by Judy Handley | Feb 27, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 58: Editing Day
Date: Saturday, February 27, 2021
Weather: Overcast with Rain All Day; High 48, Low, 34 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
How could it take an entire day to edit two chapters of a book? The answer is easy. Editing is no quick and easy job. I have completed seven chapters of The Voyage of Windbird and am almost finished with Chapter 8. But instead of finishing Chapter 8 today, I wanted to go back and edit Chapters 6 and 7. This was prompted by my conversation with Heather and Jed last night about their Christmas in the Caribbean aboard Windbird. That walk down memory lane brought up some details I wanted to add. Going back to do that led to additional editing and changes. And all of a sudden, it was dark outside. I did complete editing Chapters 6 and 7. I am sure I will be going back to edit over and over, but for now I am ready to finish up our time in Panama and move on to getting to the Galapagos. That will be Chapter 9.
Something Sam asked last night is why I say k?-RIB-ee-?n with the stress on the second syllable instead of ker-i-BEE-uhn with the stress on the third syllable. Good question. These are the two most prevalent pronunciations of “Caribbean” outside the region, but evidently most islanders side with Sam and say ker-i-BEE-uhn. I seem to go back and forth between the two, depending on how I am using the word, but use k?-RIB-ee-?n most of the time. Sam’s choice is also the choice of most dictionaries. I love kids that question everything. It can be frustrating, but they keep us on our toes. I caved tonight and watch the 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I truly enjoyed finally seeing the set we explored in the St. Vincent anchorage of Wallilabou. Most of the ‘Port Royal’ scenes in the movie that were shot on the Wallilabou set were seen in the beginning of the movie. Much of the rest of the movie took place on two different ships, in a cave, plus in the small town set which was filmed north of Wallilabou at Chateaubelair. That set was disassembled after the shooting of the movie was completed, but the Wallilabou set was left in place.
During editing today, I checked in with Alan Kanegsberg a couple of times to get his opinion on some things I had written. And I contacted Dave Laux who installed our new engine in the Chesapeake at the beginning of the trip on something I had written about a battery issue we had in the Caribbean. He and his wife Donna got back to me immediately and it was so good to hear from them. They still read my blog every day, so they know what I am up to. So Donna sent some details about their lives that I enjoyed reading. She updated me on what their son and daughter and their families are doing. She also said that they still keep their sailboat on the northern shore of Lake Huron in Canada as they have for years. Unfortunately, that meant they could not go sailing last summer due to travel restrictions and they aren’t sure about this summer. And in typical style, Dave had a recommendation about my water heater issue. Thanks to Dave. And thanks to Alan for his technical editing support.
While doing all of the above, I have been burbling a batch of my magic chicken mineral broth. It is time to strain the broth and put it on the back porch for the night. I’ll have to go to Heather and Jed’s to get enough jars to can it tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Feb 26, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 57: Dinner with the Goldstones
Date: Friday, February 26, 2021
Weather: Sunny, Slightly Cooler; High 41, Low, 31 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
As promised, I made myself take the day off from writing to catch up on real life. I snuck in a bit of editing time and will see what happens tomorrow. We spent eleven days on the southern end of the canal preparing for the passage to the Galapagos, so I will begin there tomorrow. It will be the beginning of next week before I get us to the Galapagos. I’m looking forward to writing about that.
I spent the morning trying to figure out what kind of water heater I can get that will satisfy National Grid, the natural gas provider, so that they can do what is necessary to insulate the cottage. The current water heater does not pass their test as it leaks a tiny amount of fumes when the furnace is not running. It is not really enough to be dangerous, but they cannot do the work to insulate the cottage until that problem is fixed. I worked on this last year and then decided to just leave things as they are. But it is important to make everything in our lives as energy efficient as possible, so I’m giving it another go. I made some contacts and will continue with this next week. Then in the afternoon, Nilson, the contractor that my landlord Shirley has always used, came to do some work in the attic. Once Nilson left, I headed to Heather and Jed’s. I had offered to take the Goldpebbles to the skatepark after a day of remote schooling, so that was next on the agenda. I had been invited to have dinner as well, so I spent the rest of the evening with Heather, Jed, and the boys. I have had a really quiet two weeks, so the activity level in the Goldstone household had my head spinning—but spinning in a good way. While dinner was being prepared and Heather and Jed were giving me a crash course on water heater options, there was a concert going on in the basement. Sam on drums, Jonah on bass, and Ollie singing Iron Man. Then they dispersed and Ollie worked on building a ballista catapult that was given to him by his Grammy Goldstone. Jonah was in the living room working on an art project. And Sam was in his bedroom reading about different weapons used in World War II. Once dinner was ready, we gathered in the dining room and I asked Heather and Jed what they remembered from their Christmas in the Caribbean aboard Windbird.
