I took the boys to the Concord-Carlisle High School football game this evening. After separating me from my money for the entrance fee, I was left to watch the game alone while they cavorted beneath the bleachers.

Maya playing after school pauses for a moment.

Today I turned 47. I have decided that I will not officially feel old until I reach 50. The family had a special dinner with my favorites, and I am seen here sporting one of my birthday presents. Maya performed a small piano concert in my honor, and Nicolai received his flute today and already has achieved a pretty good tone.

This is either prisoner #2662 or a freshly minted brownie.

On the way home, we stopped for lunch at a seaside lobster shack where Jeanine enjoyed a traditional lobster roll. We also stopped to do a little antique shopping and briefly detoured into Kennybunkport, where we found a quiet ocean overlook on which to renew our wedding vows to each other.

We really enjoyed the group we were hiking with. Each member was fascinating in their own right, and we got a chance to know them well over the many miles of conversation. When we arrived at the B&B, they had arranged a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of chilled champagne in our room in honor of our wedding anniversary.

This unusual mushroom had an inverted orphan mushroom growing on top of it.

This variety lactates a milk like substance when the underside is scratched, even slightly.

Also featured was the most varied assortment of mushrooms I have ever seen.

On our final day, we hiked both peninsulas of the Ovens Mouth Preserve, which features swift tidal waters, quiet coves, and salt marshes.

During the afternoon, we rented a tandem sea kayak and spent several hours in Booth Bay Harbor. Our furthest destination was Burnt Island, where we put ashore to investigate the lighthouse.

At lunch we dined on a rocky beach looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean.

Day two featured a morning hike on the Lineken Preserve with several stunning vistas of the Damariscotta River.

Everywhere you look in Maine, you are sure to see something that floats on the water. The small buoys in the foreground are connected to ubiquitous lobster traps, each color-coded to identify the owner.

Our first hike was a quick late afternoon stroll through the Porter Preserve with southern views of the Sheepscot River.

We stayed at a very lovely bed and breakfast on Hogsdon Island, nestled among the rivers and inlets that define the Maine coastline in this area. We were part of a hiking group that explored a number of land trust conservation areas.

Jeanine and I took a long weekend to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We spent the bulk of our time in and around Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, but stopped for lunch in Portsmouth, NH, on the way up.

Mother and grandmother see Maya off to school. Maya did ten really good pushups this morning.

My parents arrived today to watch the kids for the weekend while Jeanine and I take a long weekend in Maine to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. My father celebrates his 81st birthday and 49th wedding anniversary tomorrow and Jeanine treated us to a mango cheesecake to mark the occasion.

Nico heads out for school on his scooter. Note to self: Remind Nicolai that helmet is not a fashion accessory and works better when the chin strap is fastened.

This little fellow was perched on our porch railing this morning.

I happened upon Tower Place in Maynard last night. It is an old mill that has been converted into a mixed residential and business complex overlooking the water supply that used to drive the machinery.

Kyle looking rather handsome this morning.

Maya and Nico had their soccer games cancelled due to poor field conditions. Kyle rolled his ankle early in his game and was forced to sit out. I am still nursing my groin pull and missed another weekend. It was Maya’s family night and she picked Movies & Smoothies. We watched Virginia’s Run (about a girl and a horse – the boys loved it too) and made ice cream smoothies.

Nico and Jake posing with Aunt Mayela.

Sebastian is checking out the squirrel action in the back yard.

Maya is modeling an early Christmas present from Mayela to me. Please note, that the hat fit her as well as it did her father. I do not know what this means, but it cannot be good.

Maya entertains Uncle Stephen with a bedtime story. We have him to thank for improving Maya’s reading skills. When Maya pronounce “Dick” as “duck” Stephen suggested she need only change the “u” to an “i”. Maya continued with the story of “Dyke and Jane”.

My sister Mayela and husband Stephen have come for a brief visit with canine children Jake (seen here stealing a kiss) and Sebastian. These children are quite remarkable. They rarely talk back, they clean up after themselves and anyone else who has dropped food on the floor, they eat everything you put on their plates and would rather run around outside than watch TV or play video games. Our kids could learn a thing or two from these guys.

The surf was up and I was able to catch some of the action.

During my recent business trip to California, I had a brief opportunity to visit the Pacific Ocean at Newport Beach.