This is the last photo I took of Tony. 

In Old Lyme, I joined family and friends to celebrate the life of my cousin Tony Gesky who passed away recently. Tony was remembered for his generosity, joie de vivre, optimism, and determination. The service was beautiful and highlighted for me by the many rememberances offered. The picture they painted was of a life well lived and of a gentle giant who touched the lives of everyone he met. 

I briefly stopped at the Mystic Seaport Village and have decided this would make a great family weekend getaway. 

For the second day in a row I am up at 4AM to catch a flight. After landing in Providence, I drove to Mystic, CT en route to Old Lyme. 

Today is both my 49th birthday and the 20th anniversary of the formation of Truevision (the company I co-founded in my twenties with 6 others from Bell Labs). My travel to Indianapolis was to attend a reunion of former employess. The gathering was fantastic and it was great getting caught up with everyone. In retrospect, virtually everyone agreed that Truevision was the best company they had ever worked for and all have gone on to achieve great things. Click on the photo of Cathleen and I to see all the photos from the event.

Truevision 20th Reunion

This is probably my favorite. Both the ceiling and floor were reflective which made for some very interesting light. 

This morning, I woke up at 4 AM and drove to Providence, RI, to catch a flight to Chicago en route to Indianapolis. I love the tunnel that connects two of the terminals. I had a long layover, so I spent some time taking photos of the unusual lighting. 

Despite no formal training from his father, Kyle applies a rather effective headlock on Nala. 

Maya in morning light. 

Who says work can’t be fun. Today we had free ice cream for everyone. 

I ran across this little dude and was able to sneak up on him. Click on the photo for more detail. 

I liked this photo which has two of our guys in the air for a header with both opponents flat footed. 

This morning my team was in action against one of the better teams in our division. We won a hard fought but decisive 2-0 victory. I am still sidelined with my injured knee which is feeling less and less likely to be healed in time to salvage any part of the season. I photographed the game and took the obligatory annual team photo. 

Maya exhibits the same toughness on the ball as her older brothers. Her team battled to a 3-3 come from behind tie. 

How many defenders does it take to cover Nicolai. Apparently the answer is four and even that many was not enough to prevent Nico from scoring a really beautiful goal this morning. Jeanine is away for the weekend with friends on Martha’s Vineyard while I hold down the fort and run the weekend soccer taxi service. 

I would be less embarrassed to report that this was a setup photo. The truth is that I found these two like this when I came down for breakfast. Please refer to an earlier post where I question if my daughter is part canine. I rest my case. 

Kyle leaves so early in the morning now that he is in high school that I rarely get a chance to photograph him. Here I catch him on his way out to wait for the bus. This expression says “Hurry up and take the picture and do not come outside and embarrass me.” 

Jeanine and her baby. I can see the family resemblance. 

Further confirmation of canine lineage. 

Maya, who is actually part Malamute, plays with Nala as only another dog can. 

Although my knee recovered sufficiently to climb Kilimanjaro, it is still not strong enough to play soccer. Sunday mornings in the fall and spring are when I escape to enjoy a couple of hours of competition and camaraderie. This morning the air was crisp with the anticipation of fall and it felt very strange to be missing my game. On the positive side, it did afford me the opportunity to attend church with the family and later in the afternoon, Jeanine guided me on a bike ride through the hidden paths of Concord. It never ceases to amaze me how many secret places there are in our town and that Jeanine seems to know them all. We finish our ride at the high school where Maya is attending a soccer clinic. 

Nico winds up for a shot on goal against a much larger Belmont defender. The game was rather one sided but Nico did have an assist on his team’s only goal. 

Maya fends off a defender as she breaks for the goal. Sadly her team suffered a 1-0 loss despite many fine chances to score. 

Amazingly, in the next frame he is still in the air. He is still recovering from a pulled quad but looked to me to be at 95% capacity. 

Kyle is one of a half dozen freshman who made the Concord Carlisle High School junior varsity soccer team. Today they beat Sudbury 2-0. Kyle made a nice back heel pass for the assist on their second goal. Here he leaps into the air for a volley. 

Another stuffed animal perishes at the hands of Nala. This dog will spend hours removing every ounce of fluff from a stuffed toy which falls prey to her attack. Heaven help us when she figures out that all the furniture and pillows are filled with the same material. 

There is no school for the kids tomorrow so Kyle invites some of his friends over to hang out. 

To all my Friends and Family:
Thank you all so much for the financial and moral support of my climb. I couldn’t have done it without you. When I was so tired and wanted to stop and give up, the thought of everyone that was supporting me kept my foot going. I thought about everyone who was supporting me the whole way up, every step that I took and especially on the last day when it was cold and dark and I was tired and in pain.I would think, just one more step, over and over and the faces of the people who were thinking of me would flash in and out of my mind and for this I thank you, because without you I couldn’t have made it! I am very grateful for all of the donations to the Free Wheelchair Mission. Now we are nearly up to $50,000 and may be starting a third container. Thank you again for everything.
Sincerely,
Nicolai

These certificates will always testify to more than just climbing a mountain. They will remind us of a time when father and son shut out the rest of the world, focused on accomplishing something wonderful, and learning about ourselves and each other. For Nicolai, that limitations of the body can be overcome with a courageous heart and determination of steel. That his bravery could be translated into an act of charity that will forever positively change the lives of thousands of people less fortunate than he. For Carl, an opportunity for the second time in his life to watch a son taking the first steps into manhood. 

The party moves inside as we enjoy sharing stories and video of our adventure with our friends. 

When we land at Logan, we are surprised that my parents have come from New York to greet us. When we arrive at home, we are surprised that half the neighborhood is waiting in front of our house to celebrate with us.