I spent the better part of the evening post processing photos from the family reunion and uploading them to the web.  This one, of the older cousins, is among my favorites.  Nico and I leave for Brazil tomorrow where we will be the guests of the Coca-Cola company who have invited us to attend the World Cup quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro.  I will likely not post again until we return next Monday.

Levitation photos have become derigueur for family gatherings of Calabria cousins. Pictured above is my nephew Rory, demonstrating the speed and strength that won him this year’s Minnesota State Tennis Doubles Championship. None of these photos have been edited.

Activities today included an ad hoc breakfast at the lodge, swimming and sliding at the massive waterpark contained within, World Cup viewing at a Lake Geneva bar, a continuation of the multi-year croquet tournament between the older cousins, and dinner at the Grand Geneva Resort, formerly the Playboy Club of Lake Geneva.  I have been taking photographs throughout the weekend which can be viewed by following the link to Reunion Photos. To the great amusement of those gathered, I ruined this attempt at a full family portrait when I assumed I arrived too late for the delayed shutter release. Subsequent attempts proved more fruitful and included what will likely be our Christmas card image for 2014.

Jeanine, Nicolai, Maya, and I flew to Chicago’s Midway Airport this afternoon.  We rented a car and then collected Kyle from O’Hare Airport en route to Lake Geneva Wisconsin where my side of the family will be celebrating a family reunion this weekend at the Timber Ridge Lodge. In total 34 out of a possible 36 of my relatives traveled from California, North Carolina, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland for the event which kicked off this evening with dinner in town.

This weekend the Calabria side of the family is gathering for a family reunion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  We are all very excited about seeing the extended family and especially about seeing Kyle who is working as an intern at Palo Alto Networks this summer. Our little boy is all grown up and we miss him.

Nicolai slept in the Atlanta airport after his flight was cancelled last night. He caught the first flight out this morning so he could join his friends at the house for the USA-Germany soccer match up.

Maya looked entirely relaxed after completing her last set of finals. She has a busy summer planned with ballet camp in Montreal, Apogee biking in Montana, a trip to California to visit with Kyle, and a local soccer camp.

Nicolai was scheduled to return from Atlanta this evening after completing a full-day speaking engagement at Camp Coleman, an hour outside of the city. Inclement weather on the eastern seaboard forced the cancelation of his flight and he will not return until tomorrow. To his great disappointment, he will not be able to watch the US World Cup match with his friends.  On a positive note, the Camp Director was very pleased with the event and shared the following comment with me. “Totally amazing. Many veteran staff and campers told me that it was the most inspirational day of their camp life.  He related incredibly well with the campers and staff. He has a wonderful message and he is sharp and insightful beyond his years.”

This afternoon iRobot employees were treated to ice cream from a pair of trucks that pulled up to our courtyard. Beautiful weather, ice cream in the middle of the afternoon, a very nice treat indeed.

On the home front we were visited by a Japanese video production company that is interested in doing a segment about Nicolai for their show called “Unbelievable.”  The preliminary interview is to gauge interest back in Japan.  We will have to see if this leads anywhere.

Moments after his interview, Nico was picked up by a car service to Logan airport for his flight to Atlanta. He has an all day speaking engagement tomorrow at a Jewish summer camp with some 400 campers and 150 counselors. Hopefully he will return with a few photos for the blog.

As another soccer season has come to an end, I reflected back on the first team I ever played for.  I was a “walk-on” at Union College. I had never played in high school but impressed the coach during tryouts.  My field skills were not on par with the seasoned players but he liked my tenacity and gave me a turn in goal.  It turns out that quick reflexes and a total lack of regard for injury to one’s body are all that is required to play the position. I was the starting JV goalie for three years giving up an average of 0.76 goals per game. I would never have imagined then that I would still be playing competitively some 35 years later.  With any luck, I think I can manage another 10.

