Late this morning, we experienced a magnitude 3.8 earthquake. The epicenter was SE of York, Maine, near Boon Island, roughly 66 miles from here as the crow flies. At first, I thought it was a slab of snow sliding off the roof, but I could not see any evidence of that. Then I thought it might be a mis-balanced load of laundry in the washing machine. Not until I checked my e-mail to see that neighbors had already identified the event as an earthquake did I make the connection. To be fair, this was a very tiny quake the size of which occurs 500,000 times a year. Even so, it is quite a rare thing to experience living in our neck of the woods.

Kyle shared this photo of the haircut he received today. I think it reflects the emergence of his inner Ecuadorian. Also shared was a video of a flaming dinner entry served to the table he was sharing with a new friend. We are all starting to worry that he may never come back.

A friend of ours was not feeling well, and when Jeanine offered to help out, we got a chance to take her dog Mingo, for an extended walk. Mingo was very well-behaved and kept close as we traversed a path through Concord Conservation land. Our friend continued to feel worse and eventually went to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and had an immediate appendectomy.

Jeanine was invited to speak at the grand opening of Open Table’s new annex (warehouse) this morning. During her tenure as the Executive Director, she was instrumental in securing the property and building. The space has been fully renovated and connected by a loading dock/breezeway to the main Open Table facility. Other speakers at the event included State Senator Jamie Eldridge and State Representative Kate Hogan. She delivered her comments to a standing-room-only crowd before helping with the ribbon cutting.

I have heard about lap dogs, but this is my first exposure to a laptop cat. Maya’s friend and flatmate Fiona recently adopted it, and Maya has secured some form of co-parenting rights. Although the feline prevented Maya from using her computer, it did not stop her from a scheduled meeting at work with her canine friends.

While we are experiencing the coldest winter day so far, Kyle is basking in the sun of Cartagena. Meanwhile, Nicolai has returned from Costa Rica with sunburn over his entire face.

I am happy to report that the house is warm and toasty. Our geothermal system is virtually unaffected by the outside air temperature since we are drawing heat from deep in the ground where the temperature remains between 45–54°F.

Jeanine spotted 5 coyotes walking on the frozen Sudbury River this morning. I managed to capture this photo of four of them. They were very far away and I was shooting through triple-pane glass which explains the poor photo quality. If not for the 2°F outdoor temperature and the fact that I was in my bathrobe, I would have ventured out for a better image.

After snow blowing 4″ of new snow from our driveway before sunrise, I drove to the Old North Bridge to get some early morning photos before visitors could add their footprints to the scene. I launched my drone for an overhead aerial view but curtailed the flight when I got a low battery temperature warning. When I returned home, I made another short flight to capture a snowscape of our house as seen from the river.

While we were dealing with the snow and cold, Kyle moved further south from Panama to Cartagena, Colombia. I wish this “Digital Nomad” lifestyle was a thing when I was his age. I am thrilled that he is availing himself of the opportunity to travel so much. I am also glad he has moved on from Panama, given our new President’s desire to “take it back,” referring to the Panama Canal.

Jeanine and I just watched the movie “Unstoppable,” the story of 2011 NCAA 125-pound wrestling champion Anthony Robles based on his book of the same title. It was an excellent movie that we can highly recommend. Nicolai is pictured here with Anthony in 2010 after attending a wrestling clinic that he conducted. Anthony stuck around after the clinic to give Nicolai some one-on-one coaching, and we wound up giving him a ride to the airport. What is not apparent from the movie is that Anthony is a genuinely wonderful human being. We are all thrilled with the success he has earned for himself.

After receiving a quote for $2,600 to fabricate and install a stainless steel handrail for our front steps, I decided to do the job myself. The components cost $164, and it took me less than 2 hours. The design may not be quite as elegant as the custom one I originally envisioned, but it is super sturdy, and I can think of many better things to spend the savings on.

