by Judy Handley | Feb 22, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 53: A Day Trip to the Galapagos Islands
Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Weather: Overcast with Rain, Warmer; High 51, Low 48 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today my editing took me on a day trip to the Galapagos islands. I wrote in that chapter that the Voyage of Windward was originally Mark’s dream. And that is true. But it was my dream to go to the Galapagos. The fact that we were able to get a permit to stay there for six weeks was surely a dream come true for me. We could only sail to five islands, but we actually spent most of our time on only two of them. We did take a five-day trip aboard a tourist sailing vessel that took us to another few islands. We saw so many plants and animals that were endemic to the Galapagos (found there and only there), that after three weeks I wrote that I had started feeling like I was endemic! On one snorkeling outing, I saw more varieties of fish than in any other place around the world. Our time there was truly extraordinary and made doubly so because Heather and Jed joined us for three of those weeks. I did complete the first quick edit of the chapter today. But I only reduced its size by 2,000 words. I have to go back and delete more, but I have to say it is painful. Everything we experienced there seemed important that it is very hard to choose what to leave out.
I just came in from taking Shadow out for a pee break and it is nasty outside tonight. It is raining and my phone tells me we have a gale warning until 7 am. At least it is a bit warmer.
by Judy Handley | Feb 21, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 52: Presidents’ Day
Date: Monday, February 21, 2022
Weather: Sunny and Warmer; High 47, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
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My Presidents’ Day celebration was to take a Washington Post trivia quiz and I failed miserably. Here are some of the
1. Which president’s name appears twice on the roll call of presidents because his two terms were not back-to-back?
2. Abraham Lincoln was born in a humble log cabin. Who was the first president born in a hospital?
3. This president liked to skinny-dip in the Potomac River early in the morning. While that may seem shocking to us, it wasn’t uncommon in his day. Which president was this?
4. Which president banned broccoli from his dinner plate?
5. When the king and queen of Great Britain visited the White House, which president served them hot dogs?
It went on and my total score was ZERO. The answers to these questions are at the end of this log.
I made it to the Galapagos in my editing today, but tomorrow’s work will be slow going. I loved the Galapagos and the number of words in that chapter show it. But if anyone is going to read it, I need to cut about two-thirds of what I wrote. That is going to be a very hard job for me. Wish me luck.
I received a text from Heather today saying she was going to be the slope photographer today. I hope she got some good pics. She also said it was so warm that they would probably have a shorter day. They went full out all weekend and probably needed that shorter day to power up for the remainder of the week.
Otherwise, things were unremarkable here today. It was much warmer which I enjoyed immensely. It made walking so much more enjoyable.
Answers to the Presidents’ Trivia Quiz:
1. Grover Cleveland was our 22nd and 24th president.
2. Jimmy Carter. His mother was a nurse in the hospital.
3. John Quincy Adams. If it was too cold for a swim, he’d go for a two-mile hike instead.
4. George W. Bush hated broccoli.
5. Franklin Roosevelt introduced the queen to hot dogs.
by Judy Handley | Feb 20, 2022 | Cape Cod, USA |
2022 Life Logs, Day 51: Back to Editing, Editing
Date: Sunday, February 20, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Cold, Windy; High 34, Low 20 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
In yesterday’s log, I totally forgot to mention that just as I finished getting my seed starting shelves in place, the feeling of spring vanished. I looked out the window and it was snowing. I took Shadow out for our second half mile walk of the day and by the time we got home, there was a covering of snow on the ground. The snow flurries had turned into a snow squall while we were walking, and it continued until we had about a half of an inch of snow. So much for thoughts of spring! The high today was 34, but with the wind it felt more like 20. Chilly.
I spent my day editing and tonight I am watching the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Who couldn’t love the winter jackets of the Italians and the face that Nathan Chen is using a real camera to take photos of the ceremony instead of his phone camera. I have enjoyed watching all of the events, too many favorites to list. I must admit, however, that my favorite winter Olympic sport throughout my lifetime, figure skating, has changed. My grandsons have had a little influence over my new favorite, snowboarding. And then here have been the commercials. I had never heard of a Toyota Tundra before these Olympics and I loved the Toyota “Start Your Impossible” ads. Then there was the VISA ad with hordes of people coming down a slope in every sort of manner with the words, “When more of us play, more of us win.” And the Salesforce ad with Matthew McConaughey saying, “It’s not time to escape. It’s time to engage.” Whether you agree with the tone of that ad, I think we can all agree on those words. Now it’s time to get ready for the Paralympic Games starting in two weeks.
I’ll close with the words of the IOC head Thomas Bach addressing the athletes at the closing ceremonies: “We were deeply touched how you were wishing and cheering for your competitors to achieve their best as well. You not only respected each other. You supported each other. You embraced each other, even if your countries are divided by conflict. You overcame these divisions demonstrating that in this Olympic community we are all equal—regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or what we believe in. This unifying power of the Olympic Games is stronger than the forces that want to divide us—you give peace a chance. May the political leaders around the world be inspired by your example of solidarity and peace.”
by Judy Handley | Feb 19, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 50: Getting Ready for Spring
Date: Saturday, February 19, 2022
Weather: Party Sunny, Windy, Snow Mid-Afternoon; High 40, Low 16 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
In yesterday’s log I wrote “Weather: Wind Storm Early.” Afterwards I thought maybe I had exaggerated using the term ‘storm’, but it sure felt like a storm to me. Today when the early morning wind piped down a bit, Shadow and I walked down to the dock. I saw that the tarp that covers my kayaks, the one that stayed put even through the raging blizzard of three weeks ago, had blown helter skelter in yesterday’s wind, as well as the winter cover for my double inflatable kayak. Seeing this, I don’t think I exaggerated those winds.