The minute it was announced, I preordered this Canon 16-35mm f/4 wide angle zoom lens, said to be the new standard for sharpness in this focal range. It will replace my trusty 17-40mm f/4 (already sold) as my go-to landscape lens. Reported to start shipping this week, I am hoping to receive it in time for our Wisconsin family reunion next weekend and if not before I leave with Nico for Brazil the following week.

This morning my soccer team played Stoneham F.C. in the Division 1 championship playoffs. We expected the all Brazilian club, including three former professional players, to be more than we could handle. Had we had more than 2 subs to their 8, I believe we might have enjoyed a different outcome. They took an early 2-0 lead with admittedly nice goals.  I scored my first goal of the season, a powerful strike from distance, to open the second half.  We had several good chances for an equalizer but could not find the back of the net and gave up another goal in the final minute.  Overall it was a great season and I was happy to finish it uninjured and with a nice goal.

Maya turned 15 on Thursday while I was away in Rhode Island.  We therefore postponed our family celebration until today. She requested brunch at Nancy’s Airfield Cafe in Stow.  We were joined by her friend Maddie who is spending the weekend with us and Koruna, Nico’s girlfriend.  Maya was very happy to receive a ukulele from her parents, an instrument that she is intent on mastering and has wanted for some time.

The 3-day, iRobot team building offsite I have been attending this week came to a close today at noon.  I was asked to create a team photo which is always a challenge with a group of this size.  I like shooting from a high angle so that it is possible to see everyone’s face.  The trick is to find a location where I can trigger the shutter and still manage to get in the photo myself before the ten-second timer expires. A quick Where’s Waldo search will confirm that I made the sprint in time (just).

On today’s agenda is a sailing event, geo-trekking competition and clam bake dinner.  Half the group does sailing in the morning while the remainder does geo-tracking and then we switch activities for the afternoon after a combined lunch. I was in the morning sailing group which had to contend with rain and very light winds.  Our team of four worked together well by optimizing role assignments, communicating, and working collaboratively. The results after 3 races was a first place finish among the ten teams competing. What do all of the boats in the picture below have in common? They are all in our rear view mirror 🙂

By noon the weather cleared and conditions could not have been more enjoyable. The geo-trekking competition could be described as a high-tech scavenger hunt. Teams guided by GPS devices walk to dozens of locations throughout Newport and earn points by answering questions that can only be answered once you have arrived at the correct location. It is impossible to reach all targets within the three hour time frame and teams must stay together as they cover an average of 6-8 miles.  Our team included a member with an ambulatory challenge so we placed a high premium on advanced planning so that we could maximize points while minimizing walking distance.  I would not be surprised if we outscored more than half the teams.

We ended the day with an outdoor clam bake including lobsters, corn on the cob, clams, and potatoes, all cooked by heated rocks under a bed of seaweed.  A perfect end to a rewarding but exhausting day.

Today begins a 3-day offsite in Newport, Rhode Island for iRobot’s Home Business Unit to invest in the health of our organization.  Our CEO reviewed the 24 year history of the company, the full extent of which most in the room were unaware, myself among them. We then talked about the importance of organizational health and agreed on core values, aspirational values, and areas for improvement.  We dined as a group at the famous Clarke Cooke House Restaurant, defined by its wharf side location, exceptional service and delicious seafood.

The Nashoba Ski Area was the site of this year’s iRobot Mechanical Engineering Department team building event. Fashioned after an Avid event I did almost a decade ago this challenge involved building a water cannon. Teams then competed for top honors by seeing which could fill multiple distant containers with the most water.  Aiming the cannons had to be done by multiple control lines from several feet away (focus on collaboration).

Unbeknownst to the head of the department, I changed first prize from bragging rights to 2 minutes of target practice on the management team with him at the head of the line. I tagged him out after 30 seconds which seemed about the average time needed to totally soak an executive.  Fortunately, I was also tagged out after full saturation.  It never ceases to amaze me how much fun employees seem to have when allowed to drench their management team with a water cannon.

