2023 Life Logs, Day 264: First Meeting, Second Meeting, Then Ollie to Sax Lesson
Date: Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Weather: Another Drop Dead Beautiful Day; High 69, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

The first General Meeting of Encore was today and it was my turn to run the business meeting. I spent my morning preparing for that and then went to The Flying Bridge for the luncheon meeting. It was a beautiful day, and The Flying Bridge was a perfect place for lunch. It is located on Falmouth Harbor, so we all enjoyed the water view as we conducted business and then had a wonderful lunch. It was after 2:30 pm when I got home, so I took Shadow out, changed clothes into something a little more comfortable, and headed to the first Public Policy meeting of the year. The question we addressed was: What is the state of childcare in Massachusetts and in Falmouth in particular? This also included a discussion of foster care. I left the meeting early to go pick up Ollie and take him to saxophone lesson. When I got home around 6 pm, I took Shadow out to play fetch and then I came in and crashed. It was a good day, but a long one.

As I have written before, Christina Brodie and I share the role of co-presidents of Encore. Olivia White took a photo of us today that really captures the essence of how we work together. I am sharing that photo here.

PS … Shadow’s fourth birthday was today, but Ollie has talked me into celebrating his birthday on the 21st instead of the 20th because both Sam and Ollie were born on the 21st day of the month, one in January, the other in March. Ollie comes over after school tomorrow and we will celebrate then.

2023 Life Logs, Day 263: Monomoy Seal Cruise and FHS Soccer
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Weather: Drop Dead Beautiful Day; High 70, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

What a beautiful day! The temperature was 70 degrees F, the wind was blowing in warm air from the west, the sun was shining brightly in a Cape Cod blue sky with just a few puffy white clouds to punctuate the beauty. And I went on a seal cruise on the Lower Cape, getting on the boat in Harwich Port and traveling by water out to Chatham to see the seals on Monomoy Island.

Monomoy Island is an 8-mile-long spit of sand that is truly beautiful. And those seals punctuated the beauty of the island just as the clouds punctuated the beauty in the blue sky. This was a Newcomers-Encore Field Trip group excursion, and it was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of summer. Summer officially ends at 2:50 am on this coming Saturday morning. I am hoping for a long second Cape Cod summer, but that doesn’t keep me from celebrating the calendar summer. Then I can celebrate again at the end of our second summer.

We had lunch at Clancy’s in Dennis on a little inlet from sea. The food matched the day. It was beautifully presented and tasted great. I got home around 3 pm, took Shadow out for a bathroom break, and then headed to the sports fields at Falmouth High School. Sam was playing a Varsity soccer game on the main turf field and Jonah was playing a Junior Varsity game on an adjacent field. I moved from one to the other and loved watching both grandsons playing the game they love for Falmouth High School. They have both been playing league soccer for the past couple of years. That was great but watching them on the fields today brought back memories of my high school days going to football games. There is something very special about participating in sports for your school and I am glad they made that choice this year.

2023 Life Logs, Day 262: Rainy Day
Date: Monday, September 18, 2023
Weather: Rain, Rain, and More Rain; High 68, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

The last time I named a log “Rainy Day” was on July 14. That was an all-day rain. We had plenty of other rainy in June and July, but much of it was heavy rain overnight or for just a period of the day, not the whole day. July 4th was one of those days. We had rain overnight and in the early morning, but then the rain held off. We thought we were going to have fireworks that night, but then the fog came in. During June and July had lots of thunderstorms and heavy rain in the late evening or overnight, lots of cloudy or partly cloudy days, but there were not that many days when I needed an umbrella to go out. But today. I could have used an umbrella. The heaviest rain was in the afternoon, but it was raining when I took Shadow out this morning and still raining when I took him out this afternoon. I don’t think I have put his rain jacket on him since I moved here, but he had to wear it today. The rain did stop for a bit around 6 pm, but then it started raining again and thunderstorms are predicted for tonight. Sometime this week, I am going to buy an umbrella.

The whole summer weather reflection happened after I called Heather this evening. She leaves tomorrow, not for Boston as I thought, but for New York City for Climate Week. That is timed to occur when the UN is in session and that is this week. When I mentioned to her that I needed to buy an umbrella if it is going to continue to rain like this, she reminded me that it had been raining all summer. True, but I have always been able to find a break in the rain to take Shadow out. Not today.

I went to Olga’s house for lunch today and to pick up some clematis that she offered me. It is cuttings, not rooted, but I have read that if you plant the cuttings in soil, some of them might survive. We shall see. And despite the rain, we had a lovely lunch on her beautiful side porch.

I then spent the rest of my afternoon trying to get out from under a ton of emails and paperwork that needed to be filed. I had to go through my emails and delete many of them as my Outlook mailbox was full once again. That has happened to me three times this summer. Becoming co-president of Encore means lots of emails with attachments, so I either have to file the attachments on my computer and delete them from my email or print them out and file them in a notebook. One way or the other, I have to delete them Outlook. Figuring out an email strategy was my afternoon.

