While we hold down the fort in Concord, Jeanine attends a celebration for her nephew Luke to commemorate his graduation from North Central High School in Indianapolis. Luke plans to attend the Heron Art School in the fall and his girlfriend Audrey will go on to the Pratt School of Design in New York City.
Playing soccer on crutches can’t be easy but then again, Nico is able to make shots others cannot. Here he rises up to make a perfect pass over the defense and onto the foot of a waiting forward. For what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for with deadly accuracy and thoughtful distribution. After his game we checked in with Maya who was on her way to soccer practice and then left for Lancaster to watch Kyle play in his second match of the day in the State Cup tournament. Twenty five minutes into the trip it was raining so hard that we decided to return to Concord. We were both in the mood for cow (as Nicolai describes his carnivorous craving) and satisfied that craving with a nice dinner at a local pub.
Today the family had a mere 4 soccer games and one soccer practice. Although Nico’s team lost he had a very nice assist and won several headers. I was back on the pitch for the first time in several weeks having nursed my injured knee back into service. I was only able to play at about 85% intensity and am still unable to take a shot with my right leg. Still, I was able to contribute to the team. Even though we lost, I was happy to be back in the game and to have emerged without a relapse.
Kyle played in the first round of the Massachusetts State Cup Soccer Tournament and his team came away with a decisive 6-0 win. Kyle spent several hours doing landscape work before the game so I think it was fortunate the competition was relatively weak. Tomorrow he has two more games to finish the first round and the opponents are some of the top teams in the state.
Nico refereeed two games today. Fortuanately, one of them was Maya’s which allowed me to combine one trip. During halftime he entertains himself at center field.
Maya fends off a larger defender as she carries the ball down the field. Maya made several forceful attacking runs and helped her team to an exciting 2-1 victory. Jeanine left for Indianapolis yesterday where she is celebrating with her sisters the high school graduation of her nephew Luke. I am left alone to run the Calabria taxi service.
Although I miss the natural beauty of my commute route to Avid, my Sonos commute is not without interest. This sculpture, titled On The Bri-n-ck, was designed by students in Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. It was constructed robotically from uniform 2×4 pine wood blocks and glue. The setting does not lend itself to photography but I will return again with an ultra-wide angle lens and see if I can capture an image which better portrays the unique work of art.
Occasionally Jeanine will wake up before I do and can either be found at her computer writing or on the sun porch recovering from writing.
Yesterday I received a call from the father of Kyle’s (pictured on the left at age 8) childhood best friend. Tucker, now a strapping 180 pound, six foot tall, multi-sport athlete (but not wrestling) recently took on the heavy weight wrestler from his school’s team and pinned him three times in as many minutes. He told his father that I would be proud of him given I shared some of my techniques with him when he was a youngster. His dad called me to pass along the message and it reminded me of this sumo wrestling photo I took of the boys when we lived in Indianapolis.
It occurred to me today that I did not include any photos of the ocean from our Ferry Beach excursion last weekend. Pictured here are the dunes which have been recently seeded with local grasses to help minimize further erosion.
Another Ferry Beach weekend comes to a close and we leave for home with fond memories and nourished souls.
Fortuantely my photographic duties prevented me from participating in the Best Over 40 Male Legs in Spandex competition, one of the more popular adult acts.
Each year, I cannot believe the talent show will surpass the prior year’s performance and each year I am proven wrong.
Jeanine relaxed with friends and made a good showing in the croquet tournament. Together we did some serious kayaking this weekend. Our first outing was on the Scarsborough Salt Marsh whose meandering paths could be best described as a maze filled with birdlife. We did our second outing with a group and made an open water crossing from Ferry Beach to Biddeford Pool. It was Jeanine’s first experience in ocean chop but she overcame her fear and handled herself with aplomb. The return crossing with the tide and wind at our back was much easier. I returned after a little snack while Jeanine lingered with friends for a more substantial lunch.
Maya spent most of her time on the beach but did take time out to study gravity and human flight.
Nicolai was inseparable from his group of friends, and when he surfaced, he could usually be found on the basketball court.