Nicolai invited several friends to the house this evening to watch the USA vs. Ghana World Cup match. The improbable outcome can only be attributed to the level of fan support in the room. It was fun seeing so many of Nico’s high school friends all gathered together and cheering wildly for the US.  There is hope for the future of American soccer.

The Concord United Over 50 team I play for finished our spring season this morning in second place with a strong 7-0 victory.  This result qualifies us for the Division 1 playoffs (top two teams from the North and South regions compete tournament style for top honors) which begin next weekend.  I suffered a slight groin muscle strain 15 minutes into the match and was forced to sit out the remainder of the game.  Nearly one third of the team is currently injured and our chances against Stoneham next week do not look good. Their team includes  three former professional players from Brazil and they finished their season with a +33 goal differential compared to our +11.  It is doubtful that I will have recovered sufficiently in time to play but I am not without hope.

Jeanine prepared a wonderful Father’s Day dinner which the family plus Karuna enjoyed while watching the Argentina versus Bosnia and Herzegovina World Cup Match.

Jeanine and I surprised Maya this evening with an early birthday cake delivered to a graduation party she was attending. Her friends paused their water volleyball match to sing happy birthday and later to enjoy the ice cream cake that Jeanine made. Maya turns 15 on the 19th.  Jeanine and I spent the balance of the evening volunteering at the high schools, All Night Live seniors celebration.  We worked the 9pm to midnight shift, Jeanine in the kitchen and I as a bouncer on the main door.

Nicolai is training with the US National Amputee Soccer Team in Myrtle Beach,  South Carolina this weekend.  From his reports, it sounds like the team is starting to take shape nicely.  Several new players have emerged and according to a four-time World Cup veteran, it is the strongest team the US has ever fielded.  The Amputee World Cup starts in late November and will be held in Culiacán, Mexico.

Ken Schwaber (center) is one of the leaders of the agile software development movement, an initial signer of the Agile Manifesto, and co-author of the definitive Scrum Guide. He is a founder of the Agile Alliance, and the Scrum Alliance, and creator of the Certified Scrum Master program. In the geeky world of software development, he is a rock star. Scrum is an iterative and incremental agile software development framework that facilitates faster product development. At iRobot we have been training with his organization all week to learn these methods.

Maya was blessed with beautiful hair which assumes its most dramatic volume after a shower.  One of these days I really must take the time to do a properly lit portrait rather than a quick snap.

Nicolai is off to Myrtle Beach for his Amputee World Cup training camp.  The team will spend four days working on strategy, technique, and conditioning. I had hoped to join him but work obligations and an important soccer match this weekend will keep me in Massachusetts.

The railroad underpass on Main and Wood St. in Concord traps or decapitates about one truck every three months.  My morning commute was delayed by this wedged truck. As encounters with this bridge go, this one was relatively benign.  I suspect that deflation of the tires will be all that is required for a smooth extrication.  It is not uncommon to have the entire roof line sheared off. Such was the recent experience of a volunteer driver for Open Table who was transporting donated food items in a rental truck.  What amazes me is that no one has thought to install a height gauge of the type you find when entering a parking garage.

We received the final paperwork from Coca Cola today so that we may file our Brazilian visa applications at the Boston Consulate.  A special World Cup visa is available for free but requires a good bit of documentation to prove that you will be attending the games.  I did a new set of head shots this evening for the required passport photos. Nico is looking rather scruffy but plans to return to his clean shaven look before we depart.

Maya was in action this afternoon on what proved to be a very warm day. Despite playing with only 9 players (versus 11), her team looked very strong. The 3-5 loss did not reflect how close the game was. Concord must have had a dozen shots which either hit the post or were just outside the frame. Pictured below is Fiona, one of Maya’s best friends, who scored a very pretty goal late in the game on this powerful shot.

My team had an away game against Medfield, currently the first-place team in Division 1.  We played with intensity and looked strong as we secured an upset 2-1 victory which may put us into contention for the playoffs depending on the results of the final games of the season next Sunday.

