After almost 6 years of traveling, we sailed into Woods Hole on Cape Cod. We continued living aboard for the next five years and I wrote about that, adding ‘and Beyond’ to the title of the blog. Then shortly before Mark’s death in 2016, we sold our beloved Windbird and my travel logs became land logs. At this point, I had written a daily account for each and every day for 11 years. I fully intended to end the blog at that point, but when I wrote that news in a log, I got many responses saying that I really needed to keep posting. At the same time, I realized that I couldn’t stop writing. Summarizing each day had become a permanent part of my life and I will probably continue writing until I can no longer. These postings reflect the ordinary, and sometimes the extraordinary, days in my life and I would like to invite you to join me on my journey.
2019 Life Logs, Day 274: Philadelphia to New City, NY
2019 Life Logs, Day 274: Philadelphia to New City, NY
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Weather: Beautiful Day; High 73, Low 70 degrees F
Location: At Home with Lynne’s Friend Jane in New City, NY
Today was another beautiful touring day in Philadelphia, this time with Kevin. He returned from his 24-hour business trip to Los Angeles early this morning, slept a couple of hours, and then walked back to the historic district with Lynne and me. 
We went back to the Ben Franklin Post Office so Lynne could send a letter with the special post mark and then we walked to the National Constitution Center. Once we went in, we realized it was going to take more time that we had to do the tour, so instead we headed to The Bourse. This is a food court in the historic 1895 building that was once a stock exchange. It was remodeled and opened in July of last year. The name ‘bourse’ is used to refer to a stock exchange, especially in certain European cities and now in Philadelphia. We chose the first food stall we came to as the Hawaiian Poké bowls sounded delicious . . . and they were. We had five categories to choose from, with many options in each category, to build our own bowl. We all chose to have sushi grade ahi tuna on organic salad greens and had some combination of green onions, garlic, seaweed salad, edamame, carrots, cucumber, sesame seeds, and I had wasabi aioli dressing with mine. It was delicious. We then walked back to the boat to get Lynne’s things as she was heading to New City, New York to stay with a friend and start her visit with other friends and family in Nyack. Claire was leaving for Cold Springs on Long Island for a conference, so that left Kevin and I to visit and tour a bit more. We walked the waterfront down to South Street and then walked through a funkier part of Philly. We stopped at Tattoo Mom, a kicky little bar with lots of vegan food choices, to have $1.00 tacos and a beer. We solved all the world’s problems, walked back through the Society Hill area of Philadelphia, back to the historic district where I got to see the old Customs House, and then back to the boat. By the time we got my things to the car, it was 6:30 pm and I headed to New City to spend the night with Lynne and her friend Jane. I had met Jane before, but it was so gracious of her to invite me to spend the night. This makes my drive home tomorrow much shorter and I will avoid the early morning Philadelphia and New York City traffic.
Both Lynne and I had a fabulous time staying aboard Merganser for a couple of nights and truly enjoyed touring Philadelphia with Kevin and Claire. They are the perfect hosts and are so much fun to be with. I’m so lucky to have such wonderful friends. Thank you, thank you!
2019 Life Logs, Day 273: Happy Birthday to Heather
2019 Life Logs, Day 273: Happy Birthday to Heather
Date: Monday, September 30, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 72, Low 63 degrees F
Location: Aboard Merganser, Pier 3 Marina, Philadelphia, PA
Happy birthday to my baby girl. Well, not quite a baby anymore, but she will always be in my eyes. I got a phone call from her this evening and she reported that she had an absolutely lovely day.
