We have to leave the closing celebration early to catch our flight but not before Nicolai stops to speak with Tom Shadyac, director of I Am, the best film of the festival in my opinion and one worth seeing at any cost. I Am, an autobiographical documentary, explores what it means to be happy and calls into question the notion of the American Dream and our culture of consumption. Shadyac offers an alternative paradigm for fulfillment based on connectedness and kindness. Viewing the film was for me a life altering experience and I cannot recommend it highly enough to others.
Throughout the festival, Nicolai has been approached by fans who wanted to congratulate him on his story, and he has been very gracious with all of them. His charm, however, seems in greatest abundance when those fans are young women of his own age. Celebrity is not without its rewards.
The festival ends with a picnic in the town park where filmmakers and film goers mingle while enjoying great food and live music. A great way to end a great Memorial Day weekend.
Nico’s Challenge screens for the second time this morning at the Palm Theater on a truly massive screen. I decide that it is OK to bring my camera on stage during our Q&A session and capture this nice image of Nicolai responding to a qestion from the audience.
We finish the day by attending talks given by Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, where he discusses his latest book Stones to Schools and by photographer Chris Jordan who presents his work depicting the sobering impact of plastic refuse on our environment.
Although he does not know it at the time Nicolai shares the top of a climbing boulder and chats with Lynn Hill, generally regarded as the greatest female rock climber of all time.
Nicolai is a panelist for a Breakfast Talk, entitled Africa’s Challenges, sharing the stage with Dr. Rick Hodes and Prudence Mabhena to discuss what life is like for people with disabilities in Africa. Hodes is a surgeon specializing in spinal reconstruction who lives in Ethiopia with his adopted family of twenty performing free operations to straighten crooked backs. Prudence is the lead singer for the band Liyana featured in the Oscar Award winning short documentary Music by Prudence. Born without legs and one arm, abandoned by her parents, she has risen to fame on the wings of her angelic voice.
Film screening is suspended mid afternoon for an ice cream social at the center of town. Nicolai and I meet a number of great people while enjoying the music and splendor of the day.
The winds today are gusting to 30 mph and Nicolai and I watched in amusement as the huge tent we were sitting next to was lifted off its stakes and propelled down a side street with great speed.
Alex Honnold is like no other athlete I have ever met. He does not know fear. This 23-year old free solo climber (no ropes or special gear) is featured in the film Alone on the Wall in which he climbs Yosemite’s Half Dome. I was terrified just watching the film and cannot comprehend the focus and drive necessary to accomplish such a feat.
With no speaking responsibilities today we elect to take in a little photography and make the short drive to the end of the box canyon in which Telluride is situated. Here we are treated to a view of Bridal Veil Falls which are full with spring runoff on this warm and sunny day. This two pronged waterfall is the tallest free standing in Colorado at 365 feet and is capped with a power generating station which produces 25% of Telluride’s electricity. The marmots here are abundant and show little respect for the law.
Hot chocolate and a freshly baked chocolate croissant, comparable to what he remembers from France, has Nicolai very happy with our choice of restaurant, The Butcher and the Baker. He is less pleased by the delay to his food enjoyment imposed by the taking of this photo.
Our hotel is located in Mountain Village, a 15-minute gondola ride from downtown Telluride at an elevation of nearly 10,000 ft. Today we have no speaking engagements and we start the morning enjoying the spectacular views from our balcony.
After an enthusiastic response to the film, Nico and I take the stage for a ten-minute Q&A session with the audience. Nicolai seemed very comfortable and did a great job responding to questions. He became a little tongue-tied, however, when he was asked by the mother of two teenage girls, seated beside her, if he was currently dating anyone.
By show time the intimate theater is packed to its 200 person capacity. Nico and I join the audience for what will be our first viewing of the film on a big screen.
As guests of the festival we have four assignments to complete. The first is an interview with Outside Television during which we respond to questions about the film, our climb, and future plans. The crew included two cameramen, a sound engineer, a producer, the interviewer (pictured here) and several assistants.
