2019 Life Logs, Day 174: Opportunities
Date: Sunday, June 23, 2019
Weather: Beautiful Day; High 83, Low 62 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Today was a warm, beautiful day. I’m afraid to say it, for fear it will go away, but it finally feels like summer is here. My back is better today, but I decided to stay home and do nothing. And I really enjoyed my quiet day. I ended the day by being the lucky recipient of a Goldstone summer cookout which was delicious and I spent the rest of the day catching up with friends. I talked to Lynne Kirwin who is recovering from a shoulder replacement and she is doing great. I caught up on the blog written by sailing friends Heather and Jon Turgeon and found they have sailed back from the Bahamas and are now in North Carolina working on building the interior of their ‘land cruiser’ that they will probably be driving north to Vermont for the summer. I met with Midge Frieswyk and her daughter Allyse who is planning a trip to Bali and shared my experiences there. And I read more of the adventures of my New Hampshire friends, Mike and Linda Stuart, who are biking around the world. They are currently in Australia and have made two trips out to the Great Barrier Reef (by boat, not by bike!!). The photos from the first trip last Thursday were amazing. Their second trip was also amazing, but it added an environmental education aspect that the first trip did not offer. I loved the photo Linda posted of little Nemos with the heading, “Please help save my home.” There were a number of marine biologists onboard and I have a feeling Linda kept them all busy the entire time with her questions. What she already knew, but had reinforced by every biologist on this trip, is that each of us really can make a difference, even from here, in saving the reef—the world’s largest coral reef system and one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. What follows is copied from Linda’s latest blog post. I do hope you take time to read every word and take advantage of some of the opportunities.

FROM LINDA’S BLOG POST:
For the rest of the blog I am going to talk about things I can personally do to help save the reef. I know sometimes it feels like it is a lost cause, I am only one person, what difference can my actions make? Alex gave me the perfect line that I am going to try to remember, and I am going to repeat too many times below to help me make it my new mantra. Before I tell you the mantra, first, let me ask you, do you know about how many people are on this planet? That’s right, 7.7 billion people and it is growing. When Mike was born in 1960 there were only about 3 billion people. So back to the mantra. One person can make a difference if we all work together collectively. The saying Alex told us all was, “It is only one water bottle, said 7 Billion People.” Yay, my mathematical mind went crazy. Think about this. If less than half of the population used just one less water bottle on just one day, that would be 3.5 billion less water bottles on the earth – in just one day. That is with only half of us doing our part. So, the mantra goes, “It is only (enter good environmental practice here) said 7 Billion People.” You can even round it up to 8 billion if you want, since we are closer to that number. My new mindset is that I, and you as well, now have ‘fragments of opportunity’ to help the reef and the planet as a whole. Below are the rest of the suggestions made by the biologists on the boat.
Opportunity A: (I know I have written this before, but since it was mentioned so many times today I feel I have to repeat it.) Reduce single use plastic straws, plastic bags, plastic water bottles, plastic spoons to sample ice cream, plastic shampoo bottles. Whenever you have an opportunity, take it. “It is only one plastic shampoo bottle, said 7 Billion People.”

Opportunity B, Part A: Be a more conscious shopper. Is there a product that uses less packaging? Do you have to buy new? Can you find a used, but still good product? (That made me think of my mom as she likes to get great deals at the Salvation Army. By buying used she is making better choices for the planet even though she has probably never even thought about it in that way).

Opportunity B, Part B: Be a more conscious shopper. Is there a product made from recycled materials or waste that you can use? Does the company have a strong environmental rating? Carli told me about some of her clothing being made from waste. I was like WHAT? She said, look up Oceanzen. So, I did, and they make fabric that supports the removal of marine debris from our oceans. Bikinis made of nylon waste such as recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets that have been recovered from our oceans and recycled into swimwear! By regenerating waste, this company is not only making it new again, but they are also saving a whole heap of precious, finite resources and energy whilst also reducing carbon emissions. OMG. I did not even know such a thing existed. “It is only one recycled bikini, said 7 Billion People.” Hahahaha.

