2024 Life Logs, Day 118: First Campaign Standout and Soccer, Soccer
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 53, Low 44 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
After a day of rest yesterday, I went full tilt today. At 8:30 am I headed to the main intersection in town to put signs up for Heather’s campaign standout this morning. The other volunteers plus Heather arrived just before 9 am and we started our three-hour stint. We divided ourselves between the four corners, held our signs high, and waved to every car passing by. I was amazed at the number of people who waved back or gave a thumbs up or honked their horn in support of Heather’s candidacy. Either that, or we just have extremely friendly people in this town!
At this four-way intersection with a stop light, I was standing in front of CVS. My back held up great, but my right knee was a different story. Walking up and down the sidewalk a few times every hour was much easier on my knee than standing still. Then at 10 am some new recruits came to join us. There were three people on my ‘beat’, so I got in my car and drove across the intersection to get a photo of Heather with her friend Jeanne Harper
and my good friend Olivia White.
Olivia is a standout veteran. She brought her lawn chair and her sign on a tall pole so that she could sit on the busy corner for her three hours. Two other friends of mine came in answer to my SOS call for volunteers. Thank you so much to Midge Frieswyk, Jeanne Fortier, and to Olivia.
After the standout, we had a 45-minute break to eat lunch and then Heather, Ollie, and I headed to Norton, west of Boston, for Ollie’s soccer game. The morning had been sunny and windy, but in the afternoon, the weather couldn’t make up its mind. It was warm enough to take your jacket off when the sun was shining, but two minutes later the clouds would hide the sun and you had to put your coat back on. It continued this way throughout the game. Ollie’s team won 4-1, making #23 a happy kid.
We then drove back to the highway to meet up with Jed, Sam, and Jonah. The Goldstones, and a few of the other families at Ollie’s game, were headed to Gillette Stadium for the Boston Revolutions versus Miami soccer match. Lionel Messi, the best soccer player of our time, now plays for the Miami team, so going to this game in the hopes of seeing Messi play was a big deal. Jed said that this game was sold out, a completely full stadium; something they had never experienced. They were going early to try and avoid a last-minute traffic jam and tail gated with friends prior to the game. Pre-game Heather sent a photo of the packed stadium with Sam and Jonah standing on the opposite side of the field on the top balcony overlooking the entire stadium.
During warm-ups, Messi stopped and waved at the section where Jed, Heather, and Ollie were sitting, and Heather said Ollie’s face was one of amazement. The first quarter went great for the home team, but in the second quarter Messi scored and the stadium exploded with cheers. I guess that was to be expected, but it really upset Sam and Jonah that the fans abandoned their home team and cheered for Miami. They wanted to SEE Messi, just not CHEER for Messi against the Revs. Others felt differently. The online headlines right after the game called it a “dream show for fans.”
Last night was my monthly call with Lynne Kirwin in New Zealand. We always end up talking for a couple of hours to catch up on life and last night was no exception. She will be coming home for the summer, so at some point we will get to visit in person. Life is going smoothly in New Zealand, but Lynne says people are constantly asking her what in the world is going on back home in the US. She, like most of us here, simply have no answer for that question.
