I spent the morning in Haverhill where my soccer team faced the local club. We won handily bringing our record to 7-0-0. I notched my second goal of the season when I found the ball on my foot during a scrum in the box and punched it in with my right. Our team has scored 25 goals this season and only conceded 1. After the match, we enjoyed an Irish breakfast at the Peddler’s Daughter (an Irish pub and restaurant) where I also found this dramatic mural in the adjacent parking lot.

I followed the flight of this Monarch butterfly into the high branches of a pine tree where I was able to photograph it. Had I thought to take one, I would have liked to post a picture of Kyle, Maya, and the demolition project we are working on in his basement. While the kids moved lumber and removed drywall and ceiling tiles, I installed a heat pump water heater to replace the gas-fired unit there now. It is more efficient than either a gas or electric water heater and will be easier to relocate later when Kyle has a new HVAC system installed.

This rare breed of dog can only be observed in the week before Halloween. Scary enough at other times of the year, this is one canine that you do not want to mess with.

Maya produced these photographs for a design class she is taking at Olin. The prompt was to create a poster of a recipe for something that you’ve made. This week her coffee club decided to make pumpkin spice latte so she used that for her subject. She was up at 5 AM to prep the ingredients and take advantage of morning light. If she ever gets tired of a career in engineering, I think she could easily make a living as a photographer.

Occasionally, we see some pretty unusual things in the river. Today’s entry features what appears to be a two-person kayak fitted with an outrigger, gas-powered engine, and battery-powered motor. Other features include two dashboard-like consoles with storage, a windshield, a map holder, and an over-land wheeled cart. I apologize for the blurry photo but this thing was moving along pretty quickly and I had to run for my camera.

Born in San Francisco, Reuben Lucius Goldberg (1883-1970) graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a degree in engineering. He later entered journalism and moved to New York, where he became a syndicated cartoonist.

His whimsical and overly complex machines designed to solve the travails of modern life endeared him to generations of engineers, scientists, and everyone else who encounters the wonders and headaches of modern technology.

Some road-side business signs stand out more than others.

The Jaffrey Mills is a historic mill complex in the central business district of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. It consists of a connected series of primarily brick buildings flanking the Contoocook River. Its oldest buildings, the original mill and office building, are on the west side of the river (left). They were built in 1868, and feature mansard roofs and banded dentil brick cornices. In 1872 the building on the east side was built, and the two sides were joined by timber-frame bridges in 1897.  The mills have since been converted to residences. This afternoon, after a morning of planning HVAC ducting for the new house, I ventured out to enjoy the fine fall day only to have the clouds roll in as I reached my original destination of Mount Monadnock.

My sister Alissa and my mother both performed ballroom dance exhibitions at the Mall of America in Minneapolis today. My mother, 93, partnered with her former teacher from New York in an Argentine Tango. My sister reprieved a performance she recently did at the Crossgates Mall in Albany. Both were in fine form. The same cannot be said for my performance on the soccer pitch today. With many of my teammates sidelined with injuries, I played far more minutes than I am accustomed to and my lack of conditioning showed. Even so, I managed a couple of decent attempts on goal and we came away with a 3-0 win.

Nobody looks as good in a hat as Jeanine. This afternoon we attended the Conantum (name of our neighborhood) harvest gathering where she was wearing my favorite one. Held at our communal gardens, members of the neighborhood enjoyed an opportunity to get to know each other better. I arrived towards the end of the gathering because I was waiting for Nicolai and his friends to arrive at the house. They borrowed our kayaks and our neighbor’s canoe for an extended outing on the river. The sky was cloudy and the winds quite strong but still a great day to be out on the water.

Without a doubt, the stinkhorn mushroom pictured here is the strangest-looking fungus I have ever seen. I found a trio growing in the yard while doing some fall clean-up. This was a quick “grab shot” taken with my phone and I hope to post a better version taken with my “real” camera.

I was in Cambridge this afternoon meeting with a potential new client. I arrived early to avoid being late due to traffic and had a chance to walk around a bit. Pictured here is the Area 4 Story mural by artist David Fichter. It illustrates the rich history of Area 4, which is known for its social reformers like Margaret Fuller, Clement Morgan, and William Lloyd Garrison as well as its technology and inventors like Elias Howe who invented the sewing machine. Area 4, now called the Port, is a high-density residential neighborhood located near Central Square in Cambridge.

While returning home from the Boston Marathon on Monday, I came across this very nice scene in Ashland, MA. Unfortunately, the grey skies that day did little to make the photo pop. Today’s cloudless skies gave me reason to return for the shot above. Earlier in the day, I wrapped up the Purchase and Sale Agreement on our next house. We are on track to close before the end of the month.

