This evening both boys had dates. Chloe(1) spent the evening with Kyle and Chloe(2) went to the dance downtown with Nicolai. If not for their very persistent aunt, getting the boys to line up for this photo would have been nearly impossible. While talking to the girls as I drove them home, I found it necessary to create the Chloe(1) and (2) monikers. All seemed amused with the naming convention and I think it is going to stick. Thank God we decided not to name the dog Chloe, as was once contemplated.  

Kyle’s ankle is still injured, but he is still expected to attend soccer games even though he cannot play. We drove to Wheaton College (about an hour) and I did a little photography in between games. 

Jeanine and I took Nala on a very long walk this afternoon. With the invisible fence, we normally let her roam the yard anytime she wants out. When we go for a walk the leash comes out and Nala, knowing what this means, starts going crazy in anticipation. 

Jeanine’s father requested a combination of all the black berret photos from last week. Click on the imge for a larger view. 

Jeanine’s sister, Susan, arrived today. She has come to witness Kyle’s Coming of Age celebration at church on Sunday. 

 The whole idea of an off site meeting is kind of funny. We go to someplace really nice and then spend the entire day inside a room that could easily be down the street. Never the less, this was one of our most productive meetings in some time and everyone left feeling good.

The tab dissolves under the tongue within

 The view out of our conference room window was punctuated by this cute little golf cart bridge over a stream that winds its way through the golf course. We started at 7AM and worked until 9PM. I was so tired that I skipped dinner and went straight to my room. The good news is that we accomplished a great deal and worked through some tough issues.

 
The setting was very nice and the food was good. We started at 8AM and the meetings concluded around 8PM. I left dinner early to make the one hour drive back to Concord to play an indoor soccer game and then returned to Atkinson by about one in the morning. It would have been nice to win our game after all that driving but we got clobbered.

 
Today was the first day of a three day management off site meeting held in Atkinson, NH and my first opportunity to meet Avid’s new CEO. I had to leave very early in the morning to arrive on time. As I drove up to the country club where the meetings were to be held, I stopped to photograph these birch trees in the fog.

I returned home after a 12 hour day in the office and the family had just finished dinner. As I sat down to eat, I first heard Kyle playing the piano (rare these days as he is so focused on the guitar)and shortly after Maya joined him in a duet. I was so pleased the hear this music. I had forgotten how well Kyle plays the piano and I was thrilled to see him playing with Maya who he patiently coached. It totally made up for the long day in the office. 

A friend asked me to photograph this diamond necklace for an upcoming fund raiser. It proved more difficult than I thought and I am still not happy with the results. 

The sunrise this morning was nothing short of spectacluar. 

This evening my boss threw a wonderful holiday party for his staff at the Stone Hedge Inn. Wine tasting was followed by a delightful meal and conversation that lasted until midnight. There was little available light making photography a challenge but I did manage this shot of my colleagues. 

Once we had everyone but Jeanine in the beret it was easy to get her to join in the fun. 

Kyle strikes me as ready to play his guitar on the banks of the Seine. 

I set up the lighting and handed Maya the camera. 

I can see Nico walking down the streets of Paris in search of a chocolate croissant. 

This evening the kids all allowed me to photograph them wearing their French great grandfather’s black beret. I think he would have been thrilled to see his chapeau put to such good use. 

I have two New Year resolutions. One has to do with the dimensions of my waist line. The other can be deduced by those close to me and this photo as a hint. 

The year begins with more snow fall, seen here from the Gutwillig’s home atop Annursnack Hill where we enjoyed a very relaxing (and fattening) New Year’s Day party. Click on the photo for a better view.