Kevin flew to LA in the wee hours of the morning for a business meeting and will be back in tomorrow morning. So, Claire took Lynne and I on an all day historic tour of old town Philadelphia. According to Lynne’s FitBit, we walked 17,280 steps or 8.15 miles today. Whew! It was quite a walking tour. We hit all of the historic places in old town starting with Ben Franklin’s grave stone in the Christ Church Burial Ground. It is just a huge granite slab covered with pennies that people shower upon it. It was ironic when we ended the day in the Ben Franklin US Post Office. In between those two Ben Franklin landmarks, we walked by the Quaker Meeting House, the US Mint, the National Constitution Center, and the Independence Visitor Center. It was late morning by this time and we wanted to make an appointment to see Independence Hall. We were told that the first reservation available for a tour was at 3 pm, but we had much more we wanted to see, so that time was fine. We walked on to see the Declaration House display and then walked to China Town, and on to visit the Reading Market, one of the largest and oldest public markets in the country. We walked through what is now Macy’s, but was once Wannamaker’. There we saw the largest fully functioning pipe organ in the world as well as the bronze Philadelphia Eagle. We walked in and around the Philadelphia City Hall which is quite an impressive structure, and then we walked on toward Rittenhouse Square which is the heart of the city’s most expensive and exclusive neighborhood. We were all getting hungry but not sure where to eat when Claire literally looked up and saw a sign that said, “Organic Plant-Based Food.” We couldn’t resist and had a great lunch. It was nearing the time of our Independence Hall tour and there just wasn’t enough time to walk back, so Claire called an Uber and we were there in minutes. The Independence Hall tour was definitely the highlight of the day. We had a great guide who showed us the West Wing which served as a Court complete with a juror’s box and a defendant’s box where the defendant had to stand during the trial . . . thus the term ‘stand trial’. In the East Wing we got to see the room where the Founding Fathers wrote both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. As we walked back toward the waterfront, we ended our tour by walking through the place where Ben Franklin once lived and visited the US Post Office that bears Franklin’s name. It was a wonderful day.
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Tonight we visited aboard ‘Knock on Wood’, the boat owned by Chris and Georgette that we met last night. We had another fun evening together with Lynne and I telling boat stories. It has been so much fun for us to be staying aboard a sailboat once again. More tomorrow.
2019 Life Logs, Day 272: Cape Cod to Philadelphia
2019 Life Logs, Day 272: Cape Cod to Philadelphia
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 81, Low 63 degrees F
Location: Aboard Merganser, Pier 3 Marina, Philadelphia, PA
There was more traffic than I anticipated on a Sunday, but I made it to Philadelphia just before 3 pm and then Lynne arrived about 45 minutes later. We spent time finding places to park our cars on the street rather than paying the $20 per night parking lot fee and then we headed to the marina to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with Kevin and Claire on Merganser. It had been a sunny day turning cloudy mid-afternoon, but when we got to Merganser the sun came out. We had a lovely time sitting at a picnic table at the end of the dock having appetizers and talking. A couple from another boat joined us and enjoyed the farmer’s cheese, made by Kevin today, along with sliced tomatoes and basil. And Kevin really enjoyed the Lebanon bologna that Lynne brought to him from Amish country in Lancaster. She drove from Michigan to Lancaster yesterday to visit with family and I told her that if she wanted Kevin to love her forever all she had to do was to bring him some Amish Lebanon bologna. So she did. Lebanon bologna is a type of cured and smoked beef sausage that is fermented. It is similar to salami. And it made Kevin very happy.
We had dinner at the City Tavern where our nation’s founding fathers ate, drank, and made merry while forming our new government. Today’s Tavern is a replica of the original that was established in 1773, but the original building, but the staff still wears period costumes. Before dinner, I had a sampling of beers made from recipes from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. Ben’s was my favorite. I had Chesapeake crab cakes for dinner, Lynne had Brook trout, Kevin had turkey pot pie, and Claire had a West Indies pepperpot soup. All delicious. When we got back to Merganser, we invited the couple we had met earlier to join us as we shared sailing stories. Tomorrow is tour day. So, Philadelphia, here we come.
2019 Life Logs, Day 271: Another Soccer Saturday
2019 Life Logs, Day 271: Another Soccer Saturday
Date: Saturday, September 28, 2019
Weather: Another Beautiful Day; High 74, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was another soccer Saturday. I didn’t get to see Ollie play today because his game was at the same time as Jonah’s, but Ollie reported that he made all four goals in his scrimmage, a ‘hat trick’ to rival Jonah’s from a couple of weeks ago. He was very proud. Jonah and Sam both played tough games today. Neither of their teams won, but they played hard. Sam always plays defense and Jonah switches from goalie to forward to defense. Slowly, I am learning more about the game and I do really enjoy watching them play. Neither of their teams have more than a couple of kids on the bench, which means they have to play the entire game with only a couple of rests.
Sam now plays on a much larger field, so lots of running and harder for me to get close-up photos. But today I got one of Sam throwing the ball in and one kicking the ball.
Even though Jonah was wearing a head band at this coach’s insistence, he’s is still the wild-haired kid on the field. Such a contrast to his good buddy Luke with his black hair.
Tomorrow I am off to Philadelphia. I lived in Philadelphia for a year when I first got out of college, but I don’t think I ever toured the town. I remember driving by Independence Hall while I lived there, but not touring. A few years later Mark and I visited Philadelphia and went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. So I am looking forward to going there to visit with Kevin and Claire, meet up with Lynne Kirwin, and see the city as a tourist. It should be fun and the weather looks cooperative.
