by Judy Handley | Dec 25, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 66, Year 9: Merry Christmas to All
Date: Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Weather: Partly Sunny and COLD
Location: Back Home Aboard Windbird, North Falmouth, MA
Merry Christmas to all! We had a busy Christmas Day traveling and visiting. We had breakfast with my niece Lynn, talked to Sam, Jonah, and Ollie on the phone to wish them a Merry Christmas, and then drove about an hour north to Concord, New Hampshire. We first visited with Linda and Michael Garrett and their son Garrett. Garrett attends the University of South Carolina and was home visiting for the holidays. Linda and I worked together in the Concord School District. She and Michael just sold their home and have moved into an apartment. They are downsizing as they get ready to bike around the world. Well, they will have to find other transportation for getting across oceans, but the goal is to travel far and wide, all on their bicycles. Our visit today was short, but it sure was great to see them. They were leaving to have Christmas dinner with Linda’s brother, so we traveled on to have lunch with good friends Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg. Helaine just lost her mother and we just really wanted to see her in person and give her a hug. She and Alan are flying to Reno at 6 am in the morning to visit with their son Phillip, his wife Denise, and their grandson Torston. So again, we didn’t stay long, but we did get to catch up on what’s been happening in our lives. Mark and Alan compared tablets and their newest apps while Helaine and I talked more about family. We made a Skype call to Justin and Jo while we were there and got to see Coco and Ziggy in action and wish them a Merry Christmas. Coco was making all kinds of animal sounds for us, so I asked her if she knew how to flute like a flamingo. She looked puzzled, so I made the noise Oliver has taught me to make. She loved it and from then on during the call, every time she would look at the computer screen and see us she would flute like a flamingo. Ziggy was sitting at a table admiring his new and dearly beloved submarine. Santa obviously knew just what he wanted. Then it was off once again, this time to make the almost three hour drive home. We sure missed being with our kids and grandkids on Christmas Day, but since we could not be together, we are so grateful for technology that allows us to see and talk with them. Now it is time to say, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.”
by Judy Handley | Dec 24, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 65, Year 9: Christmas Eve Dinner
Date: Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Weather: Partly Sunny, Windy, Turning Colder Quickly
Location: Spending the Night with My Niece Lynn in Lowell, Massachusetts
Mark had a good day working at West Marine and then we drove north to Billerica (north and west of Boston) to have Christmas Eve dinner at my niece Candi’s home. Her husband, Char, is a fantastic cook, and together they delivered a fantastic meal. Char grilled a beef roast on the rotisserie and it was perfectly done and delicious. We visited with Candi and Char’s two daughters (and a husband and a boyfriend), Candi and Char’s granddaughter Grace, my other niece Lynn, and Lynn and Candi’s brother Brad and his friend and her little boy. We then went home with Lynn who has just recently moved into a condo in Lowell (not far from the New Hampshire border) and we have been talking and laughing for the past three hours. It is late and time to go to bed before Santa arrives. So here’s hoping each and every one of you has a wonderful Christmas.
by Judy Handley | Dec 23, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 64, Year 9: The Goldpebbles Visit Windbird
Date: Monday, December 23, 2013
Weather: Overcast with Rain, Temperature Dropping
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
I drove into town this morning to have my new eyeglasses adjusted and came home with three little boys, but not with adjusted eyeglasses. Now how does this happen? The first hitch was that the glasses that I have been wearing and took in to be adjusted were not mine. When I got new glasses about three weeks ago, I thought I could see just fine. But then I started having trouble with them slipping down on my nose and then I started having difficulty seeing clearly through them. So I took them off and started wearing my previous pair. When I finally had time to go in today and have them checked for problems, I was told that the glasses I was wearing were not the pair I bought. At first I was totally dumbfounded. Mark and I had checked carefully to make sure that we hadn’t picked up the wrong glasses. But the young women working with me checked the computer and found that, indeed, I was wearing Mark’s glasses. Now I just felt stupid! I’ll have to go back after Christmas to my glasses adjusted, but at least now Mark will be able to see a little better. The young woman was surprised that he hadn’t complained since his eyesight is worse than mine. Next time, we’ll get frames that are not so similar.
I then headed to Heather and Jed’s to pick up Sam and Jonah. I had told Heather that I would take them today so she could get ready for their trip to DC tomorrow. When I arrived all three boys were being a little crazy. And since Jed’s bad back was going to prevent him from helping with the trip preparation, I offered to take them all. Besides, I really wanted them to see Windbird’s little Christmas tree and I figured that the big boys could play on the deck out of the rain and that Ollie would spend a good hunk of the afternoon napping. The big boys did spend time on deck playing out of the rain, but Ollie just refused to go to sleep. I finally had Mark take him for a ride in the car, and he fell asleep immediately. So we all had a great afternoon together and then I invited Heather and Jed to come out for dinner. Everyone enjoyed our little tree and Heather and Jed didn’t have to cook and clean the kitchen on a night before a big trip. So it was a good day for all. We are sure going to miss the Goldstones and their three little Goldpebbles, but we know that their Goldstone grandparents are going to love having them for Christmas.
by Judy Handley | Dec 22, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 63, Year 9: Christmas Day a Little Early
Date: Sunday, December 22, 2013
Weather: Overcast, Misty, and Warm; High in the 50’s F, Low in the 40’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Today was our Christmas Day with Heather, Jed, and boys. We had our Christmas together a little early as they will be leaving on Tuesday morning to spend Christmas with Jed’s parents in Washington, DC. We will miss being with them, but we had a WONDERFUL Christmas together today. And I know Jed’s parents, Marti and Donald, can’t wait to see them. It will be a long drive on Christmas Eve, but some of the presents they got today will help out with the trip. Sam, Jonah, and Ollie got a video system for the van, the new Planes video, and some Dr. Seuss videos as well. Jonah and Sam will each have their own screens. Heather has been a bit panicked thinking about the drive as she is going to have to do all the driving. Jed threw his back out last week and will not be able to drive as usual. And since he has to sit in the front seat, there will be no one in the back to keep the kids entertained. Thus, the video system.
