by Judy Handley | Feb 4, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 88, Year 7: Arrival in the Carolinas
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
Weather: Overcast and Misty, Temp Around 50 degrees F
Location: Home of Tommy and Marilou Martin, Denver, NC
Spirit Airlines Flight 103 touched down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at 7:20 this morning. My brother-in-law Joe was waiting to pick up my nieces Lynn and Candi, as well as Mark and me, and drive us the few miles to my sister Patsy’s home in Calabash, North Carolina. We had planned to spend the day and night with Patsy and Joe and then drive to my nephew’s home near Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday morning to see my sister-in-law Conda. Conda is in the last few days of her battle with melanoma cancer that metastasized as brain tumors. But just before noon we heard from my nephew Tommy and his wife Marilou saying that they thought we should go ahead and come today if we were to have any hope of Conda being aware of our presence. Hospice started coming in late in the week and they estimate that she has only four to six days left. Unfortunately for us, she was already totally unresponsive by the time we arrived but it is good to be here to support the family and help with the 24-hour ‘watch’ over Conda. I am writing this log while sitting at Conda’s bedside doing the 2:15 to 4:15 am watch. Normally I would be writing my log to send to Conda who has been a faithful reader. So sitting here beside her writing the log and knowing that she will never read it is a strange feeling. And this watch is certainly very different from the watches on Windbird’s overnight passages, but it is comforting to sit here and to know that Conda is without pain and is surrounded by her family. Both of her sons and their families are here, as well as my sister and brother-in-law, their daughter Jennifer who lives close by, and my two nieces from Massachusetts. Another niece and nephew drove in today from Ohio and West Virginia just long enough to hold Conda’s hand and tell her in person how much she is loved. And good friends of Tommy and Marilou’s, Chris and Rick Ulrich, have been here constantly cooking, cleaning, and helping with Conda. They are as close as family and have been unyielding in their support. My brother Dickie died two years ago in February while Mark and I were in India and we were unable to be here. I guess I’m glad he went first and didn’t have to watch his wife of almost fifty years go like this, but I know he would smile to see that all of his family and friends here with her. Four of Tommy and Marilou’s five children and Todd’s three little ones and his wife Shelley who is due to have a fourth in early March are all here. Todd’s youngest is Kyler and we celebrated his second birthday this evening. So Conda has seven of her eight grandchildren with her, ages ranging from two to eighteen. The oldest grandchild, Josh, is doing an AmeriCorp City Year in New Hampshire and will be coming home for his grandmother’s memorial service. Conda is slipping away from us but in the meantime she is covered with a beautiful quilt which was a labor of love delivered this week from her church in Little River, South Carolina, and she is surrounded by a vibrant family full of life.
Our flight here was made easy due to the hospitality of my niece Candi and her husband Char. Last night we stayed at their home in Billerica near Boston. Then at 3:30 am, Char got up and drove us to Boston’s Logan Airport. We were able to leave our car at their house so we aren’t having to pay airport parking fees and Char will return to pick us up when we return just after midnight on Thursday morning. Great service. So thank you, Char. Last night when we arrived at Candi and Char’s, they were celebrating the fourth birthday of their only grandchild, Grace. Happy Birthday, Grace!
We are still amazed that we were able to fly down here so cheaply. By flying to Myrtle Beach on Spirit Airlines our tickets were under a $100 for each person. You have to pay for a carry on or checked bag, but not for a personal item. So Mark and I packed just enough clothes for one change in our backpacks and avoided the baggage fee. We did pay for assigned seats at the rate of $10 per person, but Candi and Lynn didn’t do this and had better seats than Mark and I. So we’ll skip that charge next time around. Spirit doesn’t fly to many places, but since Patsy and Joe had offered to let us borrow their van for the trip to Charlotte, we were able to take advantage of the Boston to Myrtle Beach cheap flight. Not a bad deal. The drive from Calabash to Charlotte is almost entirely on secondary roads, not interstate, and it took us just over four hours. I was driving and Mark, Candi, and Lynn were supposed to be navigating. Joe had written out explicit directions for us. But somehow we got into a discussion about the “one per cent” and Mark was talking to his Android phone asking it to search the internet to see how much money Donald Trump gives to charity. It turns out that he is the least benevolent billionaire in the United States. But during this lively discussion, we forgot to make a turn, and found ourselves on what seemed like never ending back roads in northern South Carolina. In the end, the trip took us no longer than if we had followed our directions. But we got a lot of laughs over the reason for navigational error. I think we thought we were on autopilot and that the van would find its own way!
