by Judy Handley | Dec 6, 2025 | Cape Cod, USA |
2025 Life Logs, Day 340: Holidays-by-the-Sea 2025
Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Some Rain; High Temp 43 Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Most of the day today was spent downtown Falmouth to enjoy Falmouth’s Holidays-by-the-Sea activities. The first activity was not associated with the holiday season. It was our weekly Standout for Democracy on the Green. It rained as I was driving there. But by the time I parked, the rain had stopped. I got home at 1:30, answered some emails, and then turned around and went back down to Main Street for the 3:30 pm Jingle Jog. Again, it rained as I was driving there, but miraculously the rain stopped and a little ray of sunshine came through. Jonah, his friend Jean Luc, and some other soccer friends I didn’t know, were running the 5 K ‘fun’ race.
And Heather and Ollie were also both running. Jed was working on getting the boat secured for the winter, but he arrived in time to watch the race. It is a fun race to watch as everyone is dressed in some sort of holiday fashion. The team of runners dressed as Santa’s reindeer won my prize for most festive this year.
Main Street was closed off for the race, the downtown Holiday Stroll (shopping) from 4-8 pm, and the Lighting of the Green at 6 pm. I headed home after the race and had just enough time to eat lunch/dinner before heading back to the Green for the annual lighting. Parking is always a challenge, but I thought I could drive halfway and park at Lawrence Middle School, then walk across the playing fields to the Green. But I was wrong. There was not a place to park anywhere. Every parking space and every patch of grass was taken. So I drove back home and walked as fast as I could to get there just in time to see the lights.
Then the caroling begins. I didn’t stay for all of that as I was meeting friends who had invited me to go see a Woods Hole Film Festival movie tonight. It was a fun-filled day. But the weekend is not over. Tomorrow is the parade and Holidays at Highfield.
by Judy Handley | Nov 27, 2025 | Cape Cod, USA |
2025 Life Logs, Day 331: 25 Years of Thanksgiving
Date: Thursday, November 27, 2025
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 53, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Most Thanksgiving Day’s in my life have been celebrated with family, but today I had Thanksgiving at the home of a neighbor. We are friendly, but not friends, and it was a very strange experience for me. The strange feeling was not because I have specific Thanksgiving traditions that I need to follow, other than making Mark’s cranberry salad. It was just that I was not with the people I love. So, for however many Thanksgivings I have remaining in my life, I will make sure that I am with family or close friends.
When I walked home late this afternoon from the neighbor’s house, I started thinking about just where I have spent Thanksgiving Day over the past 25 years. I went down that rabbit hole and three hours later I emerged with the answer. I have spent 3 of the past 25 years in Concord, New Hampshire, 3 in Florida with Mark’s family, 4 in Puerto Rico with Justin and family, 2 in North Carolina with my sister Patsy, and 2 in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the home of Jed’s Aunt Sue and Uncle John. And I have spent 6 of the 25 years having Thanksgiving dinner here in Falmouth with Heather and Jed and boys. Some of my favorite memories of the years in Falmouth include 2021 when Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco flew up from Puerto Rico and instead of observing the traditional Thanksgiving Day, we spent our day in Plymouth standing in solidarity with the indigenous people of Massachusetts who hold a Day of Mourning on this day. Then the next day we had what the grandkids called a fabulous, fun, Friday family feast. In 2020, our ‘pandemic pod’ family gathered for the occasion. This included Heather, Jed, and the boys, me, and the Simpkins family—Mike, Grace, and their two boys, Robert and Joey. In 2019, we had turkey, but Jed also whipped up a fabulous mushroom wellington to add a vegetarian alternative to our feast. And we had oysters, which is a Goldstone tradition. In 2018, we had Mr. Turkey for dinner. He was a turkey that Sam and Jonah earned at a Boy Scout turkey shoot. They each won one, so we ate Mr. Turkey and gave the other one to the Falmouth Service Center.
That leaves the 5 years Mark and I spent in various places on our sail around the world. The first one of those was in the Chesapeake Bay just after we left. Justin traveled down to Solomon’s Island to surprise us with a Thanksgiving Day visit in 2005. In 2006, we were treated to a Thanksgiving Dinner at the Opua Cruising Club in New Zealand. They had a tradition of inviting boats who were laying over there for their summer to bring a dish to share and come together in their clubhouse. I never thought to ask why they had an American Thanksgiving in New Zealand, but I think we were 1 of 4 American couples that year. All the rest were from all around the world and we all enjoyed New Zealand turkey. In 2007, were in Bundaberg, Australia, and we invited two other couples to have dinner on Windbird. The following two Thanksgivings, 2008 and 2009 were both spent aboard Windbird in the Langkawi Yacht Club on Rebok Island in Malaysia. And in 2010 we were in South Africa and just completed a 4 day safari in Kruger National Park. We were with friends, Lynne and Ed Kirwin, and we had Thanksgiving dinner at a Portuguese-Mozambican restaurant in the mountains of the northern province of Mapumalanga in the town of Graskop. That was definitely the most unusual Thanksgiving dinner. We certainly did not have turkey that year! And I really enjoyed another unusual Thanksgiving dinner with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco in 2023, when instead of turkey, we had Pernil which is Puerto Rican seasoned roast pork. It was so tender and delicious.
