by Judy Handley | Jul 28, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 209: Biking on Martha’s Vineyard and Chappaquiddick
Date: Thursday, July 28, 2022
Weather: Sunny and Humid, Nice Breeze; High 84, Low 77 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Sam doesn’t work on Thursdays, so all three Goldpebbles and myself took off on our bicycles this morning and headed for the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. Our plan was to take the in-town Falmouth Island Queen to Oak Bluffs, but when we got there the 10:30 ferry was full. We would have to wait until noon. I called Jed to tell him our plans were changed, and he suggested that he could drive Ollie and I to Woods Hole for the 11:05 ferry. Jonah and Sam are way faster than me on a bike, so they would ride their bikes and meet us there. Our cars will only hold two bikes and the van was in the shop. So, we decided to give this plan a try. It worked (Thank you, Jed.) and we were in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard before noon.
With slow-poke me and water stops, the six mile ride to Edgartown took an hour and a half. But we made it! We had lunch just off Main Street at the Rosewater Market and then headed to the waterfront to take the ferry across to Chappaquiddick. We wanted to bike the three miles to East Beach, but after two miles, I checked the time and suggested we go back to Chappaquiddick Beach near the ferry. We did and that was the best decision of the day. The boys loved the beach. Beautiful sailboats were anchored off the beach and there was only one person who had brought his dinghy to shore. We had the beach all to ourselves and all three boys decided this is now their favorite beach.
But all good things must come to an end. We dried off, got back on our bikes, and took the ferry back to Edgartown. We rode to the bus to speed up our return to Oaks Bluff, but the busses only hold three bikes. So Sam rode back and was waiting at the ferry terminal to head back to Falmouth when we got there.
He made the six miles in just over 15 minutes. Oh, to be young again! I was just elated that I was able to make the twelve mile biking day still in one piece. But slow or fast, we all had a great day. Unfortunately, I took almost no photos. I was too busy pedaling to worry about pictures.
by Judy Handley | Jul 27, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 208: Beautiful Summer Day
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 83, Low 68 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a beautiful summer day—sunny, but not too hot. I picked Sam up after rowing this morning and hurried him home so he could get to work by 10 am. Then Jonah and Ollie came home with me and spent their afternoon kayaking and jumping in the water from the Maui mat.
Ollie decided to try kayaking while standing up. Must be time for a paddle board.
by Judy Handley | Jul 26, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 207: Afternoon Sail on L ‘Escargot
Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Cooler, Afternoon Wind; High 83, Low 60 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
After days of having the window fans running constantly to fight the heat and humidity, I just now had to turn off the fan because I felt chilly. Yes, chilly at 74 degrees F. But with the fan off, I am fine.
Around noon I went to Heather and Jed’s to see what the boys would like to do this afternoon. As I got out of the car, near-by neighbor, Sam Patterson, walked by with his little dog, Wickett. Sam is the sailing partner of Bruce and Jane Woodin on their sailboat L’ Escargot and Sam was looking for crew to go out with him this afternoon. He asked if I would like to go and invited the Goldpebbles. I went inside to check and emerged with only Ollie. Sam doesn’t work on Tuesdays, but he had rowed for two hours early in the morning and then done some vigorous cycling, so he wanted to do nothing. Jonah just wanted to veg out, but Ollie was excited to go sailing. So off we went. Ollie has not really sailed except in his Opti since he was three years old as far as I know, but he seemed to know just what to do. He stayed on the dock to release the lines and then jumped aboard like a pro.
He watched Sam as we motored out of the harbor, listened carefully to Sam’s description of the best way to navigate with shallow areas on either side of us, keeping the red buoys to port (left) on our way out. It was blowing hard and was a little rough outside, but Ollie didn’t even blink. 
His job was to hold Wickett on our way out to Cleveland Light and then Sam let Ollie take the tiller all the way home.
He is a steady helmsman and did a great job. It was a fun afternoon. So, thanks, Sam Patterson, for the invitation. 
Ollie and I had a great time.
by Judy Handley | Jul 25, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 206: Happy 85th Birthday to Friend Olivia White
Date: Monday, July 25, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Windy, Hot and Humid; High 81, Low 66 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Tonight, was the monthly gathering of my dining-in group and we celebrated (one day early) the 85th birthday of one of our members, Olivia White.
Olivia is a good friend and an amazing person. Her role as a community leader is invaluable to all of us, and it so special to have her as a personal friend. Happy birthday, Olivia!
