May was the first month our local electric utility began charging for electricity under a Time-of-Day (TOD) plan. Roughly speaking, we pay 30 cents an hour during the peak hours of 3-7 pm and 20 cents during the remainder of the day and on weekends. When we built the house, I selected a battery backup system to keep it running during a power outage. Incidentally, we had two such events last week. I also wanted a system that could be used to time-shift our energy consumption. It is now programmed to provide electricity for the entire house during peak hours and recharge during off-peak hours. Our bill for May arrived today, confirming that we used zero electricity during peak times. I also programmed our car chargers to avoid peak hours. I estimate the combined savings to be about ~$650 per year.

My soccer team secured a first-place finish in our division with a 6-0 win over Danvers. Two games remain in the regular season, but even if we lose both, we have enough points for the title. The regular season is followed by two playoff matches to determine the league champions. The key now is to keep the squad healthy, as we already have three players sidelined for the remainder of the season.

After the game, Jeanine and I set out for a week-long road trip to New York state by way of a stop this evening in Burlington, VT, to visit her sister.

What a difference two years make. Our patio area has been transformed from a barren construction site to a lush oasis.

The creeping thyme we planted last year (the tiny plugs in the foreground of the photo below) has spread to cover 70% of the area where we planted them, and I suspect it will achieve full coverage by the end of summer. Landscaping our yards seems like a never-ending effort, but seeing how much progress we have made in a relatively short period of time is quite energizing.

This evening, we had the pleasure of hosting a retirement celebration for Maile Hulihan, CEO of the Concord Bridge and a cherished family friend. Over her two and a half years of leadership, she transformed the paper into a vital cornerstone of the community, earning numerous accolades along the way.

The Bridge will not be the same without her; we can only hope it continues to uphold the standard of excellence she so firmly established.

Jeanine offered the following toast:

Maile, Today we are celebrating your two and a half years of leadership at the Bridge. Driven selflessly by your commitment to the highest values of journalism: truth and accuracy, independence, fairness and impartiality, humanity, and accountability. While we surround you this evening as you turn the final page of the paper…we are here to remind you that there will be an incredible next chapter free from all the drama and early mornings and late evenings that you’ve had to wade through these past two years. While I have seen you in a very different light – a professional, driven by your desire to create the best community newspaper in the country – I’ve admired and learned a lot about how to keep people accountable to the values of journalism. I have to say I’m so glad you’re rejoining us to have fun and freedom during your 70’s and longer. May the work that you have contributed to building the Bridge to be the best community newspaper in the country – sustain itself after your departure. We toast you into this next chapter of your life as a true and loyal friend above all the roles you’ve had to fulfill at the Bridge – this one is going to continue and we will be here for many new adventures!

In the past few days, our rhododendrons have started blooming. We have red, purple, lavender, and white flowers lining the driveway. They will only last for a few days, making the explosion of color all the more exceptional. Pollinators are busy everywhere, fueling their bodies with the nectar while we humans have a chance to nourish our souls. Spring in New England is brief, but by God, it is glorious.

The Concord Bridge is doing an article on Conantum, the neighborhood in which we live. I was asked to provide several aerial photographs, including an overview showing its full extent, as well as shots of our common lands and Carl Koch-designed homes. I had nearly completed the assignment, having just finished shooting the community dock, when my drone experienced a mid-air failure and crashed. The last transmitted GPS location before radio contact was lost puts it right in the middle of the Sudbury River. The last video transmission, shown above, suggests it may have landed on the riverbank. I took out a kayak to search the shorelines to no avail. I have reviewed the video a hundred times, and my best theory at this point is that the drone was overcome by high winds. It did not seem windy at the time, but when I was paddling on the river, I encountered several powerful gusts. In the video, we see the drone recover from a 90-degree roll, ascend for a few more seconds, and then start to veer to the right, and then do a 360-degree flip before it tumbled to the earth. This is consist with a gust of wind followed by an even more powerful one, strong enough to cause one or more motors to over-current and shut down. My second theory, much less likely, is that the drone was attacked by a bird protecting its territory. I am careful not to disturb wildlife with my drone, and I saw no birds present during my flight or in the final video. An even more remote possibility is that the drone experienced a motor failure, but it is fairly new, and I have found this brand to be quite reliable. This makes three drones I have lost. The first two were pilot error. This one feels more like bad luck. Fortunately, I have a backup drone and hope to complete my assignment tomorrow. I also ordered a replacement drone, which is a much larger model capable of flying in substantially higher winds.

I took this photo through triple-pane glass with poor lighting, and it would normally go in my reject bin. This, however, is the first visit we have ever had from a Baltimore Oriole. I tried to move outside for a better shot, but the moment I opened our sliding door, it flew away.

At Jeanine’s request, I added a handrail to the stairs from our garage, all two of them. This in an effort to make our home as accessible as possible. We also have a collapsible ramp that can be deployed to allow wheelchair access if needed.

Despite intentions to the contrary, I failed to capture a photo of Marie and Rose before their return to Minnesota this morning. I believe another visit is in order to rectify the situation.

UPDATE: I found this photo that Jeanine took of Rosie giving me a hug while we were enjoying an outdoor fire. Jeanine really captured the moment, and I absolutely love this image.

