by Judy Handley | Aug 5, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 288, Year 9: Kayaking in Quissett Harbor
Date: Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Weather: Another Beautiful Day with a Foggy Beginning, High Temp 80 degrees F
Location: Quissett Harbor, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Granddad slipped away this morning (told me he was going into town to do some chores) and went to the storage unit to pick up our inflatable kayak. It was a surprise and did we ever have fun with that. Thank you, Granddad. I had taken the boys into town to play at a playground, but they were just not into it. They wanted to go to the beach. By this time the fog had lifted and it was beautiful and sunny. So why not? I called Granddad to tell him we were headed to the beach and he informed me that he was headed to Quissett with the kayak. I told the boys and there was no hesitation. They were all three gung-ho about going to Quissett to paddle around. I guess plans on land are just like cruising plans. They must be flexible and you have to ready for a change at any time. So off we went to Quissett for a late morning and early afternoon of fun. Once we got the kayak inflated and made a dinghy run to Windbird to get the paddles, Sam and Jonah were off in the two-man kayak all on their own. We were always close-by in the dinghy with Ollie at the helm, but we were unnecessary. The two boys paddled the kayak all the way out to Windbird with no help. They were so proud of themselves and we were proud of them. They used perfect teamwork to get the job done. Then Ollie and Granddad went out for a paddle just before lunch. While they were out, Sam and Jonah went to the v-berth to play chess. And when Ollie and Granddad returned, everyone ate a big lunch. While Ollie napped, the big boys went out for another spin around the harbor. When they returned they got into practicing casting with their fishing reels and so the day went. By 3:30 pm we had them back on shore to go to an open house at the Waquoit Bay Reserve with Heather and Jed. Waquoit Bay is about 10 minutes from H & J’s and everyone was enthusiastic about going to the open house. And now Sam and Jonah are back onboard to spend the night.Well, they are not onboard. They are actually out having a dusk kayak paddle through the anchorage. They arrived at the boat in the dinghy squealing with joy. They are not about to let one minute of the summer pass by without taking full advantage. Sam will be up in the morning to take the kayak to shore to get to his morning science class. After that, Ollie will join us and we will start another day of fun with all three boys. The fire truck visit that we thought was today is actually tomorrow, so we’ll start our day with that and then it is on to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
by Judy Handley | Aug 4, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 287, Year 9: Overnight Guests
Date: Monday, August 4, 2014
Weather: Beautiful Day, Temp in the mid-70’s F
Location: Quissett Harbor, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Our overnight guests are the three little cherubs that are asleep in the v-berth and our daughter who is getting ready to go to sleep on the settee in the main cabin. Sam has been anxious to spend the night on the boat and Jonah and Ollie want to be with Sam. But they also want to be with momma—so they all decided to spend the night. Jed had a Board of Health meeting tonight. He never knows what time those are going to end, so he joined us briefly after work and then headed into Falmouth. He will have a quiet night at home and hopefully we will have a quiet night here on the boat. All three boys have been up and down during the night since we returned from vacation, so the hope is that by changing location they’ll ‘forget’ to get up during the night. Probably faulty logic, but you never know what is going to work with kids. We shall see.
We decided to make today a Quissett day with the boys. After Sam’s science class, the boys and I had a morning on the beach while Mark stayed on the boat to do some chores. Actually the boys and I dropped Granddad at the boat and took the dinghy with us to the beach. On the way to and from the beach, all three boys got a chance to drive and row the dinghy. Sam has gotten quite good at driving the dinghy under power and at rowing. Jonah needs more practice, but he is making great strides in rowing. Ollie just has a good time no matter what, but he prefers to think he is driving the dinghy at all times. After returning to the boat for lunch, the boys wanted to fish. Jonah caught the first catch of the day. It was a tiny fish but we couldn’t throw it back as it was injured while getting the hook out—and we didn’t know what it was. We put it in the refrigerator and when Heather arrived in the evening she identified it as a snapper blue (juvenile bluefish). There is no size limit on these fish and the little ones are supposed to be much tastier than the larger ones. Now we know we can make a meal out of a few of these 6-inch long fish, so on another day, we’ll see how many we can catch. Fishing doesn’t keep Sam and Jonah’s attention for very long, but they sure are enthusiastic fishermen.
by Judy Handley | Aug 3, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 286, Year 9: Another Day of Drizzle
Date: Sunday, August 3, 2014
Weather: Drizzle All Day, Temp in the Low 70’s F
Location: Quissett Harbor, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Today the rain continued as drizzle—no serious rain. But the drizzle continued all day and into the evening, so it was not a banner weather day here on the Cape. I took Mark to work at West Marine and headed to Heather and Jed’s to make granola and can a few beans from the garden. I was there by myself most of the morning and into the afternoon as Heather and Jed took the boys shopping for shoes and to visit with Sam’s friend Sebastian. Sebastian’s parents are Pax and Tim and they have been friends with Heather and Jed for years—long before Sam and Sebastian came along. Pax and Tim just moved into a new house and this was the Goldstone’s first visit. With no one in the house, I was able to work on editing and naming photos while waiting for the granola to bake. When it was time for me to leave to go get Mark at the end of his work day, Ollie insisted on going with me. We went to the grocery store to pick up some fresh corn-on-the-cob for dinner and then we got Granddad and headed for Windbird. The rest of the Goldstones arrived just after six for Windbird’s summer Sunday night special—salmon cakes and corn.
