by Judy Handley | Oct 29, 2019 | Cape Cod, USA |
2019 Life Logs, Day 302: New Bedford Historical Tour
Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Some Drizzle; High 61, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The historical tour of New Bedford, Massachusetts, today was so very interesting. Every summer many tourists who drive from New York, Connecticut, or Rhode Island to Cape Cod, pass by New Bedford on the highway, but most don’t stop. I have driven to New Bedford to take the Goldpebbles to the Whaling Museum a few times and I have gone to Zeiterion Theater, but I have never driven through the historic streets. I had no idea they were there. I knew that New Bedford was the whaling capitol of the world in the mid-1800’s, but I knew little else. So today was a true eye opener for me.
We started our day with an hour and half tour of the historic neighborhoods led by Preservation Society guide, Bruce Barnes.
He was a wealth of information on types of architecture, on the role of the Quakers in establishing the whaling industry while also offering a safe haven for runaway slaves through the Underground Railroad, and the barons of the textile industry. 
We saw the home that is now the New Bedford Historical Society. It is an unremarkable structure with a remarkable history. It was once the home of Nathan and Mary “Polly” Johnson, African-American entrepreneurs, who allowed their home to be used as an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Frederick Douglas and his wife Anna lived in the Johnson home at 21 Seventh Street. Abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, also lived in this house for a period of time.
Stops were made at the Quaker Friends Meeting House, at the home where “the richest woman in the world” lived in the Gilded Age in the late 1800’s. Henrietta Howland Greene was a shrewd businesswoman and also known as the “witch of Wall Street.” 
We saw the home of William Rotch Rodman that was known as the grandest home in New England and visited the the home and gardens of William Rotch, Jr. There were many other stops, but one of our last was at William J. Rotch Gothic Cottage. It is a National Historic Landmark as it was seen as one of the most outstanding examples of American Gothic Revival architecture when it was built. 
The Quaker Rotch family came to New Bedford from Nantucket and were instrumental in establishing the New Bedford whaling industry.
After our walking tour through the historic district, we walked downtown to the National Park Visitor Center. There we watched the film, The City That Lit the World, learning about the whaling industry. “In January of 1841, a young Herman Melville boarded the whaleship Acushnet, and left the port of New Bedford bound for the distant Pacific Ocean. At 21, Melville was beginning a voyage that he would later drawn on for several novels of seafaring life, including the American classic, Moby-Dick.” Melville spent 18 months on the Acushnet, learning to be a whaler. In Moby-Dick, he wrote of his character Ishmael, “ . . . a whale ship was my Yale College and my Harvard.” 
After the film, Park Ranger Rufai Shardow, originally from Ghana, gave us a wonderful overview of the role of slavery, the abolitionists and whaling in New Bedford’s history.
We ended our tour by walking across a cobblestone street from the Visitor Center to Freestones City Grill for lunch.Freestones was once one of the 19 banks it took to handle all of the money made in New Bedford from the whaling industry at its peak. Wonderful day. And I will definitely return to New Bedford to learn more.
by Judy Handley | Oct 28, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 301: 64 Days Left in 2019
Date: Monday, October 28, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Some Drizzle; High 61, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Just now when I typed ‘Life Log, Day 301’, I was reminded that we have only 64 days left in 2019. It is definitely time to check on your New Year’s Resolution for this year to see if you have made progress toward your goal. Or if you are like me, you don’t remember what your resolution was, so you can just make up something and call it a win. But back to today, it was overcast like yesterday, just without the rain. I am hoping for a bit of sunshine tomorrow for the Newcomers field trip to New Bedford since we are doing an outside walking tour. I spent a lot of today reading about architecture . . . the architecture of the homes and buildings in New Bedford and the architectural styles in New England over nearly 400 years. I didn’t need to do this to prepare for the field, I just had the time and wanted some background information. When I was in college, I took an architecture class as an art credit, but unfortunately I think I must have slept through that class. I do remember learning about a ‘5-window I’ design, but when I Google that, I come up with nothing. Maybe I made it up. My reading today did remind me of some of the things I learned, and now when I hear Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, or Victorian, I get a refreshed picture in my mind. Life-long learning and re-learning is a good thing.
by Judy Handley | Oct 27, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 300: In the Spirit of Halloween
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Rain and Wind; High 66, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a dark and dreary stormy day with rain and leaves blown here and yon . . . and tonight is very much in the spirit of a spooky Halloween evening. Getting into the spirit, the Goldpebbles carved their pumpkins late this afternoon and I was invited to come join in the fun. The youngest had the biggest pumpkin and the oldest, the smallest. Ollie carved a traditional jack o’lantern while Sam carved what Jonah called a ‘modern’ one. While Jonah, with the middle-sized pumpkin did a cross between the two. ‘Traditional’ to the Goldpebbles means you cut out the eyes, nose, and mouth, while ‘modern’ means you engrave the design on the pumpkin, but you don’t cut the pieces out.
Jonah leaves on Wednesday morning for a two-day school trip to the National Seashore with his 5th grade class, so he won’t be home for Halloween evening. And Sam has decided he is too old to go Trick or Treating, so he will be staying home to give out the tricks and treats. Ollie will be the only one going door to door Trick or Treating this year. My, how fast these little ones grow up. Hard to believe.
