For almost 40 years now, I have been dragging around prototypes and circuit boards of some of my earliest design work dating back to my time at Stanford, Bell Laboratories, and Truevision. In addition to circuit design, I also hand-wired and tested my own prototypes, and did most of the mechanical and printed circuit board layout as well. With our household move looming ever closer, I am wondering, who, other than myself, is ever going to look at these artifacts in the future and why I continue to drag them around. I decided to photograph the entire collection to make discarding the physical objects a more approachable option. Letting go of the past can be very difficult, especially when you have the actual objects into which you literally poured blood, sweat, and tears.

This year, fall color has been exceptional and looks like it will peak this weekend. I paused on my commute to capture the splendor just off of Route 2. Normally, I make several trips up into the White Mountains at this time of year in search of great photo opportunities. Between work and the new house, however, I have had little time to even think about such excursions.

I was on my own for dinner this evening and stopped in at Verrill Farm to pick up some food. When I saw all the designer pumpkins on display, I had to grab some photos. The gourd below looks just like some kind of swan or duckling.

In preparation for our upcoming move, we are selling almost every stick of furniture we own. Virtually all of it was purchased to fit in with the English Tutor home we owned in Indianapolis. None of it really makes sense for the mid-century modern style of our new place. Today, it seems, there was a high demand for chairs. The one below has a defect which I disclosed when listing it on Craig’s List. The pneumatic height adjustment cylinder does not work. When you sit on it, it sinks to the lowest position. I priced it accordingly and sure enough, it sold; to someone who was only interested in the casters.

Today, we shipped our very first commercial part. It is probably the most significant milestone in the company’s history thus far. We paused to celebrate with cake and ice cream and to commemorate the occasion with an all-company photo. Two of our employees were working from home today but can be seen on the Zoom screen. I love the message on the cake, “The First Part is the Hardest.” Can’t take credit for thinking it up but you have to admire the triple entendre. We thanked everyone for their phenomenal effort over the summer with a gift designed to keep them warm over the approaching winter.

When I negotiated the sale of our home, I included in the deal many of the larger machines in my woodworking shop. Doing so added value to the property and saved a great deal of work on my part to decommission and prepare the equipment for safe moving. It also affords me the opportunity to buy all new equipment that is right-sized for my new shop which is going to be a little smaller than my current one. With the day off from work, I spent it researching table saws and finally placed an order for a Laguna Fusion F2 which will suit my needs nicely. COVID-19 has created shortages of all things related to the construction industry and the saw will not arrive until mid-December. I also narrowed down options for a new dust collector and will probably pull the trigger on that purchase shortly.

A more perfect fall day I have never enjoyed more. It started as most spring and autumn Sundays do for me with a soccer match. We were at home playing Ashland, a team that was talented but not very fit. After thirty minutes, we started to score and just kept on going as they wore down leading to a final result of 7-0. On the way home, I paused for some aerial photography. Pictured above are the Dugan Brook wetlands that border the west side of our neighborhood and provide the backdrop for the Bruce Freeman Tail Trail that traverses the area. Later, Jeanine and I met with new neighbors in Conantum, where are new home is located. They took as for a walk through the neighborhood introducing us to other residents and sharing invaluable information on the homeowners association, renovation, architecture, landscaping, the Sudbury River, and the animals that frequent the area.

Kyle went car shopping this afternoon and was prepared to make a cash down payment. He has decided to do a little more research before pulling the trigger. When he returned home, Nico was waiting to join him for a golf outing. The moment Nico set his eyes on Kyle’s wad of cash he decided it would be fun to throw it up in the air for a photo. I was allowed in on the action and got a nice fan shot before $20 and $50 bills were floating everywhere.

Between a very busy time at work, preparing to close on the purchase of our new house, and the sale of our current home, there has been very little time for what I enjoy doing most at this time of year. Normally, I would seize any opportunity to get outside to capture the splendor of the autumn foliage. For now, I must settle for easy roadside shots that I encounter on the way to or from the office. Perhaps, between my soccer match and selling off furniture, I will find a few hours to revel in what is shaping up to be the perfect fall weekend.

A violent wind storm last night brought down trees and power lines across the state. After making sure we had not sustained any damage, I headed over to our new house to ensure the same. On the way, I had to turn around and seek a detour to avoid this fallen tree which was blocking the road. Fortunately, the new house was also free of any damage although I did find a woodpecker making a meal of one of the eaves. Whatever stress was induced by the storm was reversed by finalizing the Purchase & Sale Agreement for the sale of our home. Until such a contract is executed, there is very little binding the deal, making all future planning somewhat tenuous. We are very excited about the family that will live here next. They have three children, 6, 4, and 2. Their only daughter is named Maya and my bet is that she will wind up in our Maya’s old bedroom.

Normally, when I use my drone for landscape photography, it is from a rather significant altitude. It is, however, just as useful for taking low angle shots from places it would be hard to get to otherwise, say the middle of a river. I realize the one above appears to be very shallow but it was quite deep on the left side of the photo and I was standing on the left bank.

