by Judy Handley | Jul 14, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 249, Year 7: Priorities
Date: Saturday, July 14, 2012
Weather: Great Summer Weather Still With Us
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
“So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that, reverse
it!” . . . a quote from Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and
a quote that I seem to say more often than not. I know all of you feel the
same way. There is always more to do than time allows, but I think I am
suffering a bit from not having Mark as a full working partner these days.
He has his good days, but most of the time he rests or sleeps. So I’m left
to do the day to day drudgery and I’ve discovered that I’m not so good at it
without his help. So the jobs have piled up, and piled up, and piled up.
We are both feeling a bit overwhelmed, but we will get things done as we
can. In the meantime life aboard Windbird is not quite up to our usual
standard. For instance, we’ve been in Eel Pond since June 11 and we still
haven’t gotten our summer ‘sanitation system’ going. It is illegal to pump
overboard here, but we have been doing that since we arrived because we
haven’t had time to inquire about the pump out boat. It was not working for
the latter part of last summer and fall and we had to go to Falmouth Harbor
each week to pump out. We just don’t have the energy right now to think
about doing that, so we have been pumping overboard. On Thursday, I saw the
pump out boat in the pond, so I am assuming we can now become legal again.
But that is just one little example of how far behind we are. We just don’t
have the energy to deal with all of the day to day issues one has to face.
So we spent our evening trying to make a list of all of the things that need
to be done. Yikes! It’s longer than I thought.
Continuing job-keep the water tanks filled
Install the new chainwheel on the windless (DONE!)
Put headsail on
Install new toilet in aft head
Install new spray nozzle in aft shower
Investigate source of leaks in aft cabin, starting with the main sheet
traveler
Fix leaks in new deck caulking
Complete deck caulking (fore and aft deck hatches)
Investigate alternator/charger problem (instruments show alternator is not
charging)
Investigate the refrigeration thermostat (frig temperature is irradic)
Fix the nicks in the hull from the neighboring motor boat
Fix the automatic setting on the bilge pumps (work only in manual mode)
Drain the antifreeze out of the engine and put new in
Fix the ‘sinking’ floor in the aft head and adjoining aft cabin
Sort through spare parts and get rid of those no longer needed
Hook up the new SSB antenna wire and grounding cable
And then there are all of the cleaning jobs that need to be done.
Condensation on the inside of the hull was plentiful this winter and that
caused mold and mildew to grow everywhere. So I start the regime of
emptying all of the storage areas and cleaning. This requires washing all
of the clothes that are in the drawers as well as all the drawers. Ugh. I
did this at the beginning of the winter and thought that would be the end of
it for at least another year. I was wrong about that. There’s much to do,
so now we just need to prioritize and decide which things must be done now
and which can wait until later. Prioritize, prioritize.
The good news recently has been the weather. Other than rain overnight
between July 3rd and 4th, we have had perfect summer weather since June
25th. And the forecast is for more of the same through this next week
except for some fog tomorrow morning and a chance of a thunderstorm on
Monday. At least we have nice weather while we work. I didn’t get the
gardening work done today that I had hoped to do but I did get out in the
kayak with Mark. What fun! And I can’t end today’s log without mentioning
that Sam, our five year-old grandson, had his first ‘date’ this afternoon.
A little girl named Audrey is in his class at school and the two of them
have become inseparable. Sam says he likes her because she is the only girl
in the class that will play Super Heroes with the boys. She is Wonder Woman
and Sam thinks that is the greatest. Heather and Jed invited Audrey, her
parents, and Audrey’s little sisters that are twins over for dinner tonight.
I didn’t talk to Heather to get the details, but she called Mark to check on
a phone charger she left on the boat and she told him that Audrey picked Sam
up to say goodnight to him. Sounds like Wonder Woman to me.
by Judy Handley | Jul 13, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 248, Year 7: Still Smiling
Date: Friday, July 13, 2012
Weather: Great Summer Weather, Low 70’s to Mid-80’s
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
I didn’t get gardening done today, but I’m still smiling because now all
three grandchildren are onboard Windbird for the night. Heather and Jed
took Oliver to a Friday night science lecture while Sam and Jonah stayed
with Oma and Granddad. And now everyone is spending the night. Heather,
Jed, and Oliver just got home and we are sitting in the cockpit talking. I
thought both Sam and Jonah were asleep, but Sam just popped his head up to
ask us to be a little quieter. We got quite a chuckle out of the parents
being reprimanded by the five year-old for being too loud on a Friday night!