When they mentioned being in the St. Vincent anchorage of Wallilabou where the set of the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie was still in place, that got the boys’ attention. They have not seen the movie, but know about it. And after tonight’s conversation, I think we all want to watch it. We also talked about nutmeg. When we went for walks on St. Vincent, we saw fruits that look like peaches hanging on nutmeg trees. When we went to a market, we bought nutmeg nuts wrapped in bright red mace. This is the way they grow. Jed had never found out if you can eat the fruit of the nutmeg tree, but tonight when I got home I Googled it. Indeed, you can.
But that Christmas in the Caribbean, we had the fruits in a bowl as our centerpiece, naturally split open revealing the nutmeg nut wrapped in the bright red mace like tentacles. Such a beautiful natural phenomenon. This was a memory we had all forgotten, but Jed brought out a container of dried nutmeg nuts he still has from that time proving that it did happen.
by Judy Handley | Feb 25, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 56: From the Atlantic to the Pacific
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021
Weather: Sunny, Still a Little Windy; High 48, Low, 26 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
A French company started building the Panama Canal in 1881 but gave up eight years later. In 1904, the United States got involved and in 1914 the canal was opened. Until then, the only way to get from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was to go north through the Northwest Passage or south around the tip of South America known as Cape Horn. Both were long and treacherous trips. So, this little man-made cut across Panama made a huge difference in world transportation. Going around Cape Horn was an 8,000 mile trip and took ships two months. With the advent of the Panama Canal, that trip was shortened to eight hours. What a difference. Today in my writing, I got to relive Windbird’s transit through the canal. Our transit was actually easy, but the preparation and uncertainly beforehand was hard. At the end of my writing day, Windbird made it to Balboa, Panama, on the Pacific side of the canal and is preparing for the sail to the Galapagos. I thought I was going to take tomorrow off writing and get some other necessary things done, but I don’t think I can do that. I want to at least get underway to the Galapagos before I take a break.
I did spend my morning dealing with life instead of writing. I made soup that I then delivered to a friend recovering from Covid. Then I went to the Post Office to get my mail for the first time since early last week and I took advantage of the beautiful day to take a long walk with Shadow and later to play fetch with him for the first time in a while. It is hard to play fetch with snow on the ground as the tennis balls get buried easily.
by Judy Handley | Feb 24, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 55: Ready to Transit the Panama Canal
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Weather: Mostly Sunny, A Little Windy; High 47, Low, 38 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I spent my day in the San Blas Islands today and it was glorious. But in checking out a few things to make sure I had it right, I came across an article reporting that the Kuna Indians, an indigenous group of Panamanian people, are in the process of leaving their homes on the islands and moving to the mainland of Panama due to sea rise caused by climate change. It made me so sad to think of them losing their independent island life. And while researching, I saw that the area is no longer called the San Blas. When Mark and I were there in 2006, it was referred to both as the San Blas Islands and Kuna Yala. But in October of 2011, it became Guna Yala when the Government of Panama recognized the claim by the Kunas that ‘Guna” was a closer representation to the Kuna language. All of this piqued my curiosity as to how the Kunas gained their independence from the Panamanian government in the first place. So, I researched a little more. I learned that the Kunas had originally come from an area that is now in Columbia. In the 1600’s when the Spanish came into that area, the Kunas moved westward to the Darian region that is now in Panama. They lived there peacefully by their own laws and customs until the 1900’s when the Panamanian government moved to Westernize them. The Kuna men started wearing modern clothing, but the Kuna women refused. They have a very distinctive dress called a tulemola which is very colorful with intricately designed and embroidered panels called molas. They also wear distinctive beaded bracelets, red head scarves, and have pierced noses. An American who had taken up their cause helped them wage a revolution and in 1925 the American government intervened. Eventually the Kunas won their battle and have been allowed to live in their own region of Panama following their customs, ruling themselves, with the women still wearing their traditional clothing. In my writing today, I finally sailed away from Guna Yala, reached the Panama Canal region, and tomorrow I will write about that transit and reach the Pacific Ocean. I have been writing for a complete month now and am not even a fourth of the way through year one of The Voyage of Windbird. Last night in my log I said it would take the rest of 2021 to finish this book. I think that was not realistic. At this rate I will not get through year one until the end of May. It is quite a project. I just hope I continue to enjoy it as much as I am right now.