Opportunity B, Part C: Be a more conscious shopper at the supermarket. How much packaging does the food have? How many greenhouse gas emissions are produced to raise and harvest and distribute this food? Is there a locally raised option available? This one I honestly have been working on a bit lately, as you probably know. I have started to notice, especially here at Coles, that they sell lots of veggies in $2 and $3 and $5 bags. Before I just thought, “Well that is convenient, just the amount I wanted and only for $2 bucks.” Now I go get that same veg, like string beans, and put them in the paper mushroom bags. I am also thinking about our meat consumption. I am not ready to give up meat, but I could do Meatless Mondays. “It is only one meatless meal, said 7 Billion People.” I asked Maryanne to explain why less meat helps the planet. She suggested I think of everything, when it comes to environmental practices that is, in terms of energy and carbon dioxide. Meat takes more energy and resources to produce food than plants do. Often pastures are created by cutting down trees, and then whatever is fed to the cow is grown using energy, wheat or grass or whatever, then the cow eats that and farts and emits methane which is a greenhouse gas emission, then there is lots of energy used to process the cow into edible pieces, and of course ship it all over the world for us to buy it. I am starting to be more and more convinced, so I need you all to send me some good meatless recipes that Mike will want to eat so I can go for not only Meatless Mondays but also Fabulous Food Fridays with no meat.

Opportunity C: Get out of your car once in a while. Take a walk, a bike ride, a bus ride, share a ride with a friend, or carpool. Use your energy to get where you need to go rather than fossil fuels. Not only will you save money, but fewer cars on the road means less carbon and pollution will be in the air. This will protect the environment by keeping the air, water, and land clean. “It is only one trip, said 7 Billion People.”

Opportunity D: Make your voices heard. Write letters to your government officials and vote. Here in Australia, and lately at home in the USA, coal is making a comeback, largely due to our governments approving or changing environmental laws. Mining and burning coal is driving global warming by causing waters to warm and become more acidic. This causes huge stress for corals, causing ‘mass bleaching’, and if conditions do not improve – they die. Remember, bleaching is the way a coral expels unhealthy algae and is a natural process in some coral but it is not natural to have larger sections of the reef all become bleached. Climate change is the big elephant in the room when you talk about a healthy reef and this is the biggest thing you can do . . . educate everyone, including your politicians. This should not be a party thing. We all live on the same planet. It is a people living on the planet thing, regardless of which party you like. Catastrophic climate change – fueled by burning coal and other fossil fuels – is the biggest threat to our Great Barrier Reef. In 2015, Sweden threw down the gauntlet with an ambitious goal: to eliminate fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2040 within its borders, and has ramped up investment in solar, wind, energy storage, smart grids, and clean transport. If Sweden can do it, so can we! Make America better than Sweden!

Opportunity E: Come see the Great Barrier Reef. Fall in love with it. Your love will hopefully inspire you so try to save it, and your visit will infuse some money into conservation efforts to preserve sections of it. You will want to share your photos with people and make them love it too. You will want people to take every opportunity they have to keep this resource, and the diversity of species, alive for everyone to experience. You will want to reexamine your habits so you can better choices. You will have one of the best days of your life. Win. Win. Win.