It was really too funny. But if that is the worst thing to happen on Friday
the 13th, I guess we’re doing fine. The only bad thing about today is that
Mark is really not feeling good. But he surprised us this afternoon by
launching the kayak and going for a short paddle around the pond. He really
likes kayaking as he finds it such a peaceful activity. I have yet to go
out, but tomorrow is my ‘launch’ date. Tomorrow is also a day that we need
to start dealing with a myriad of boat projects. I think tomorrow’s
activity will be list making and then on Sunday when Mark will hopefully be
feeling better, we will start on the long list of jobs. I guess that will
be the topic of tomorrow night’s log.
by Judy Handley | Jul 12, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 247, Year 7: Smiling
Date: Thursday, July 12, 2012
Weather: Perfect Cape Cod Summer Day
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Can you see me smiling? Our oldest grandson Sam is sound asleep on the
v-berth for the second time this week. It just makes me smile to have him
here with us. Jonah, who just turned three, is not quite ready for the
overnight, but he came to the boat with us and stayed for dinner before
returning home. Mark took the boys for an explore of the pond in the dinghy
and then they played while I fixed dinner. Then Sam, Jonah, and I went to
shore and walked around the pond to a garden surrounding the bell tower.
People were there meditating and it was so cute to watch Jonah try to
imitate them. He hopped up on a concrete bench, crossed his legs with hands
in his lap, and then closed his eyes. I promised him we would start doing
yoga on the foredeck of Windbird. Sounds like a great way to calm down when
things get a little rowdy from time to time. We then walked to the park to
play while we waited for Jed to come pick up Jonah. Some young people were
playing volleyball and both boys enjoyed watching that until the ball got
stuck high in a tree. When Jed arrived they were still struggling to get
the ball out of the tree. Sam wanted to stay until they freed the ball, but
it was getting late so we walked back to the dock and headed back to
Windbird. We are enjoying these perfect Cape Cod summer days here on the
pond in Woods Hole with the grandkids. It is pure joy.
by Judy Handley | Jul 11, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 246, Year 7: Enjoying Cape Cod Summer
Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Weather: Yet Another Perfectly Beautiful Day
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
The weather has been absolutely beautiful for the past week and today was
another one of those days. Sam, Mark, and I got up around 8 am this
morning. During breakfast, we listened to Heather on the radio doing a live
report on the relationship of climate change to the influx of great white
sharks on the outer Cape. Heather was at home in her pajamas doing the
report via phone. She’s so glad she’s not in television! After breakfast,
which included the super yummy apricot jam Justin and Jo sent for Mark’s
birthday, Sam and I headed out to explore Eel Pond in the dinghy. We rowed
to the far side of the pond and found a barge on a mooring covered in shells
and crab body parts. It is obviously a place where the sea birds are
dining. We collected a few shells to take back and identify as Sam wants to
know just what the birds are eating. By 11 am we were on the beach with
Heather, Jonah, and Oliver. Then we all went back to Windbird for lunch and
afternoon naps. When the weather is this nice, you want to pack all of the
summer fun into every day that you can.
Sam had a swim lesson this afternoon. It was the first of the summer.
Heather took Oliver with her to Sam’s swim lesson while Jonah finished out
his nap on Windbird. Mark and I then took Jonah to shore and met up with
Jed. We took them home and then stayed for a fantastic meal of deep fried
garden veggies coated in a beer batter and steak tips on the grill. The
green beans and summer squash are coming in and they were delicious.
Tomorrow morning we’ll head to Heather and Jed’s early. I am going with
Heather and gang on a field trip, and then I’m hoping to have time for some
garden work in the afternoon. Mark will take the opportunity to just kick
back and relax.
by Judy Handley | Jul 10, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 245, Year 7: Happy Birthday to My Sister Patsy
Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Weather: Another Perfectly Beautiful Day
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Happy birthday to my sister Patsy. I won’t tell you how old she is, but I
will tell you she was born in 1933. I think you can figure out the age, but
I will also tell you that she looks and acts much younger than those years
would indicate. Patsy, I hope you had a wonderful day and I can only hope
that I will be doing as well as you when I am your age.
I thought Mark’s birthday celebrations were over, but when we got to
Heather’s today, there was a package for Mark from New Mexico from Justin,
Jo, and Ziggy. It arrived yesterday, but since Heather and gang were in
Woods Hole, they didn’t know the package had arrived until they got home
late in the day. Inside the package was a yummy surprise. There was a pint
of home canned apricot jam and dried apricots from Justin and Jo’s apricot
tree. There were some other treats but the apricots were so special. Late
last fall when Justin and Jo moved to Ojo Sarco we saw a photo of Ziggy
playing in the bright yellow leaves of that tree. It was such a contrast to
the dry desert terrain where they had lived in Madrid, south of Santa Fe.
