by Judy Handley | Mar 5, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 118, Year 7: Welcome, Easton Lee Martin
Date: Monday, March 5, 2012
Weather: Beautiful Day, Windy, High Temp in Lower 40’s
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Easton Lee Martin, all 9 pounds 6 ounces of him, was born today on my
birthday. What a wonderful birthday present! Easton is the fourth child of
my nephew Todd and his wife Shelley. Easton lost his last two living
grandparents in the month before his birth, but that is all the more reason
for all of us in the family to celebrate his arrival and surround him with
love. So welcome, Easton, and congratulations to Todd and Shelley, Ashlyn,
Kaelin, and Kyler.
Mark had his second chemo treatment this morning and is finding some of the
negative symptoms occurring sooner and with more intensity than after the
first treatment, but nothing major. The sensitivity to cold had almost
disappeared in the past few days, but was back in full force just after we
left the doctor’s office. Mark also felt a bit tired today, but after the
whirlwind four-day weekend we had, I think anyone would feel tired. It is
11 pm and he is still up, so I think he is doing fine. We just went over
our calendar for the rest of March. There are the fun things like St.
Patrick’s Day and the first day of spring, but then we have so many doctor
appointments that I can’t believe it. Mark meets with the oncologist the
week before every chemo treatment, so he has two of those appointments this
month. He has one more chemo treatment in March, an appointment with his
primary care physician, and a follow-up appointment with his urologist to
see how things are going after the TURP. We both have general check-ups
with a dermatologist and I have a routine appointment with a gynecologist.
A friend wrote and asked how I spent my birthday. I hate to write back and
say I spent the evening adding doctor appointments to my calendar and
opening mail that included my Medicare card. Yep, I guess this is what it
means to be 65!
by Judy Handley | Mar 4, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 117, Year 7: Birthday Celebration
Date: Sunday, March 4, 2012
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Daytime Temps Above Freezing
Location: Back Home on Windbird, Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Monday is really my birthday, but since Mark has a chemo treatment and the
Heather and Jed have to work, we decided to celebrate my 65th today. My
request was to go to the New England Aquarium in Boston, so Heather, Jed,
Sam, and Jonah met us there early this morning. We had breakfast in Sue and
David’s sunroom before leaving New Hampshire and soaked in more of the
beauty of the Great Bay estuary before traveling south. The views from the
bedroom we slept in as well as in the sunroom, made Mark and I felt like we
were at anchor in a calm cove. But by 9:15 am we were on the road.
The tour of the aquarium with Sam and Jonah was so much fun. I got to see
more old friends, this time my aquatic friends that I met while snorkeling
in various anchorages around the world, and I got to watch the priceless
expression on Sam’s and Jonah’s faces as huge turtles, rays, sharks, and
fish swam right next to them, separated only the glass of the huge central
tank in the aquarium. Jonah loves turtles, and the first time a huge sea
turtle came right up to him the expression on his face made the whole trip
worth it. And later in the day when Sam finally got up the nerve to fully
immerse his hand in the shark and ray touch tank and actually touch the
velvety ‘wings’ of a ray, he looked so immensely proud. It was an expensive
birthday present due to the cost of admission coupled with the parking fees,
but I loved every minute of it. When we returned to the Cape, the birthday
celebration continued with dinner at Heather and Jed’s and presents. Dinner
included my very favorite, stuffed artichokes, and Mark got me the new
immersion blender/food processor that I have been wanting. And the evening
ended with chocolate lava cake and candles. Now I just have to spend my
real birthday recuperating from all the lavish eating and nights with little
sleep over the weekend!
by Judy Handley | Mar 3, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 116, Year 7: Friends
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012
Weather: Snog (snow and fog), Temps Above Freezing, Snow Melting
Location: On the Shores of Great Bay, Greenland, New Hampshire
What a great day we had with friends here on the seacoast of New Hampshire.
When we first got up this morning we had absolutely no view across the bay
because of fog. Here they call it ‘snog’ which is short for fog caused by
snow. By the time Detta and Tom delivered breakfast we had a partial view
but there wasn’t time to stay and enjoy it as we had a luncheon date at the
home of another friend. We drove from Great Bay, a few miles inland, to the
seacoast and had a lovely lunch with friends Leslie and Rich and enjoyed a
tour of their new home. They live about a half mile from the Wentworth
Marina where we kept our previous boat for a couple of seasons. We drove
into the marina for old time’s sake and in doing so had to drive around a
grand old hotel now known as Wentworth by the Sea. Today this Marriott
hotel and spa stands as a grand sentinel overlooking the Atlantic, but in
the late 1990’s when we kept Sky Breaker at the Wentworth Marina, the hotel,
built in 1874, was deserted and looked haunted. The Wentworth attracted
national attention in 1905 when US President Theodore Roosevelt suggested
peace talks to end the first war of the twentieth century between the Empire
of Japan and the Russian Empire and those talks were held at the Wentworth
Hotel. The talks were successful and as a result Teddy Roosevelt won a
Nobel Peace Prize and the Wentworth gained fame. But by 1982, the grand era
of big hotels had ended and the hotel was abandoned. It stayed that way
through the end of the twentieth century, but in the early 2000’s it was
renovated in the grand style that it deserved. The Wentworth Marina,
adjacent to the hotel, is separately owned and operated and hasn’t changed
much since we kept our boat there. It’s always been a very nice marina in a
great setting. The view looking eastward toward the Isles of Shoals brought
back fond memories of our time there. After leaving the Wentworth area we
took time to drive out to the ocean to watch the surf pounding on the rocky
shore. And then it was time to go back to the Porat’s for dinner. Rich and
Leslie came and Sue and David arrived back from Seattle in time for dinner.
