The girls worked together to verify the spelling of each word and took turns announcing to the judges and audience.

Congratulations to the Willard School Fourth Grade Spelling Bee champions. Maya and her team mates survived more than twenty rounds to win first place. The girls were magnificent, m-a-g-n-i-f-i-c-e-n-t, magnificent.

Kyle accelerates around an opponent during indoor soccer last night. He had one goal and 2 assists helping his team to a 5-2 win. As the spring outdoor season approaches, Kyle is looking very strong. Still photos do not do justice to some of his unbelievable footwork. Half the team decided to spend the night at our house necessitating a midnight snack run for chips, soda, ice cream and cookies. God only knows what we are going to find to feed them all in the morning.

I spent the day traveling from California back to Boston. The iconic flying saucer theme building featuring a suspended restaurant is undergoing renovation at LAX airport. I think it is even more interesting with all of the scaffolding surrounding it.

In art class Maya has been working on block printing and she brought some of her work home this week.

At 3:15am a freight train with whistle blaring woke me from a deep sleep. This is when I normally get up on the east coast so it was no real hardship. I arrived at the office by 4am, grabbed a nice shower, and worked until 9am. I then walked to a local cafe for breakfast and had my first dose of sunshine for the day. Back to the office and worked until 5pm with no time for lunch. Then I walked to the Farmer’s Market held each Tuesday in Santa Barbara and collected photographs of vegetables. Jeanine used a photo from a previous visit here for her marketing literature and I know she will like these. Back to the office and worked until 7:30pm and then off for a quick dinner and back into the tent. I lead such a glamorous life.

… or sublime.

Depending on the direction you face, the colors are either intense …

 
The proximity of the ocean to the mountains here is very dramatic. I arrived at the park just in time to pitch my tent before darkness set in. Once situated I was treated to a beautiful sunset.

I decided on a change of pace for my monthly business trip to Santa Barbara. Instead of my normal hotel I have opted for slightly more primative lodging. For the next three nights I will be staying in the Carpenteria State Park on the Pacific Ocean. In light of current economic conditions it feels like a good way to save my company money while adding a little spice to my otherwise routine travel regime.

 
Nephew John William returns to New York today after an all too brief weekend visit.

Is it soup yet? Jeanine creates another wonderful winter soup featuring root vegetables.

Nico, his friend Greg, and I spent the day at the Gunstock Ski Area in New Hampshire. Naturally, the most exciting jump on the mountain was near the top and in order to get this shot I had to walk up the entire bloody mountain. I was rewarded for all the exercise with a nice image of Nicolai catching big air. Nico has abandoned his outriggers in favor of his normal crutches explaining that they are lighter and allow him to go faster. Hard to argue with results.

My sister’s son, John William, arrived this afternoon for a weekend visit and was immediately enlisted to join Kyle’s indoor soccer team for a match. Although slightly younger than the rest of the players, Johnie scored two goals, one on an assist from Kyle which made for a nice family effort.

I was greeted upon my return home this evening with an appeal from Maya to inspect her toes. As much as I love Maya’s toes (and all her other parts) I must admit I was not prepared for green toenails. Thus, it begins.

Maya and Jeanine have attended several weaving classes this week. Maya is shown here on the loom she received from Santa for Christmas this year. I can’t wait to see the final outcome.

As promised in an earlier post, here is a picture, courtesy of Jeanine, of the chickens that are producing the eggs we are eating now. Maya accompanied her mother on an egg run today.

Nicolai asked to come to my soccer game this evening and was kind enough to photograph the action. We squeaked out a 7-6 victory and I managed one goal off my own rebound. Nico does a nice job capturing me in full stride about to take a shot.

Sonos is the first company I have worked for that observes President’s Day as a paid holiday. This morning I made and installed a chin up bar in Nico’s bedroom. After each boy demonstrated their considerable strength and stamina I could only muster a small fraction of the 20 chin ups I could do as a teenager. In the afternoon I ventured out for a little photograhpy and captured both a male and female Downy Woodpecker.

Not to be outdone, Kyle proposes a new contest for the longest cantilevered arm. The design he worked out wins with an 8-inch extension.

When we returned home, I challenged the boys to see who could build a taller tower out of Jenga blocks. Kyle does a little victory dance on top of the kitchen island after he and Nicolai pass my initial mark of 48 inches with a 52 inch design. Tolerating these smirking children for the rest of the evening was not an option and I responded with a new record tower height of 55 inches, a mark which I predict will stand for eternity (or at least until Maya takes up the challenge).

We attempted to find a Family Night activity that everyone could agree on today. The boys could not be convinced to attend a Gospel Choir Jubilee held at the New England Conservatory Jordan Hall. Jeanine and I decided to go with Maya and her friend and left the boys to entertain themselves for the afternoon. The loss was theirs as the performances, including one by a children’s choir pictured here, were nothing short of amazing and left us feeling uplifted and inspired.

Even Nala get’s some love today (after Jeanine and I took her for a long walk).

My sweetie got an arguably less creative but equally heartfelt expression of love from her man.

Romance is in the air today. Nicolai makes waffles from scratch for his sweetheart Izze. The two enjoy their brunch in the tree house.

 
 
 
 
Tonight Kyle had his first indoor soccer match of the new session. Here is a nice sequence in which Kyle fakes a shot with his right, controls the ball to the left, leaves his opponent confused and shoots with his left. Kyle scored one goal and his team won 4-2. Click on the photo for a better view of the action.

Most children build snowmen in the the yard somewhere. Ours seem to prefer the middle of a circular drive we use daily. The parents must now choose between committing crimes against the thermally challenged or making use of our automobiles.

 
Maya has started work on her hand crafted Valentine’s Day cards. I haven’t seen one with my name on it yet — hint.

 
Little Miss Maya has injured her wing. A boy at school knocked her down on the playground (intentionally). Jeanine contacted his mother last night and he was summoned to the phone to apologize. Not clear who was more embarrassed. The boy or Maya. My medical examination of her shoulder produced wincing at the slightest touch. We fitted her with the sling used by Nico when he broke his arm. Interestingly as a gave her a deliberately strong hug goodbye she exhibited no signs of pain whatsoever. I attribute the miraculous recovery to the sling and hope she remembers to bring it home from school. I am sure it will come in handy in the future.

Reknowned author and screenwriter Jon Land contacted us this evening with an interesting proposal regarding his book Hope Mountain. It was a very unexpected and interesting conversation. More to follow if anything develops. The story is a departure from his mainstay espionage-thriller genre and a heart warming tale of three troubled souls who help each other to heal.

A champion just for stepping on the mat, Nico seems well on his way to gaining real proficiency in a sport that tests both the body and spirit.