2023 Life Logs, Day 71: Whole Cape Tour–Woods Hole to Provincetown
Date: Sunday, March 12, 2023
Weather: Cloudy turning Partly Sunny Late PM; High 38, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

What a whirlwind of a day. Peppe, Shadow, and I headed out around 9 am for a driving tour of Falmouth and a driving and walking tour in Woods Hole. Peppe and I had both forgotten that the time sprang forward one hour during the night, but we quickly adjusted once we got us and looked at our cell phones. I guess there is a reason they are called smart phones. They do keep us on track.

The plan for today was to experience the beauty of the Cape and that we did. We drove the beach route to Woods Hole, stopping Nobska Light House, driving into Woods Hole past the Martha’s Vineyard Ferry Terminal, the Woods Hole Oceanographic buildings, and on to the Marine Biological buildings. We visited Marina Park and communed with the Rachel Carson sculpture, drove past the the NOAA US Fisheries building and Woods Hole Aquarium, and into the parking lot of Stony Beach to survey the views of Buzzards Bay. Next was a stop at Quissett Harbor, the Woodwell Climate Research Center, a drive down Main Street Falmouth, and back home to drop off Shadow and continue on to the Outer Cape.

Once we were in Truro, we stopped for lunch at Boxed Lunch and then on to High Head Beach to see the gray seals. It is a trek through deep sand and up a steep dune to get to the beach, but the effort has been worth it as there are always lots of seals in the water. Just not today. There was not a seal in sight. We reluctantly headed back to the car, very disappointed that there were no seals, but that was soon overcome with our explorations in Provincetown … a drive out to Race Point Beach … a stop at the visitor center to enjoy the views from atop a hill overlooking the ocean … and then a leisurely walk down Commercial Street in Provincetown having the street almost to ourselves. It is so different at this time of year without the tourists and we enjoyed every minute of it. Peppe loved the art filled walls of one of the alley ways. We stopped by The Wired Puppy for some hot chocolate and then headed back to the car to travel on. I heard from Heather while we were walking in P-town and she suggested that we might find the seals in Chatham at Chatham Light Beach. So, on we went. Unfortunately, the seals were not there either, but we certainly soaked in the beauty of Cape Cod in our search of seals.

We changed gears tonight and watched the Oscars. We both now have a list of movies on our ‘must watch’ list, with Everything, Everywhere, All at Once at the top of the list. We will sleep in a bit in the morning and then Peppe will drive back to her sister’s home in New Hampshire and start packing for her flight back home in Washington state. We discovered this weekend that Sam and Dawn, also past owners of Windbird, live on the same peninsula near Seattle as Peppe and Bob. I am hoping they can meet once Peppe is back home. She hopes to fly on Wednesday, but the Northeast is expecting some nasty weather coming in tomorrow evening through Wednesday morning. Fingers crossed, Peppe’s flight is not cancelled.

2023 Life Logs, Day 70: Science Fair and Kennedy Exploration in Hyannis
Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
Weather: Rainy and Overcast; High 39, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Science Fair … friend Peppe Christianson arrived … tour of JFK Museum in Hyannis … exploration in Hyannis Port searching for the Kennedy Compound. This last activity involved walking the beach in the rain and wind. Then it was home for dinner and a night of talking about so many different things.

All three grandsons had projects on display at the Science Fair. Ollie’s project was experimenting to see what liquid would be most corrosive to aluminum foil. His hypothesis was that salty vinegar would be most corrosive and it was. Jonah worked with two friends testing the temperature of different public restroom hand dryers trying to determine the best temperature to keep bacteria from growing. And Sam worked with friend Robert to try and determine if Cape Cod oysters have more or less microplastics in them than the national average. It is always so exciting to see so many students involved in scientific exploration.

