Before purchasing our home on the Sudbury River, our family resided about a mile away on Mattison Drive. Today, I learned about an unbelievable real estate scam involving the sale of the last undeveloped lot in that neighborhood. The true owners of the land, purchased in 1991, live in South Carolina and have been paying property taxes ever since. They had hoped to return to Massachusetts one day or gift the property to one of their children. A scam artist posing as the owner contacted a local real estate agent by e-mail seeking a seller’s agent. The realtor failed to verify the fake seller’s identity and proceeded to list the property for sale. A New Hampshire-based real estate agent made an offer to purchase the land for $550,000, a little over half the going rate for comparable undeveloped land in Concord. His father-in-law is a developer and the pair saw an opportunity to build and sell a home in the highly desirable neighborhood for a nice profit. The deal was contingent on being able to secure the necessary Natural Resource Commission permits. The true owners of the property received registered mail from a contractor preparing work for presentation to the NRC, their first indication that something was amiss. They contacted the NRC and explained that they were not selling the property and that the request for a permit hearing should be denied. Apparently, the request was initially denied but weeks later was heard and approved. Closing moved forward, site work followed and a new house was framed. When the true owners inquired as to why they had not received their property tax bill, they were informed that the property had been sold.

I learned all of this by reading the lawsuit filed by the true owners. They are suing the buyer, the developer, the realtor, and both real estate lawyers for failing to notice any of the red flags suggesting this was a scam (forged signatures, fake forms of ID, improperly notarized documents, several misspelled names and locations, and request for half a million dollars in proceeds to be sent to a UPS store in Pennsylvania,)

I will be inquisitive to see how this plays out. All defendants named in the lawsuit had a profit motive for seeing the deal close, and it would appear that they saw only what they wanted to see.

UPDATE:

A few minutes of sleuthing turned up this posting by the selling agent thanking the “seller’s” real estate attorney for “all your hard work representing our clients, and ensuring we get to the closing table.”

It is always exciting to have a first-time visitor at the River House. This juvenile red-tailed hawk showed up today, undoubtedly interested in the abundant chipmunk and squirrel population here. He hung around for about 15 minutes but did not seem to be in the mood for hunting.

Had he lived, today would be my father’s 100th birthday. On this day, I remember a kind and loving man who adored his family and lived life to the fullest. I will never forget his infectious laughter and often think of him when I hear a story that would have gotten him started. I only wish he could have lived to see his grandchildren become adults. He would have been so proud of them.

From his obituary:

Dr. Frank M. Calabria, 86, of Wendell Avenue, Schenectady, NY, died peacefully in his home surrounded by his loving family on October 20, 2010. Frank was born in Brooklyn, NY, son of the late Ernesto and Rosina Calabria. He was predeceased by his brother, Ernest Calabria and sisters, Jacqueline Gomez and Antoinette Barkley. He met his beloved wife, Angela, of 54 years at the Byrnes & Swanson dance studio in Brooklyn while working as a ballroom dance instructor there. They have four children and nine grandchildren. His son, Carl and his wife, Jeanine reside in Concord, MA with their children, Kyle, Nicolai and Maya; son, Mark and his wife, Marie reside in Plymouth, MN with their children, Mario, Rory, Sophia and Rose; daughter, Alissa Quinn and her husband, John reside in Slingerlands, NY with their children, John and Rachel; and daughter, Mayela Harris and her husband, Stephen reside in Fuquay-Varina, NC. Frank graduated from City College with his bachelor’s in science degree and was accepted into the graduate program in clinical psychology. He received his Ph.D. at New York University. Frank began his career as a professor of psychology, teaching in the evening division at Russell Sage College for five years. He was a professor of psychology for 24 years at Union College and retired professor emeritus. He also maintained a private practice as a psychotherapist and was an author of two books, “Dance of the Sleepwalkers: The Dance Marathon Fad” and “Let it Be a Dance – My Life Story.” He served in WWII as an athletic instructor where he was decorated with a Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal and American Theatre Service medal. He received an honorable discharge in 1946. Frank formed a body building club as a young teenager, after spending a year in a wheelchair. He was a teacher of ballroom dance at the local USO, Dance of America conventions and in various local studios. Frank played classical guitar and was an avid ballroom dancer for over 50 years.

