Inspired by another sunny start to the day, I decided to swing by the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge on my way into work. According to the Concord Journal, a juvenile Bald Eagle was spotted there last week. A rare sighting to be sure, I was not overly disappointed to find only swans, geese, ducks and red-winged black birds on this morning. I had only planned for a brief visit but when attempting to exit the parking area, I found the only way out blocked by a utility truck that did not finish its work for a good hour.

The Weld Boathouse is home to the heavyweight and lightweight squads of Radcliffe Women’s Crew (representing Harvard University). It is the second of two boathouses created on this spot by George Walker Weld, son of William Weld, a shipping and real estate magnate who lived in the 1800s. The first was built in 1889. The second, grander structure was built in 1906.  It is pictured above with Harvard’s Eliot House in the background and below in the distance with the John W. Weeks footbridge in the foreground. Welds was also a founding member of the Boston Athletics Association, organizer of the Boston Marathon.

Warm weather has liberated the Charles from ice and opened the door for crew practice. Given the proximity of Superpedestrian to the river, you are likely to find many future posts dedicated to this sport. I would love to get an overhead shot of a pair of eights side by side but that will take some time and luck to capture.

Few things annoy Nala more than a small herd of deer dining in her backyard.  Few things annoy me more than Nala barking at the top of her lungs at said intruders. I am giving serious thought as to which source of annoyance would be easier to shoot.

Steady rain for virtually the entire day had mefocusedd on indoor activities including the installation of two more Nest thermostats bringing the total in the house to four.  I also started doing research for my next travel adventure which will be centered around volcanoes.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts was the destination for mystery date night (afternoon, actually) with Jeanine. We enjoyed special exhibits featuring the work of M. C. Escher and a gallery of some eighty portraits of  “(un)expected families” by various American photographers. We also visited my favorite painting in the museum, Renoir’s Dance at Bougival, which has always reminded me of a young Jeanine. Can’t say I care for the fellow she is dancing with.

Dedicated for use in 2000, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Boston Massachusetts Temple had to wait another year until the Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruled that it would be permitted to add a steeple which violated local zoning height restrictions.

Despite the drudgery of my work commute, it is not without moments of veritable serenity. Such is the case each time I traverse the Cambridge Reservoir which is the source of water when I open the tap at the office. Due to a very shallow basin, small changes in water level dramatically impact the appearance of the reservoir as do the changing seasons making it a photographic subject of constant interest.

This afternoon, the city of Boston hit 71 degrees, smashing the previous high for February 21st of 63 degrees set back in 1906.  Concord reached 75 degrees; three years ago we had a record low of -9 degrees on this day! Is anyone still doubting global climate change? If this little guy can survive until tomorrow afternoon he will enjoy a forecasted shower of snow and sleet.

What does Superpedestrian have in common with Waze, Lyft, and AirBus? All four made the top ten list of honorees named by Fast Company Magazine on their 2018 Most Innovative Companies in the World list within the transportation sector. Not too shabby for a 50-person startup.  Everyone at the company was ecstatic when we learned of the news.

This street scene near my office really captured my imagination as I strolled past it this afternoon. Compare the color palette to the image of the Old North Bridge I took yesterday.  I suspect I will feel differently about it as the seasons change.  Today, however, it seemed to fit in perfectly.

A wet snowfall last night and a swollen Concord River made for a beautiful scene at the Old North Bridge this morning.Shooting with my drone from about 30 feet above the water provided a perspective that will not be found in the million other photos taken of this historic landmark. I also captured a flyover video that can be watched at the following link Old North Bridge Flyover

Pictured below is Lee’s Bridge over the Sudbury River.  See if you can find the photographer in the image.

Maya has been sick for several days. She requested a decongestant and nasal spray which Jeanine and I were all too happy to hand deliver given the coupled opportunity for a short visit.  Illness aside, Maya seems to be enjoying her Olin experience very much.  Winds were very high and I was lucky to get this aerial photo without crashing my flying camera.

I decided to have a peek inside a great blue heron nest since they are vacationing in Florida right now. It looks just like you would expect and I found this profile view more photographically interesting.  Winds were quite high so I did not risk getting any closer.  I was standing about a quarter mile away when I took this drone photo.

I took this photo yesterday on my lunch hour.  We finally got some sunshine and I wanted to get a nice aerial shot with my new drone. This perspective was from 64 feet above the Charles River taken in very high winds.  I am quite pleased with the image quality and can’t wait for an opportunity to shoot more interesting subjects from the air.

