by Judy Handley | Jun 16, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 224, Year 8: Messing About with Grandkids
Date: Saturday, June 15, 2013
Weather: Beautiful, Sunny Day
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Mark worked today beginning at 11 am, so I took him to work, did some shopping, and then went to Heather’s for the afternoon. I was able to play with Sam, Jonah, and Oliver while Heather and Jed got some front yard gardening done. They planted a peach tree they bought last week, along with some lupines and other perennials given to them by a neighbor. Jed, Sam, and Jonah washed the outside of the van and Jed cleaned the inside. I scrubbed the floor mats with my mother’s cleaning mix (a gallon of water, some liquid Tide, a half cup of white vinegar, and a quarter cup of ammonia). It was a good day, but I didn’t accomplish my goal of going through boxes of children’s books that I have stored there to sort out ones to give away. I started, but as always, I couldn’t part with even one book, so I gave up. I’ll try again next week.
Mark works tomorrow, but Heather, Jed, and I, along with the boys, are planning on taking Windbird out for a sail and pick Mark up at the dock in Falmouth at the end of his work day. He will then get to sail back to Woods Hole with us. At least this is the plan. The weather might not cooperate, so we will check again in the morning and adjust plans if need be. Our plan was to have Father’s Day dinner here on Windbird after the day’s sail and then everyone would spend the night on the boat. We’ll just have to hope the rain and overcast weather that is in the forecast decides to pass us by. Too bad we can’t have a repeat of today. It was a gorgeous day.
by Judy Handley | Jun 14, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 223, Year 8: Those with the Most Memories Win
Date: Friday, June 14, 2013
Weather: Overcast and Windy Morning, Clearing in the Late Afternoon
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Heather and Jon Turgeon from E. Thetford, Vermont, are good friends who are currently sailing around the world on their beloved Tashiba 40 named Evergreen.
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/slowsailing/
They just completed the passage from New Zealand back to Fiji for another season in the South Pacific. In today’s log, they mentioned friends who have a boat card that says, “Those with the most memories win.” I love it. Heather and Jon, as well as all those sailing around the world, are certainly gathering those memories. But you don’t have to sail around the world to gather memories, you just have to be actively involved in something you absolutely love. Right now I’m gathering grandchildren memories and loving it. This evening we attended the end-of-the-year program at Jonah’s school. He has another year there before Kindergarten, so he was not in the graduating class, but he did get a certificate of achievement and he looked so very proud. Just last year, Sam and his friend Sebastian ‘graduated’ and they were such chubby-cheeked little boys. This year they sat separately from their parents and watched the program and they were perfectly behaved with no reminders from any adult. It is amazing to watch this growing up process. And Jonah, we are very, very proud of you and are looking forward to your graduation next year.
by Judy Handley | Jun 13, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 222, Year 8: All Alone
Date: Thursday, June 13, 2013
Weather: Overcast with Sprinkles All Day; Serious Rain Starting Late Night
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Today I spent the whole day on Windbird all alone. Mark left for work at 10:30 am, and then it was quiet and serene aboard Windbird and I enjoyed every minute. I wouldn’t want to do this every day, but I did get so much done. After months of working in bits and pieces, I FINALLY got Mark’s 70th birthday book completed and ready to print. It is 70 pages jam-packed with wonderful memories and he’ll get it for his 71st birthday on July 7th. Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco will be here visiting, so the timing is perfect. Completing that book project got me into the mind-set to start writing that book about sailing around the world. I just couldn’t think about it until the birthday book project was finished. So the next day that I have all to myself, the writing will begin.
The rain has begun and we are anticipating a windy, rainy night. The wind should be 20-25 knots with gusts to 40 and we could get an inch of rain. By all indications, the morning will be miserable, but we are going to shore early to go to Heather and Jed’s to take care of Ollie. Heather has to be in Woods Hole by 9:30 am to be on the air and then she drives to Hyannis to do a speaking engagement at 11:30. Then late tomorrow afternoon we attend Jonah’s year-end celebration at the Woods Hole Daycare. By Saturday morning the rain and wind should have moved on, so maybe we’ll have a lovely weekend.
by Judy Handley | Jun 12, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 221, Year 8: Hanging Out with the Grandkids
Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Weather: Mix of Clouds and Sunshine
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Mark didn’t have to work today and we had no set plans other than cutting Mark’s hair and meeting Heather, Jed, and kids downtown for dinner before going to hear a sea chantey singer at the public library. We accomplished those things, but one thing led to another and we ended up spending the whole afternoon with Jonah and Oliver and then Sam once school was out. After school, we all drove to Woods Hole to play in the park and then we picked Jed up from work and take him to town with us. I was just saying to Mark that I am a bit sore tonight. I had a physical therapy appointment and then played football with Jonah. This entails chasing him non-stop until he tires out and says it is half-time. Half-time is my favorite!