2023 Life Logs, Day 261: Dining-In at the Brodies
Date: Sunday, September 17, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 71, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

It was a much needed lazy day for me. My back is giving me fits, so I did stretches, laid on the deck flat on my back and then flat on my stomach which seems to help, iced my back while watching Sunday morning television news programs, and then made cucumber soup to take to my dining-in group dinner tonight. That was my day.

This evening I went to Christina and Warren Brodies for our group dinner. We started with a shrimp cocktail brought by Peter and Karen Baranowski. It was the biggest and best shrimp I think I have ever eaten. My cucumber and basil soup (both from my garden) soup was the first course, a fabulous salad with blue cheese and fresh figs from a friend of Midge’s who has this fig tree in her yard in Queens in New York City, a fabulous entrée presented by Christina with chicken, fennel, and clementines (so delicious), and a plum torte dessert brought by Jane Woodin. The entire dinner was a gastronomic delight.

2023 Life Logs, Day 260: Tropical Storm Weather
Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Weather: Cloudy, Windy; High 71, Low 57 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

The wind from Hurricane Lee continued all night and most of today, but the wind was not as strong as predicted. We did get some rain overnight, but not as much as expected. That was all good news. But at 8:45 am Shadow and I were jolted by a very strange sound. I immediately looked out all of the windows and saw that a large limb, the size of a small tree, had fallen inches in front of one of the storage sheds in the back yard. It was too windy to go down to inspect the damage as I feared other limbs might fall, but I got close enough to take photos. Jed came over this afternoon to get the tree down on the ground and cut it up for firewood. Thank you, Jed. While he was doing that, Lynda came over to inspect the damage. We were just lucky it fell inches away from the shed. Otherwise, this in the shed, including my bicycle could have been crushed. We lucked out with this storm, as it moved far enough to the east to not do too much damage here on the Cape.

2023 Life Logs, Day 259: Workday at Home
Date: Friday, September 15, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Windy; High 66, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Hurricane Lee is still swirling full force to make landfall somewhere between Maine and Nova Scotia on Saturday. Here on Cape Cod, we are getting tropical storm weather that will continue through Saturday afternoon before calming down. But we have been spared the brunt of the storm. As Lee rotates counterclockwise, we are currently at about 9:30 pm on that clock getting the outer bands of the storm—cool winds from the north. The wind will really ramp up overnight and we will get rain and heavier winds. But it could have been a whole lot worse.

I had no meetings or appointments today and took full advantage of my day at home. I slept in and then spent the whole day dealing with an onslaught of emails, dealing with some issues for my sister, and dealing with Encore issues. Then at 6:45 pm I headed to Heather and Jed’s for a Rosh Hashana dinner to welcome in the Jewish New Year.

Last night I talked to my good friend Lynne Kirwin. She will be arriving next Saturday for a few days. On that same day, friend Peppe Christianson and her sister from New Hampshire will also arrive. They will be staying until Monday. So, I am going to have a house full next weekend. Lynne, Peppe, and I met while sailing around the world, so it will be great fun to be together once again. The last time we were all together was in South Africa in 2010. Then tonight I talked with friends Helaine and Alan Kanegsberg who live closer to home here in Massachusetts. I haven’t seen them since May, so we must find the time to visit soon.

2023 Life Logs, Day 258: Happy Birthday to Justin and Kevin
Date: Thursday, September 14, 2023
Weather: Sunny with White Puffy Clouds; High 77, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Happy Birthday, Justin. He turned 46 today. How did that baby boy get to be that old? My “adopted” son, Kevin, shares a birthdate with Justin and turned 49 today. And next week Shadow has his 4th birthday. Three of my favorite guys have September birthdays.

And happy birthday to Kevin who turned 49 today. The Newcomers Activity Fair was this morning. This is a two-hour meeting where members of Newcomers and Encore can come and learn about all of the activities offered by the two clubs. There are more than 60 activity groups, so lots of leaders. Tables are set up so each activity leader or leaders has a space so interested people can talk to the leaders to find out more about the activity. I co-lead two activities, Field Trips and Exploring Public Policy, and there was lots of interest. It was quite exciting to see so many people interested in keeping their lives active.

My friend Olga came over for lunch this afternoon. We had not seen each other since last spring, so we had lots of catching up to do. After lunch, Olga helped me pick the ripe cherry tomatoes, some Hungarian peppers, and cucumbers. I wanted to pick things so they don’t blow away with the wind this weekend.

Hurricane/tropical storm Lee passes to the east of Cape Cod tomorrow night and Saturday. By Sunday, it looks like things can get back to normal. I spent the afternoon left after Olga went home to securing things in the yard and after soccer practice, Sam came over and helped me put things in the basement. Hopefully the forecast is correct and we are not going to get super strong winds.

2023 Life Logs, Day 257: Head Spinning
Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Early; High 78, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Kevin and Claire had to leave this morning, but I didn’t really get to spend the quality time I wanted with them before they left because I had to leave before they did. I had to rush off to an Encore Board meeting and that left my head spinning. They are the best friends a person could have, and I just hated running off so quickly. I know they understood, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Our visit was too short this year, but it was a good one. I’ll just have to plan to have more free time when they come to visit next summer.