Another thing that is hard for me to believe is that forty-five years ago today, Mark and I were married at sunrise in Lovers Key State Park in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. If you know me well, you know I don’t do mornings. I was truly in love to get up to get married at that time of day! When I look at the photographs that Mark’s brother Steve took that day, we could have been the poster children for a ‘70’s ‘not so traditional’ wedding . . . me with my long hair wearing a GunneSax dress by Jessica McClintock and Mark with his longish hair and beard wearing his baby blue bell bottoms and ‘hippy’ shirt. Wonderful, precious memories.
by Judy Handley | Oct 27, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 299: Back Home from New Hampshire Visit
Date: Saturday, October 26, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 65, Low 40 degrees F
Location: Back Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I am back home tonight after a wonderful trip to New Hampshire. On Thursday I drove to Rye, New Hampshire, which is next door to Portsmouth, to spend time with my friend Leslie Kole. I stopped at the Wrentham Outlet on my way north to exchange some items and to buy a couple of specific items I decided I needed for Christmas gifts. When I arrived at Leslie’s, we went for a four-mile walk. Leslie walks fast and far and it is all I can do to keep up, but keep up I did. On Friday morning I went to Cardio Dancing with Leslie and survived that as well. But it became very obvious to me that I need to up my game to be as fit as Leslie. Then in the afternoon we drove to Manchester, met our friend Detta Porat, and then the three of us drove on to Concord to attend the retirement celebration of our friend Cheryl Dolin. It was a fun affair and I got to see so many teaching colleagues that I haven’t seen since I retired 14 years ago. Mostly important, however, I think Cheryl really enjoyed it. This morning I survived another Cardio Dance class with Leslie and then headed to Kittery, Maine, just across the river from Portsmouth. I went to the Kittery Outlets to buy some new sneakers and a pair of winter boots. I can report that it was a successful ‘hunt and kill’ shopping expedition.
Then I headed to Westport, Massachusetts, to go to Jonah’s last soccer game of the regular season. One side of the soccer field was lined with an old stone wall backed with trees still showing their fall colors. It was a beautiful afternoon for watching a soccer game on a uniquely beautiful soccer field. Jonah’s team won and I think this means they will play in the finals next weekend. Jonah made a couple of goals and assisted in another couple. It is obvious that he loves to play soccer and watching him play is always so much fun. He did have his foot stepped on in this game and had to be taken off the field which gave us a fright, but he was fine after a bit of a rest and got to go back in at the end of the game. And we even had a rainbow over the field near the end of the game. Perfect.
Once home, I got ready to go to a Newcomers Mix and Mingle. Everyone brings an appetizer and their own drinks to the hosting home. Tonight’s affair was at the home of Denise DeCoste and Sam Gutter at the Cape Codder Condominiums overlooking Buzzards Bay. What a beautifully furnished condo with a gorgeous water view. It was a lovely evening and it is always fun to meet new people.
by Judy Handley | Oct 25, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 298: Cheryl Dolin’s Retirement Party
Date: Friday, October 25, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 56, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home with Leslie Kole, Rye, NH
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Leslie and I traveled to Concord, New Hampshire, this afternoon for the retirement party of a dear friend and teaching colleague, Cheryl Dolin. We taught together at Beaver Meadow School in Concord for many years. There were so many friends that I haven’t seen for 14 years and others that I have seen since then, but not often. It was a wonderful celebration for Cheryl at the home of Lucy Gentilhomme who was the Guidance Councilor at Beaver Meadow for many years. Our principal from the years I was at Beaver Meadow, Roger Brooks, was there, as well as so many other colleagues . . . some long since retired, and others still teaching. What a wonderful tribute to Cheryl.
by Judy Handley | Oct 24, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 297: Falmouth, MA to Rye, NH
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2019
Weather: Blue Sky, Sunny Day; High 66, Low 48 degrees F
Location: At Home with Leslie Kole, Rye, NH
Today was a traveling day. I drove from home on Cape Cod to Rye, New Hampshire to visit with my friend Leslie Kole. It was a glorious day for a drive. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sunshine glistened through the still somewhat colorful trees lining the highway. Peak season for colorful fall leaves has passed, but there is still plenty of color to. I arrived at Leslies mid-afternoon and we took a long walk. We walked past the historic Wentworth By The Sea Hotel and the Wentworth Marina where Mark and I once kept Skybreaker, our sailboat previous to Windbird. From the Marina you can look out into the Atlantic to the Isles of Shoals, a group of small islands and tidal ledges that used to be a favorite sailing destination. We were now on New Castle Island and walked on to the Great Island Common overlooking the Piscataqua River as it runs into the Atlantic Ocean. Breathtakingly beautiful. We then walked the 1.6 miles back home and just sat and visited for a bit over a glass of wine. We decided to go out to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. I had sushi and Leslie had tempura. It was a lovely afternoon and evening.
Tomorrow morning I am going to cardio dance class with Leslie. I can remember when I went to my first Zumba class and how foolish I felt. I had no idea what the dance steps were all about. I have a feeling I am going to feel foolish again in the morning, but I’m game to give it a try. In the afternoon we drive to Concord to attend the retirement celebration of friend Cheryl Dolin. There will be many of our teaching colleagues there from our days in the Concord, NH, school district. It was deliciously warm today, but tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy and much cooler. Seeing good friends should help us make our own sunshine.
