2019 Life Logs, Day 214: Friday ‘Free and Easy’
Date: Friday, August 2, 2019
Weather: More Sun and Heat; High 87, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

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This was Friday ‘free and easy’ style. When Mark and I sailed with a rally through Indonesia, the coordinators planned all sorts of wonderful activities for each of the islands we visited. But some days were designated as ‘free and easy’, and that was my day today with the Goldpebbles. Ollie and Jonah managed to do almost nothing and really enjoyed that for most of the day. Jonah did spend a couple of hours searching for the best soccer goalie gloves on my phone and finally found the pair he wanted to order—exactly the same pair he has now in a different color and larger size. But he really enjoyed the search. Sam completed a project he has been working on for me. Earlier he scraped and sanded the parts of the bike rack on the back of my car and today he spray-painted the parts with a couple of primer coats and then two coats of industrial-grade paint. This was a paid project and allowed him to make the final bit of money he needed to make. He was a very happy kiddo when the project was completed making him the new owner of Google phone. Ollie started to get bored with doing nothing in the afternoon, but our mid-afternoon trip to the beach solved that. We arrived at Menauhant at 3:30 and at 4:30 Heather showed up to celebrate the end of the week with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie. I left before Jed arrived, but in the meantime, the boys were enjoying having beach time with momma. On to the weekend.

2019 Life Logs, Day 213: It’s August Already
Date: Thursday, August 1, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Hot; High 91, Low 64 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The calendar tells me it is August 1, but I’m having trouble believing that. Summer always goes too fast, but this summer seems to be moving in fast forward mode. Today was the last swim lesson for Sam and Jonah as they are both in camps next week. Sam goes away to a week-long Scout camp on Sunday and Jonah starts a 9 to 3 soccer day camp on Monday. Ollie and I will attend the last week of swim lessons and go to the grand finale swim meet next Friday. Ollie doesn’t think he wants to participate, but he does want to go to cheer on his friends. The following week we are back together with no commitments and then the Goldstones head to Maine for 10 days or so, and the plan is for Sam to head north a few days before the whole family. By the time they get home, there will just be a couple of days plus Labor Day weekend left before the first day of school. So, the focus each day going forward is to fully enjoy every minute of every summer school vacation day left.

Today was a delightful beach day. Ollie moved from his Beginner class status to Intermediate and held his own in a class with Jonah and Joey. Sam’s last Junior Life Saving class today was an interesting one. They jumped into the channel that connects the ocean to Bourne’s Pond and fought the fast-moving current while practicing lifesaving maneuvers. Everyone on the beach made their way to the channel to watch the ‘show’. Sam’s class ended at noon and then the boys played together on the beach and in the water until 1 pm when we headed home for lunch. At his request, I returned to the beach with Ollie after lunch. He just wasn’t ready to come home, but Sam and Jonah chose to stay home to read and listen to music. On Fridays there are no swim lessons, so tomorrow we will spend the morning at home and go to the beach in the afternoon to meet Heather and Jed at the end of their work week. We met on a few afternoons at the end of last summer and everyone really enjoyed those late afternoon beach trips.

2019 Life Logs, Day 212: Marathon Beach Day
Date: Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Hot; High 86, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Today was a marathon beach day. I headed to Menauhant Beach with the Goldpebbles and neighbor Joey Keefe for swim lessons that began at 10 am and we returned home at 4 pm. Hours of fun in sun. Joey’s mom, Melissa, joined us later in the morning and after lessons we celebrated by buying ice cream from the traveling ice cream truck that visits all of Falmouth’s beaches. Anticipating that this would be an all-day affair, we packed a lunch and stayed for the afternoon. We walked from Menauhant Beach to the Menauhant Yacht Club to greet the arrival of the small sailboats that were towed there from the Waquoit Bay Yacht Club for an afternoon race. Joey’s sister and ‘adopted’ sister of the Goldpebbles, Molly, was in one of the boats, as were Jonah’s good friends Kayden Holt and Lillie Karl. None of us had ever been at the Menauhant Yacht Club, so this was a fun adventure for all.

Tonight I watched the second night of Democratic debates. Maybe my impression is colored by my admiration of our State Senator Elizabeth Warren. But at the end of the two nights, I think she was the clear winner. We’ll see how that translates in terms of support and polls. I must admit that tonight’s debate made me a bit nervous with candidates going after each other, whereas last night’s debate was much more positive. There are so many good candidates and it is very early in the process, so we will just have to see where things lead.

2019 Life Logs, Day 211: Coco’s Birthday and Goldpebble Beach Fun
Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Hot; High 91, Low 71 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I heard the ding on my early this morning that told me I had a text message. I didn’t get up to check right away, but when I did, I found that Justin had sent a couple of photos of Coco opening her birthday present from me . . . a new pair of roller skates. I got her a pair a couple of years ago which she has outgrown. But she hasn’t outgrown her love of roller skating, thus today’s gift. I also got to talk briefly to Coco to wish her a happy birthday, but it was brief because I had to get to the Goldstones and Coco’s birthday party was beginning. It was 9 am here, but 2 pm there. We signed off hoping to have a Skype call later in the day.