Detta, Sue, Leslie, and I did some reminiscing of our years together as
elementary teachers in Concord at Beaver Meadow School and Mark and I shared
videos and photos of our trek around the world. We did this while Detta
prepared and served dinner in courses throughout the evening. We started
with yummy appetizers and could have stopped there as there was enough food
to make a substantial dinner. But we went on to have Detta’s delicious fish
chowder followed by salad followed by shrimp risotto followed by a delicious
cake. I even got to blow out a few birthday candles a couple of days early.
What a wonderful evening. But it was after 1 pm when we went back to Sue
and David’s for the night, thus the reason for the delay in posting this
log.
by Judy Handley | Mar 2, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 115, Year 7: From Concord to the Sea Coast
Date: Friday, March 2, 2012
Weather: Overcast, No New Snow, Colder Than Cape Cod!
Location: On the Shores of Great Bay, Greenland, New Hampshire
After spending time visiting with Alan and Helaine and making a trip to
storage to exchange winter clothes for spring items, we drove toward the
seashore. Alan and Helaine live in Bow which is just outside Concord.
Concord is the capital of the state, our former home, and is geographically
centered. Three of my best friends, women I taught with in Concord, have
all moved to the sea coast, and we will spend tonight, tomorrow, and
tomorrow night visiting with them. Portsmouth is New Hampshire’s sea coast
city. New Hampshire is a tiny state but is very proud of its 17 miles of
coast line on the Atlantic Ocean. All three friends live near Portsmouth,
one in Rye and two live in Greenland, a little community along the shores of
Great Bay. The Piscataqua River winds its way between Maine and New
Hampshire and winds up in a tidal estuary called Great Bay. As fate would
have it, one friend lives on a lovely point jutting into Great Bay and the
other lives across the inlet on another point. Both are at water’s edge and
they can actually see each other through the telescopes they use to look at
the myriad of water birds that make Great Bay their home. Both homes face
west with lovely views across the water.
We spent the evening with Tom and Detta Porat on Great Bay Drive East and
then drove to Great Bay Drive West to spend the night at the home of Sue
Robichaud and David Wolowitz. Sue and David are flying in from Seattle
tomorrow so in the meantime we have their lovely home all to ourselves. We
are being treated like royalty. Detta is even delivering breakfast in the
morning!
by Judy Handley | Mar 1, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 114, Year 7: Trip to Winter Wonderland
Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012
Weather: Snow Then Rain on the Cape, Totally Snowy in NH
Location: Home of Alan and Helaine Kanesgberg, Bow, New Hampshire
March definitely came in roaring like a lion in New England today. We had
snow overnight on the Cape and then a mix of ice and rain all morning. We
started driving north at 1:30 pm when Mark got off work at West Marine. It
was sprinkling rain for the first few miles and we drove into pelting snow
south of Boston. The weather cleared for a bit as we drove through the
city, but by the time we reached the New Hampshire border it felt like we
were driving right into winter wonderland. The roads were fine as the snow
plows had been at work, but the scenery along the road definitely looked
wintry. The tall evergreens were bowing to us, heavily laden with new
fallen snow. This happened to us when we drove to Concord for a yacht club
meeting on November 3. It was days after a big snow storm that time, but
there was still lots of snow on the ground. We?ve decided we had better not
attempt to drive up here in the summer or we?ll have snow in July.
The Concord Yacht Club meeting started at 5:30 pm the Kanegsberg?s home.
Many members were out of town and some shied away because of the weather,
but there was a nice group of about sixteen people. Helaine?s beef barley
stew hit the spot on a cold evening and she had made two lovely braided
coffee cakes for desert. They were each served with a candle to celebrate
Alan?s upcoming March 6 birthday and my birthday March 5. The last time we
celebrated our birthdays together was when they were visiting us in New
Zealand. We celebrated that birthday event on the South Island in Te Anau
at the Redcliff Bar & Caf? and then took a boat trip through Milford Sound
the next day. Lovely memories.