2019 Life Logs, Day 270: Bike Ride and Newcomers Mix and Mingle
2019 Life Logs, Day 270: Bike Ride and Newcomers Mix and Mingle
Date: Friday, September 27, 2019
Weather: Continued Beautiful Weather; High 73, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The beautiful and warm summer-like weather continued today. The weather this week has been just spectacular, but the frenzy of Monarch butterflies that seemed to be everywhere yesterday were no where to be found today. Do they know something we don’t about upcoming weather? Maybe. But more likely it is just time for them to head south to Mexico.
I have not been on a bicycle other than in the gym since my knee surgery. My PT person told me not to ride on the road for at least five months as it takes that long for nerves and reflexes to mend after surgery. She explained that the automatic reflexes for what to do when you have to stop and hop off the bike take time to return and without them, you risk falling over. Not a good idea for the new knee. I wanted to ride with the Newcomers bike group today, but at the last minute, I realized that I should really try riding around the neighborhood first to make sure I was ready for this. So I rode up and down and around streets in this neighborhood and practiced getting on and off the bike. It worked just fine, but I realized just how much out of shape I am. Tiny hills were challenging. So I hope to continue riding 3-5 miles in the neighborhood for a few weeks before rejoining the bike group. But I have to say that it felt great to be biking again. In the afternoon, I delivered a meal to Terry and Olivia. Olivia was released from the hospital yesterday after her knee replacement. When I arrived, the PT person was there working with her. I waited for him to finish and we visited a bit. I wish her the best in the recovery process. Then tonight I went to a Newcomers Mix and Mingle. It is always nice to visit with people you know and meet new people. Tonight I met a couple who are originally from Great Britain, but are not Falmouth residents. While talking the husband, he mentioned that his wife loves to garden. When I then followed up and talked to her, she convinced me to join the local Garden Club. Not sure I need another activity, but she made it sound to inviting!
Tomorrow is another soccer Saturday and early on Sunday morning I head to Philadelphia. So looking forward to meeting up with Lynne Kirwin and visiting with Kevin and Claire.
2019 Life Logs, Day 269: Gardens and Butterflies
2019 Life Logs, Day 269: Gardens and Butterflies
Date: Thursday, September 26, 2019
Weather: Sunny; High 75, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
When I close my eyes and think about my day, I see visions of gardens and butterflies. I started the day by attending an organizational meeting for Newcomers book groups. I have never belonged to a book group, but I’ve decided to give it a try. The meeting was at Highfield Hall and after the meeting, I visited one of their beautiful gardens. The flowers were lovely but the most noticeable thing was the plethora of butterflies, both Painted Ladies and Monarchs. Then when I got home and walked between my raised bed gardens, I was literally dive-bombed by Monarchs. I stopped and pulled my phone out of my pocket to try to get some photos. There were at least six different Monarchs feasting on my zinnias that are still in bloom. I was very disappointed with my gardens this year, but today made me realize just how much I love my gardens even though they don’t get enough sunshine to really flourish. Just too many trees. Stacy Murphy is a gardening who does lots of online gardening classes and she says, “A garden is not a thing . . . it’s a lifestyle.” And I am dedicated to that lifestyle.
2019 Life Logs, Day 268: On the Road Again
2019 Life Logs, Day 268: On the Road Again
Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Weather: Sunny; High 74, Low 58 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Summer is officially despite the lingering and sunny weather. But it is fall and time to change gears. So, this weekend, I’ll be on the road again. The song by that name, written and sung by Willie Nelson, was a theme song for my life with Mark and was highlighted in tonight’s last episode of Ken Burns’ Country Music. Watching this series was truly an emotional experience for me. Growing up in West Virginia, I totally rejected any image of being a hillbilly and I hated country music, but Ken Burns has given me a reborn appreciation. In tonight’s episode, I really enjoyed learning more about Kathy Matea. She is from Cross Lanes, West Virginia, which, when I was growing up, was just a part of the town of Nitro where I grew up. Her father was an engineer at Monsanto where both my brother, my sister, my brother-in-law, and my sister-in-law worked. They knew him and my nephew Tommy, much younger than myself, went to school with Kathy. I had heard her name from family members before this series, but I knew nothing about her music. Now I know her story, as well as so many others. Thank you, Ken Burns.