by Judy Handley | Feb 23, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 54: Arrival in the San Blas Islands
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 41, Low, 34 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The outside temperature today reached 41 degrees F, but there was a bit of wind making it feel much colder. Most of the snow has melted, so I know it wasn’t as cold as it felt. Tomorrow is windy and Thursday is even windier. Both days will be sunny or partly sunny with a high in the low 40’s. Then on Friday it will be cooler, but with very little wind. I’ll bet Friday will feel the warmest since the winds will be lower. If that’s the case, I might take the day off writing and do some preliminary gardening work. I need to do a little shopping around to find the best organic compost available. One thing I learned in the gardening docu-series I have been watching is that you need to add 2 inches of compost to your garden every year. And I also need to add biochar that helps your soil retain moisture and Azomite rock dust that adds minerals. I had never heard of biochar or Azomite. So, I have some researching to do to even find out where to purchase these things. And, yes, I also need to order seeds. But purchasing these things can be on yucky, rainy days. I’ll do the outside prep work on Friday.
I titled yesterday’s log, ‘Stuck in the Netherlands Antilles’. Today I found out the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved as a political entity in 2010, so I can longer be stuck there. Today the Caribbean islands that were part of the Netherlands Antilles remain a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The group is now commonly called the Dutch Caribbean. Who knew?
Today in my writing process, I made it to the San Blas Islands in Panama. I can’t wait until morning to write about the short but really exciting time we spent there. I’d like to think I might then get through the Panama Canal tomorrow, but that probably won’t happen until Thursday. Writing this book is a slow process. It is going to take all of 2021 to complete it. Right now, I am ignoring almost everything else in my life, but I can’t continue to do that unless I hire someone to clean my house, cook my food, do my gardening, walk my dog, and exercise for me. You get the picture. I am enjoying reliving each and every experience so much that I could literally just sit here and write non-stop. At least today I remembered to turn the lights on late in the afternoon so I wouldn’t be writing in the dark. I really don’t even notice when it gets dark, but I feel sorry for Shadow sitting in the dark wondering what in the world is wrong with me. The problem is that there were just too many wonderful experiences in The Voyage of Windbird. I know I can’t include them all, but it is difficult to decide which ones to exclude. Probably half of what I am writing now will eventually be cut, but for now I’m cramming it all in.
by Judy Handley | Feb 22, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 53: Stuck in the Netherlands Antilles
Date: Monday, February 22, 2021
Weather: Overcast, Then Rain; High 41, Low, 31 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I’m beginning to feel like I live in two realities. One of me is immersed in sailing around the world while the other is trying to make it through a New England winter. Guess which one is having the most fun!
The weather today was a bit warmer and the snow was beginning to melt a bit. But it was a dreary, overcast day for the most part. And then late in the afternoon the rain came tumbling down. When I took Shadow out after dark, t was really yucky out. But I spent most of day ignoring the weather and sitting at the dining room table writing my way from Bonaire to Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles. Three islands in this territory are in the northern group in the Leeward Islands, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. Bonaire and Curacao, the islands I was writing about today are in the southern group down near the coast of Venezuela. Until I started rereading my logs from our time in Bonaire, I had honestly forgotten just how much we enjoyed our time there. So, I got stuck there today writing about the place. Before I stopped writing, I at least got out of Bonaire and on to Curacao. Hopefully tomorrow I will write about leaving Curacao and heading to the San Blas Islands. We were only in the San Blas for two days, but what a special two days those were. I can’t wait to write about that experience. The Panama Canal will have to wait until Wednesday.
Today I got an email from Margaret, my daughter-in-law Jo’s mother in England and loved what she wrote about her experience in getting her Covid vaccination. I do hope she won’t mind that I quote her here. “Well, we have had our vaccinations! The aim in the U.K. was for everyone in the top 4 risk categories to have been offered one by 15th February . . . we are in group 4 which is the over 70s, although I must confess I still struggle with the idea that we are vulnerable people! And we had ours on Saturday 13th February. It was the most amazing feeling when we had had it, and for the first time in many months I started to look forward positively, rather than existing on an almost daily basis. The vaccination centre we went to is normally a village hall and was staffed by volunteers although obviously qualified staff actually gave the injections. We had seen a video on the BBC news with the actor who played the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey working as a volunteer … and he was there to greet us too! I think this was all part of a drive to boost take up in the vaccinations, but so far numbers have exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.” Now I want to go to England to get my Covid vaccine. I think it is fabulous that the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey was there to greet Margaret and Phil. We need to get more creative in the campaign to get everyone vaccinated and use some of our star power!
And speaking of star power, today I downloaded and read an article from the December 2020 edition of Yachting magazine about Windbird. Sam had an article published about the life he and Dawn have led living aboard Windbird since they bought her in 2016. And the photos were fabulous. Congratulations to Sam for getting the article published. It made me feel so proud to see that sailboat that I love so much looking so good. And it gave me even more incentive to get that book written.