Apparently, Maya has picked up a bad habit from Nicolai. She fails to inform her parents when she is featured in a YouTube video. I just came across this video, posted 5 months ago, which features Maya talking about her job and the experience of working at Formlabs. It is a promotional piece aimed at recruiting talent to the company, and after watching it, I was ready to go back to full-time work there.

A little more internet sleuthing uncovered yet an another Maya video never seen by her parents.

After dropping Rose and Marie at the Sheraton Boston Hotel for day three of the CS Convention, we did a walking tour of the Boston Common and Gardens. Installed for the Memorial Day holiday was a massive flag garden. Organized by the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, over 37,000 American flags are planted (near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument) to honor Massachusetts service members who died protecting our country. The scale of the installation is sobering. On the way back to our car, we paused to watch kids play on the “Make Way for Ducklings” sculpture.

When my niece Rose arrived in Boston, she asked if we could have a fire. This evening, after the sun set, we enjoyed watching her roast marshmallows for S’mores, which she was happy to make for everyone. Rose has her first vocal competition tomorrow, and turned in early so she could be well-rested for her performance. Jeanine and I lingered by the fire pit until only glowing embers remained. We could hear what sounded like a rather large animal rustling through the leaves near our house. I believe it was a deer. Jeanine postulated that it might be the black bear that visited our neighborhood recently. In all likelihood it was a squirrel.

Late last night / early this morning, I collected my sister-in-law, Marie, and niece, Rose, from the airport. They are in town for several days to attend the CS (Classical Singer) Convention and Vocal Competition being held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Rose is a very talented soprano. The convention is a combination of a vocal competition, a networking/recruiting event, and an opportunity to take masterclasses with renowned teachers. This afternoon, Jeanine and I drove our guests into the city and dropped them off at the venue. We then spent a couple of hours walking around the area. Jeanine did some shopping (new eyeglass frames) and made a full tour of the foods on offer at Eataly while I enjoyed photographing some of the area’s stunning architecture.

Rose had a great first day experience, performing in a master class and receiving a massive ovation, followed by interest from two recruiters. Kyle joined the four of us for dinner at Zaku Izakaya, a nearby Japanese restaurant, to cap a perfect day.

Pictured above is The First Church of Christ, Scientist (also known as The Mother Church), the global headquarters for the Christian Science denomination, with the recently (2019) completed Four Season Hotel towering in the background. Below is the Splash Fountain at the Christian Science Plaza with the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies on the right.

I was not able to attend the Bionic 5K last Sunday because of my soccer game. All three kids participated, with Kyle finishing 11th in a field of 707. Maya finished 15 seconds ahead of Nicolai, who placed first in the below-the-knee amputee division. Photos for the event were just posted, and sadly, Maya was not in the mix.

Nora was kind enough to share some photos she took during her visit earlier this week. The one below with Dora is my favorite. I am convinced she is going to be an early walker, and we worked together on some basic weight transfer skills. This, incidentally, is the key to learning to walk. Once a baby has mastered standing, the big breakthrough comes when they figure out how to take weight off one foot so it is free to move.

Simon did an excellent job recreating a photo I had taken with Nora some 15 years ago.

Jeanine and I had a triple workout today. We covered 3 miles on a walk with Anita and Dave in the Wright Woods. We then spent an hour weeding in the garden, followed by our normal workout at the gym. All of this exercise entitled us to our first visit of the season to Kimball Farm, where we enjoyed our last evening with the Coddingtons.

Visiting us for the first time in our new house are my cousin Anita and her husband Dave. We did a quick visit to the North Bridge and the Old Manse before they treated us to lunch at the Main Street Cafe. Later, as temperatures reached 93 degrees (23 degrees above the average for this day), we did a Walden Pond drive-by. Anita and Dave will spend two nights with us as they visit a number of friends in the area. In the evening, we watched the latest Top Chef episode during which cheftestant and their friend Laurence Louie advanced to the round of 6. Tomorrow, they will be dining in Quincy at his Hong Kong-style fast food restaurant, the Rubato HK Café.

Seventeen years ago, I volunteered to be a mentor in the Gordon Engineering Leadership program at MIT. I was paired with Nora, a smart, bright-eyed, and ambitious graduate student. She is a remarkable woman who continues to excel in life. She spent 5 years at Microsoft, 8 years at Meta, and has recently joined Google as the Director of Product Management. More importantly, she and her husband, Simon, have raised a wonderful family, including Lisa (10), Adam (7), Luna (2), and Dora (0.5). They are pictured above with her sister, Peri, whom they are visiting to celebrate her graduation from Smith College.

Jeanine and I attended Nora’s wedding in Seattle and have remained in touch over the years. We were thrilled when we learned that they would be visiting the area, and we enjoyed spending this afternoon with the whole crew. Jeanine prepared a wonderful quiche, and I was on pancake duty. Being so heavily outnumbered, I decided not to try to kidnap Dora, but did take advantage of every moment to get my baby fix. She is the happiest and most chill baby I have ever met and became my instant buddy. I have forgotten how heavy babies are and how quickly they can shift their center of gravity when they move their heads around. I maintained a solid grip at all times, an excellent excuse to monopolize time spent with her.

Her father addressed the weight / CG instability challenge by lashing the child to his body with a baby sling, a wonderful device I was unaware of when our kids were tiny.

Jeanine retrieved a huge box of toys from the basement, which kept the older children occupied so we could visit with the adults. It is pretty clear that our house was designed for adults and will need some safety modifications should we find ourselves with a grandchild at some point.