I narrowly avoided stepping on this wooly bear as I was headed out to my car this morning. One of the most familiar caterpillars, wooly bears are renowned wanderers. They hatch from eggs in the fall, overwinter in woodpiles, and molt into Isabella tiger moths in the spring. Seeing it reminded me of a photo I took of Maya when she was 5 years old.

The Boston Marathon is normally held on Patriots Day. This year, it was postponed until today due to Covid. When attending in the past, I have positioned myself closer to the end of the race. This year, I decided to try a location closer to the start (1.75 miles). Here I enjoyed generally unobstructed views of the participants and managed to capture images of the winners in the men’s and women’s elite and wheelchair divisions.

The celebration of my 63rd birthday was postponed until we could do it as an entire family. The kids treated me to an amazing Italian diner at Olivia’s Bistro in Waltham. As good as the food was, it was surpassed by the conversation which reminded me how much I admire the adults that our kids have become. Earlier in the day, I was on the soccer pitch in what turned out to be our most challenging match of the season. We emerged with a narrow 1-0 win against a tough Brazillian team. The victory all but secured a first-place finish in our division and a berth in the post-season playoffs.

Today, Jeanine and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary, originally planned for earlier this week (October 6th), we had to postpone when Jeanine’s return flight from Indianapolis was delayed by several hours. Jeanine put me in charge of planning this year and I decided on a lighthouse-themed getaway based on her fondness for them. Our first stop was the Eastern Point Lighthouse in Gloucester Harbor.

While driving through Gloucester we paused to enjoy the magnificent gardens which grace the Stage Fort Park promenade. They are as spectacular as any I have ever seen and an unplanned anniversary bonus. From there, I flew my drone out to Babson Ledge for a closer peek at the Ten Pound Island Lighthouse, built of cast iron and brick in 1881 to guide boats into the town’s inner harbor. The final image is of the Gloucester City Hall, a very lovely building that exudes New England charm. Our final destination was Marblehead where we enjoyed a truly wonderful meal at the Landing.

Gloucester City Hall

Each year, there is about a one-week window when fall color is at its peak in any given area. When that period lines up with great weather it is time to get outside. Today, I drove up to Franconia Notch, one of my favorite places for autumn photography. My first stop was the Squam River bridge, in my opinion, one of the prettiest in all of New Hampshire. Built in 1990, this covered bridge replaces a steel and concrete bridge that was condemned. The state proposed a two-lane steel bridge for this site, but the citizens of Ashland voted for a one-lane wood bridge constructed in the traditional style of covered bridges. Mirror Lake was my next stop and then it was on to the town of Lincoln. By the time I started heading for home, the northbound weekend tourist traffic was backed up for several miles and I was very happy to be going in the opposite direction.

When demolition begins on our new home, we are going to need someplace to live for the year plus it will take to build the new one. Last night, Jeanine and I decided it would make more sense to buy a second home rather than waste money on rent. When the new construction is completed and we move back, we will use the second house as a rental property. This morning we found a 3-bedroom, 2000 sqft home that is less than a mile and a half away that ticked all the boxes. After touring the home, I did a quick but thorough inspection and presented an offer on the spot. It was accepted a few hours later and we are scheduled to close before the end of the month.

Today, I happen on this interview that Nicolai did back in January. Unsurprisingly, he did not mention it to anyone in the family. Fortunately, YouTube has a search function which I use from time to time, to discover what Nico has been up to recently.

Maya is currently touring the California coast with a new friend she met while interning at Rivian over the summer. Judging by the pictures she is sending back, they are having an excellent time. On their recent stop at Morrow Bay, they came upon a group of four sea otters basking on their backs in the calm waters of the bay, each with a baby on its chest. Maya’s spirit animal is the otter and I am certain that this encounter will register as a peak life experience for her.

Jeanine’s nephew, Luke, is among other things a stand-up comic. It was no surprise then that his wedding to Shellie was officiated by a fellow stand-up comic. I laughed so hard that it was difficult to steady my camera. The “ceremony” was more of a roast but as is the case with all good comedy, it exposes the truth. In this case, the love they share for each other. A complete set of the photos I took can be found here.

Because of Covid, some family members had to attend via Zoom. I set up a tripod with a phone holder on it and Jeanine’s sister, Susan, escorted it about the ceremony and reception. Below, Kyle and Jeanine visit with her niece, Erica.

One of my favorite non-wedding pictures of the evening was this portrait of Jeanine’s other nephew, Gabriel, with his son and girlfriend.

