by Judy Handley | Nov 1, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 12, Year 9: The November Lion
Date: Friday, November 1, 2013
Weather: Windy, Gusts to 45-50, High Temp in the 60’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
We normally think of March when we talk about a month that can come in like a lion. But today, here on Cape Cod, November definitely came in like a lion. It was very windy early and by late morning the winds were blowing 25-30 with gusts up to 45. It was so windy that the scarecrow Sam made last night went flying down the hill. But by mid-afternoon, the winds calmed down. Our forecast for the next couple of days is quite uncertain at this point. I normally use Weather Underground which on my computer tells me that by Sunday night it will be freezing with a wind chill well below and a chance of snow. But the exact same source on Mark’s tablet gives him a much warmer scenario. So I guess we will just wait and see.
Mark and I had a good day with Ollie. Mark did some consulting work and he continued his search for a place we might rent in Culebra in mid-February. All of us (Mark and I plus Heather, Jed, and boys) are hoping to be able to fly down to visit with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco during Sam and Jonah’s February vacation, but the cost of flights, renting a place to stay, and paying for some mode of transportation is just overwhelming. We are trying to think out of the box and find a cheaper way to do this, but it takes time and patience to search these things out. Since I seem to never have the time nor patience, I have assigned this job to Mark! Heather and Jed are desperate to build a mudroom on the front of their house, so a trip to Culebra might just be out of the question. As Heather told her brother today, building a mudroom is not nearly as sexy as a mid-winter vacation in Puerto Rico, but the mudroom could make life so much nicer for them all winter long. Trying to find a place to keep coats, rain gear, boots, shoes, hats and mittens for two adults and three little boys in a small home is quite challenging. I have been known to be the queen of organization, but even I can’t find a way to help them manage all the ‘stuff.’ So I have to agree that adding a mudroom on the front of the house would be a much more sensible way to spend money. Yet, we would love to see all of our grandchildren together on the beach in Culebra. So we shall see what we can come up with.
Tomorrow is the last soccer Saturday and after Sam’s 1:30 pm game, Sam and Jonah are coming home to Windbird with us to spend the night. Granddad is going to put them to work helping him put up the framing for our winter cover. And on Sunday we are going to visit with our sailing friends, Geoff and Chris from Australia. They just sailed from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Thankfully they arrived in New Bedford yesterday before we got the very strong SSW winds this afternoon. Either they will sail over to Woods Hole or we will drive over to New Bedford. But one way or the other, we will visit on Sunday before they continue their sail south. At this point they are planning on spending the winter in southern Chesapeake Bay. But it looks like they are going to get a good dose of New England cold before they depart.
by Judy Handley | Oct 31, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 11, Year 9: Happy Halloween
Date: Thursday, October 31, 2013
Weather: Overcast but Warm(er), High 60’s F, Low 50’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Mark says my sense of ‘warm’ is different from his. When I was warm today, he was still cold. There was no sunshine and it was windy, but with a daytime high in 60’s, it felt warm to me. There were a few sprinkles during the Trick or Treat time tonight, but it was still warm enough in the evening that the kids didn’t have to worry about wearing coats over their costumes. Unfortunately, this little spell of warm is going to be short-lived. There is actually a 40 per cent chance of snow—yes, snow—on Sunday night. OMG
Mark, Ollie, and I had a fairly typical day until about 2:15 in the afternoon. Then we got a call from Jed saying that he and Heather were on their way from Woods Hole to Sam’s school for a 2:45 pm Halloween parade. Ollie had just gotten up from his nap, so we convinced him to put on a pumpkin costume and get in the stroller. He has absolutely resisted the idea of putting on a costume for Heather and Jed, so they had given up the idea. But I pulled the pumpkin costume out of the dress-up drawer and somehow Granddad got him to put it on with just a little persuasion. Then Granddad put on a crazy wig and off we went. There is a quarter-mile track adjacent to the playground at Sam’s school and that is where the parade took place. Ollie had a great time frolicking in the field looking very much like a pumpkin and Sam walked proudly in the parade as an Army guy in camouflage. After the parade, Jed had to go back to work, but we stayed at the school and played on the playground until time to pick-up Sam. When we got home, Sam played in his ‘fort’ made of pine shats. We practiced for his Friday spelling test in the fort and then he decided he needed to make something ‘spooky’ to add the fort décor. Heather suggested that he make a scare crow. He stuffed a pair of his pants and one of his shirts with pine shats and then added a pumpkin head and a hat. Perfect! While Heather was helping with this, I fixed dinner and then Jonah and Jed arrived home. Heather and Jed had attended Jonah’s Halloween parade in Woods Hole earlier in the day. Our little Captain America thought it appropriate to sing the Star-spangled Banner throughout the entire parade. Another ‘perfect.’ I mean, of course you would expect Captain America to be patriotic. After dinner, Jed (dressed as a wizard) took the three boys out to Trick or Treat and Heather (Little Red Riding Hood) stayed home to pass out candy. We stuck around to help out and to enjoy the spirit of the evening. Happy Halloween!
by Judy Handley | Oct 30, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 10, Year 9: Small Craft Warning
Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Weather: Partly Sunny, High 50’s F, Low 40’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
In November of 2005, after our departure for our voyage around the world had been delayed due to ‘technical difficulties’, and we were temporarily stuck in the Chesapeake. While there, my nephew who lived in Maryland at the time threw a family farewell party. Another nephew, Barry, gave us a farewell gift–a beer called Small Craft Warning. Barry is a cynic and I think the ‘warning’ was his way of saying that we might not ever make it around. The bottle says, “It’s the heavy seas that separates the men from boys.” Well, we kept that beer onboard through all kinds of seas and now this weekend my nephew is celebrating his 50th birthday. Today I intended to send that beer back to him as a birthday present through the USPS, but I learned that it is illegal to send alcohol. It was sent via UPS and I sure hope it makes it full circle. Happy birthday to Barry.