The rest of my day was a blur. A two hour Board meeting, errands I had to run, home for lunch and to walk Shadow, checking out the latest info on the approaching storm, out again to take Ollie to sax lessons and a trip to Staples to run off some things I need for a meeting tomorrow morning, home for dinner. Then I crashed in front of the television for way too long. I just needed some down time to clear my head.

I do have another all morning meeting tomorrow followed by lunch with a friend. Then I have to get serious about getting ready for the effects of Hurricane Lee. It is expected to bring hazardous coastal conditions here on the Cape with lots of wind. That means all outside furniture and anything else that might blow in the wind needs to be moved inside or lashed down. Heather and Jed have to go to the boat to take down the sails and dodger and also get their outside furniture secured. It could move further to the east and cause less damage here, but you do have to be prepared. The winds should start ramping up late Friday and by Sunday the storm will have moved on.

2023 Life Logs, Day 256: Island Queen Sunset Cruise
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Weather: Rain Overnight, Cloudy AM, Mostly Sunny PM; High 79, Low 67 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Today ended with a sunset cruise on the Island Queen with Newcomers and Encore friends and with Kevin and Claire as my guests. The weather has been ugly since Kevin and Claire arrived, so it surprised us all when it cleared up today for an outside lunch together and then for a delightful sunset cruise. The Island Queen ferry took us out of Falmouth Harbor, to Great Harbor in Woods Hole, and then through the ‘Hole’ to Buzzards Bay, and back to Falmouth Harbor. It was a great chance for Kevin and Claire to meet some of my best friends … Bruce and Jane Woodin, Christina and Warren Brodie, Claudia and Peter Needham, and Peter and Karen Baranowski. The sun set as we were coming back through the ‘Hole’. It couldn’t have been a more perfect evening.

After we had breakfast together this morning, Kevin and Claire were on their own for a few hours. I had to take Shadow in for his grooming appointment up by the Bourne Bridge. From there I drove back to Mashpee to do some grocery shopping prior to my much needed 9:45 am chiropractor appointment. I got home just in time to get set up for my 11 am monthly book club meeting that I was hosting this month. We discussed Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Such a great book. And as soon as that was over, I drove downtown to join Kevin and Claire on the outside deck of Estia where they treated me to lunch. After lunch we walked to Ben and Bill’s for ice cream. I had vegan (no dairy) chocolate raspberry, and it was honestly one of the best I have ever had. Who knew ice cream without cream could be so good?

The remainder of our afternoon was spent doing some work jobs. I introduced Kevin and Claire to the wonders of Jomax for removing mold and mildew. We cleaned the awning on their motor home and the lines on my umbrella style clothesline. Then Kevin dug a deep hole, removing a couple of big rocks that impeded our digging attempts, and put in the base. By that time, we had to move fast to get to the Island Queen ferry.

It was a busy, fun, and productive day, but Kevin, Claire, and I had very little time to visit. We did sit in the living room to talk when we returned home tonight. Shadow took full advantage and sat on Kevin’s lap, inching his way into Kevin’s heart. We all have to leave in morning around 9 am. I am going to an Encore Board meeting and Kevin and Claire are going to visit with family in New Jersey. We have had a lovely visit, just way too short. I am already looking forward to their return next year.

2023 Life Logs, Day 255: Seven Years
Date: Monday, September 11, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Humid, A Little Rain; High 75, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Seven years ago tonight, Mark left us, but he is still with me every day. If I had to make a list of the things that Mark did for me, I wouldn’t know where to begin. But I guess the main thing is that he opened my eyes to a world of possibilities that I never knew existed. We dreamed together and then made those dreams come true. My life will never be the same without him, but I live each day as Mark would want me to … looking to the future, dreaming of what comes next, and making plans to make sure those dreams come true.

Kevin and Claire dedicated their day to checking things off my to do list. And I am so grateful. They fixed clocks that haven’t worked for a couple of years, got the leaf on my dining room table properly attached, put up cup hooks under my cabinets that I just couldn’t do, and best of all, fixed the bedroom closet door that the flooring installers broke before I moved in here. It was one of four folding doors and finding a match to replace it seemed impossible. But with Claire’s stash of odds and ends that included the exact screw we needed, a stick from the yard, some epoxy, a drill, and a lot of ingenuity, that door is now up and working. This evening, Lynda, the friend that owns this house I live in, stopped by to get her mail after a week away. She was delighted that the closet door was finally fixed. She stayed and visited a bit and Kevin and Claire told her the story of how we met. Before Lynda left, I made sure she went into the garden to pick her ripe tomatoes in our garden. She beamed like a little kid in a candy shop. It seems my living here is a win-win for both of us.

Kevin, Claire, and I spent our evening talking about the Voyage of Windbird, my favorite topic. They had never seen my PowerPoint Presentation, so we went through that and then they gave me suggestions for things I can do to improve it. In November, I am giving that presentation to the Falmouth Newcomers for the third time in seven years. There are new members, but I really wanted input on how to change it up to still engage those who have seen it before. Their main suggestion was to tell stories that exemplify the closeness of the cruising community. In a world so divided, that suggestion makes all the sense in the world. And I have some wonderful stories to share.