If you would like to check out Linda’s blog posts, click on the following and scroll to the bottom of the page for the latest post: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=tS&doc_id=13549&v=7Xh

2019 Life Logs, Day 173: Ollie Performs with the Sonnay Fiddlers at Arts Alive
Date: Saturday, June 22, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny Early, Late Day Thunderstorms; High 82, Low 58 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Finally, on this first full day of summer, it was warm enough to actually feel like summer. Hurray! I went over to work in garden at Heather and Jed’s for a bit this morning and while hoeing, I felt that twinge in my lower back that I never welcome. I know it means that my back is out of alignment. I have been exercising my knee, but I haven’t been as dutiful in doing the abdominal exercises necessary to keep my back in line. And that always leads to my back going out. I will get an appointment with the chiropractor as soon as possible, and just be super careful that I don’t completely throw my back out before then. By the time this happened, it was noon and time for everyone to head downtown. Jed had to drop Ollie and Heather off at the library for Ollie’s performance with the Sonnay Fiddler’s group at Arts Alive, but then he took Jonah to the pediatrician. He has had a place on his leg that looked a bit like a bug bite for a week or so, but this morning it was obvious that it had become infected. They called the pediatrician and got the call back just before leaving for downtown that she could see him right then. It was a little more serious than we had thought and he is now on both oral and topical antibiotics. But he and Jed did make it downtown for the performance. I had to go home to get out of my gardening clothes and then pick Sam up from a Boy Scout car wash before meeting up with everyone, but Sam and I made it as well. Arts Alive is a Falmouth festival celebrating the arts. There are a few tents on the library lawn, and different groups perform throughout the day and evening. Ollie still likes to have Heather on the stage when he performs which is fun for both of them. But he is quickly becoming more confident about performing in public. The fiddlers range in age from seven to seventy (or there about), with the majority of the fiddlers in the middle and high school range. Not all can play all of the songs, so they sit and watch and hop on stage to play when they know the song. The group is fun to listen to and, of course, I love watching and listening to Ollie play the fiddle. After the hour-long performance, we all headed to St. Barnabus for the traditional strawberry shortcake to kick off the summer properly. After some food shopping, I then headed home for a quiet evening. Hopefully my back will feel a bit better by morning, but I’ll skip the hoeing tomorrow!

2019 Life Logs, Day 172: Happy Birthday to Jo and Welcome Summer
Date: Friday, June 21, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High 67, Low 58 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Hello, Summer! But where are you? Around noon today it officially became summer, but we saw no sun today, or yesterday, or the day before. It has been rainy, cloudy, and cool for what seems like days, but the weather forecast starting tomorrow actually looks warmer. Maybe the advent of summer solstice really is going to issue in more summer-like weather for us. We shall see. This summer solstice was shared today with my daughter-in-law Jo as June 21 is her birthday. I heard from her late this afternoon and know that she had a delightful day at home with Justin, Ziggy, and Coco. And with the birthday money I sent her, they were going out to dinner at the Pool Bar tonight. The Pool Bar is a sushi bar with a swimming pool and it is one of my favorite places on the planet. Happy Birthday, Jo!

It was another laid-back Camp Oma Day. We did our daily chores, Jonah and Ollie did a music practice duel with one playing guitar alternating with the other playing violin. I was the judge and the duel ended in a tie, so we all celebrated with the boys playing Sam’s drums. Sam had a play date this afternoon, so he was not home for the music competition. Later in the afternoon, Jonah, Ollie, and I went downtown to the Guv Fuller field to throw a baseball in the rain. Next Wednesday is Jonah’s birthday and it also happens to be the WCAI night at the Falmouth Commodores baseball game. Since Heather works at WCAI, she was able to arrange for Jonah to throw the first pitch of the game that night and he wanted to practice on the field. I ducked into the dugout to get out of the rain as Jonah pitched and Ollie caught. It was actually a perfect way to end our first week of Camp Oma. We were a bit wet when we got home, but we had fun. Here’s hoping for sunnier weather next week.

2019 Life Logs, Day 171: Establishing Routines While Lazing About
Date: Thursday, June 20, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 68, Low 62 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Day Three of Camp Oma 2019 was another laid-back day. The weather continues to be overcast and misty, so it has been the perfect week to just laze about. But at the same time, we are establishing routines for the summer. We have set up a checklist of ‘must do’s’ and the boys are doing a great job of checking off each task each day. They have been doing a lot of reading, playing soccer in the front yard when the weather permits, and watching the Women’s World Cup soccer games from 3-5 each afternoon. Today Ollie had a playdate with his friend Raylan from early morning until 2:30 this afternoon, but he made in home in time to watch the USA versus Sweden game. While the boys are lazing about, I’m taking advantage of the time to do some house and garden chores. I know the activity level is going to speed up as we get further into the summer, but for now, I am really enjoying the lazy days with the Goldpebbles.