We are experiencing a bit of heat wave. Tomorrow the high temp is supposed to reach the 60’s and tomorrow night it will be in the 50’s. Since tomorrow night is Halloween, it is nice that it will be a little warmer than normal. We will spend the evening at Heather and Jed’s giving out candy while the Goldstones are out trick or treating. Sam is going to be an army guy in camouflage and Jonah is going to be Captain America. Oliver has refused putting on any type of costume, but we’ll have granddad work with him tomorrow to see if he will cooperate. Somehow Mark can get him to do things that the rest of us are unable to do. But in the grand scheme of things, it really isn’t important. Maybe he would rather stay home with Mark and I and hand out the candy.
It is currently the bottom of the fifth and the Red Sox are leading 6 to 0. Go Red Sox!!!
by Judy Handley | Oct 29, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 9, Year 9: Contact with Local Oncologist
Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Weather: Sunny, Seasonably Chilly, High 50’s F, Low 40’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Contact with doctors seems to be our favorite pastime these days. Since meeting with Dr. Kwak, the oncologist in Boston, we have been waiting to hear from the oncologist here on the Cape that will oversee Mark’s chemo treatments. She called this evening and will meet with Mark and start the chemo regimen next week. We have to call the office tomorrow to set the appointment date and time, but at least we now know the chemo will start next week. We understood from Dr. Kwak in Boston that the treatments (4) would end just before Christmas, but Dr. Crook down here told Mark this evening that there might be 6 treatments that will end in mid-January. We’re not sure what will be the determining factor, so we will just wait and talk to Dr. Crook next week. We are only concerned because we are trying to figure out if it will be possible for us to fly to Puerto Rico for a week in mid-February to visit with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. It surely would be a wonderful mid-winter break.
Today was an Early Release Day for Sam and he had a friend come home with him. Sam and Ethan played all afternoon and had a great time. Mark worked at the dining table all day on his consulting work and Ollie and I played inside and outside. Ollie is not talking in sentences yet, but every day he adds new words. And he most definitely gets his ideas across. We swept floors, did laundry, picked little cherry tomatoes, played baseball, dug in the dirt, worked puzzles, played with LEGOs, stacked wood, and read book after book, over and over. He even posed for a series of photos! Ollie is such an easy little guy to be around. Both Mark and I are loving our days with him.
Justin and Jo are settling into their new home in Culebra and the whole family is loving it there. Finding healthy food is a bit of a challenge, but they are figuring that out. Jo sent photos of Ziggy and Coco, so I’ll post those along with the series of pics of Ollie. How did we ever exist without grandchildren? They certainly put the smile into life.
by Judy Handley | Oct 28, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 8, Year 9: Baseball and a Dozen Yellow Roses
Date: Monday, October 28, 2013
Weather: Same, Same—Sunny, Seasonably Chilly, High 50’s F, Low 30’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Mark still knows the way to this woman’s heart . . a dozen yellow roses. When I first met Mark, he sent me a dozen yellow roses. I still have those dried rose petals, along with all the other dried petals of any other roses he has ever given to me. Today while Mark and I were in Heather and Jed’s backyard playing World Series baseball with Jonah and Ollie, a dozen yellow roses were delivered. Jonah thought they were beautiful, but he wanted to know why the roses had no ‘prickers.’ I don’t know if they remove them or if they grow roses without thorns, but whichever, these roses had no ‘prickers.’ So my husband of 39 years, who doesn’t really like sports, struck a homerun this afternoon.
Monday is the day that Jed stays home with Jonah and Ollie. Today Heather had to go to Boston and wouldn’t get home until well after dinner, so Mark and I went over in the afternoon to give Jed a bit of a break. Jonah wanted to play baseball. I asked him if he knew that the Boston Red Socks were in the World Series and he came back with, “What’s the World Series?” I tried to explain, but it was much more fun to just play. So we did.
by Judy Handley | Oct 27, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 7, Year 9: A Happy Anniversary
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2013
Weather: Mostly Sunny; Still Chilly with High 50’s F, Low 30’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
This morning Mark asked me what I’d like to do for my 39th wedding anniversary. I had given this no thought and was quite surprised by the two things that came to mind. One was to give our galley stove a thorough cleaning. Now if I was my sister Patsy, the stove would be thoroughly cleaned every day. But I am not and it is not. The second thing that came out of my mouth was to go to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. We have never been there and I have always wanted to see it. This interested Mark much more than cleaning the stove and then we both realized that we would love to see if Heather, Jed, and boys would like to come with us. When we called we found out that both Heather and Jed were tied up all day manning a hospitality booth for the Cape Cod Marathon, but the three boys would gladly go along. So off we went. The museum was great and all three boys, as well as ourselves, enjoyed it. After taking the boys home, Mark and I went out to dinner at a restaurant called Stir Crazy that serves authentic Cambodian food. The restaurant has an amazing story behind it as it was founded by Bohpa, a woman who escaped the Communist take-over of Cambodia in the 1970’s and dreamed of becoming King Midas. But instead of turning everything she touched into gold, she dreamed of turning it into food. She lost most of her family in Cambodia, but she made it to this country and established this restaurant. We had a phenomenal dinner, so thank you, Bohpa. And then we returned to Windbird and ended our evening by watching Mutiny on the Bounty. So it was a happy anniversary.