by Judy Handley | Feb 3, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 87, Year 7: In Boston, Ready for Take-off
Date: Friday, February 3, 2012
Weather: Sunny with Temps in the Upper-30’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
We are at my niece’s home outside Boston and will head to the airport at 3:30 am. We will arrive in Myrtle Beach at 7:30 am and decide whether we will drive on to Charlotte immediately or wait until Sunday morning. My sister-in-law is failing quickly and we hope to see her while she can still recognize us. So off to bed.
by Judy Handley | Feb 2, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 86, Year 7: Six More Weeks of Winter
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012
Weather: Overcast with Temps in the mid-30’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
It was a little chillier today than it has been and we didn’t see the sun at all, but still it is not really what you would call frigid winter weather. Our weather predicting groundhog, Puxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow this morning which predicts six more weeks of winter. Well, if the six weeks of winter are like what we have been experiencing, that is fine with me. But if it means we are going to suddenly plunge into frigid weather I’m not sure I’ll be so happy. I think groundhog predictions are a bit like early primary results these days. I certainly wouldn’t place my bets on them. I’m dreaming of an early spring with warmer than normal temperatures and lots of sunshine. Selfish? Yes. But still hopeful.
We are preparing for our trip to the Carolinas. We drive to Boston tomorrow night to stay with my niece, and then at 3 am on Saturday morning we will get up and head to Boston’s Logan Airport for a 5 am departure for Myrtle Beach. If all goes well, we will be there by 7:30 in the morning. Not bad. We won’t get much sleep, but maybe we can nap on Saturday. But I’m going to sign off early tonight and get to bed. A good night’s sleep can’t hurt.
by Judy Handley | Feb 1, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 85, Year 7: A Day in the Life
Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Early, High in the Low 50’s
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Handleysail.com is experiencing some problems, so if my daily log is not posted as usual just know we are having technical issues. Hopefully this will get worked out soon
We started our day early. I drove Mark to West Marine for an employee meeting prior to store opening time. While he was in his meeting, I did some shopping. I made a stop at Walmart and somehow managed to lock my keys in the car. It was early enough that Heather and Jed were just on their way to work, so I called them and they went back home to the extra key and bring it to me. I know this delayed the start of their work days, but I was so appreciative. Otherwise, I was going to take a bus to their house, get the key, and then wait another hour to get the bus back. So thank you, thank you, thank you, to Heather and Jed.
Instead of driving back to the boat after Mark’s meeting, we just went to Heather and Jed’s. Mark worked on his public radio consulting job and worked on getting Sam and Jonah’s old room ready to be Heather and Justin’s room. I switched a couple of pieces of furniture and worked on cleaning the woodwork and walls. Tonight we had dinner at Bruce and Jane Wooden’s and we saw the most amazing thing. We ‘met’ their iRobot Roomba which is a vacuuming robot. I’ve often dreamed of having such a thing, but I couldn’t believe it really exists. This is a little disc about a foot across and about two inches high. It sits in a docking station by the front door and is programmed to sweep the downstairs for about 45 minutes each afternoon. When it is finished, it returns to its docking station. Wow! I don’t think I need one on the boat, but what a great thing for busy families.
by Judy Handley | Jan 31, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 84, Year 7: Mute not Trumpeter
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Weather: Still Sunny, High 40 degrees F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Our good friend and bird watcher, Patsy Decker, emailed today to let me know that she sees no evidence that there are Trumpeter Swans on the Cape. I wrote about seeing Trumpeters on the cranberry bogs in Sunday’s log. I should have just said white swans as I had no idea what kind they really were, but in my not-so-bird-oriented head, white swans are Trumpeters. Well, not so. As Patsy pointed out, the swans here are Mute Swans. They are not mute but are named thus as they are less vocal than other swans. One of the things I love most about posting logs on the internet is the information we get back from readers. I have learned so much from others and hopefully others have learned from me as well. Patsy is now writing logs when she goes on her bird trips, so I plan to read and learn and from those.