When Nicolai was 13 years old, he climbed Tanzania’s 19,341 ft. Mount Kilimanjaro. He was the first person ever to do so on crutches. Next week, he sets off for Ecuador to climb 19,347 ft. Cotopaxi. He climbs this time to raise money for prosthetics rather than wheelchairs. Why? He believes mobility is a basic human right. Please support his climb if you are able: https://climb.rompglobal.org/event/climbingforromp2024/account/1739877?fbclid=IwY2xjawFdkGpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYH4VDLFq7e4dlAIkbullVqW12yDvtG4FuVz6yhLFKCDgEr0x4pav1B_4Q_aem_CC0IiLqzjFhdWNBumxos3A

Kyle has been in Ithaca, NY this week, hanging out with half a dozen friends from his running group. He shared this image of spectacular Taughannock Falls. The last time I was in the Finger Lakes district, I stopped here but the falls were not flowing at the time. This picture makes me really want to go back and I am thrilled that Kyle had an opportunity to visit this very special place.

My sister-in-law shared this photo from our recent visit to Minneapolis. There is a lot to digest in this image, and I will leave it to the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The Bionic Project, where Nico works as the Lead Educator, has been selected as a finalist in the national Land Rover Defender Service Awards!   This contest is a partnership between Land Rover and Chase Bank and rewards nonprofits in 5 categories.  The Bionic Project is a finalist in the “Outdoor Education and Accessibility” category.    Here is a link to the press release announcing the finalists.   

Winning would mean $25K and a Bionic-branded Land Rover Defender for the organization. Public voting will be open from Oct 2 – 17, and I will share a link to the Bionic Project video entry at that time.

Using plant stalks from the floral arrangement we received as a gift earlier this month, Jeanine created a new arrangement that will adorn our entryway. I love it. We spent a good portion of the day moving wood chips. It is great exercise and satisfying to see new yard areas start looking somewhat groomed.

Supermoons are full moons that appear larger because they happen in tandem with the lunar orbit’s closest approach to Earth, appearing 30% brighter and 14% larger than when the moon is at its faintest. Tonight’s supermoon is also called a harvest moon because it’s the full moon that appears closest to the fall equinox, rising near sunset and providing extended illumination for farmers to bring in their crops. Now add a partial eclipse and we have the subject of today’s blog. Pictured above is the moon at the moment of maximum occlusion and below before the eclipse began.

Having recently acquired a lathe, my brother Mark has since produced several beautiful turned vessels. The one pictured above he made specifically as a present for us to store cooking salt. The ones pictured below, I absconded with after loosely obtaining permission to take them. They will all be proudly displayed in our new home.

Joined by the Earles, Jeanine and I started our day with a leisurely stroll through the East Village of Des Moines, where we discovered some Midwest wildlife. Later, we joined the wedding party for an extended brunch where we got a chance to spend time with Zoe’s family. It was a very relaxing day culminating with an uneventful set of flights back to Boston where Nico retrieved us from the airport.

Jeanine and I attended Collin Earle and Zoe Mauck’s wedding this evening. Collin is the son of Jeanine’s best friend from childhood. The wedding took place at the prairie estate of Zoe’s parents and was officiated by her father. The couple met through their passion for cycling, a theme visited several times in the emotional and moving ceremony.

Earlier in the day, we had an opportunity to do some sightseeing in Des Moines. Pictured below is the state capitol building and, below that, the Des Moines Art Center.

Our morning visit to the Framers Market provided an opportunity for me to join in with a local yoga group, a sight so rare that Jeanine felt compelled to document it.

Des Moines, Iowa was our destination for the weekend. Mark, Marie, Jeanine, and I made the three-hour journey with a stop at the High Trestle Trail and Bridge. for a bit of exercise. The 2.5 mile walk was well worth the effort. The bridge is a work of art and over looks the Des Moines River where hundreds of pelicans were fishing for their evening meal. We are here for a wedding, while Mark and Marie will travel on to Iowa City where they will connect with their daughter, Sophia, for parent’s weekend at the University of Iowa.

