Day 296, Year 8: Rockin’ and Rollin’ from Menemsha to Eel Pond
Date: Monday, August 26, 2013
Weather: Overcast with Spitting Rain, Winds SW 15-20
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
We’re home. It was a great weekend, but not without its issues. I must declare this just so you know that paradise is not quite all it seems sometimes. Both Sam and Jonah were hell bent on killing themselves this weekend—running on deck and climbing up and down the companion way ladder without holding on. Jonah had a big fall off the ladder yesterday and this morning Sam fell flat on the deck, smashing his knee which saved his face. In both cases the falls could have been much worse than they were, so we are thankful. But we have to get those boys to slow down. I know you’re saying, “Good luck on that one.” But we will keep trying. And add to that the fact that Ollie either got a cold just as he came onboard on Friday evening or he had an allergic reaction to something on the boat. Whichever, he was sick all weekend and needed mommy to hold him 24-7. And then there was the issue of the anchorage last night. It was rolly . . . and the trip home this morning really sent us rockin’ and rollin’. So, not a perfect weekend, but one with fantastic times—Jonah and Sam catching their first fish, burying each other in the warm pebbles on the beach in Menemsha, driving the dinghy into huge standing waves in the Menemsha pass (a favorite for Sam and Jonah), and exploring a new sailing destination. The trip home this morning was wicked due to the SW winds meeting the southbound current. When you try to buck the current around here, it always spells trouble. But we needed to get home so Heather could get to work, so we motored and sailed and way home. We all had to sit in cockpit as it was too rough for anyone to be down below and we passed part of the time by sitting in cockpit singing sea shanties. We sang one we all learned this summer at a public library presentation, adding some of our own verses this morning.
Cape Cod girls ain’t got no combs
Heave away, haul away
They brush their hair with codfish bones
And we’re bound away for Australia
Chorus:
So heave away, me bully, bully boys
Heave away, haul away
Heave her up and don’t you make a noise
And we’re bound away for Australia
Other Verses:
Cod kids ain’t got no sleds
They slide down the hills on codfish heads
Cape Cod girls ain’t got no frills
They tie their hair with codfish gills
Cape Cod cats ain’t got no tails
They lost them all in the northeast gales
Our verses:
Cape Cod ladies don’t bake no pies
They make dessert out of cod fish eyes
Cape Cod gardeners don’t need no soil
They grow their crops in cod fish oil
So as in life, our weekend had its ups and downs, but overall it was fantastic. We spent the afternoon at Heather’s watching the boys while Heather worked in the den. Late in the afternoon, the boys and I drove into Falmouth to pick Jed up from the bus station. He had a good weekend with his parents who are now back home in Washington, DC. And tonight I talked with friend Lynda Kaufman in Little River, South Carolina. Lynda and Lee started out on a travel trailer trip across the US a few days ago with the destination of Portland, Oregon, where their son Seth will be married on September 8. Unfortunately, on Day 2 of the trip, Lynda fell and messed up her knee and they had to turn around and head back to South Carolina. Lynda had an appointment with the orthopedic specialist today and he put her leg into a new-age cast to restrict movement and said she should have an operation sometime after the leg is healed. She’s determined to avoid the operation until it is absolutely necessary, so good luck, Lynda.
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| 130826 Day 296 Cape Cod, USA–Menemsha to Eel Pond |