Tomorrow we hope to bring the boys to Windbird to spend a little time on the boat. It is supposed to rain all day and since it is fairly warm, I figure they can play on the deck and be out of the rain. On Tuesday, Mark works at West Marine all day and then we head north of Boston to have Christmas Eve dinner with my nieces, Candi and Lynn. We’ll spend the night there and on Christmas morning we will drive to New Hampshire to see friends before heading back home to Windbird.
by Judy Handley | Dec 21, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 62, Year 9: The Longest Night
Date: Saturday, December 21, 2013
Weather: Partly Sunny and Warm, High/Low in the 50’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
It is late, so the shortest day of the year is behind us and the longest night looms ahead. It is winter solstice so we can now officially say it is winter. And starting tomorrow the days begin to grow a tad longer. But unfortunately, the temperature does not begin to rise. We are having a heat wave today with temps in the 50’s during the day and into the night, but on Christmas Eve the temperature takes a plunge and on Christmas day it will be 30 degrees colder than tonight.
We had planned to have all three boys all day while Heather got things ready for their solstice party. But the weather was so warm that the boys were outside playing with friends by the time we arrived and they didn’t want to leave. So we hung out at H & J’s while Heather went food shopping and then Granddad took a nap with Ollie while I went Christmas shopping with Sam and Jonah. The idea was to find out what they would like to buy for each other. Actually Jonah already bought something for Sam, but Sam needs to buy something for Jonah and they both want to get Ollie something. As we left the toy store Sam said, “This is just overwhelming.” Out of the mouth of babes! He wanted everything he saw and had a hard time thinking about what he would get for Jonah. But we did find some small things that would make special gifts. I also took them to the green in Falmouth where there are all sorts of Christmas displays. The favorite every year is the train that you can climb on and an enclosed model train display that you can run. And the green is also perfect for little boys to run, so Sam and Jonah ran the length of the green and back multiple times. We then picked up Mark and Ollie and went to the liquor store to pick up ‘supplies’ for the party. Then it was off to Windbird so Mark and I could change clothes. We arrived back home right at 5 pm and were the first guests to arrive by just a few minutes. The food was delicious and the yummy chocolate yule log for dessert certainly helped us make it through the longest night.
by Judy Handley | Dec 20, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 61, Year 9: Revels Magic
Date: Friday, December 20, 2013
Weather: Partly Sunny and Warm (for December), High 50 degrees F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Mark ran errands all morning while Ollie and I cleaned the house for tomorrow night’s solstice party. Ollie actually helps me. I can tell him to take things to the playroom or the kitchen and he does it. When I use the vacuum, he vacuums as well. When I dust, he dusts. We make a good team. Then in mid-afternoon, we all got in the van and headed for Boston (actually Cambridge) to see Revels. The traffic was terrible and it took us almost three hours (instead of two) to get there. Thankfully, we went to an old stand-by favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Harvard Square and had a wonderful dinner with very quick service. Then we walked across the Harvard campus to Sanders Theater. It is more like a cathedral than a theatre and I always love just being there. Tonight’s Revels performance might be the best one we have ever seen and it was also the longest. But the best show was watching Sam, Jonah, and Oliver. Sam will be seven in a month, Jonah is four and half, and Ollie will be two in three months. Each boy has a very distinct personality and it was fascinating to watch how they reacted to the music. I so wish I could have video-taped them, but no photography is allowed during the show. So all I have are a couple of pre-show photos. Since it is 1:30 in the morning, I’ll make my descriptions brief, but I just have to try and capture the essence. We were in the front row of the balcony and therefore had a wooden railing in front of us. The big boys could stand and Ollie sat on Heather’s knees resting his hands on the railing. He was totally mesmerized and sat absolutely still except for his little chubby fingers. He would sometimes tap them to keep time with the music and when the adults in the audience clapped, he clapped. His eyes never wondered from the stage. Jonah has music in his bones and as he listened tonight his entire body would keep beat with the music. Even his fingers moved on the wooden railing as if he were playing the piano. But again, his eyes never wondered. To him everything that was happening on stage was real, not make-believe. Sam is old enough to know that what he is watching is a play, not real. Yet he is fascinated. He doesn’t move to the music like Jonah, although he really enjoys it. He watches much more like an adult. He’s growing up so fast. It was truly magic to watch the boys in action tonight. What a wonderful holiday gift.
Each year Revels finds a new way to present the solstice story. Since I’m writing this after mid-night, I can say that this is the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year. And as presented by Revels, the old year is dying and the new year is born. Welcome Yule!