This afternoon, my team at Digital Alloys completed our first printed part for sale. A monumental milestone, for our tiny startup. This part will actually wind up in our museum. We have a second part right behind it which we hope to finish next week. Once it has been CT scanned (to ensure quality) it will be delivered to our customer. The part is made of H13 tool steel, weighs in at 2.5 pounds, and measures roughly 2.5 inches in each dimension.

Tomorrow our home will be inspected ahead of entering into a Purchase & Sale Agreement that will be binding. After the backyard view, I think I will miss my study the most. Jeanine calls it my cave which is an apt description since I keep the blinds closed and lights off to enhance image viewing on my computer. This is where I process all of my photos, write my blog, manage our finances, and plan my travels. I think it is one of the more elegant rooms in our home. The same was true of our last house, pictured below, with some of the same furniture.

My study in our new house will have a much less formal design but hopefully, retain the same cozy feeling.

Wolfeboro, NH claims to be the oldest summer resort in America. Over the years it became a popular summer colony, particularly for families from Boston and southern New Hampshire.  Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Kurt Vonnegut, Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have all vacationed here. Jeanine and I started our day with a takeout breakfast followed by a leisurely stroll along the town’s rail trail. In the town center, we looked over the local real estate listings and found one for a 55-acre mountain top parcel with commanding views of the area. Imagining our own Castle in the Clouds, we decided to visit the property on a whim. We were never quite able to locate it but did come across Camp Merrowvista, where all of our children came with their elementary school class.

For the remainder of the day, we worked our way north stopping for views of the Pemigewasset River and the covered bridges that span it. Eventually, we reached the Lost River Gorge where we warmed up with a hike on its Eco Trail before jumping on to the Appalachian Trail at Kinsman Notch (pictured below). In all my years of hiking, this was my first time on the AT and it left a very favorable impression. We made the steep hike up to the Cascades where we enjoyed a brief respite before starting back down the mountain and once in our car the journey home.

We are staying on a narrow causeway between Mirror Lake, pictured above at sunrise, and Lake Winnipesaukee. Our plan for the day was to climb Mount Major but we were quickly sidetracked with more immediate opportunities. We stopped briefly at the Abenaki Fire Watch Tower. Originally built in 1929 and standing 80 feet tall it offers a commanding view of Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee Mountains.

Shortly after departing the tower, we happened upon Castle in the Clouds where an antique car show was underway. There I noticed an early Triumph Spitfire, my first car, and had to pose with it for a photo.

Still early for admission to the estate, we hiked the Brook Walk trail taking us past seven waterfalls. The last and most spectacular is the Falls of Song, with a 40-foot vertical plunge.

By noon, we were ready for our tour of the main attraction. After earning his fortune in the shoe industry at the turn of the 20^th century, Tom Plant focused his attention on the Ossipee Mountains in Moultonborough. In 1913-1914, Tom and his wife Olive built a unique and stunning country estate, which they called Lucknow. The property spanned 6,300 acres and featured a 16-room Arts and Crafts mansion, stable and six-car garage, two gatehouses, a greenhouse, a golf course and tennis court, a man-made lake, a boathouse on Lake Winnipesaukee, and miles of carriage and bridle trails. For several years the Plants enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle at Lucknow, with state-of-the-art amenities, beautiful hand-made furnishings, and a large staff to run the estate.

Poor investments and a penchant for overspending left Plant penniless at his death but the residence he left behind stands testament to his ambition and vision. Our final stop for the day was the Grove at Chocorua Lake, an idyllic setting with lovely views in all directions.

On October 6th, Jeanine and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We had planned to take a couple of weeks off for a trip to Greece and Italy. That was before COVID-19. Instead, we left this morning for a long weekend in New Hampshire on Lake Winnipesaukee. We were greeted with the above message and a bottle of Champagne when we arrived at our lodging in Wolfesboro by mid-afternoon. Exhausted by life under COVID, our first priority was a long nap. Later, we dined in style at the recently opened New Woodshed, rebuilt on the site of the original Woodshed which burned to the ground. With very well-spaced tables, acrylic partitions, and a thirty-foot ceiling we felt pretty safe. Table bread is baked in flower pots which made for an interesting photograph. The meal was exceptional and our weekend was off to a very good start.

With the corn crop which grew behind our house this summer now harvested, the farmer who tends the land returned to till the earth in preparation for the next crop. We have no idea what it will be but my guess is grass for hay. Although we are very excited about the views we will have from our new home, we are certainly going to miss the ones we have enjoyed here for the last 17 years. Fortunately, we will be less than a mile away and will be able to look in from time to time.

A Concord family with three children and the need for a larger home learned by word of mouth that we were about to put our house on the market. The husband and wife came for a private showing, submitted an offer the same day, and we have accepted it. Until we sign the Purchase & Sale Agreement, it is not a done deal but all indications are that we have found our buyer.

