by Judy Handley | Aug 10, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 280, Year 8: Dinner on the Dock
Date: Saturday, August 10, 2013
Weather: Beautiful Summer Day
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
The weather did a complete flip flop going from rainy and gusty to sunny, breezy, and beautiful. Today was one of those summer days that you would like to bottle up and bring out in mid-winter. Too bad that isn’t possible. Instead, we have to sail south in the winter. Mark went up to talk to Ellie this morning. She and John own the dock we are on. While talked, Ellie told Mark that she lived aboard a boat in the Caribbean for ten years when she was younger and she still misses the warm weather in the winter.
Heather, Jed, and boys came for dinner and they are staying aboard tonight. We had dinner on the dock which was a fun change but the mosquitoes drove us inside at dusk. I can’t remember when we last had to close ourselves inside the boat on a beautiful evening. We don’t have a mosquito problem out on the mooring. I was just beginning to like being attached to land, but not if it means having to put up with mosquitoes. We are on the dock to charge and cycle the batteries. By mid-week we will have charged and discharged a few times and will be ready to head back to the mooring. But in the meantime, we will do those boat jobs that are more easily done on a dock and enjoy our attachment to land. All three boys really enjoyed dinner on the dock and we might have to do that again before we head back out to the mooring. Sam was so excited about setting the tables for dinner. He used some of our beach blankets that I keep in the cockpit as table cloths and he and Jonah helped carry the food out. They were so cute sitting at their table for the ‘little people.’ Even Ollie had to sit with the big boys.
Tomorrow is the annual seven mile Falmouth Road Race and starts here in Woods Hole right outside the doors of the Captain Kidd restaurant and bar. Sam and Jonah are both anxious to watch the beginning of the race. The runners are bussed into Woods Hole and that starts early, so I’m sure both boys will be up and ready to watch the race preparations early. The dock we are on is right next to a grassy area where last year many of the top runners from other countries gathered to wait for the start of the race. If that happens again this year, we will have a front row seat without even leaving the boat.
by Judy Handley | Aug 9, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 279, Year 8: Strange Summer Weather
Date: Friday, August 9, 2013
Weather: Rainy and Windy
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Today was a gusty, rainy day, more like fall than summer. You wouldn’t say this was a typical August day, but then the weather doesn’t seem to be ‘typical’ any more. Mark and I tried (in vain) to find consignment places for furniture and clothes, but we will try again on Monday before giving up. If we can’t find consignment places, we will just give the clothes to Goodwill and continue to store furniture for the time being.
When we returned to Woods Hole in the early afternoon, Heather was aboard Windbird with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie. They had spent the morning at the Woods Hole aquarium and were on Windbird so that Mark and I could babysit while Heather went to work this afternoon. When Heather left to go to work, it was just sprinkling, but just after that we got heavy, heavy winds and rain. She was soaked by the time she walked the short distance to the radio station. Her raincoat and our umbrella were on Windbird—doing absolutely no good to her! It was naptime, so we didn’t see a lot of the boys, but when they were awake, we had a good time together. This is Falmouth Road Race Weekend, so Heather, Jed, and the boys will probably return tomorrow and spend the night so they will be here in Woods Hole for the start of the race. Hopefully the weather is going to moderate some. The gusts of wind this afternoon were so strong that we had to reinforce our ties to the dock. John, the owner of the dock, came down to make sure we were securely tied. He and his wife Ellie are probably in their 80’s. I had never met him before, so I was glad he came down to check on things so that I could meet him—but he is so slight that I was afraid the wind was going to blow him away!
by Judy Handley | Aug 8, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 278, Year 8: Inside a Whale
Date: Thursday, August 8, 2013
Weather: Rainy Morning, Clearing in the Afternoon
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
The weather forecast dictated our day, but as usual, the forecast did not materialize. We woke up to rain and there was a chance of rain all day. Heather called early saying the boys really didn’t want to go to their last swimming lesson of the summer in the rain, so we reset the plan. Since the Sam and Jonah have been on vacation in Maine, I had planned a very low key day. But the alternate was to go to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History to participate in their Inflatable Whale Program and that is what Sam and Jonah chose to do. Going there requires about an hour in the car each way and I thought after traveling to Maine that they would definitely NOT want to get in a car again. But they did, and off we went.
We made a quick stop at our new storage unit as Jonah was very curious and wanted to see it. After that, we drove the 45 minutes to Dennis to the Museum. The parking lot and overflow parking lot were full to the brim. I guess the weather sent more than just us to the museum. We put our names on a waiting list for the inflatable whale program, and proceeded to explore. Compared to the Museum of Science in Boston, this is a tiny, tiny, little place. But it seemed to be just the right size for Sam and Jonah to truly enjoy. We alternated between exploring indoor exhibits and going to walks on the trails outside. The outside trails are great and I could just let the boys run in the sunshine and soak in nature. Sam loved this part of the day. While outside we observed juvenile Osprey in their nest that we had watched on the live CAM inside the museum. Jonah really enjoyed the snakes in the Marshview Room and all of the turtles in Turtle Bay. Both boys loved the honeybee observation hive and the display on sharks—especially the shark cage. And we all loved experiencing the 45 foot inflatable whale. We got to learn about whales from the inside out by sitting inside the inflatable and listening to the presenter. Sam and Jonah both know so much about ocean life. Sam was the only person in the whale that could answer a question about what adult sperm whale eat (answer: giant squid). And Jonah could answer questions about whales that Sam and I couldn’t that were part of a game before we went into the inflatable.