2019 Life Logs, Day 170: Wonderfully Lazy Summer Day
Date: Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Weather: Big Rain Overnight, Cloudy Day; High 69, Low 59 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The Goldpebbles and I had a wonderfully lazy summer day. It rained hard overnight, but the rain stopped by morning leaving us with a cloudy day. So, we just laid back and took it easy. Jed was still at home when I arrived and he gave me a cooler with a little bit of dry ice he had brought home from work yesterday. The boys have always loved dry ice experiments, so we launched into that first thing. We used a pH meter to get the pH of the tap water we were using which was 7.80 and then measured the pH of that same water after adding the dry ice and watching it create fog. Immediately the pH dropped to 4.5. I left them with the question, “Why the change in pH level?” Hopefully Heather and Jed will discuss this with them tonight and we will continue the discussion tomorrow. We also experimented with adding dish detergent to make bubbles. Sam and Jonah and I have done this a couple of times in the past, but Ollie doesn’t remember those experiments. He was fascinated, and all three boys would like Jed to bring more dry ice from work for future experiments. This was an unexpected, but fun way to start the day. Then Sam and Jonah read while Ollie used his very neat handwriting to create a daily routines chart for the summer. His writing is neater than mine and he loved doing this. Now we are all organized and hopefully we can stay that way. This afternoon they wanted to watch another Women’s World Cup game, England versus Japan, and so we did. The weather started clearing while they were watching the game, and by the break for half time, the boys were outside playing soccer and I was transporting garden soil from the driveway to the newest raised bed in the front yard. It is slow work, but it is great exercise and I love doing it. I left Sam and Jonah watching the second half of the soccer game while I took Ollie to meet Heather for violin practice. This was a special practice with other kids in his age group that will play with the Sonnay Fiddlers in downtown Falmouth on Saturday as part of Arts Alive. When Heather arrived, I headed back to check on Sam and Jonah, but they were just fine. I hauled two more loads of garden soil before heading home for the day. Hopefully I can finish that job tomorrow.

2019 Life Logs, Day 169: First Day of Camp Oma 2019
Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Weather: Overcast, Afternoon Drizzle, Evening Rain; High 68, Low 58 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

01 Goldpebbles Taking a Swim Break

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Today was the first day of Camp Oma 2019. Camp Oma was launched in the summer of 2013 when Mark and I offered to provide summer daytime activities for Sam and Jonah. Ollie was just a year old and was too young for most activities, so he was not really a part of Camp Oma that year. Tonight when I went back and read about what we did that summer, it made my head spin. I think we did every summer activity offered on Cape Cod. But busy as it was, it was so special to see that look of amazement as the boys learned new things. The next summer, 2014, started with World Cup soccer and all three boys were all in as they supported Team USA. In 2015, one of the highlights was when all three boys went for a four-day circumnavigation of the Elizabeth Islands aboard Windbird with Oma and Granddad—their first big trip without mommy and daddy. In 2016, Granddad’s last summer, we scaled down the activities, but still had many special adventures as well as daily swim lessons at Falmouth Heights Beach and Jonah and Sam attended classes at the School of Science in Woods Hole. Swim lessons at Falmouth Heights Beach continued in the summer of 2017 and then last summer when I moved to the cottage in East Falmouth, we switched to swim lessons at Menauhant Beach and Sam and Jonah attended soccer camps at Falmouth Academy. Today, even though the weather was not cooperating, we made a brief trip to Menauhant Beach and I got a silly first day of Camp Oma photo of the boys on the lifeguard stand. We were the only people on the beach, so there was no competition for the lifeguard stand! This summer the boys will again spend part of their summer in swim lessons at Menauhant, part of the summer in camps offered at the Falmouth Academy, and part of it just hanging out at home and playing. We will work in a few field trips, but for the most part, we’ll spend as much time as possible just playing. We started this day with a morning meeting where I got input from the boys on their favorite summer lunches, summer snacks, and a list of things they would like to do this summer. I outlined a list of daily routines that would be expected if they want to earn screen time and they actually agreed with the list. Independently, all three boys listed that they want to spend time at the beach, go fishing, go boating, play soccer, go biking on the bike path, and wander around Woods Hole. Sam’s “advanced age” is showing as he also would like to attend a Van Halen concert. Don’t think that is going to happen. But making a return trip to the Cape Cod Inflatable Water Park was high on the list for all three boys. We did this last summer and they loved it, so we’ll definitely plan to return this summer when it gets a bit warmer. Friday is the first official day of summer, but it looks like we are going to continue to have cloudy, rainy, coolish weather with just a little sunshine here and there for next few days. We are going to have to wait a bit longer for real summer weather.