Valentine roses for my sweat heart. I am a lucky man and grateful to share my life with such a wonderful partner.

The Copenhagen Wheel that we manufacture at Superpedestrian includes a novel spoke interface to the hub which we call a smiley. This evening I captured a set of smiley photos that will be used for quality control purposes in conjunction with the company that makes these magnesium castings for us.

I was inspired by above-freezing temperatures and a bit of sunshine to extend my usual morning walk by a couple of miles. Little doubt that this was but a brief respite from several more weeks of winter weather. Still, it was nice to walk by the Charles River and to meander back through the MIT campus. Pictured above is the Stata Center, designed by American architect Frank Gehry.

It rained today from dawn till dusk which was just fine by me.  A perfect excuse to enjoy the Winter Olympics.  Normally, I would never spend time watching the biathlon or curling or snowboarding. Wrap it in an Olympic blanket and I am glued to the couch.   I did manage a morning workout with Jeanine, good for 4 miles on the elliptical, so I do not feel entirely guilty about my binge-viewing.

I have photographed the Sudbury River from this bridge many times. For the first time, I was able to include it in the composition using my new drone. Now if I could only get the sun to cooperate. I spent close to an hour flying today and my skills have improved dramatically.  

I practiced taking off and landing from the roof of my car which proved to be very easy.  I wouldn’t say I could land on a dime but I think I could set one of the legs on a quarter if it were not too windy.

For the past week, I have been walking past this old TV on my way to and from Central Square for breakfast and lunch. As I approached it today, I thought it might be on until I got closer and realized it had been turned into an art frame.  It put a smile on my face and led me to wonder how long the TV would remain here before someone collected it or smashed it.  Time will tell.

As the sun was starting to set, I had a chance to take my new flying camera for a test flight.  I started very cautiously until I felt confident with my piloting skills and then took photos of our house and the field behind it.  I can already tell that aerial photography is something I am going to enjoy immensely.  I apologize in advance to regular followers of this blog for the deluge of overhead photos that are likely to appear in the coming weeks.

Jeanine’s lemon tree continues to produce fruit year after year and evokes memories of her father every time a new lemon arrives. Larry was an avid gardener and quite fond of growing lemons.

With Superpedestrian’s CEO on the road, responsibility for hosting visitors from a Japanese company fell to me.  We encourage all of our guests to take a quick ride before getting down to business. Nothing beats working on a product that is guaranteed to generate smiles.  It is the universal reaction to your first ride on a Copenhagen Wheel, an experience that transcends languages and culture.

I opted for a healthy lunch today which took me to the salad bar at Whole Foods rather than on my usual trek to the calorically challenged restaurants of Central Square. On the way back I took a shortcut through Alberico Park where I encountered this unique play structure.

While out shopping for nacho ingredients, I drove past a couple of interesting sights worthy of a quick photo.  The chair on frozen pond is not very strong aesthetically, but I found myself wondering why it was there and trying to determine how long before the ice supporting it melts away. I may have to check up on it every couple of days to find out what happens.

I am not known for my cooking prowess and living with a veritable Top Chef does not add to my courage for experimentation. Today, however, I was determined that we should have nachos while watching the Superbowl.  With a small amount of coaching, I managed an edible, if not tasty result.  I was particularly pleased with the uniformity of the cheese distribution.

Verrill Farms sponsored a pancake breakfast to benefit research for ovarian cancer.  The mother of one of their employees is battling the disease.  One of my sisters is an ovarian cancer survivor and we were happy to support the cause with a donation in her name.

I took a half-day road trip today for the express purpose of photography hoping that the combination of light snow from last night and the forecasted sunshine would provide some good opportunities. Above is Mount Monadnock with Mountain Brook Reservoir in the foreground. Below is Doane’s Falls in Royalston.  There was a better angle to be had closer to the water but in a rare moment of thoughtful risk analysis, I determined that any attempt to traverse the ice-covered stones would end very badly. The last image is of he Cathedral of the Pines, a nationally recognized memorial dedicated to the memory and honor of all Americans who serve the nation in search of peace.

Temperatures this morning were just above freezing which felt like a veritable warm spell and motivated me to get out for a 4-mile walk after breakfast. The sounds of demolition brought me to MIT’s four-story West Garage which is being razed to make room for a new undergraduate residence hall. Not exactly clear to me how you make up for the loss of 370 parking spaces in a part of town where people already guard their parking spots with lawn chairs and traffic cones.