Peppe arrived at 11:30 am. We had lunch and then headed to Hyannis to tour the JFK Museum. It was cold and rainy, so an indoor activity was desirable. Plus, neither of us had ever been to the museum. We thought it would be interesting and it was. The focus of this museum is JFK’s deep connection to Cape Cod. He loved sailing Victura (Latin for “about to conquer”), a 25-foot Wianno sloop designed and built in Oysterville near Hyannis. I loved seeing his drawings of sailboats intermixed with his Presidential notes that he wrote during meetings. And, being sailors, Peppe and I really enjoyed the photos and sailing stories. We left the museum around 4 pm and decided to use Google Maps to find the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port. I had read that the best way to see the original Joe Kennedy home was by walking down the beach. So, we braved the wind and the rain and were successful in our search.
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We spent the evening talking about has been happening in our lives since we last saw each other in South Africa in 2010 and making plans for our tour of Cape Cod tomorrow.

2023 Life Logs, Day 69: Head Spinning
Date: Friday, March 10, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 46, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Much of today was spent at Heather and Jed’s meeting with two different builders to discuss renovations for an in-law apartment. Making renovations to their bonus could cost as much as a house in other parts of the country. So, as with everything, it is a matter of matching what you want with what you can afford. It was all a bit head spinning, but after the second builder left, Heather came up with a practical plan that seems promising. The hope is to get the renovations done so I will only have to pay Falmouth rent rates for one year.

I came home mid-afternoon and did a little food preparation for the weekend. My friend Peppe arrives around noon tomorrow and we go into tourist mode to show her the best of the Cape. I wanted to get a few food items prepared so we can fix quick dinners after our two days being out and about.

Tomorrow morning is the science fair, so I will start my day there. Sam, Jonah, and Ollie all have projects on display that I want to see. Sam and Robert already know that their project is going to the state science fair. Congratulations!!!

2023 Life Logs, Day 68: Newcomers Meeting and Cleaning Day
Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Chilly N Wind; High 46, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The program at the Newcomers General Meeting this morning was about The Osprey Project in Falmouth. Volunteers Barbara Schneider and Kevin Friel gave a great presentation about how they seek alternative nesting sites for local ospreys that are nesting on potentially dangerous utility poles. Many of these nests have caught fire and killed osprey. They work with community volunteers and Eversource to make nesting safer for our osprey friends.

On Saturday, fellow world cruiser friend, Peppe Christiansen, is coming to visit until Monday. Peppe lives on an island across from Seattle, Washington with her husband Bob. After meeting in the Indian Ocean, they reached the East Coast of the US the same year we did. Peppe has been staying with her sister who lives near Portsmouth, NH, while the sister has been undergoing chemotherapy and returns home next Wednesday. Peppe has never been to Cape Cod, so we are going to be touring the Cape on Saturday and Sunday. But not before I attend the Falmouth Public School Science Fair on Saturday morning. In the meantime, today I launched into a house cleaning frenzy and will continue that tomorrow afternoon getting ready for company.

Tomorrow morning, I am meeting with Heather and Jed with two different design/construction companies who will give us estimates on turning their bonus room above the garage into a full-fledged in-law apartment. This is an exploration to see what the costs would be and when it could be done. In the meantime, I am still moving into my friend Lynda’s home in July. I wake up early every morning with my head spinning with thoughts of moving. Much to get rid of!

2023 Life Logs, Day 67: Meetings and Laundry
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Weather: Sunny Early, Then Cloudy; High 45, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I spent my morning in a Newcomers/Encore planning meeting and my afternoon meeting with Lynda Onthank, the friend who I will be renting from come July. We spent two hours going through the house I will be renting, making decisions on what will be kept in the house and what she will be taking. Most everything is going, but there a few pieces of furniture I will be keeping. After our meeting, I stopped by Heather and Jed’s to put in a laundry load before heading home to walk with Shadow. Then it was back to Heather and Jed’s to put the laundry load in the dryer and take Ollie to his weekly saxophone lesson. When I took him home, I picked up my laundry and headed home. I spent much of the evening on the phone talking with family. So goes the day in the life.