I spent most of the day in my brother’s shop helping him with repairs to his assembly table, pictured above. The massive casters on this table are pneumatically deployed using the stored compressed air in the canister mounted to the underside. My brother fabricated the piston components and used a rubber diaphram to serve as the actuator. One of the rubber seals failed after two years of service so he decided to replace all four with a silicon diaphram. The project took several hours to complete and produced a very satisfying result. It is very cool to throw a switch and have a several hundred pound table convert from a stationary to a mobile platform. Mark and I enjoy working on projects together and lament the fact that we live so far apart.

Jeanine and I flew to Minnesota today to stay with my brother Mark and his wife Marie in Minnetonka. Jeanine took this photo while out for a walk with Marie. She liked elements of the garden and thought we could use some of these concepts back at the River House.

It has been 10 months since our driveway was paved with a binder coat. Yesterday, the top coat was added. The reason for the time delay was to allow the binder to settle and for all heavy equipment work to be completed. With the last (hopefully) of our tree work completed last week, we were ready to finish the driveway. I thought a fly-over video would be more compelling than a still photograph. You may feel otherwise after witnessing my questionable flying skills. Even so, I did not crash into anything which is more than can be said for some of my previous attempts at flying while shooting video.

The straps I originally ordered for my kayak cart project were too short and it took several days to acquire ones of the right size. With these installed, the project is now complete. Our kayaks will be stored on the carts so they are ready to deploy at any time with no additional work. It has been more than 13 years since their initial finish was applied and they are due for a new coat. I hope to tackle this work sometime later this fall.

It was a glorious fall morning, the perfect weather to start my team’s fall soccer season. Regrettably, our performance on the field did not live up to the beauty of the day. We squandered a 1-0 lead at the half giving up two goals before the final whistle. I played a good 60 minutes but did little to help (or hurt) our cause. On a positive note, I sustained no injuries.

When I returned home, Jeanine was hosting a meeting with neighbors who were pressing the table extension I recently completed into service as a conference table. It made me very happy to see this. I had assumed it would only be used for Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meals.

One of our dinner guests last night arrived with an armful of clippings from her garden and we watched as she assembled this beautiful bouquet. It is so tall that it would not fit under the light over our dining table but works perfectly on our coffee table.

I spent the better part of the day gathering small branches and bark strewn all over the property, the remnants of the tree work we had done earlier this week. There was enough wood to keep our fire pit roaring for eight hours. The endeavor left me with a very sore back as I had to bend over to pick up thousands of branches (not an exaggeration) and haul them to the patio in a wheelbarrow.

In the evening, we hosted another First Friday gathering with a small group of friends. Jeanine prepared a tomato-peach burrata salad which made me forget all about my tired back.

Today, was also the closing date on our Road House sale. Even though we knew going in that it would be a temporary home, it is fair to say that we grew quite fond of it. Nonetheless, we are very pleased to be back to owning a single home.

Installing folding metal legs completed the construction of the table extension leaf I have been working on. All that remains now is to paint it to match our dining room table, the least enjoyable part of the project for me. With the legs folded, the leaf should be easy to transport and store although it is still unclear if that will be in the basement or the garage.

Jeanine and I love trees. Even so, ever since a huge white pine destroyed our neighbor’s sun porch, we have held our breath during every wind event. Today, we had every tree over 100 feet tall within striking distance of our house taken down. All that remains to be done is to haul away the trunks. Depending on the size and straightness, some will be milled for lumber, the rest are destined for the paper mill. Surprisingly, the views of and from our house have changed little. For every 100-footer, we have a second generation of 60-footers that now define the treescape. I know we are going to sleep better from here on out.

Jeanine and I enjoyed a glorious fall afternoon on a 3.5-mile hike through the conservation land directly across the river from our house. At the mid-point, we arrived at Fairhaven Bay. Along the path, we encountered several mushrooms but not the otters we had hoped to find at the Andromeda Pools. Later we got our Covid vaccine boosters as a precaution given our upcoming travel plans to Iowa and later down the Eastern seaboard to Charleston and Savannah.