The weather is still mild for January in New England and we keep enjoying it. We continued to work on the bedroom remake project at Heather and Jed’s today. Mark and I worked together to finish the curtains and matching reading pillows. Tomorrow we will move a few more things from one room to another. Yesterday the bunk beds for the boys were moved into the new room, but Heather and Jed’s bed is still in there as well. Maybe by week’s end we can get everything moved.
Our friend Dick Wiklund who has been so instrumental in getting us connected with doctors at Mass General emailed us this morning asking for a favor. He was just installed as the new president of the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association (local HAM radio club) and emailed to ask us to speak to the club in March or April about the role radio played in our round the world voyage. We wrote back that we would love to do this, and were both amazed at the deluge of memories that came flooding through about just how important HAM radio communication was to us. Contrary to what I have always thought, the term HAM is not an acronym. In the early years of the 20th century when wire communication was the norm, amateur radio operators were in their basements trying out new forms of wireless communication. Referring to a person at some level of incompetence as a ‘ham’ was in vogue at the time, so the wired folks referred to those amateurs experimenting in their basements as hams. Today HAM radio operator and amateur radio operator are used to mean the same thing. And these operators are found all over the world. The network in South Africa is the most organized and helpful to cruisers, but there are many other stories from nooks and crannies all around the globe. Preparing for this presentation will give us the chance to formally document all the different ways in which radio played such an important role in our lives. Dick, thanks for the invitation. I think I feel a cruising magazine article on this topic in the making as well.
by Judy Handley | Jan 30, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 83, Year 7: Dandelions in January
Date: Monday, January 30, 2012
Weather: More Sunshine but Cold, High 31 degrees F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Picking a dandelion in New England this time of year just doesn’t seem possible, but when Sam was walking to the car from school today, he exclaimed, “Oma, I found a dandelion.” And indeed he did. I should have taken a photo to document it, but we did take it home to share it with Heather and Jed. It was cold today, but obviously not cold enough to deter dandelions from blooming in January. We might get some snow tonight, but then it is supposed to warm up a bit for the remainder of the week. Unfortunately, the forecast for our Saturday arrival in Myrtle Beach is for rain. They have been having beautiful, sunny weather with spring-like temps. Maybe the forecast will change and we’ll get some of that spring-like weather while we are down south.
Mark went to Mass General for his appointments today and is all set for his surgery on February 13th. The urologist hasn’t seen Mark since the colon cancer surgery and he was surprised that Mark looked so good. He really does look good and he has more energy than he has had for months. The surgery on the 13th is a laser procedure called TURP. The initials stand for transurethral resection of the prostate. It is normally used when men have an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Mark’s prostate is somewhat enlarged, but not enough to warrant this procedure under normal circumstances. His problem is that his bladder has stopped functioning, but the hope is that this procedure will allow him to urinate normally without using catheters. The oncologist (Dr. Kwak) really wanted this done prior to starting chemo and she convinced the urologist (Dr. Cutie) to rearrange his schedule to do it as soon as possible. Mark will stay in the hospital overnight so Dr. Cutie will be there when the catheter is removed the day following surgery. He wants to make sure everything is done just right. Dr. Kwak, the oncologist, also had a C-T scan of Mark’s chest done today. She did not feel that a full PET scan was necessary, but she did want the C-T scan to assure that the lungs are clear. A PET scan can identify places where cancer has spread, but the surgeon (Dr. Sylla) and the oncologist (Dr. Kwak) do not believe that it has spread beyond the lymph nodes that were removed with the transverse section of the colon. So the bottom line is that Mark is ready and waiting for the TURP to be done and then for chemo to begin. Between now and the time chemo begins, we are just going to work on putting a little weight back on Mark. He most assuredly will lose weight during chemo and since he is already a skinny Minnie, he needs to put on some fat to lose!
The bedroom switch-a-roo project at Heather and Jed’s continues. The painting in the new bedroom for the boys is done and I am working on getting the curtains hemmed. Jed got Sam and Jonah’s bunk beds taken apart and was putting it back together when Mark and I left there this evening. Now we have to work on getting Heather and Jed’s bedroom furniture moved. Sam and Jonah know that all of this is being done in preparation for the new baby. On Saturday Sam did the funniest thing. He wanted to tell the baby that he loves him, so he turned to Heather, used his hands to pry her mouth open, and he yelled down her throat, “I love you, baby.” We explained to him afterwards that maybe talking softly to the baby through Heather’s stomach might be a better approach!