Yesterday’s game between the national amputee soccer teams for the US and Costa Rica ended in a 0-0 tie. Jeanine and I were hoping to watch the second match today between the US and Guatemala, but the live stream does not seem to be working once again. I will report on the scores once we learn of them. Final score US 4; Guatemala 0.

After returning from some consulting work for a new client, I spent several hours trying to figure out why our doorbell chime had ceased to function. A visitor for Jeanine arrived this afternoon. I was in my office and heard the driveway sensor signal the presence of a car. I looked at our security camera feed and saw her friend walking up to the front door. I was puzzled when the doorbell did not ring. When I let her in, she confirmed having pushed the doorbell button. After confirming that the doorbell camera/button was working, I searched online for the applicable documentation and began to troubleshoot the chime. I did a factory reset and attempted to re-pair it with the doorbell. When this did not work I created a support ticket with the manufacturer (Reolink) but will probably not hear back for some time. Because the doorbell has a working chime on the outdoor unit, guests will be under the impression that we have heard the indoor chime and they will have no reason to knock. For this reason it is fairly urgent that I get this situation resolved. I eventually decided to purchase a replacement with overnight delivery. Had I known that this would only cost $19, I would have started with this solution in the first place. I should know by tomorrow if this cures the problem.

As he did last winter, Kyle traveled to Panama to enjoy sunshine and warm weather. Working remotely offers him this opportunity since it matters little where his desk is located. He brought his big screen monitor and full-size keyboard with him so as not to sacrifice productivity. When it is time for a break, he enjoys the running path pictured below.

Meanwhile, Nico is in Costa Rica with the US National Amputee Soccer Team, preparing for an international friendly against their hosts. It remains to be seen how his shoulder holds up after the injury he sustained during the USA Cup late last year.

Our landscaping plan for the River House did not include lighting to illuminate the driveway. Cars have headlights, so there was not much motivation to spend money for their benefit. For neighbors visiting on foot, however, the +300-foot walk from the street to our front door can be a little intimidating in the dark. I considered hardwired, fixed lighting, but that only looks good until the first one gets knocked over. Solar lighting fixtures were an option, but some portions of the driveway receive very little sunlight, creating the likelihood that some lights would never get sufficiently charged to stay on for several hours. I am very pleased with the solution I arrived at, one I have never seen used before. I placed an outdoor LED rope typically used to decorate trees or frame houses on one side of the driveway. It is a very low energy solution that is both functional and entertaining (see video above). They are programmed to come on at dusk and turnoff 6 hours later.

Jeanine volunteered me to help with the construction of “photo boards” to be used during the Concord 250 celebration in April. Pictured here are four pairs of stands that will be used to support 4’x6’x1/2″ plywood sheets. A neighbor who is in charge of the project and I finished the task in a couple of hours. We will cut face holes and support holes in the photo boards after they are painted. The wind load on a 4′ x 6′ surface in 20 mph winds is approximately 25 pounds. This will require about 45 pounds of counterweight placed at the right location on the legs. I will recommend 25-pound sandbags for each leg or that they be staked securely to the ground.

The new drone I recently purchased (DJI Mini 4 Pro) arrived today. Despite the high winds, I wanted to make a couple of test flights. I noticed that Verrill Farms has been constructing a permanent event space to replace the tent they have used in the past. I thought this might make an interesting photo. I also decided to revisit the neuron-shaped thaw patterns in the Sudbury River. The Mini 4 has three key improvements that convinced me to buy it. The radio range has been substantially increased, and it now has obstacle avoidance in all directions. These features will make it more intrinsically safe to fly. The newer drone now offers RAW only photo files which is more convenient for me than the previous RAW+JPEG mode.

As the Sudbury River has begun to thaw in certain areas, I decided to put up my drone for an aerial view. When I studied the images, I noticed some very interesting neuron-shaped patterns throughout the ice sheets. It appears to be a consistent pattern that can be seen all the way up the river suggesting it is the normal pattern for melting. I have never seen such a pattern before and will have to investigate further.

My sister Mayela shared this image taken at the North Carolina Zoo with the family.

