The Witches’ Market of La Paz has become quite a tourist attraction in recent years. Among the many items sold at the market are dried llama fetuses that are said to bring both prosperity and good luck, dried frogs used for Aymara rituals, soapstone figurines, aphrodisiac formulas, owl feathers, dried turtles and snakes, herbs, and folk remedies. Witch doctors in dark hats and dresses wander through the market offering fortune-telling services.

I got a late start this morning to avoid last night’s lingering rain. Even so, when I arrived at the market, I found it almost empty. This allowed me to get some clean shots of the decorations that adorn the streets, but they do not convey the hustle and bustle that is the normal state of affairs here.

Rather than wait for the market to fully open, I decided to make the arduous hike to the main cemetery of La Paz, which is said to be lovely. Along the way, I encountered several more traditional markets and paused to enjoy some street food. When I arrived at the cemetery, I found it closed for the day despite signs on the main gate indicating it should be open.

Named by Neil Armstrong for its lunar-like appearance, the Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) is located about a 30-minute drive from the center of La Paz. I used Yango, a popular ride-sharing app here, to get there since my Spanish isn’t good enough to navigate public transportation. It is a surreal desert landscape of clay spires and canyons formed by severe erosion. I opted to let my drone explore rather than doing so on foot, as I am still getting very lightheaded whenever I exert myself here. During a 1969 visit to Bolivia shortly after his lunar mission, Neil Armstrong reportedly visited the site while playing golf and noted its striking resembled the surface of the moon.

Later in the day, I visited the Basilica of Saint Francisco, the most famous church in La Paz. It is renowned for its 16th-century history, stunning Mestizo Baroque architecture, and as a major cultural landmark where local Aymara traditions mix with Catholic history.

On the walk back to my lodging, I found a great place to launch my drone for panoramic views of the city.

What does it say when you choose to spend Saturday night in a vibrant new city, at your computer, trying to figure out how tomorrow’s sightseeing can be optimized for downhill walking?

At 3 AM this morning, I began 24 hours of continuous travel, arriving in La Paz, Bolivia, at 3 AM. I think I only spent a third of the time flying, the rest just waiting around. At Boston Logan, it took 45 minutes to get through security due to the TSA work slowdown. When I boarded my connecting flight in Atlanta, we sat at the gate or on the runway for 90 minutes due to the air traffic control slowdown. In Bogota, where I made my final connection, it was simply a matter of a very long scheduled layover where I indulged in a $39,500 Burger King Whopper Meal (see receipt above if you do not believe me).

Note to Jeanine (who will not be concerned about the exorbitant price of my cheeseburger meal, but rather, my choice of dining establishment): Dear Jeanine, it was not like they had any good restaurants in the airport, simply variations on the Burger King theme, but with menu items I could neither pronounce nor identify. I chose familiar.

The airport in La Paz is the highest international airport in the world at an altitude of 13,325 feet. When I stepped off the plane, my head started to spin, and I felt nauseous. I recently started taking a medication to help lower my blood pressure, and that only compounded the effects of the altitude. Fortunately, I was able to clear customs rather quickly due to my favorable seating assignment on the plane and the fact that I did not need to wait for checked baggage. Check-in at my lodging was mercifully short, and I was quick to fall asleep after choking down two Ibuprofen (drinking the tap water in Bolivia is not recommended, and I had failed to pick up bottled water at the airport in my disoriented mental state). In all, a rather inauspicious start to what I hope will be an otherwise great travel adventure.

My favorite luggage configuration for air travel includes a 46L duffel bag with stowable shoulder straps and a 30L backpack. The smaller pack contains my laptop, drone, camera, lenses, and travel essentials. The larger one is for clothing and meets the size constraints of an overhead bin. I prefer two backpacks to a roll-aboard and one backpack for several reasons. With dual backpacks, I can navigate over any terrain with ease (cobblestones, dirt, stairs, mud), all with both of my hands free and a near-perfect front-to-back weight balance. Furthermore, you can pack a lot more into a soft-sided pack than into one with a rigid shell, wheels, and a telescoping handle.

I leave early tomorrow morning for two weeks of travel in Bolivia and Colombia, and can be seen above testing the weight and balance of my fully loaded gear. I will post as regularly as internet access allows over the next two weeks.

Built in 1747, the Wright Tavern served as a vital meeting hub for patriots and hosted the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in the months leading up to the American Revolution. On April 19, 1775, it famously served as the headquarters for British officers during the Battle of Concord while Minutemen gathered nearby. After the war, the building continued to operate as a tavern and later a private residence before being gifted to the First Parish in Concord in the late 19th century. Today, it is a National Historic Landmark that has undergone extensive restoration to preserve its colonial architecture. It currently serves as an educational center and museum, offering tours and programs that highlight its role in the birth of American independence.

When Concord celebrated the 250th anniversary of the “Shot Heard Round the World,” I volunteered to build the stands for the photo boards in the image above. I was pleased, on a recent excursion downtown, to see that they are still in use.

Kyle has moved into a Seaport District apartment where he will spend the next 6 weeks cat-sitting and generally looking after the place. Meanwhile, he has rented out both floors of his house in Medford. That kid does not miss a trick.

I spent the day installing wood filler panels under all countertops throughout the house where a drawer is located directly underneath, twenty in total. Without these panels, it would be possible for an item in an overstuffed drawer to get caught on the front lip of the countertop, preventing the drawer from opening. In such an event, the only remedy would be to cut the bottom of the drawer out from below, allowing the jam to release. Admittedly, this is a low probability occurance but the consequence is dire enough to warrant the full day project and $200 materials cost.