by Judy Handley | Aug 2, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 285, Year 9: Rain Here, Rain There
Date: Saturday, August 2, 2014
Weather: Rain All Day, Heavy at Times, Cool with Temps in the 60’s F
Location: Quissett Harbor, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Today was all about rain—rain here on Cape Cod and rain in Puerto Rico. Fortunately, Tropical Storm Berth did not cause big problems for Justin and Jo, but they did get a lot of rain. The storm has now moved on and tomorrow they will have to start to rebuild their camp. Jo wrote to let us know that actually the storm was not much worse than a wet and windy February day in England which was wonderful news, but I know they are dreading the work of rebuilding. The rain here in Quissett Harbor was heavy at times, but Mark and Heather both reported that in town they didn’t get the same heavy rain. Mark called home in the early afternoon and the it was raining so hard I could barely him on the phone and when I got in the dinghy to go to shore to pick him up tonight, there was more water in the dinghy than I can ever remember from just one one day of rain. The rain stopped in the early evening, but it is returning tomorrow. Not a beautiful weekend on the Cape.
I spent my entire day on the boat organizing and editing photos from our family vacation. I have photos from my niece Lynn and my nephew Barry that I am incorporating with my photos, so it takes a bit of time. But going through the pictures was a great reminder of what a wonderful time we had with family in Williamsburg. Tomorrow I will take Mark to work at 9 am and go to Heather’s to can beans from the garden and make granola. I totally forgot to mention in yesterday’s log that Heather and Jed’s garden is brimming with fresh veggies. Before picking Mark up from work yesterday, I made a quick run to Heather’s to pick beans before the rain started. There were lots of beans, cucumbers, kale, Swiss chard, zucchini and yellow summer squash, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers to pick. Today I made leaf pie (Swiss chard bread) and a spicy cucumber and green bean salad. Tomorrow while I’m making granola and canning green beans, I’ll probably make some zucchini bread as well. We will all enjoy the bountiful harvest.
by Judy Handley | Aug 1, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 284, Year 9: Free Lemonade and Iced Tea
Date: Friday, August 1, 2014
Weather: Sun and Clouds, Rain on the Way
Location: Quissett Harbor, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Today was the last day of the summer fund drive at WCAI, the public radio station here on the Cape. The station decided to celebrate by having the WCAI kids (children of those employed there) stand outside the station and offer free lemonade and iced tea to all people passing by. Sam and Jonah really wanted to do this, so from 1 to 4 this afternoon this is what we did. Ollie managed to get a short nap, thanks to Jed, while Sam and Jonah enjoyed the company of the other children and being involved. And while this was going on, Heather was in the station doing the on-air fundraising. It was a fun afternoon for all involved.
When I went into Woods Hole to pick up Sam this morning, I thought we were going to do some land-based activities and then go help with the lemonade stand at noon. So I dressed for that. But once I got to Woods Hole I found out from Jed that the lemonade stand wouldn’t be up and running until 1 o’clock, so the boys opted to go to the beach for a couple of hours. I had high hopes of staying dry, but at one point Ollie flipped his body board and it ended up on top of him. I got in the water immediately to help out but when I got out, I realized I had my cell phone in my pocket. Luckily, it is fine, but I was a bit drippy.
Mark caught the trolley to go to work at noon today and I picked him up. It was then that I found out that Tropical Storm Bertha is headed for Puerto Rico. Mark had found out earlier in the day and had sent an email to Justin. He emailed back that he was already in the midst of breaking down the pirate camp. I just got an email from Jo saying that the camp is secured and that they are in the house that is on the property. Bertha should not be packing winds stronger than 50 miles per hour and the house can easily sustain that. The storm will roll through their part of the Caribbean early tomorrow afternoon. We are sure hoping everyone will be safe and that there not be too much damage. Go slow, Bertha.
by Judy Handley | Jul 31, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 283, Year 9: South Wind Visits Quissett
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2014
Weather: Mostly Sunny, High Temp 80 degrees F, Breezy
Location: Quissett Harbor, Falmouth, Massachusetts
First thing this morning we went cruising around the anchorage in our dinghy looking for friends who arrived here yesterday afternoon. Jane and Roger Bonner live in Mystic, Connecticut from May/June to October and then head to Myrtle Beach for the winter. They are members of the Sail and Power Squadron there and that is where we met them. I really wanted to have them onboard for dinner but just didn’t have time to get a dinner together. We had a lovely evening at a nearby Cambodian restaurant named Stir Crazy. It was a bit of a drive to get there, but the option was to wait an hour or more to get seated at restaurants in Woods Hole and Falmouth. And besides, we all love Cambodian food, so Stir Crazy was the perfect choice. Jane and Roger will sail back across Buzzard’s Bay tomorrow, so tonight was our only chance to get together. It was a fun evening.
Our day was spent with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie. Sam slept in this morning and didn’t go to his class at the School of Science, so we drove into Falmouth and met Jed at Goodwill Park. Sam’s good friend Sebastian and his brother Fofee were there and the five boys had a great morning playing in the water. We spent the afternoon at Heather and Jed’s. Ollie napped, Sam and Jonah washed the van, and Granddad and I worked in the garden. It looks like a jungle and needed a little taming. There’s more to do, so that job will continue over the weekend. Mark works at West Marine for the next three days, so I should have time to do a little more weeding. I also need to get our refrigerator and freezer up and running again. We turned them off while we were gone and took the food to Heather’s. I brought back most of the refrigerator items this evening, but I need to go to the grocery store and restock. And then I need to get the freezer food. It is a pain to do this when we are away from the boat for more than three or four days, but solar and wind together just don’t provide enough power to keep the freezer going. And besides, it provides the opportunity to get rid of a lot of things that should have been thrown out long ago.