Today was another swim lesson morning at Menauhant Beach and we stayed a little beyond swim lesson time as the boys were having a great time playing with friends. It was a beautiful summer day—perfect beach weather. When we got home, there was barely time to get showers and lunch before Jonah and I had to take off for his weekly guitar lesson. When we returned, the boys sent Happy Birthday texts to Coco and then we had a quick a Skype call. At the end of the call, we watched as Coco went out into what we would call the backyard of her grandparents’ home (what the English call the ‘garden’), and Sam exclaimed at the beauty. I admit with envy that Phil and Margaret’s ‘garden’ is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Lucky Ziggy and Coco that get to enjoy that beauty every summer.
The morning and early afternoon at the beach today was absolutely perfect. Each of the boys had a great swim lesson and they got to play with friends. I always love watching the ‘jump the river’ competitions on the beach and today all three boys got to ride on the rescue board. And Sam and Joey Keefe from next door excavated parts of large concrete posts from the swim area. Tomorrow we are planning to pack a lunch and be prepared to spend more time at the beach if conditions are the same. Watched the Democratic Debate tonight. I’ll reserve comment on that until after the second debate tomorrow night.

2019 Life Logs, Day 210: Happy Birthday to Coco
Date: Monday, July 29, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Hot, Not Humid; High 89, Low 70 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

It is still July 29 here in the USA, but in England it is already July 30—Coco’s 7th birthday. When Coco is visiting here on the Cape, she is always with the ‘boys’—the Goldpebbles and her brother. But when she goes to England to visit with her other grandparents, she has a female cousin and playmate. I checked Jo’s Facebook page and saw that that Miss Coco has been enjoying her time there. What Jo had to say about Coco is that she is made of magic. I agree. Happy birthday to my only granddaughter, a very special Miss Coco!

Here on the Cape, it was back to swim lessons for the Goldpebbles this morning. The boys have ways of making their magic at the beach—playing Jump the River, digging caves, relaxing on top of each other, riding on the life saving raft, and running with the wind. This is the last week of swim lessons for the boys. Next week Sam goes away to Scout Camp and Jonah goes to all day soccer camp, and Ollie and I making plans for a fun week together. High on his Wish List for the summer was playdates with friends, so we are trying to set those up. I love summer and this one is flying by way too fast.

2019 Life Logs, Day 209: Back Home
Date: Sunday, July 28, 2019
Weather: Another Sunny, Beautiful Day; High 87, Low 70 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Heather and I flew home from North Carolina this morning, arriving in Boston just after noon. But after stopping at a Whole Foods to do a little shopping and grab some lunch, it was after four by the time we got home. Our trip south was a quick one, a little exhausting, but wonderful to be with family, especially my sister Patsy. She was married to Joe for 62 years. Considering that he was her constant companion for all of those years, she is doing an amazing job of handling his death. I wish we didn’t live so far apart as it makes visiting very difficult. Thankfully one of her daughters, Janet, lives close-by and is there for her.

The Goldstones invited me to dinner tonight and we got a chance to talk about the upcoming week. Camp Oma is back up and running starting tomorrow morning. We’ll be back to mornings at the beach for swim lessons and it looks like we are going to have beautiful weather for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. We might get rain on Thursday, but that forecast could change. Now to bed to get some rest.

2019 Life Logs, Day 208: Family Celebration of Life
Date: Saturday, July 27, 2019
Weather: Sunny, Beautiful Day; High 89, Low 63 degrees F
Location: Wingate by Wyndham, Mooreseville, NC

Today was the family ‘Celebration of Life’ in honor of my brother-in-law, Joseph Edward Kerwood . . . a life well lived. Heather and I represented the New England members of the family at the Mooresville, North Carolina gathering, about 30 miles north of Charlotte. My niece Candice Todd and her husband Char who live near Boston, represented the New England family members last weekend in another celebration of Joe’s life in Akron, Ohio. Today we met on the shores of Lake Norman at the home of family friends, Judy and Brian Thompson. Only one of Joe’s siblings survives him, his younger sister Judy Aylestock, who lives near Charlotte. Judy, along with her daughter Janie and her family, plus Joe’s nephew John and his wife Lynn from Atlanta, came to share their stories from Joe’s childhood. My nephew, Tommy Martin, along with my nieces Janet Kerwood and Jennifer Price, Joe’s daughters, invited all in attendance to share stories from Joe’s life. Joe was an avid golfer, so his beloved wooden driver from St. Andrews in Scotland, was passed around to those wanting to share a story. Many friends from the Charlotte area came, as well as Joe’s secretary from his many years working for Monsanto. She found out about Joe’s death through Facebook and drove up from Florida to be with us. After the sharing of stories, the youngest members of the family enjoyed water fun in the lake while the older members took the opportunity to visit with one another. My sister Patsy and I are the only siblings left from our generation, and it was wonderful to share stories with the children of all of our siblings, their children, and in some cases, their children . . . four generations of the Martin family.