Then we saw the tree in the dead of winter when we were in New Mexico for
Christmas. In March we saw photos of the tree’s blossoms covered in snow and
ice and we were sure they wouldn’t get fruit this year. But then when
Heather and Jed were in New Mexico the first of June they saw the young
fruit. Last week I saw a photo of a box of the ripe apricots on Jo’s
Facebook and then today Mark received gifts from that tree. Thank you to
Justin, Jo, and Ziggy for sharing your bounty. What a beautiful cycle of
life that apricot tree represents. We will try the jam tomorrow morning but
we ate some of the dried apricots today and they were the best we’ve ever
had.
We also got another special surprise today. Out of the blue, Sam decided
that he wanted to sleep over on Windbird tonight. He has never done an
overnight away from mommy and daddy. We were a bit surprised with his
announcement, but we were anxious to give it a try. Right now he is sound
asleep in the v-berth. I will sleep there with him tonight, but he assured
me that he would be fine if I didn’t. I’m sure Heather and Jed were more
surprised than we were with his announcement that he was ready for an
overnight. They were willing to let him give this a try but I know how hard
it is to watch your first child start making those steps to independence.
At the last minute Jonah decided that he wanted to come and stay as well.
We had a great time on Windbird, but when it came time to get ready for bed
he looked a little sad and said he wanted his mommy. So Sam and I took him
home. When Jonah decided not to stay, Sam got a little sad as well. He
really wanted to stay but he really wanted someone from his family to be
with him. So I told him to come with me to take Jonah home and then decide
whether he wanted to come back. It was a hard decision for him, but he
finally opted to return with me. He so wants to get up early and paddle
around Eel Pond. We took both boys out into Great Bay to fish in the early
evening. They like the idea of fishing but what they really like to do is
just mess about. We drifted close to shore at one point and could see the
grass on the bottom. We watched small fish jumping and then we saw a big
jelly fish. They are both fascinated with sea life and could spend hours
just drifting about in the dinghy. And so could we, so we make great
partners.
Mark had his eleventh chemo treatment today-only one more to go. His blood
work shows that all of the levels are still in the normal range and after a
weekend of good eating, he has gained five pounds in one week. His white
cell count has dropped a bit, but it is still in the normal range. The
oncologist told him today that it is very unusual for anyone to get to his
point in the treatments and still have normal counts. Mark is obviously a
fighter. And even with the complications caused by his bladder issues, he
is somehow managing to stay strong.
by Judy Handley | Jul 9, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 244, Year 7: Back in Woods Hole
Date: Monday, July 9, 2012
Weather: Another Beautiful Day
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
We are home on Windbird after our whirlwind weekend. We had a fabulous
time. We were back in Falmouth by noon today, had lunch in town, and then
picked up Sam and Jonah and brought them to the boat. They were so excited
to get in the new kayak after nap, and somehow Mark and I got wrapped up in
the excitement and totally forgot about his 3:30 pm appointment with the
oncologist. Dr. Crook was very forgiving and is going to see Mark tomorrow
morning when he goes in for his treatment. All is well that ends well, but
we both couldn’t believe we forgot. Actually, I fell asleep with Jonah and
Sam and Mark took a little nap and then got up and started pumping up the
inflatable dinghy. I guess we are creatures of habit. We are used to
having this appointment on Fridays, but we’ll have to make sure this doesn’t
happen again.
Mark loves the kayak and had great fun going out with Sam and then with
Jonah. Both boys were able to climb down the ladder from Windbird and get
in the kayak seat with no help. And both of them helped to paddle. Mark
was amazed by the way Sam could paddle in sync with him and amazed that
Jonah was able to paddle at all. He’s so tiny compared to the length of
those paddles, but he went right to it. Heather was on the boat with Oliver
when we arrived with Sam and Jonah and she stayed through the afternoon
holding Oliver while working on her computer. I tried three times and
Oliver would have nothing to do with me this afternoon. I guess that’s what
I get for going away for a few days! I’ll try again tomorrow and hope he’ll
let me take him. I miss his cuddles.
At the end of the afternoon, Heather and Jed took us out to dinner at one of
the restaurants on shore. Sam and Jonah chose Phusion rather than Captain
Kidd and we all enjoyed our meals. I had lobster, AGAIN, Mark and Jed had
red snapper, and Heather had a fresh water shrimp and scallop dish. The
staff brought a chocolate dessert and sang Happy Birthday to Mark, so it was
the perfect ending to our birthday weekend. Thank you, Heather and Jed.
And now it’s time to settle down and get back to normal. But first we want
to send out a great big THANK YOU to my sister-in-law Sue and her husband
Brad, to Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg, to Detta, Tom, Sue, David, Leslie,
Rich, Roger, and Carol, and to all the friends and family who called and
sent emails making Mark’s 70th birthday a special time for him. It couldn’t
have been a more perfect weekend. Thank you, thank you.