The boys napped on the way back to Falmouth. I stopped by Heather and Jed’s to pick up swim suits and we then headed to Woods Hole to our favorite beach–Stoney. I had on jeans and couldn’t go in the water with the boys, but they had a wonderful time frolicking on their boogie boards and playing in the sand. After the beach, we went to pick Jed up at Redfield (the building where he works in Woods Hole) which is right next to the dock Windbird is calling home for a week. Sam and Jonah just had to run down and see Windbird in her new home.
Tomorrow I am going to check out some furniture and clothing consignment shops in the area and will then return to Woods Hole to watch the boys while Heather does afternoon fund raising on her public radio station. It is that time.
by Judy Handley | Aug 7, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 277, Year 8: Organizing and Work Day
Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Weather: Clear with Periods of Partly Sunny Skies; Windy in the PM
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
As the sun is setting, Windbird is sitting contentedly here on a dock in Eel Pond. Thanks to Steve and Irene of sailing vessel Star for arranging for us to be on the dock while Star is in Falmouth getting her yearly maintenance. I’ve mentioned before that Steve and Irene have a home on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean. They spend the winters there and the summers here. They landed in Eel Pond near the end of their circumnavigation a few years ago, got a job working for a wealthy couple who summer here, and have been doing the Woods Hole/Caribbean stint ever since. The dock they use is owned by a couple who live here year round. I’ve never met them, but Mark has met John and he was agreeable to letting us use the dock in Star’s absence. So here we are.
I spent my day in the new storage unit. How wonderful it is to have it close-by. I was able to start going through boxes and sorting things out at a leisurely pace. Mark went to Heather and Jed’s to make granola while he worked on his consulting job. Mark goes to work at West Marine and Sam, Jonah, and I will have another day of Camp Oma. Heather just called to let us know that they got home late this evening. They had a good visit in Maine and Ollie is feeling a bit better although he still has a nasty summer cold. But Heather thinks he’s feeling good enough to go to daycare tomorrow. So life is back to normal—whatever that is!
by Judy Handley | Aug 6, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 276, Year 8: Back Home in Woods Hole
Date: Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Weather: Mostly Sunny; Starting to Warm Up Again
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
We have come full circle. We left Eel Pond on Sunday morning, drove to New Hampshire to Concord and then to Greenland near the coast. From there we went to Kennebunkport, Maine and back to Concord, New Hampshire, and now we are back home in Woods Hole. After a delightful breakfast with Brad and Sue this morning, we drove to Concord to do more work in the storage unit. We spent most of our time today dealing with box after box of framed photos. We removed as many photos as we had time to do and filled one large plastic bin with empty frames that we will take to Goodwill. Later we will scan the photos, keep the really special ones, and pitch the rest. So hard to do, but necessary. It feels like throwing your memories away, but that’s not really possible. So we are making progress and feel that we will be ready to return next week with a U-Haul and transfer everything from Concord to Falmouth. Once the ‘stuff’ is close-by, we can continue to try and pare down. The goal would be to get down to a tiny storage unit with just the very special things, seasonal clothing, and boat ‘stuff.’
Tomorrow morning we move Windbird to a dock here in Eel Pond for a few days. This will give us a chance to charge our batteries fully. And it will be great not to have to fight for a space for our dinghy for a few days. Right now, every possible space for a dinghy is taken, so that each time we go to shore we have to seek out a new spot. In just a couple of weeks, it will not be so crowded, so our little stint on a dock is perfect timing.
Heather, Jed, and boys should return home from Maine tomorrow. We have really missed them and are hoping that they will all return home feeling great. We have worried about Ollie but have high hopes that the crisp, clean Maine air has given him a reprieve from his breathing difficulties. We’ll find out tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Aug 5, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 275, Year 8: Visiting Family in Maine
Date: Monday, August 5, 2013
Weather: Mostly Sunny; Cooler (upper 40’s F during the night)
Location: Kennebunkport, Maine
I spent a relaxing morning in Sue and David’s sunroom catching up on life with Sue while Mark was on the phone with his consulting work. Detta couldn’t join us as she got sick during the night with some stomach bug. Sure hope that is short-lived as Detta is still dealing with Matthew’s recovery and really doesn’t need ‘just one more thing.’ Mark and I then drove to Kittery, Maine, to buy new Teva sandals at the outlet mall, and then it was on to Kennebunkport to visit with my sister-in-law Sue and her husband Brad. They live in Boynton Beach in Florida in the winter and here in Kennebunkport in the summer. Some neighbors came over for Happy Hour and then we had a great dinner. Thank you, Sue and Brad! We spent the evening reminiscing and stayed up later than we should have. But it was fun. Tomorrow we will travel back to Concord to the storage unit to continue our battle there.