Maya sat for her Biology SATs this morning at Lexington High School.  While waiting for her to complete the exam, I made a tour of the historic Lexington Battle Green (Lexington Common) where the first American lives were lost with the start of the Revolutionary War. Pictured above is the Minuteman Statue and below the First Parish Church in Lexington.

I spent a good part of the afternoon completing repairs to the sills of our bedroom windows.  When we received a $1400 quote for the job, I decided to do the work myself and used the savings to buy a newly released wide angle lens (which I hope will arrive before my travel to Brazil).

This juvenile robin was quietly perched on one of our porch chairs and seemed happy enough posing for this portrait. Nala did not even notice the bird when I let her out after dinner.  The woodchuck in our field, however, was a different matter.  Nala has little tolerance for other mammals within her domain and made short work of chasing this varmit back into the woods.

Endicott was founded as an all-women’s college in 1939 by Dr. Eleanor Tupper and her husband, Dr. George O. Bierkoe in Beverly, MA. Today the Endicott campus consists of 235 acres with 53 buildings and 28 residences for a student body of 2,500. I stopped in for a brief tour before returning to Concord after the second day of our strategic offsite came to a close.

After an extremely productive day-long executive session devoted entirely to organizational health, we were invited to dine at the home of Colin Angle, iRobot’s CEO.  The rain stopped long enough for us to enjoy some time on the mansion’s patio which overlooks the North Atlantic.  The real fun started after diner.  Colin challenged me to a “sumo wrestling” match after learning I was a former wrestler.  He wrestled at Niskayuna High School. I wrestled at cross-town rival Mont Pleasant High School in Schenectady, New York. We are about the same weight but never met at the time because he is 9 years my junior. Colin recently purchased the home adjacent to his and its empty great room was the perfect venue for our match. After setting out the mat and donning our highly padded suits, we began the epic 5 round battle. With most of the executive leadership team looking on, I was humbled when he (red belt) skillfully pushed me out of the circle to end the first round.  Once adjusted to the padded sumo style, I proceeded to win the next four rounds including one with a rather impressive head-and-arm throw (not easily executed in a fat suit and pumpkin helmet).  By any measure this was not your average touchy-feely team building affair but without a doubt the highlight of the day.  It has been 35 years since my last wrestling match and this may well be my last.  I am pleased to remain undefeated against Niskayuna wrestlers and as I walked back to the inn found myself remembering with great fondness, Larry Mulvaney, my wrestling coach. I am eternally grateful to him for what he taught me about being a warrior, a gentleman, and a leader.

The Wylie Inn and Conference Center in Beverly is a favorite iRobot executive retreat as it is within walking distance from the home of our CEO. Given the prospects of a 90-minute commute through morning traffic and an early start time tomorrow for our offsite strategy session, I opted to spend this evening at the Inn. Pictured here is Tuper Manor, where meals are served, one of three buildings on the 10 acre property .  The Inn itself is rather nondescript but quite comfortable.

I missed the ninth anniversary of my daily photo journal last month.  It all started with a photo of Maya taken on May 13, 2005.  It is hard to believe that I have managed to keep the blog going for nearly a decade (some 5,488 posts worth). Despite all the effort, I can honestly say it is one of the best things I have ever created. I am hoping one day to convert the entire thing into a book (hopefully with an app that can do this with the push of a button).

The Old North Bridge makes for a nice place to take photographs and it took little persuasion while we were in the area to interest Jeanine in a stroll down to the river.

For the first time this season, I stepped on the soccer pitch absent any nagging injuries or pain. Unfortunately, the cost of full recuperation also meant that my cardio fitness is not where it needs to be. I played 70 minutes but never really felt I made the kind of contribution of which I am capable.  Our team had to settle for a scoreless tie which did not help us move up from our third place standing with only two games remaining in the season.

Maya, on the other hand, had a tremendous game scoring a goal and two assists in a short-handed 5-1 win.