The CCHS Freshman Soccer team traveled to Arlington High School for their match today. As this is very close to my office, I was able to catch the second half of the game. Nicolai splits two defenders and blasts a shot on goal. Although he did not score with this effort, his team won 4-2, and Nico had some really nice distribution throughout the contest.

Later in the evening, Nico (aka Chris) and friend Kevin (aka Michael) asked me to film a science experiment which involves the chemical reaction between Coke and Mentos mints. Their initial attempts produced disappointing results. They quickly adjusted parameters and their final four attempts produced geysers that easily reached 25ft high. In the pictured attempt, the bottle on the left had a hole that was too small and the one on the right had a hole that was too big. One might inquire as to why these boys Incorporated holiday attire (Xmas and Halloween) in a high school science video but then you would also need to understand why anyone would find it enjoyable to be drenched in sticky soda. I do not know that answer to either of these questions but I think it provides a glimpse of that great mystery which is the male teenage brain.

How many critters can you find in this photo.

You will need to enlarge this photo to appreciate the intricate beauty of this plant. I will have to ask Jeanine what it is.

Great Meadows attracts the very young (with parents in tow) and the very old with not as many folks in between. I would not be unhappy if this were Jeanine and I in about 20 years.

Among the collection of Great Blue Herons, White Egrets, and Mallard Ducks, I found this Yellowlegs Sandpiper to be the most interesting subject.

This morning I played soccer in Duxbury (75 minutes away). Although we gave up two goals in the second half, the team looked pretty good in the first and I finally played a game that I was pleased with. My knee is now as close to 100% as it is going to get. During the afternoon I decided to take some time for photography and made the short drive to the Great Meadows Nature Reserve where I found much to shoot.

Visiting us for several days is Tess Robins a long time friend of Jeanine’s who lives in Seattle. When I saw them dressed in nearly identical clothes this morning I simply assumed they had coordinated their attire. Later I discovered this was not the case and attribute the synchronicity to the proximity of kindred souls.

This morning Maya and I braved the often torrential rains to attend her first soccer game of the season. She was in exceptional form playing primarily in the defensive line. She made several very dangerous attacking runs and despite her petite stature sent two much larger girls to the sidelines in tears after collisions with them. Maya is one tough cookie. Her team dominated the match but the refereee gave away a very questionable PK which resulted in a 1-1 final score.

Maya has decided to take up the alto sax for band and we got her set up with a horn this evening. Within 15 minutes she was able to play a one octave scale. Her father used to play the tenor and had vague recollections of the proper fingering and was able to provide minimal instruction. The alto seems to me to fit Maya’s personality perfectly.

This season Nicolai is playing for the CCHS Men’s Freshman team. I missed his opening match earlier this week but was able to make it to his game today. I was rewarded for the effort when he scored the goal pictured here. He volleyed a cross over the goalie from between two defenders who stood by helplessly. Opponents often underestimate what Nicolai can do and all suffer the same consequence. This ball was too low to head and probably a tad too high for a two-legged player to volley. Nicolai can strike the ball from a much higher position than most players and finished this one-touch goal beautifully.

Except for Nicolai, who had practice with the CCHS freshmen soccer team, all Calabria’s were in attendance for the match. Jeanine with Maya in tow and me straight from work.

The CCHS soccer program is quite strong due in no small part to head coach Ray Pavlik. I liked his calm and very clear guidance to the team at half time. I hope in time he will become as strong a mentor for Kyle as his former coach Charlie was. As serendipity would have it, Charlie was at the game watching his son and several of Kyle’s former team mates play for the AB team. After the game I had a chance to thank him again for the positive influence he has had on Kyle.

Kyle is playing on the CCHS Men’s varsity soccer team this season and today was the season opener against Acton Boxboro. The boys played extremely well and came away with a decisive 3-0 win. Kyle saw limited action but made a strong showing while on the field. Followers of this blog realize that the next couple of months will include many soccer photos of our kids so I opted to start this season with a non-Calabria image that caught my fancy.

This evening, Jeanine and I attended a kick-off dinner for the CCHS’s Men’s Varsity soccer team, which Kyle will be playing for this season. It was a great opportunity to meet other parents and the coaches.

 
We returned from Schenectady this afternoon and immediately set about installing a garden sculpture gifted to us by my parents. We considered locations in the front of the house but decided on the patio off our family room which we look out across daily. In this location we can enjoy this magnificent piece year round from both inside and outside the house.

The focus is soft, but I really like this photo of Nico by firelight. A speakerphone call to cousin Rory for his comedic interpretation of select lines from the movie Madagascar completed the evening.

As the evening winds down all three generations present gather around the fire in something of a meditative atmosphere.

I took advantage of the wonderful evening light to photograph all the kids with their grandparents. This was one of my favorites.

Leave it to Maya to develop a new method of drinking water. Apparently she prefers drinking from a cup rather than the bottle but can not be bothered to pause for refills. I can do nothing but admire her creativity and inventiveness as she replenishes the water in her glass continuously while drinking from it.

John William must have gotten a good dose of Quinn genes and has grown to be nine feet tall (this is just an estimate). Like Kyle, he is now driving and enjoys soccer and lacrosse. Despite his huge stature, he is soft spoken and gentle.

Rachel is a third generation ballroom dancing sensation, a skilled martial artist, and very powerful soccer and softball player. She knocked pitches from her dad into the yard of the neighbor two houses away. I innocently tossed her a pitch and nearly lost my head when she hit a line drive right at me. I decided it would be best to immediately move on to a different activity well out of her range.

My sister Alissa has followed in my parent’s foot steps and is a highly accomplished ballroom dancer.

Today was spent largely at my sister’s home, where the kids enjoyed the pool, soccer, softball, and a cookout. My parents are pictured here with a little more than half of their grandchildren.

Kyle and Nicolai challenged their father and his father to a match. The toddlers’ early bravado quickly evaporated as their elders amassed an 8-2 lead. Muscles and machismo are no match for experience and cunning.

Calabria family gatherings are incomplete without several games of bocce. Here, the next generation tunes up their skills.

After Kyle’s soccer scrimmage this morning, we drove to Schenectady to spend the weekend with my parents, where we were joined for dinner by my sister Alissa and her family. From the left; Maya, Rachel, John, Alissa, Jeanine & Carl, Angela & Frank, Nicolai, John Jr., and Kyle.

Very early this morning we said goodbye to Jolle who returns to Belgium this morning. She has been a delightful addition to our family for the past few weeks and we will look forward to seeing her again. Perhaps one day her child will visit with one of our kids (or vice-a-versa) extending this foreigh exchange tradition with the Zottemeid family for a third generation.

 
State Street in Santa Barbara is lined with street musicians and pan handlers who seek to make money from the constant stream of tourists. This gentleman was sporting a very interesting hairdo which seemed very apropos for a beach side community.

Jeanine records the action during a watermelon seed spitting contest among Maya and her friends in the backyard. This will be the last day of summer vacation. Tomorrow it is back to school.

Normally when I travel to Santa Barbara I camp on the beach at Carpenteria State Park. During the summer months the park is often fully reserved. That was the case this time so I stayed at the Fremont Campground in the Santa Ynez Recreation Area on the edge of Los Padres National Forest. This location is much more isolated and quiet but required a 30 minute drive into the very scenic mountains.