2019 Life Logs, Day 168: Monday My Way
Date: Monday, June 17, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 78, Low 58 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I had no commitments today, nothing I had to do, so I did Monday my way. I slept in, got up and made my green smoothie, did some house cleaning, did some clothes organization and found items that I have worn once or twice that needed to be laundered, did a little gardening, and had a nice visit with my friend Karen Baranowski. Karen is the niece of the aunties next door, so she comes over to check on them a few times a week and sometimes we have time to visit. By this time, it was mid-afternoon and I made the decision that instead of going to the gym to ride the stationary bike, I was going to go to Heather’s and haul garden soil from the driveway to a new raised bed in the front yard that needed to be filled. Exercising while doing something that needs to be done makes way more sense to me than just pedaling a stationary bike. So, I went over and filled the old Garden Way cart with dirt and hauled some to the front yard raised bed and some to the garden to finish off a couple of projects there. And while doing this, I did a couple of loads of laundry that I had gathered in my clothes organization during the morning. Today was the last day of school and Heather took the day off, picked up the boys when school was released just after noon, and headed to the beach with other mothers and kids. The weather forecast for today was mixed, but the sun held on and they had a delightful afternoon at the beach. It was a delightful day. Tomorrow is the first day of Camp Oma for Summer 2019. This is year seven of Camp Oma. It has evolved over the years and will continue to evolve. Tomorrow I will have a ‘meeting’ with the boys and we will make decisions about this summer. I know their main goal is to just have free time to play, so there will be a minimum of field trip type activities. All three are enrolled in swim lessons and various weeks summer programs at Falmouth Academy. The programs they are enrolled in are all things they asked to do. Sam is doing a photography class the first week of July and later a percussion class. Jonah and Ollie are doing a ceramics class and I think Jonah is adding a soccer camp with a group of his friends. The challenge for me will be that while shuffling them to and fro, I find a way to eek out as much down time at home or at the beach as possible. As they get older, spending time with friends becomes much more important than what they are doing. Summer 2019, here we come!

As a follow-up to Father’s Day, this morning I got an early morning text from Jo with accompanying photos of Justin’s Father’s Day. I mentioned in my log last night that I didn’t have any photos of Justin with Coco and Ziggy on Father’s Day, but now I do. Coco and Ziggy came up with a menu for breakfast in bed for dad. The went shopping to get the food and Jo helped them prepare the beautiful breakfast. Thanks, Jo, for sharing those photos!

2019 Life Logs, Day 167: Father’s Day & Falmouth Flag Day Race
Date: Sunday, June 16, 2019
Weather: Overcast, Windy, with a Little Rain; High 71, Low 61 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers out there, but especially to my two favorite fathers, my son Justin and my son-in-law Jed! I don’t have a photo of Justin with Ziggy and Coco from today, but I did manage to get one of Jed with the Goldpebbles.

