RICK HERRICK

508-693-8065

herricklr@verizon.net

One of the first people in the United States to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, A.J. Rowling’s first book in the Harry Potter series, was Sally Lodge Randall. In fact, it’s hard to purchase a children’s book that Sally hasn’t read. She writes prepublication reviews of children’s books for Publisher’s Weekly, the trade magazine for booksellers and libraries.

Sally started as a senior editor for Publisher’s Weekly in 1978. Ten years later she became a contributing editor with primary responsibility for reviewing books so that she could work at home, be with her kids and spend her summers on the Vineyard. Recently her writing assignments were realigned somewhat, allowing her to focus on feature articles relating to the publishing world for both Publisher’s Weekly and their online newsletters. Sally has published three children’s books of her own.

I recently sat with Sally on her porch that overlooks the ocean on Temahigan avenue. It was interesting to learn that the Lodge home was built in 1912 as part of an estate by H.O. Phillips of Rhode Island, one of the inventor’s of copper wire. Sally’s grandfather James Armstrong began renting the house in 1953. He purchased the house along with half of the estate from Barbara Willis in 1960. Sally, her two sisters Deborah Lodge Krieger and Norma Lodge Miner along with brothers James and Peter Lodge inherited the house in 1986 following the death of their mother Norma Armstrong Lodge.

Sally is married to Donn Randall, a Boston attorney. The couple resides in Wellesley Massachusetts, and have three children: Amy, a recent Amherst graduate, who works for a nonprofit in Jackson Hole Wyoming; Alac, a Trinity graduate, who works for a French bank in New York city; and Alison, a junior at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, who is working this summer as an EMT in Oak Bluffs.

An amazing thing happened on the way to the Providence hospital on Friday August 1. Laila Nikita Kleeman was born (8 pounds, 5 ounces), in a car, after mother Lindsay had undergone a half hour labor from start to finish. Both mother and daughter are doing well. Charlie Kleeman, the Dad and driver of the car, is still trying to catch his breath. All four Kleemans, Charlie, Lindsay, Laila, and Volkert (age two) hope to visit Palmer and Dave Kleeman, the proud grandparents, at their beautiful home next to the lighthouse later this month.

Sunday August 3 was a special day on East Chop. At 3:15 p.m., Cyndee Dennehy blew her whistle to start the swimming leg of the Tin Man Triathlon at the East Chop Beach Club. The biking and foot portions of the race meandered for two and a half miles around the chop. It was the second event of its kind; the first one was held 25 years ago.

The event was organized by Cyndee and put on with the help of 25 volunteers. There were 75 participants in the race ranging in age from Nate Gorde (age four) to Carol Traenkle (age 74). The participants either operated as part of a three-person team or ran the event on their own. Because Cyndee created so many race categories, each participant went home a winner. A pot luck cookout was held at the beach club following the race.

A few days prior to the tin man event, I ran into a different breed of athlete. At 6:30 a.m. I was walking my granddog Tucker along Marinelli Beach, and there was Plato (Roswell Patterson’s springer spaniel), Nike (Wendy and Bob Reagan’s Portuguese water dog), Beau (Chrissy and Woods Williamson’s golden retriever), and Ginger (Kim and Peri Patterson’s yellow lab). The dogs were swimming and fetching balls in the water. At times the competition to get the ball first was intense, but all tails were wagging. With no territory to defend, these dogs were happily at play. As Tuck and I continued our walk, I thought there might be a lesson in this play for us humans.

The East Chop Association will hold its annual meeting on Saturday August 16 at 10 a.m. The meeting will take place at the East Chop Beach Club. All members are urged to attend.