Closer to home, we enjoyed our first proper snowfall of the season, just a little over 2 inches. A nice consequence is that we can see animal footprints in the snow and use our surveillance video to zero in on the visitors. Yesterday, this included a fox and coyote.

From ChatGPT:

Ice can make a variety of sounds, including cracking, crunching, tinkling, whooshing, groaning, sizzling, and roaring. The sounds ice makes depend on how it’s interacting with its environment, such as temperature changes, wind, waves, and icebergs.

None of these words come close to describing the sounds emanating from the frozen Sudbury River this morning. The closest thing I can think of is the sound made by a handsaw whose blade has been pulled into an arc and then released. I made several attempts to use my audio recorder to capture the sound with no success. Later in the day, Jeanine and I went for a walk along the opposite side of the river down to Fairhaven Bay, hoping to hear the ethereal song again. Once you hear this sound, you want to hear it again and again. It is yet another gift of the river for which we are grateful.

This morning, a light coating of snow and high winds produced mesmerizing moving patterns on the frozen Sudbury River. Due to the freezing outside temperatures, I operated my drone from the comfort of our great room. It felt a little like cheating. The stress of flying in high winds, on the other hand, made for a traumatic flight. The experience made me think about picking up a used backup drone for our upcoming trip to New Zealand, should I lose or crash my primary one. Instead, I opted to purchase a newer model that has better safety features and radio range. This combination of enhancements should reduce the probability of a fatal crash or loss of aircraft.

When I initially installed the vent hood over the induction cooktop on the kitchen island, I set the height so that it would just clear my head. Good for me, but not so much for taller cooks. Such hoods perform better when closer to the cooking surface, so my instinct was to keep it as low as practical. Today, I raised it by 7 inches after a recent guest bonked their head on the glass canopy. To compensate for the increased height, I installed new electronics that allow the fan to operate at a 75% higher flow rate. A pair of band clamps were just what the doctor ordered to facilitate an otherwise very precarious operation. Head clearance is now 6′ 3″. If you are taller than that, you cannot go on the ride.

At the end of February, Jeanine and I will be leaving for a 5-week New Zealand and Australia vacation. I spent the entire day and a good part of yesterday securing reservations for air, car, and ferry travel and lodging for 18 different accommodations ranging from an overnight voyage into the Milford Sound on a small cruise ship to a tiny hut previously used for sheep shearing. The array of housing also includes a small cottage on a llama farm and an off-the-grid tiny house. Even though we will be traveling during the shoulder season and we are booking almost 2 months in advance, it is crazy how many places are already fully reserved. On a positive note, we finally received a check for the energy credits earned by our geothermal system. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center calculated the projected output of our system over the next ten years and provided a one-time payment based on the greenhouse gas emissions savings our system will deliver. The amount will cover the cost for our entire vacation. Even though it is money that came out of our pocket to pay for geothermal in the first place, it was still a welcome psychological treat.

In November, Jeanine signed me up for a senior adult recreational pickleball league. Today, the program commenced, and I played for the first time. Just as she insisted, the game is a lot of fun. The time I spent learning about it on YouTube proved to be quite helpful, and I felt pretty comfortable halfway through my first match. It should be noted that I was one of two men in a group that included 11 women, half my junior and half my senior. If my knees prove they can tolerate the sport, I think I may join a more competitive group next session in light of a request from one player who asked me not to hit the ball so hard.

Conantum, our neighborhood, has common land shared by all who live here. This includes a community garden, boat dock, tennis and basketball courts, playground, baseball field, and a network of trails. These amenities are maintained by volunteers from the community. I recently joined the Trails Committee and received my assignment today. I am to be the Steward for trail segments X and Y as labeled on the partial map above. I will be responsible for keeping the path safe and clean. As illustrated below, this may involve the occasional clearing of fallen trees. Jeanine joined me for an initial assessment this afternoon and I am pleased to report that my predacessor has left the trail in very good condition.