Hopefully, a day will come when I photograph one of our local Bald Eagles at the exact moment they pluck a fish from the river. Until then, the photo above, taken yesterday, will be my favorite of a local raptor. I was working at my computer when I saw him/her flying down the river out of the corner of my eye. I immediately grabbed my camera and headed outside just as it banked to reverse course. The lighting was perfect, and I nailed focus. I managed a few more decent shots in the sequence and feel so grateful to live in a place where we can witness such majestic beauty.

Ever since we completed the River House, Jeanine and I have struggled to select artwork that we can both agree on. Today, Jeanine suggested we get out of the house for an adventure, and I reluctantly agreed to visit several local art galleries. When we entered the Three Stones Gallery in downtown Concord, we were both immediately drawn to the works of local artist Joan Kocak. Kocak creates her art using encaustic photography, a process in which layers of beeswax and resin are fused onto a photographic image with a blowtorch, creating both texture and a durable seal. The scenes in the collection we purchased are from the Great Brook State Park, located one town over in Carlisle. Before mounting them in our kitchen, I used cardboard stand-ins to refine placement and spacing.

In the past, either Jeanine or I would compromise on joint art decisions, invariably leaving one of us dissatisfied down the road. Based on that history, we resolved not to acquire anything new unless we both loved it without reservation. Thank you, Joan Kocak.

A normal child lets his family know when he has been featured on a television newscast. Today, I stumbled across a year-old piece that was broadcast by our Boston CBS affiliate, identifying Nico as a Change Maker. The segment is very well done and covers Nico’s involvement with the US Amputee Soccer team, his work with the Bionic Project, and his efforts to promote amputee soccer locally.

Would you buy a homeowner’s or car insurance policy if you knew that the person selling it to you was keeping 85% of the premium as a commission on the sale? Only if you were an idiot, I would venture to assert! And yet, when it comes to title insurance, this is the typical commission earned by the lawyer or real estate agent whom you are paying to represent your interests in the closing. In Iowa, the state has banned private title insurance and offers homeowners the same coverage for $175. The lawyer I was about to hire to close our recent real estate purchase provided an engagement letter in which we would agree to pay them $975 for the closing work and an additional $8,550 for mandatory title insurance, of which they would get a kick-back of $7,268. Fortunately, we are doing an all-cash deal and are therefore not required to purchase title insurance. If ever there was a totally legal scam, this is it. Buyer beware!

After my journey through the fine print of the engagement letter, I let the attorney know we would be choosing to work with someone else to close the sale, and I am reviewing quotes from three new lawyers who do not require clients to purchase title insurance through them.

Although I consider myself officially retired, I continue to do limited consulting for select companies. One of my clients is Formlabs, where I help members of the engineering and manufacturing teams with career counseling, executive coaching, conflict resolution, and generally provide advice based on 35 years of experience as an engineering leader. I do this on-site once a month. I typically meet individually with 9 or 10 employees for 30 minutes, separated by a 15-minute break to record my notes, which I review at the end of the day with senior staff. When she is not tied up in meetings, I have lunch with Maya, who is a Technical Program Manager at the company. With my commute, it makes for an eleven-hour marathon, and while it leaves me fully spent, I find the work very rewarding.

This morning, I left extra early so that I could pick up some Baltic birch plywood for a project I have been putting off for some time. It was still dark with a dense fog hovering over the ground, producing an otherworldly glow from the driveway border lighting.

Kyle and his running buddies have moved on from Ocho Rios to Negril for the second half of their Jamaican vacation. Judging from the phone in his hand, I suspect Kyle took this photo with his drone. It was not all beach lounging and sun for Kyle today. He had to initiate a large wire transfer of the binding deposit to accompany the Purchase and Sale Agreement for the Somer House, which the kids are buying jointly. All signatures have been secured, and the deal is set to close on April 15th.

For months now, the Sudbury River has been frozen, making many new activities possible for both humans and critters. We have observed snowshoers, cross-country skiers, dog walkers, and bicyclists (you read that correctly) wending their way up and down, over and back. The depth of the snow covering prevented the one activity you would expect on a frozen river: ice skating. We have also sighted deer, coyotes, and foxes crossing the frozen expanse to explore new territories on the opposite bank.

Today, as the temperature reached 75°F, the ice has started to melt in a pattern that maps out the natural springs below. If the weather forecast holds, the river will have fully thawed by the end of the week and, absent a cold snap, will remain that way until next winter.

Kyle and his running buddies look to be enjoying their vacation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I believe they plan to move on to Negril later in the week. I find myself wondering if they are actually doing any running or if this is more of a lounging on the beach type of holiday.

Jeanine and I did our own little run this evening, to Logan Airport. This was at Kyle’s request to search for a set of keys that apparently fell out of an unzipped pocket of his backpack. Fortunately, they are on a fob with an AirTag, so he was able to share the location with us. Regretably, we were unable to retrieve them despite assistance from a very helpful TSA agent who searched for them beyond the security perimeter. Although it appears that the keys are outside the building, the map has not been updated to reflect the new boundaries of the recently renovated Terminal E, which now includes the tagged location. Hopefully, the keys will be located by airport cleaners and will be waiting for Kyle in the Lost & Found when he returns.