It was another race day here . . . the Falmouth Flag Day 5K Race/Walk. Jed and Ollie ran as a father-son team and Jonah ran with Heather. Sam sat this one out, but he took my phone and got some great photos. We stayed for the awards ceremony and were so proud that Jonah won second place in his age group. And then he won the top raffle prize or two great seats at a Boston Red Sox game in August. We ended the day with a sushi dinner to celebrate Father’s Day and to celebrate the running Goldstones. Tomorrow is the last day of school and Camp Oma begins on Tuesday. Summer is here!

2019 Life Logs, Day 166:  Sam’s Rematch Soccer Game with Dartmouth and Farewell to Josh
Date:  Saturday, June 15, 2019
Weather:  Sunny; High 75, Low 61 degrees
Location:  At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

After last week’s game we thought we were done with soccer until the playoffs next weekend.  But earlier this week, Sam’s team was notified that actually they had to play a rematch with the Dartmouth team.  That game was today and tension was a little high as this is the team we were playing when we had the altercation between a referee, a parent, and then our assistant coach.  Somehow in review it was found that the stats on these two teams were the same, thus the rematch.  This game ended 2-2, but then went into overtime.  One team had to win as only one of the two could go on to the playoffs.  In the second half of overtime, the Dartmouth team scored and we weren’t able to come back with a goal.  So now, the soccer season really is over.  We lost the game, but I think the boys played the best game of the season today.  They really gave it their all.  I had to leave just before the first half to drive to Woods Hole to pick up Josh.  We then went back to the soccer field to pick up Heather and boys but found that the game hadn’t ended.  We got to watch the final few minutes of the regular game and the overtime session.  Then we headed to Heather’s for lunch.  Jed wasn’t with us today as he was at a Boy Scout Leadership training off-Cape.  After lunch, Josh and I visited with Heather for a bit and then we left for Boston.  I drove Josh to Cambridge to meet up with a friend.  I didn’t know until we were on the way that the friend was someone I know.  Erica Ulrich grew up in the same neighborhood with Josh and now she lives in Cambridge.  She came down to the street from her apartment to say hello and then I was off to do some summer clothing shopping on my way home.  I didn’t get home until almost 9 pm and we have another early start in the morning.  I head over to the Goldstones to drive them to Falmouth Heights Beach for the Falmouth Flag Day 5K Run.  Heather, Jed, Jonah, and Ollie will run and Sam and I will play on the beach while we wait for them.

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2019 Life Logs, Day 165: EFES Field Day, Summer Camps in PR, and Gardening
Date: Friday, June 14, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 68, Low 56 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

My grandchildren are busy little critters! Today was Field Day at East Falmouth Elementary, so Ollie and Jonah were enjoying outdoor games all day. I went to watch for an hour this morning and discovered that Jonah plays relay games with the same fervor as he plays soccer. In a relay where you had to throw a ball, retrieve it, and run back to the starting line before the next person could go, I got a photo where he and his partner look like they are attacking each other! But it was just two competitive kids playing intensely and pleased with their performances. Ollie and his first grade buddies weren’t so competitive but they were having a good time. Just before lunch his class rotation was a doing the macarena. Ollie was really enjoying it, but he kept that serious Ollie face the whole time. I wasn’t in Puerto Rico today, but Justin just sent photos of Coco and Ziggy in their summer camps this week. Ziggy has been traveling quite a distance each day to attend a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) camp, while Coco has been attending an equestrian camp closer to home. Both have really enjoyed their experiences and had a special treat to celebrate their successes. We have Smitty’s ice cream. They have Paletados, like gourmet ice lollies. Other than enjoying the activities of grandchildren, I went to the gym to ride the stationary bike and spent time gardening here at home and at Heather’s. I have finished planting here but have miles to go at Heather’s—not tomorrow but hopefully Sunday.