2023 Life Logs, Day 66: Another Day of Rest
Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny, Cold North Wind; High 41, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Today was another day of rest trying to kick this cold. Basically, the only symptom left is tiredness and a bit of congestion. I did finally go the walk-in clinic to get a chest x-ray to make sure I don’t have pneumonia. Thankfully, I do not. It is simply a common cold that doesn’t want to completely go away. I am going to simply ignore it and very slowly begin a normal level of activity again. The only thing I did today other than take a nap was to make plane and rental car reservations to visit my sister the end of April and attend my niece Jennifer’s celebration of life

2023 Life Logs, Day 65: There’s a Moon Out Tonight
Date: Monday, March 6, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Windy; High 50, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Driving to a friend’s home for a birthday dinner celebration, a beautiful full moon was shining brightly in a clear night sky. I hope you got to enjoy it as I did.

Purim. I might have heard the word before, but not until a birthday call from Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg yesterday, did I know what it is. Purim is a Jewish celebration that began today at sundown and ends the same time tomorrow. Alan’s birthday is today. Happy birthday, Alan! I had hoped to drive up to have a birthday luncheon with him last Friday, but this cold kept me at home. So, a phone call had to do. When I asked Helaine what they would be doing today for Alan’s birthday, she said she would be busy working with a group at Newbridge spreading the joy of Purim. I had to ask what that is and Helaine told me the whole story that is found in the Book of Ester. Long story short, in ancient Persia a young Jewish woman named Ester finds favor with the king and becomes queen. King Ahashverosh has no idea that Ester is Jewish. At this time in history, the Jews were subjects of the empire, certainly not royalty. Ester finds out that Haman, who worked for the king, was plotting against the Jews and she risks her life to save the Jewish people from destruction. Purim is a celebration of her bravery.

Learning about Purim…having a birthday dinner with friends…seeing that beautiful full moon…the highlights of my day.

2023 Life Logs, Day 64: Happy Birthday to Moi
Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny, Gale Warning Tonight; High 44, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

For my birthday, my only wish was that I would feel better. And I did. Even the sniffles are gone, at least for today. I still don’t quite have my energy back, so I will take it easy this week in the hopes that there will not be another relapse. Some wishes do come true, and I had a perfect day.

This morning I got a birthday call from Kevin Claire and then went to Heather and Jed’s for a birthday breakfast brunch. Poached eggs on asparagus with bacon, fabulous cinnamon buns and chocolate covered strawberries, cards from the boys, and a new pair of silver octopus earrings. I played a soccer game with the boys on the Xbox and then all of us but Jonah went over to see the house I will be moving into this summer. Jonah had to stay home to watch his beloved Liverpool team play a real soccer game. Lynda, the friend I will be renting from, gave us all the full tour of the house and the yard and gardens. Everyone, including myself, loves the place. I am looking forward to beginning the “getting rid of stuff I don’t need” stage of moving while waiting for the real move in late June or early July. My other birthday wish was to go see the boat. I have not seen it since it was taken out of the water. It will soon be time to start boat projects and I wanted to see its land location. I then headed home to go for a walk with Shadow and have a Zoom video birthday call with Justin and family. It was a perfect birthday.

2023 Life Logs, Day 63: Still Resting
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Weather: Rainy with Lots of Wind; High 41, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I feel like I have the never ending cold. I spent the day resting, binge watched The Queen’s Gambit, watched a movie, but I am no better tonight than I was last night. I’m hoping for an overnight miracle and that I will wake up feeling great. But that is truly a long shot. If not, my birthday tomorrow might be spent doing more resting.

2023 Life Logs, Day 62: A Very Slow Day
Date: Friday, March 3, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny, Wind and Rain or Snow Overnight; High 44, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

My head cold is a tiny bit better than yesterday, but all I did today was rest and drink water. Of course, I took Shadow out and got some fresh air, but that was it for me. I’ll try this same routine tomorrow and hope that by Sunday I will be able to celebrate my birthday. If I am not better, celebration will just have to wait.