Instead of presenting a slideshow, the format for this meeting was question
and answer. It provided us with a good idea of what it is people want to
know and it gave them a chance to get answers from two couples in the group
who have circumnavigated. Bob and Beth Lux circumnavigated over twenty
years ago and they were able to add to our answers. Here?s what people
wanted to know.
At what point in the planning stages of the epic did you know you had made
the right “go decision”?
At what point did you “know” you were going to complete the adventure?
What were your best ways of dealing with or compensating for “blue water
boredom” on long passages?
How did you deal with watches on passage?
Did you have extra crew onboard for long passages? And if so, how did that
work out?
How did you deal with medical issues?
by Judy Handley | Feb 29, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 113, Year 7: Leap Year Snow Event
Date: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Weather: Mixed Sun and Clouds AM, Overcast with Wet Snow PM
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
As all of you know, all days don’t end up like planned. In fact, many days
don’t end up as planned and today was another one of those days for Mark and
me. After our “bubbly night” we got up and found it quite pleasant outside.
We went to the clubhouse to take showers and then headed out to an
appointment with Mark’s oncologist. So far the day was going as planned.
But on the way to the doctor’s office, Mark got a call from a work colleague
at West Marine asking if he could come in to work this afternoon. He
hesitated as he had planned to put a second coat of paint on the beehive and
I had planned to cut his hair, but he wanted to help out, so he opted for
the afternoon of work. He will also work in the morning, so he is going to
have to go to New Hampshire tomorrow afternoon without that haircut. But
life will go on.
The appointment with the oncologist was routine. He will see Dr. Crook on
the Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday before his chemo treatment every other
Monday for the next six months. First they draw blood to check his white
cell, hemoglobin, and platelet counts. Then he meets with a nurse who
records any symptoms he has had since the last chemo treatment. By the time
he meets with the doctor, she has the results of his blood tests. Dr. Crook
was very pleased that all of Mark’s counts were at or near optimum levels.
She confirmed that the tingling fingers from the cold and the mouth sore
that he has are all par for the course, but otherwise, she agrees with my
assessment that he is doing great. She said that she gets the sense that
his normal activity level is a little higher than the norm and that it is
her guess that by the end of the six months, his energy level will be lower
for him, but maybe more like the average for many people. She thinks that
by October or November he will be back to normal. Watch out, world!
While Mark worked at West Marine, I kept Sam and Jonah. They both had
dentist appointments this morning and Jed had stayed home to take them.
They had just returned when I arrived. Jed left to go to work after
explaining that they were not to have anything crunchy to eat for the rest
of the day because they had both had fluoride treatments. After nap, Sam
was sad because he wanted a crunchy cookie. I suggested that we bake a cake
or chocolate chip cookies as an alternative. I told him he could eat the
cookies while they were warm and they wouldn’t be crunchy. But he decided
that a chocolate chip cake sounded better. We made Toll House Squares and
called that a cake and that pleased everyone. We stayed and had a sushi
dinner to celebrate the completion of Heather’s radio series that aired this
week. She produced four programs that gave a local perspective on global
warming. This week is bittersweet for her. The series has been very well
received with lots of positive feedback, but Climatide, the blog she started
almost two years ago is ending this Friday. NPR funded the blog through
WGBH in Boston with the hope that WGBH would continue it when the grant
funds ran out. But due to budget constraints, WGHB has decided not to
invest further in social media and to keep their focus on radio and
television. Heather will still be employed by them as a science reporter,
but will be doing a weekly call in show and radio reporting instead of the
Climatide blog. Understandably, she is having a bit of separation anxiety
after investing so much of her life into the blog for the past couple of
years. But since she doesn’t control the decision making, she knows she
just has to move forward.
I made Miracle Mineral Broth this afternoon at Heather and Jed’s. It is one
of the recipes from the new cookbook. Heather and Jed offered to get it in
the jars and into the freezer for me tonight. It smelled yummy, but we
didn’t even get a chance to taste it. When we do, and if it is as yummy as
it smelled, I’ll share the recipe. I got a couple of offers after my
comments in last night’s log for good friends to try out some of the more
complicated recipes from the cookbook for us. I didn’t really intend for
anyone to make such an offer, but it is a really great idea. Give good
friends a complicated recipe, have them prepare it, and then have them
invite you over to eat it. Why didn’t I think of this idea years ago?!!
I can’t end the log without talking about the weather. The bubblers are
going again tonight and the snow WAS coming down. It has now turned to rain
here on the Cape, but over the next couple of days there will be more
snow/rain mix. Who knows what it will be like when we wake in the morning.
Further north where we are headed tomorrow, it will be snow. We are just
hoping that by waiting until the afternoon we will have a bit of a weather
window where the roads will be clear even if it is snowing.