2019 Life Logs, Day 207: Fun Friday
Date: Friday, July 26, 2019
Weather: Another Beautiful, Sunny Day with No Humidity; High 88, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Monday was laundry day, Tuesday was house cleaning day and dining-in with friends, Wednesday I watched democracy in action as Robert Mueller testified before two different House committees, and Thursday was gardening day. So, I decided to end my week-off Camp Oma by having fun with a friend–a grown up playdate. Jane Woodin and I went out for a nice kayak trip down the Eel River in my two-man inflatable kayak. It worked great as we could paddle and talk the whole time and then we returned here to the cottage for lunch. After Jane left, I had to go into town to get my car which was getting an oil change and tires rotated. I took the bus, which takes more time because of walking to the main road to catch the bus and then waiting for it to arrive. It always seems to run late, but you can’t depend on that, so you have to be on the route waiting at the scheduled time.

Tomorrow morning I pick Heather up at 5 am and we head to Boston to catch our flight to Charlotte. As I was shutting down my computer last night, I got an email saying our flight out of Providence had been cancelled and we had been booked on a flight that would get us to Charlotte late tomorrow afternoon. That wasn’t going to work, so I got on the phone. After an hour of waiting and then working with an American agent, we came up with a flight out of Boston that would work. This morning when I checked in for the flight, I realized I didn’t have a seat assignment on the new flight and the only seats still available at this late date were quite expensive. Sure hope there are no more hitches to this quick trip to Charlotte. I am looking forward to seeing my sister and other family members at my brother-in-law’s memorial celebration.

2019 Life Logs, Day 206: Gardening Day, Sort Of
Date: Thursday, July 25, 2019
Weather: Beautiful, Sunny Day with No Humidity; High 86, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I had reserved this day for gardening, more specifically for installing a drip irrigation system in the raised beds in my front yard. I got that job partially done, but not completely, because I did a few other things. It was a beautiful, sunny day with no humidity—a perfect Cape Cod summer day, but I spent most of my morning driving up and down the highway. I had an 8:15 am chiropractor appointment in Mashpee and did some food shopping there before heading to Falmouth to run a few errands. I then had to turn around and go back to Mashpee once the shops in the outdoor mall were open to exchange something I bought yesterday. By the time all of this was done, it was late morning. I spent the afternoon gardening. The irrigation project went well, but I complicated my afternoon by dropping a gallon of seaweed liquid fertilizer as I was going down the steps to the basement. It hit hard, the lid popped up, and the stinky seaweed fertilizer flew everywhere. What a mess! After that little accident, I took a break and went to the beach for an hour. I got home just in time for a pre-arranged call from friends Kevin and Claire. Kevin was on the boat in Philadelphia and Claire was at work in her lab at Princeton in New Jersey. It was great to catch up with them. Tomorrow morning Jane Woodin is coming over and we are going kayaking. Then I’ll spend my afternoon getting ready for the weekend trip to Charlotte to attend my brother-in-law Joe’s memorial. I also got a text from Justin. They are enjoying their time in England. Next week is Coco’s birthday, so we needed to do some coordination about that. He noted that Puerto Rico’s governor resigned under protest, but noted that his replacement has issues as well. And then there’s Britain’s new Prime Minister. Interesting and disturbing political times all about.

2019 Life Logs, Day 205: Mueller Testimony and House Cleaning
Date: Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 80, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The weather has come to its senses. Today was warm but not burning hot and this evening is Cape Cod cool. The nine-day forecast shows more of the same. The extreme heat of last week and the tornado warnings of the past couple of days are gone for now. Whew! I spent my day watching the Mueller testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. And while doing that, I managed to do a thorough house cleaning. I even swept, mopped, and waxed the floors while watching democracy in action. It’s messy and slow, but the hope is that in the end truth will prevail. I was most impressed today with the make-up of the Democratic committees. They look much more like America than their Republican counterparts. The Republican committee members were mostly white men in blue suits with a couple of women mixed in while the Democrats were a mix of Black While, Hispanic, Indian, men and women.
Tomorrow I’ll put politics out of my mind and work on gardening. My hope is to get my drip irrigation system installed and working. We shall see. This evening I decided not to go to the Barnstable County Fair with the Goldstones, but Heather sent photos of the high-flying Goldpebbles and Jonah’s friend Luke. Looked like they were having a great time.