Our round dining room table comfortably seats 8 people. Jeanine, already in planning mode for Thanksgiving and Christmas, asked if it would be possible to extend the seating for up to 12. Our table has a solid top with no provisions for an extension leaf so I decided to build one that mates along one half of the perimeter. I used 3/8″ thick Baltic Birch plywood in a three-layer stack-up. The top layer matches the existing table radius and extends the contour ~30″. The middle layer (pictured below) comprises the internal structure that create a torsion box when the bottom layer is glued to them. The result is a 1-1/8″ thick top that weighs the same as a 3/4″ top would and is substantially stiffer. I did not notice until just now, that the internal layer looks like a cat’s face. The squarish blocks are positioned to accept mounting screws for the legs and the curved pieces are leftovers from the cutouts. I will post another photo of the completed extension table when I have had a chance to mount the folding legs.

Using leftover bamboo from the River House cabinetry project, I completed the frames for two kayak carts per the design I came up with yesterday. I installed the axles and wheels for a test run using Jeanine as the operator. Even without the straps I plan to add, moving the kayaks was a breeze. I will add a suitable finish protectant tomorrow.

Our neighbors to the north have been kind enough to let us launch our kayaks from the river bank on their property. Our river frontage is steep enough to preclude launching safely. Although our kayaks are light enough for one person to carry, it is quite an arduous task. A friend loaned us a strap-on kayak cart which proved helpful but not well-suited to the rough terrain by virtue of its small wheels. I decided to design and build a pair of custom-fit kayak carts that will also serve as storage racks. The kayaks will be strapped to the carts upside down with the pegs used to locate the cockpit. This will prevent rain and snow from entering while the kayaks are not being used. Not shown is a “self-standing” feature that will keep the cart upright to facilitate loading.

As the sun was setting, this pair of swans gracefully swam past the house. It is the first time I have seen them in several months. Shortly after this sighting, Jeanine and I went out for a short walk and spotted a large barred owl silently gliding through the air. We watched it for several minutes as it flew from perch to perch, presumably in pursuit of dinner.

I spent a good part of the day researching and test-riding electric bikes. Having just sold my non-functioning one, I am in the market for a replacement. I have learned a great deal about the latest bike tech and also that Sept/Oct is the time of year when manufacturers introduce their new models. It may be prudent to wait a few weeks, either to get a good deal on last year’s models or to see what next year’s models have to offer.

While I am enjoying the process, I have to admit that it is sobering to realize this will probably be the last bike I purchase and that I need to consider what features will serve me best as I approach my 70s. Let’s just say that drop handlebars are out.

While sailing in Boston Harbor last weekend, I was struck by the unusual architecture of the pictured building. The slopes of the facades create an optical illusion suggesting the building is “falling down.” After a little research, I discovered that it is a +100 unit luxury condo. A 3 bedroom, 2,500 sqft floorplan will set you back $8.5M. It is little wonder that Boston was just named the 5th most expensive city in the world to live in.

I found myself at the West Concord Library today and noticed a lovely mural that has been added since my last visit. The mural’s design was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, A Child’s Garden of Verses, from 1885. The individual elements were created by some 100 community members under the direction of the Art for All project founded by our good friend Margot Kimball. Click on the image to view the finer details and read some of the verses.

Sadly, I put my Copenhagen Wheel-equipped bike up for sale today. The batteries will no longer take a charge, no doubt since it has been several years since I charged them. Lithium-ion batteries do not fare well if you allow them to fall into deep discharge. I had zero time for bike riding during the River House construction. Superpedestrian, the manufacturer of the wheel, and where I was head of engineering in 2017, has since discontinued the product and now sells e-scooters for city-wide fleet applications. I have listed the bike for a very low price and disclosed the non-working wheel. For a moment, I considered replacing the rear wheel and brake with the original equipment but when I priced it out, I decided it was not worth the time and effort.

I finished painting the side tables my brother and I built over the weekend and installed them in our home theater. I generally prefer to finish wood furniture I have built with a clear protective finish. Because these pieces were made with both bamboo and baltic birch and because they will share a room with a spalted maple entertainment center, I opted to paint them to match the walls so they do not compete with the other elements in the room. The top shelf will make for handy storage of remotes and headphones while the lower shelf is sized for books. When viewed from all but the lowest angle, these tables appear to float above the floor. This look is achieved by using a 10″ deep toe kick and adding 40 pounds of ballast to the back side of the table so it does not tip forward.