While sectioning downed trees in the yard with my chainsaw today, I encountered the work of another lumberjack who shares our property. Interestingly, beavers can fell up to 300 trees in a year, with a single beaver capable of cutting down a medium-sized tree in just one night. When beavers cut down trees, they primarily want to eat the inner cambium layer of the tree bark. In addition, doing so is necessary to maintain their fast-growing, self-sharpening teeth. These animals are truly remarkable. I wonder what it would take to train them to work on the downed trees that are the target of my efforts?

Maya slept over last night so she could have her new car inspected by the dealer who sold it to her first thing in the morning. We will accept any reason for a visit from one of the kids. While she was enjoying coffee in the great room, I was struck by the similarity of texture and color between the swivel chair, her fleece, and the lampshade. We enjoyed a far-ranging discussion with her last night and are so proud of the woman she has become.

High winds in the area took out power to our neighborhood this morning. I was working at my computer and did not notice anything until I received a message from our battery backup system informing me of the outage. In our last house, we had a natural gas-powered generator, and it would take about half a minute to come online, making it very obvious when a blackout had occurred. It also tended to not want to start during extremely cold or windy conditions, those most likely to be present when the system was needed. This is now the 7th time the grid has gone down since we moved into the house and I have to confess to being happy every time it happens. Our backup system was fairly expensive and the more times it is pressed into service the better I feel about the investment.

Concord has its own electric utility (CMLP), and I have nothing but great things to say about its responsiveness and competence. They had the whole neighborhood back online within 90 minutes.

With the new year, Jeanine and I are both switching to new email domains. We are leaving behind our “@comcast.net” domains in favor of an “@gmail.com” domain. This transition will complete our disengagement from Comcast, a company that has caused us no end of frustration and grief. We would ask everyone to update their contact database accordingly.

Happy New Year!

Jeanine and I joined old and new friends atop the Old Hill Burying Grounds in Concord for a sparkling cider toast. For the second year in a row, it was the starting point for a New Year’s Eve party hosted by one of our neighbors. This year, however, we did not join the group for dinner as Jeanine is trying to shake an incalcitrant case of bronchitis. Instead, we opted for a quiet evening at home. It has been a year full of change and excitement for us so we were more than happy with a low-key transition to 2025.

I designed a very simple stainless steel handrail today for the steps to our front door. I did not want to do this work until the stairs had sufficient time to settle. I have sent the rendering and dimensioned drawings out to a couple of fabricators for price quotes.

I also began the incredibly annoying and time-consuming process of fully extricating myself from Comcast, possibly the worst company I have ever done business with. When we moved into the new house, we switched to fiber optic-based broadband access through our local power and light company. Performance, reliability, and support have been exceptional. The last vestige of our connection to Comcast is the “@comcast.net” domain, through which all of our e-mail correspondence is routed. Even though we are no longer customers, the company is legally required to continue to support access to these addresses. Like everything else they do, it works until it doesn’t, and then the process of troubleshooting is enough to drive a person insane.

With well over 200 accounts linked to my “@comcast.net” address, it is going to take quite some time to switch them all over to my “@gmail.com” address.

Maya picked up her new car today. It is a grey/silver 2023 Subaru Outback Limited. This is the first car she has purchased for herself so it is a milestone that we were happy to witness. I really enjoyed sharing what I have learned about how to buy a new car with her, having done so ~20 times in my life. She handled all of the negotiations yesterday and took care of the paperwork today. Owen drove her up from Somerville in his new grey/silver Toyota RAV4, the other car Maya was seriously considering. I suspect that there will be a race between the two cars at some point and I am urging caution should that happen.

Maya has yet to name her new car although her gender has been determined as female.

Maya, Jeanine, and I made a day of car shopping for Mishka’s replacement. Maya was up late last night doing research. She also consulted with Owen and his dad, who are car experts. She downselected to the Toyota RAV4 and the Subaru Outback. We visited the local dealers for both brands, and she test-drove both models. We returned home late in the afternoon, from where she conducted price negotiations. Once she secured an acceptable discount, we returned to that dealer to put down a deposit. Tune in tomorrow to see which car she purchased!