Despite the ample supply of photogenic subjects, my favorites do not get a break from my photographic interest.
The adults are far more challenging to photograph. Why do we become so self conscious as we mature? I literally shoot from the hip to get candid images of my peers.
The people who attend Ferry Beach are all wonderful and each finds a way to share their gifts with the community. Whether it is officiating the croquet tournament, building the camp fire, watching the kids on the beach, or running the talent show, everyone finds a way to share what they love. Photography is my contribution and I make an effort each year to capture a portrait of everyone. The children are by far the easiest to photograph.
Ferry Beach has something for the entire family. Naturally the beach is the major attraction but it is also a perfect venue for kayaking, bike riding, and bird watching. Volleyball, extreme croquet and sand castle building feature prominently in the activities which culminate in a talent show on Sunday evening. This UUI owned summer camp includes several dormitories as well as a camping area.
Each Memorial Day weekend the family travels to Ferry Beach, Maine where families from the Concord and Lexington UUI churches gather to celebrate life and enjoy each others company. The kids have long standing friendships which are rekindled each year. Kyle elected to remain at home this year concerned that none of his friends would be in attendance this year.
Kyle mentioned that he is thinking about wrestling next season and as I looked at this photo I realized his strength training has already given him the requisite neck muscles to be successful.
While Kyle mingled, I found a few interesting subjects to photograph in the glorious pre-dusk light. The weather today could not have been better for an evening picnic. A keen eye will detect more than a flower in this photo.
Kyle and I attended his end of the season soccer party at Kimball Farm. I am glad he excels at soccer because I think you need to keep your eyes open if you want to be any good at football. The celebration/awards ceremony involves both the boys and girls Star club teams.
Jeanine’s vegetable garden is beginning to show signs of food. Not sure what this is but I am sure I will be eating it in a couple of weeks. I included the quarter to give a sense of scale. Maya checks the garden daily for progress.
No one enjoys Spring more than Nala who is happy to spend the entire day outside. She has worn a path through the garden (with no regard for plant life) along the road just inside the perimeter of her electric containment fence. At the first sign of a car or bicycle she sprints down the path to discourage any incursions onto our property. Absent these distractions she keeps a close eye on the field for any form of wildlife she deems unacceptable. Deer are at the top of her list. Speaking of running, I have been coerced by my colleagues to enter the Corporate Challenge Run next month. The 3+ mile event will draw 12,000 runners this year and proceeds will be used to fund summer camps for urban youth. This evening after work I joined my fellow team mates on a practice run. My knee held up very well on the 3.5 mile run but it is very clear that soccer endurance and muscles do not map to distance running at all. It was a challenge to keep up the pace with a group of guys that were not even born when I did my last training run for a road race. I am reminded how much more I prefer running after a ball than tediously in a straight line.
Jeanine and I took Nala for a walk around the neighborhood this evening and Maya joined us on her bike. It never ceases to amaze me how short Spring is in New England. In a matter of two or three weeks everything has turned a lush green aided by a greater than average amount of rainfall.
Sarinnagh celebrates her tenth birthday with Maya soon to follow. Maya and her friends got together and bought her an Ipod Shuffle and wrapped the miniature device inside a huge box hidden within one of three gift bags. All took delight as Sarinnagh slowly searched through the packaging to discover her present.
Immediately after her dance recital, Maya and I left to attend a birthday party being held at Harvard Stadium where the Boston Breakers professional women’s soccer team (in blue) was in action.
Maya performed in her first dance recital today. She has been studying jazz dance for several months and this is the first time we have had a chance to see her in action. She was absolutely terrific and more importantly seemed to really enjoy herself. She showed no signs of nervousness despite the scale of the venue and a standing room only audience which looked to number around 400.
Jeanine spent a good part of the day gardening. Rather than planting vegetables, I was a vegetable recovering from an exhausting week of work. Between the travel and long days I just needed a day of decompression. Nico refereed three soccer games netting him $60 and Kyle did some landscaping work. Maya played soccer and went shopping for a birthday present for a friend. I am in charge of dinner and we will be having ravioli this evening.