I moved to Indianapolis in 1980 to join Bell Labs. It was there that I met fellow engineer Rob Till, with whom I also played league soccer and volleyball. We became and have remained close friends ever since. He is pictured here with his wife Ann and their three Great Danes. Jeanine and I spent several hours visiting with them, reminiscing about old times and catching up on children and extended family. If Maya had joined us on this trip, the Till’s would find themselves short one dog. Thor took a particular liking to Jeanine.

Even though I lived in Indianapolis for twenty some odd years, I don’t think I have been back more than once or twice in the last 18 years. This morning, Jeanine and I flew there for the wedding of her nephew, Luke, to be held on Sunday evening. On approach, we flew past the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and judging from the number of trucks on the infield, there must be an upcoming race this weekend. After gathering our rental car, we visited with Jeanine’s sister Lauren and helped with the preparation of a massive mezze plater under her expert supervision.

We all took time to visit with her dog, Gandalf. Despite his age and a deformed leg, he is absolutely adorble and took an immediate shine to Jeanine.

I found myself in Pembroke, MA this afternoon visiting a showroom for windows and doors. After completing my business, I decided to head over to the ocean, given how close I was. I visited the very quaint Scituate Lighthouse which was built in 1811. It was here, during the war of 1812, that Rebecca (21) and Abby (15) Bates, daughters of the lighthouse keeper, observed a British ship making directly for the harbor. With their father away, the girls dispatched their brother to run for help. As the British ship drew near and began offloading sailors onto barges, the two struck up their fife and drum. Hidden from sight, the two girls sounded for all the world like an approaching army force. The British sailors retreated and the ship sailed away. The sisters became known the world over as “The Army of Two.”

Today, I celebrated my 63rd birthday. I still find it hard to fathom that I am a Sexagenarian (if not for the fact that I still really enjoy sex). It seems like only yesterday that I was beginning my career and starting a family. The time has passed in the blink of an eye. I have been married to a delightful, intelligent, and beautiful woman for almost half my life, have raised three children of whom I am so proud, and enjoyed a fulfilling and impactful career. I am a lucky man by any measure and feel even more compelled to make the most of every day that lies ahead. This brings us to the topic of ice cream which is how my day of celebration ended after Jeanine and I enjoyed lunch with my high school friend Tom and his lovely wife Karen, who also has a birthday today.

Temperatures are starting to drop and the feel of fall is in the air. This view of the Sudbury River has long been a favorite of mine since we moved to the area some 18 years ago. It is now even more meaningful as our new home lies just around the bend.

Pictured left is JD, the son of my cousin Vinny and his wife Michelle who are visiting from Manhattan Beach, CA. They treated us to a lovely brunch at the Farmstead Table in Newton Centre along with Nicolai and Maya. JD is a sophomore at Boston College where he is majoring in political science and communications. We had a delightful time catching up on family and comparing notes on parental matchmaking (apparently Vinny and I are equally interested in our children’s dating status and choices), house renovation (Michelle is a lawyer by day and avid interior designer by night), travel, and sports.

Earlier in the day, my soccer team cruised to a 4-0 win over Lexington which puts us at the top of the chart in our over-55 soccer league.

Founded by her two sons, the Lois Wells Memorial Kicks for Cancer soccer tournament is an annual event designed to raise money for ovarian cancer research. The day-long tournament features matches between local teams with all gate receipts and food and merchandise profits going to the very worthy cause. Players wear custom jerseys that carry the name of a loved one who was lost to or is battling cancer. Nicolai is coaching the CCHS men’s junior varsity team which faced arch-rival, Lincoln Sudbury. A close and hard-fought match ultimately concluded with CCHS winning 2-0. I was there for the match and photographed the action. A full set of photos can be found here.

Jeanine has decided that the groundhog is her spirit animal. She sees our resident pair, Greg and Grace, almost every day when she has her morning coffee in the living room which overlooks our side yard. There they can be observed doing all the things that groundhogs like to do (eating; they favor our local mushrooms, cavorting about the yard, sunbathing side by side). They are an extremely cute couple and we will try to ensure that our new home construction project does not disturb their den.

Today, I received several photos taken by others at my recent 45th-anniversary high school reunion. As much as I enjoy taking photos, sometimes it is nice to be featured on the other side of the lens. I am pictured above with class beauties, Christine Dieshner and MaryAnn Lake and with my high school wrestling partner and life-long friend, Tom Metzold below.

My mother is now 93 years old and still enjoys ballroom dancing (primarily Tango and Milonga) twice a week. My sister Alissa, 4 years my junior, has followed in her footsteps and fallen in love with ballroom dancing. She can be seen here performing to Swan Lake during a USA Dance demonstration at a shopping mall in Albany, NY. Something of a swan herself, this was a very fitting performance for her and my favorite to date.