Note: In the middle of the day, Mark went to West Marine to join a birthday celebration for long-time employee, Phil Field. Phil retired early from a New York banking job and moved back home to Cape Cod. He has worked at West Marine for 23 years now, so a surprise 60th birthday party was well deserved. Photos from the party are attached to this log.
by Judy Handley | Jun 11, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 220, Year 8: Sam’s K Program and Congrats to L&L
Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Weather: Rain, Some Sunshine, and Then More Rain and Wind
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Today was Sports Day at Sam’s school which just means that all the kids wear some sort of sports clothing. Sam wore all red with his Red Sox hat. Then this evening was the end-of-year Kindergarten program. Sam is a very independent six-year old and he decided that he wanted to dress up for the program. He wanted to wear black pants (which we had to go buy) with a pin-striped vest and shirt and tie. After school, Sam and I drove across town to his friend Harrison’s house to borrow a pair of black dress shoes. He loves to dress up and it doesn’t bother him one bit that not all of the other boys are dressed the same way. But once he was all dressed, I couldn’t believe how much older he looked. When I was taking photos of him he looked like a little teenager. I know he is still a little boy, but he is growing up so quickly. He has learned so much this year and we are all so proud of him, but I think all of us are finding it hard to believe that he is actually going to be in first grade next year. It seems just like yesterday that he was born on a snowy January day. Time simply goes by too quickly.
We want to say a great big CONGRATULATIONS to Lee and Lynda Kaufman. As of today, they are the official owners of Grace, a 36 foot Island Packet. Grace is only three years old and she is beautiful. Mark talked to Lee tonight and he and Lynda are enjoying their first night aboard the boat. I’ll keep you posted on their progress in getting the boat back to Little River. Good luck, Lee and Lynda. But more than anything, just relax and enjoy the trip.
by Judy Handley | Jun 10, 2013 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 8 |
Day 219, Year 8: Beautiful, Not Beautiful
Date: Monday, June 10, 2013
Weather: Flip Side—Not a Beautiful Day
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
It’s June in New England and it can be a warm and beautiful month or it can be cold and rainy. And I think this June might end up to be the cold and rainy type. When we lived in New Hampshire, we would often have a lovely May, and then, especially when we had boat work we needed to do, June would turn cool and rainy and we wouldn’t get to launch the boat until July. Yesterday was lovely and today started that way, but then the clouds moved in and it got a bit chilly. Then in the late afternoon the rain started and now it is pouring. So it goes.
Mark and I have had a run of yearly appointments with doctors and dentists and today was nearly the end of run for Mark. He met with his new primary care physician and was very impressed. Tomorrow morning I meet with the same doctor for a yearly check-in but then I still have an appointment with a dermatologist next week and Mark still has a dentist appointment. Then we will have been checked from head to toe, inside and out! On his way home, Mark stopped at the AT&T phone store to ask some questions. Our only source of internet here on the boat is Mark’s phone which serves as a hot spot. When he is at work, he either has to leave the phone with me or I am without internet for the day. What he found out today is that he could buy a device for $5 that would serve as a hot spot for me. That way I could keep my old fashioned cell phone (which I love) and still have internet when Mark is away. So he went for it, and so far, so good. Previously we lost internet connection when someone was talking on Mark’s phone and only two devices could be on the internet at one time. This was very frustrating for Mark as in his consulting work, he often needs to be talking on the phone and working on his computer at the same time. I think we are going to like this new device, and for only $10 more per month, we get another gigabyte of internet access. When Mark did get home he did some boat work–tightened the brackets of the engine room fire extinguisher, worked on the sump pump for the shower, and fastened the panel that the new battery monitor is mounted in on the wall. This afternoon we went on a little field trip across the Cape to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. I wanted to look at a few books that I have been considering purchasing for Camp Oma and the museum was the only place that I knew of that had all the different books. It was a nice way to spend a drizzly afternoon.