All of this wind has made me think that maybe the March winds have come early. That makes me think that maybe spring will come early. So, I decided today was the day to bring the shelving I use for seed starting up from the basement. I bought this particular IKEA shelving because it screws together so that the two 2’ wide by 6’ foot high shelving units can be collapsed. That way I can easily transport the units from the living room to the basement and vice versa. But when I took the shelving to the basement last fall, I decided that there was no need to bring it back upstairs since I use grow lights. The seedlings don’t need sunlight as well. I assembled it and found a permanent home for it in the basement. I thought. What I didn’t think of was temperature. The basement never gets warmer than 56 degrees F except during the hottest spells in summer. Seeds need warmth to sprout and grow. When I realized my mistake, I knew I would have to take the unit apart and bring it back upstairs to start seeds this spring. Today was the day and I got the job done.
I am watching the last of the Olympics tonight. I have enjoyed watching, but two weeks is enough. I also got in a bit of editing today and finished editing Chapter 5. This got me to Panama, so tomorrow I’ll get to go through the Panama Canal.
by Judy Handley | Feb 18, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 49: Cold Returns
Date: Friday, February 18, 2022
Weather: Wind Storm Early, Mostly Sunny PM; High 56, Low 20 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
As the wind clocked from the SW to W this morning, we had what I would call a wind storm with some rain. I waited until 8 am to go out the first time with Shadow and it was still so windy that I wouldn’t walk into the woods with him for fear of falling branches. But by noon, the wind had calmed down to 20 mph from the 35 mph we had at 8 am. And as the wind shifted to the W, the temperature started falling from the 50’s to the 40’s to the 30’s. We are back to winter for a few days, but thankfully not the brutal cold we experienced earlier.
Heather and family left for Bethel, Maine, this afternoon. It is the beginning of winter school vacation here and they will spend the week snowboarding and skiing on Mt. Abram and just a little further north at Sunday River. I sure hope they have good weather so they can enjoy each and every day.
I continued editing today. I have changed my chapter numbering system by making what I originally called my Introduction to a Preface and the original Chapter 1 is now the Prologue. I eliminated Chapter 2, so now the old Chapter 3 is Chapter 1. Confusing? Yes. But once I get through all original 19 chapters, I will have a book with 17 chapters. Unless, of course, I make more changes. I am now working on the new Chapter 5 which takes us from Union Island in the Windwards to Bonaire, Curacao, and on to Panama. When I finish this first run-through, I start again and have to cut about half of what I have written if I have any chance of getting it published. Quite a process, but I am still enjoying it.
by Judy Handley | Feb 17, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 48: The Personal Librarian
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022
Weather: Overcast, Winds SW 32, Even Warmer; High Temp 54, Low Temp 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Last night I finished reading my March book club book, The Personal Librarian written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It is a fabulous piece of historical fiction telling the story of the life of Belle da Costa Greene. In 1905, soon after she graduated from Princeton University, J. P. Morgan hired her as his personal librarian. The interesting thing is that Belle was a black woman who chose to pass as white. In case you might want to read the book, I won’t divulge when the truth was revealed. And ‘chose’ is not really the right word. She had no choice if she wanted to fulfil her life’s dream. “A colored girl named Belle Marion Greener would never have been considered for a job with Mr. J. P. Morgan. Only a white girl called Belle Da Costa Greene would have that opportunity.” Both Belle and Mr. Morgan had a deep passion for ancient manuscripts. Together (his money and her expertise) they built one of the world’s most envied collections of rare books and manuscripts and Belle became one of the most prominent librarians in American history. Belle continued on in her position after Mr. Morgan’s death, and she and his son honored the wishes of J. P Morgan by opening the institution to the public in 1924. Belle was named director at that time and was in that position until she retired in 1948. I just wish she had done all she did without having to pass as white.
It was impossible to read the book without making comparisons to today. “That Belle denied her true identity in order to protect herself and her family from racial persecution speaks not only to her time but also to ours . . . This is a compelling and important story.” These words by a bestselling NYT author are printed on the cover of the book. The book was published in 2021, but while the two authors were working on the manuscript race issues exploded in this country. Some things are certainly better today than they were in the early 1900’s, but sadly as I read I realized how much many things are really still the same.
In 2024, to celebrate the one hundred years of its life as a public institution, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City will open a Belle da Costa Greene exhibition. In 1949, a year after she retired and the year before she died, the library staged an exhibition in her honor. It featured over 250 of the most prized items that Belle had acquired. She attended in a wheelchair. This amazing woman dedicated her entire adult life to the Morgan Library, and I would love to visit the exhibit in 2024 when it opens. The authors of The Personal Librarian were able to bring Belle’s interest in ancient books alive. They write with a such colorful detail that I honestly felt like I was there holding one of the first books ever printed. Now I want to go see those books.