Jeanine and I put the finishing touches on our house as we prepare to put it on the market. This morning, we met with the realtors who we worked with on our new house to decide if we will list with them or sell the house ourselves.

Nights are growing colder and the leaves are just starting to turn. This is without a doubt my favorite time of year. The farmer who tends the field behind our house was busy at work, tilling the soil in preparation for the next crop.

This evening, the family gathered to celebrate my 62nd birthday even though it does not actually arrive until Tuesday. In lieu of cake, Jeanine prepared my very favorite lemon ice using the same recipe from Civitello’s, the Italian bakery of my youth located in Schenectady, NY. Served inside the lemon skins from which it was made, the treat was exquisite.

We are very pleased with the way the refinished floor in our master bedroom turned out. Having waited for the finish to completely harden, today was the first time I could start to re-furnish the room. Even though I believe I have a buyer for our bed (it is too tall for our new house) on Craig’s List, I decided to reassemble it so that I could demonstrate how to take it apart when the buyer comes to pick it up. It also allowed me to take a proper photograph of it for posterity’s sake. Jeanine and I spent the rest of the day getting the house ready to put on the market.

It is really hard to surprise Jeanine. This evening, I took her out on a mystery date. Open-air dining at Bistro 781 in Waltham where they have closed Moody St. to traffic and all the restaurants there have set up tables outdoors. As we approached on foot after parking where we could, it was no feat of detective work to determine that we were going to have dinner al fresco. As we approached the restaurant, Jeanine asked me if we would be joining good friends, Tom and Karen Metzold for dinner. How could she possibly know this? Apparently, she pattern matched the last time we dined in this area with the time of year and made the correct prediction. Even though she ruined the surprise, it did not diminish the enjoyment we had catching up with my high school wrestling partner and long time friends.

After an annealing process to relieve stress and soften the metal, we have done a first pass at machining the part my team at Digital Alloys printed last week. This is what we call a rough cut and does not include any of the final part details. Next, we will harden and temper the part to our customer’s specification and then do the final machining. Expect another update next week. This is a very exciting time at work as this part represents the first one we have ever printed for a paying customer.

This year, COVID safety concerns precluded Formlabs from enjoying Family Camp weekend normally held at Camp Taconic in the Berkshires. Instead, employees received Camp Quarantine care packages containing various goodies based on their interests. Just published in a company newsletter is the photo above in which a small group including Maya, enjoyed a local hiking outing as part of the modified camp weekend.

Shortly after moving into our current home some 17 years ago, I converted half the unfinished basement into a home theater and recreation room. During that project, we added a hydronic heating system to warm the new areas plus my shop during the winter. With all of the insulation we added, it turns out that the new boiler has rarely been called into service. When it stopped operating several years ago, there was little impetus to fix it. Now that we are preparing to move, it is important that everything in the house is working properly. While investigating the problem, I discovered that the controller board for the impeller motor had a blown chip on it (likely due to extreme overheating). What remains to be seen, is if I can order just the controller board, or if it will come with a $300 motor attached.

This year Kicks for Cancer has gone virtual due to COVID-19. Pictured above is a screengrab from a video of Nico making an appeal for the campaign. Kicks for Cancer is held in memory of Concord resident Lois Wells, who passed away in 2007 after a courageous battle with cancer. Lois was the mother of Steve Wells, the team’s assistant coach and 1999 graduate of Concord-Carlisle High School. Since its inception 13 years ago the event has raised close to a half-million dollars for cancer research.

Now that we are getting closer to putting our home on the market, we are selling off everything that will not be joining us in our new house. I picked up this elliptical machine on the side of the road a few weeks ago in the hopes I would use it in lieu of my gym membership which I canceled when COVID hit. Since then, I have used it exactly once so on to Craig’s List it went. It sold in four hours for $300. Earlier in the day, I got a proper workout when my soccer team took to the field against a Russian team from Newton. The match was scoreless until the 80th minute when we picked up our first goal. We added a second with a few minutes left in the game. A very nice win against a very strong opponent.

I decided to sub out the floor repair for our walk-in closet project since we are also going to have the carpeting in the master bedroom and a second bedroom removed, the hardwood floors sanded, and refinished. The company we hired arrived with a crew of 4 and worked from 8am to 6pm at a feverish pace. They left having completed all but the second coat of finish which they will be back to do on Monday. We are very pleased with the work and are looking forward to moving back into our bedroom once the fumes have dissipated. Pictured above is the pattern of flooring removed to blend in the new floor.

My team realized a major milestone at work today, printing for the first time, a part that will be sold to a paying customer. Our printing process is near net shape which means that we have to machine away a few millimeters from each side to reveal the part within. We will do that next week and it is a safe bet I will be posting an image of it when we do. The nickel in the photo was included for a sense of scale.

I was surprised to discover this tiny rose starting to bloom in our garden. I have always assumed that flowers only bloom in the spring. Clearly, I was mistaken. Either that or this bud is not going to open. I will report back if that is the case.