Dinner tonight was great—all vegetarian!!! Thank you, Karen and Peter Baranowski. Dinner started with a tomato, cucumber, and watermelon gazpacho topped with Rose of Sharon blossoms,
followed by stuffed zucchini, sautéed mushrooms, and corn on the cob, and ended with a chocolate birthday cake for Olivia.
This morning Sam returned from Martha’s Vineyard with a big bag of quahog clams. Then this afternoon Heather, Jed, and Ollie returned from Maine. Ollie enjoyed his weekend working on getting Eider ready to sail south. Next week, Sam and Jonah will be in Scout Camp. Ollie has another pottery camp, but I think he is going to take a rain check and go with Heather and Jed to sail Eider from Brooklin, Maine to Boothbay. I don’t think I will get to ‘meet’ Eider until they sail her down her the following week. Can’t wait.
by Judy Handley | Jul 24, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 205: Day of Rest After Saying Farewell to Lynne
Date: Sunday, July 24, 2022
Weather: Still Sunny, Still Hot; High 88, Low 75 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Bruce and Jane Woodin invited Lynne and I over for coffee this morning.
I took Shadow and he loved sitting on Bruce’s lap.
Bruce and Jane are getting their house painted, and what is done so far looks great. We enjoyed the coffee and conversation on their deck, and then Lynne headed on to visit with a friend who lives north and west of Albany, New York.
After feeding the cats and guinea pig at Heather and Jed’s, I headed home and basically enjoyed doing nothing for the remainder of the day. Shadow and I were lonely without Lynne and hope she will visit again before heading back to New Zealand in October. Heather and Jed will return from Maine tomorrow. I know they got a lot of boat cleaning done, but I will look forward to hearing more about Eider when they get home.
by Judy Handley | Jul 23, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 204: The Hot Days Continue
Date: Saturday, July 23, 2022
Weather: Sunny, Still Hot; High 92, Low 71 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The hot weather continues. It was 92 F today but felt like 96 according to WeatherUnderground. One way or the other, it was hot. There was a breeze, however, so sitting in the shade in the breeze felt great. Lynne, Shadow, and I went for a 2.5 to 3 mile hike at Quashnet River this morning. I knew the path would be mostly shady, and it was, so not as hot as hiking in full sun. At one point there is path down to the river. We took it and Shadow enjoyed a cool drink from the river. There was not another soul out hiking, so Shadow got to run free. He loved it. We returned home for lunch and then went over to Olga’s to check on the tomatoes I planted there. I have totally ignored them for three weeks. They need more water and need to be weeded, but they are surviving. When we returned home, we went down by the dock to sit in the shade and breeze to read. And finally, we went to Heather and Jed’s to do a laundry, go to the grocery store, and get Sam off to Martha’s Vineyard to spend tomorrow and Monday with friend Robert. He worked until 5 pm and had to wait for folks who returned their bike rentals late. Then he had to have some work done on his bike. By the time he got home, we barely got to Woods Hole in time for the 6:30 pm ferry. It was a stretch, but we made it. Lynne and I then returned home with spanakopita and a Greek salad for dinner from a Limani, a local Greek restaurant. Tomorrow morning we go to have coffee with Bruce and Jane Woodin, then she is off to visit a friend in the lakes region in New York state. She is out on a walk in the dark with Shadow right now, so I am going to sign off so we can have our last ‘chat’ before she leaves tomorrow.
With slow-poke me and water stops, the six mile ride to Edgartown took an hour and a half. But we made it! We had lunch just off Main Street at the Rosewater Market and then headed to the waterfront to take the ferry across to Chappaquiddick. We wanted to bike the three miles to East Beach, but after two miles, I checked the time and suggested we go back to Chappaquiddick Beach near the ferry. We did and that was the best decision of the day. The boys loved the beach. Beautiful sailboats were anchored off the beach and there was only one person who had brought his dinghy to shore. We had the beach all to ourselves and all three boys decided this is now their favorite beach.
But all good things must come to an end. We dried off, got back on our bikes, and took the ferry back to Edgartown. We rode to the bus to speed up our return to Oaks Bluff, but the busses only hold three bikes. So Sam rode back and was waiting at the ferry terminal to head back to Falmouth when we got there.
He made the six miles in just over 15 minutes. Oh, to be young again! I was just elated that I was able to make the twelve mile biking day still in one piece. But slow or fast, we all had a great day. Unfortunately, I took almost no photos. I was too busy pedaling to worry about pictures.