Now back to being on the road again. This Sunday I head to Philadelphia to visit with friends Kevin Russell and Claire McKellar. Another good friend, Lynne Kirwin, is going to meet me there, and we will spend a couple of nights aboard Kevin and Claire’s sailboat, Merganser. Kevin and Claire are going to give us a tour of Philadelphia on Monday and we will spend hours just visiting together. Kevin and Claire joined Mark and I in the Bahamas in 2015 and we met up with Lynne and Ed in an anchorage in the Exumas. It will be some wonderful to be together again. I will head home on Tuesday or Wednesday and then on Thursday I head to Maine for the Celebration of Life of Rich Kole, the husband of another close friend, Leslie. So, lots of traveling in the next week.
I happily report that Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco did back to Puerto Rico last night. Evidently Tropical Storm Karen had moved on by the time their flight from Dallas to San Juan landed. So I’m now hoping that there are no more reports of earthquakes or tropical storms/hurricanes in Puerto Rico this fall.
2019 Life Logs, Day 267: Rude Awakening
2019 Life Logs, Day 267: Rude Awakening
Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Weather: Sunny; High 76, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I woke up this morning to the news that there had been an earthquake out in the ocean on the northwest side of Puerto Rico. Justin and family live on the western side of the island but they have been vacationing in New Mexico, so were not home. Then I saw that a tropical storm was headed across the island. Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco were flying home today, but not leaving New Mexico until the afternoon. They were flying from Albuquerque to Dallas and then on to Puerto Rico. What a day for the people in PR. The good news is that there was no tsunami as a result of the earthquake and no damage was reported. And the tropical storm is now about 85 miles from San Juan, but still close enough that there will be squalls during the night and into tomorrow. I haven’t heard a travel update from Justin, so I’m hoping no news is good news. In the morning, I will look forward to hearing that they are home safe and sound.
Today was a half day of school for the Goldpebbles, so I spent the early part of the afternoon with them. I canned marinara sauce and did some laundry while I was there and when Jed got home, I took off to get to an appointment. Then I did some cooking tonight while watching another episode of Country Music . . . more great stories.
My good friend Olivia had knee replacement surgery this morning. Terry sent an email to friends letting us know the surgeon said it went well. Knowing Olivia, she will be back to walking her three miles a day in no time.
2019 Life Logs, Day 266: Eclectic Monday
2019 Life Logs, Day 266: Eclectic Monday
Date: Monday, September 23, 2019
Weather: Sunny; High 74, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
A relaxing Sunday turned into an eclectic Monday . . . pilates class at the gym, food shopping, exploring a beautiful new beach and marsh area with Karen and Peter Baranowski, taking Jonah and Ollie to Scouts, putting the Goldpebbles to bed, and then coming home to watch Episode 6 of Ken Burns’ Country Music. Tonight, he had me in tears. The focus was on the years from 1968 to 1972 and it included, among many other things, the music and history of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and their recording of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” with old time Nashville artists—a phenomenal story. When I met Mark in 1973, the album that was the result of that combined effort of traditional country musicians with a folk/rock group was one of Marks’ favorites. And who ever knew that Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar who became a West Point instructor who left to become a janitor at Columbia Records in Nashville and then went on to become the famous song writer and artist that he had always dreamed of being. Burns’ documentary is more than a history of country music. It is a history of the United States in the 1900’s told through music. What a treasure.
2019 Life Logs, Day 265: Relaxing Sunday
2019 Life Logs, Day 265: Relaxing Sunday
Date: Sunday, September 22, 2019
Weather: Sunny; High 74, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Plans for today changed a couple of times. Heather left for New York City to attend a climate conference and I went over to see if I could help out with the kids so Jed could get some time to work a couple of grants that are due. Sam went boating with his friend Sebastian and Jonah and Ollie were interested in coming to my house to go kayaking. But then the Keefe’s next door invited both boys to go boating with them. All of a sudden, both Jed and I had kid-free afternoons. I went on an explore to find a beach the Baranowski’s had told me about at the end of a dirt road. But when I got there, it was so crowded with parked cars that I had to back out in order to find a place to turn around. I skipped that beach for today but hope to go there with Karen and Peter tomorrow when it is less crowded. I decided to just come home and spend time in the sun down on the dock reading my book. It was a lovely day for that, and if the forecast is correct, it looks like we have more of this beautiful weather for the next week. Tonight, I went to the new Downton Abbey movie with Jane Woodin. We both loved it, but then we both were Downton fans to begin with. I then came home and had a long conversation with Justin who is still visiting in New Mexico. He called just to talk and it was delightful to hear about their visit. They head back to Puerto Rico on Tuesday with wonderful memories of friends in New Mexico.