Nicolai and I have been invited to attend the Mountainfilm Festival where the short film documenting our climb of Mount Kilimanjaro will be screened. Nico’s Challenge, masterfully edited by local producer, Steve Audette, was one of ten documentaries selected from a field of 600 entrants. Even before picking up our credentials, which gave us Carte Blanche access to the entire festival, Nicolai is stopped several times on the street by local students and Mountainfilm volunteers who recognized him from an advanced showing of the film at the high school earlier in the day. I felt like I was traveling with a rock star.
Nicolai and I flew to Montrose, Colorado this morning where we rented a car and made the 90 minute drive to Telluride enjoying spectacular views of the San Miguel Mountains along the way.
It was very sweet watching Maya and Nicolai play Frisbee in the back yard this evening. Neither could be bothered to stop for dinner and Jeanine and I just sat back and enjoyed the sibling harmony. Maya started out wearing a blue skirt over her leggings but that was soon shed to increase running speed. Her catching skills are quite good and Nico was very patient as her throwing accuracy continues to improve. No posts until next Tuesday when Nico and I return from the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride. Meanwhile, Jeanine and Maya head to Ferry Beach, Maine for the weekend, leaving Kyle in Concord to make money with his new landscaping business.
Each morning I review my meeting schedule at work and choose the most casual/comfortable clothes that are consistent with appropriate business attire for that day. Yesterday, I hosted a meeting with the Chairman and CEO of Texas Instruments (30 billion dollar market cap) so I dressed up. Today I had no external meetings so I dressed down (polo shirt, cargo pants, hiking boots). A few minutes before lunch I got an e-mail from my boss asking me to make a 15 minute presentation to the iRobot Board of Directors at 3PM. Needless to say it was a busy afternoon which included a return home to snarf down lunch, change clothes and give myself a haircut followed by an intense workout with PowerPoint which I finished at 2:59PM. I entered the Board Room, pictured above, minus the 20 person distinguished audience, tried to appear calm and did 30 minutes off the cuff. Going forward, I plan to leave a full change of formal clothes at work for just such occasions.
The peonies are popping all over the yard. In addition to the variety pictured here we also have them in white and pink. Needless to say this all makes Jeanine very happy.
We learned today that “Nico’s Challenge,” the short documentary film by Steve Audette of Nicolai’s Kilimanjaro ascent won first place in the 2010 Emerging Filmmaker Showcase sponsored by the American Pavillion. The showcase is timed and located to overlap with the Cannes Film Festival with the goal of exposing attendees to exceptional films by students and emerging artists. Winning films are featured in a a screening for an invited audience of industry professionals. We are thrilled for Steve, who produced this piece on speculation and is now receiving the recognition he deserves. A reduced resolution version of the 15 minute film can be viewed by following this link. Although Nico will not be strolling down the red carpet at Cannes pictured above, we are delighted that his story continues to be told.
In my hands is a jar of Number 9 Salsa earned for scoring a goal in my soccer game this morning. I arrived at the Wayland Veterans Memorial field dressed as shown with no intention of playing due to pain in my knee (arthritis I am fairly sure). By half time with no score in the game I was so frustrated being on the sidelines that I decided to try and play. I borrowed a set of cleats (half size too small), shin pads, socks, shorts (from a kid on the sidelines), and a jersey to join my team for the second half. I scored a nice header to help our side secure a 2-0 win. We’ll see if I can walk tomorrow.
Jeanine was attending a conference all day so I had an early father-daughter dinner with Maya before dropping her off for a birthday slumber party. We took turns balancing the salt and pepper shakers. It takes a bit of patience but achieving the goal is very satisfying.
Maya had a beautiful assist on the winning goal in her soccer game today. She has all the skill, speed and stamina of her opponents but I continue to claim she is only about half their size. None the less, she is a force to be reckoned with. What she lacks in size she makes up for with tenacity.
These three baby Red Tailed Hawks have become local celebrities because their parents elected to build their nest on the side of a building near the Alewife T Station. They are 41 days old and expected to make their first flights today or tomorrow. Females of this species are 25% larger than the males leading me to believe that there are two girls and one boy. Dad made a pit stop with some food which was quickly devoured. After lunch the kids did a little wing testing.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