I have had many Thanksgiving Day adventures, but the one I cherish most was in 2015 when the whole family was together in Puerto Rico. It is the only Thanksgiving that Mark and I ever had with our whole family together … Heather, Jed, Sam, Jonah, Ollie, and Justin, Jo, Ziggy and Coco.
At one of the Thanksgiving dinners at Heather and Jed’s when the boys were younger, we went around the table sharing something for which we were grateful. Jonah answered, “The whole universe.” I’m with Jonah. Happy Thanksgiving!
by Judy Handley | Sep 1, 2025 | Cape Cod, USA |
2025 Life Logs, Day 244: My Favorite Month
Date: Monday, September 1, 2025
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 72, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
I know it makes no sense that my favorite season of the year is summer. I love warm, sunny days of summer. But my favorite month of the year is September. As a child, I loved the beginning of school on the day after Labor Day … but don’t tell my grandchildren that. That love of the first day of school followed me into adulthood when I became a teacher and found the first day of school each year to be the beginning of a wonderful adventure with a new group of students. When I was in junior high school, I loved the fall nighttime football games with just a bit of chill in the air. And I loved, and still love, the beauty of the changing colors of fall leaves. “The falling leaves drift by the window. The autumn leaves of red and gold.” As a child, I would find pieces of colorful material and wave them in the air as I danced to that song first made popular in 1945 before I was born. As I grew into an adult, I celebrated September by having both of my children in that month. It was always a happy month for me. Then in 2016, Mark died on September 11. That could have taken away my love for September, but I did not let that happen. Every September 11, I celebrate his life and the wonderful life we had together, making September a time of remembering, a time of contemplation on what comes next in my life. Welcome September!
This afternoon we had a Workers Over Billionaires Labor Day rally on the Green. It was well attended, and the speakers were good. I was so happy, but surprised, to see Heather there. The weather was overcast, and they decided not to go sailing but to just hang out on the boat. That allowed her the time to come in to check out the rally on the Green. I drove to the Green with friends Jane Woodin and Joanie Thompson. I caught of photo fo Jane holding my favorite sign–Democracy Requires Our Participation. Join Us.
Then tonight I fixed dinner and delivered it to the Goldstone’s. It was our annual dinner on the night before the first day of school. But school started today for Sam in Groningen. I sent him a text this morning wishing him a good first day of classes. He texted back that his first class was in 45 minutes. I hope he had a good day, but I found out from Heather tonight that he has come down with a fever and sore throat like so many of the other students in his housing unit. Hopefully it is not Covid, but just a common cold.
by Judy Handley | Aug 23, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs, Cape Cod, USA |
2025 Life Logs, Day 235: Saturday Rally, Groningen Update, Tomatoes, and MV
Date: Saturday, August 23, 2025
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 74, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Across the pond today, Heather and Sam explored the North Sea coast just north of Groningen. They visited National Park Lauwersmeer where the sea comes inland a bit. This was the site of the last battle of World War II on Dutch soil was fought and Sam was delighted to find WWII bunkers. There were also a lot of sheep.
Later they ended their day with a sunset cruise on the Lauwersmeer which is a man-made lake on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. Heather also took photos today of the outside of Sam’s dorm, the courtyard, and the fields beyond. She said her photos don’t give us the real feeling of the area, but at least we know where he lives now.
As for me today, I attended the weekly rally on the Green, deseeded 30 pounds of tomatoes for making tomato puree, and went on an Encore trip to Martha’s Vineyard to have dinner and see the Illumination Week fireworks. The boat accommodated 40 of us and those of us sitting outside on the port side of the boat got duly soaked on the way over. But once there we had a great time, and I am happy to report that the trip home was . There were mostly couples, but five of us that were singles banded together and had dinner at the Sand Bar, walked through town, and returned to the boat to watch the fireworks from there. Fun evening.
by Judy Handley | Aug 7, 2025 | Cape Cod, USA |
2025 Life Logs, Day 219: One Million Rising Community Resistance Gathering
Date: Thursday, August 7, 2025
Weather: Still Perfect Summer Weather; High Temp 76, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
My morning was spent in a Newcomers board meeting. As Past Presidents of Encore, Christina Brodie and I have to serve this year as the Encore liaisons to the Newcomers board. We share the job, and this was my month to attend. Once home, I got to work on the PowerPoint presentation for the Indivisible Community Resistance Gathering I was hosting tonight. There were eight of us, which seemed to be a perfect number for an informal living room meeting. It was a wonderful mix of people and ideas. I felt good about the meeting and think I will host another one next week.
Sam and Jonah headed to Maine this afternoon, so all the Goldstones are together again tonight. Heather returns home on Monday, Sam and Jonah next Thursday, and Jed and Ollie the following Sunday or Monday. I miss them already.
by Judy Handley | May 13, 2025 | Cape Cod, USA |
2025 Life Logs, Day 133: Hodge Podge of Activities
Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 65, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
This was a fast-paced day, moving from one activity to another. I started my day by taking bags of grass clippings to the town yard waste facility, doing some Encore work, having a friend over for coffee/tea and conversation, and then heading to a meeting with the woman who will be the Assistant Vice-President of Programs with me next year to review the programs we have booked to date. I left just in time to pick Ollie up after school as it is the day Ollie has to bring his saxophone home for his private lesson, rushed to a friend’s home to water plants while they are out of town, took Ollie to his sax lesson, rushed home to change clothes and then attended my first meeting of the Library Trustees. Too busy, even for me!
