earlier encounter, but as we all know, kids sometimes push us over the edge. Then the technology issues started. We wanted to listen to Christmas music while having the hot chocolate, but the CD player wouldn’t open. I had planned to have the kids watch The Polar Express after hot chocolate, but I couldn’t get the new DVD player to work. And then I even had trouble getting the smart hub on the TV to work. Finally, Sam figured out how to purchase a Christmas episode of Wild Kratts on Amazon and that saved the evening. And things got even better when Heather arrived. It’s been a crazy week for her in Jed’s absence and with public radio fund raising beginning, but we made it. She arrived with all kinds of fun holiday things for the boys to wear in the Elf Run tomorrow morning. And what more can a parent ask for than having a child sitting on your bed reading to your grandchildren. All is well that ends well.
