After Kyle’s second game, we all went for a 2 hour hike in Umstead State Park. It was a real treat to experience fall colors all over again. Sometime after I retire, I would love to start in Maine and follow the fall colors south in an RV. 

Between games and after a nice breakfast, Mayela showed us her booth at an antique mall where she runs her side business. 

My sister Mayela, her husband Stephen, and their dog Jake, who live in the Raliegh area, joined us for the day. 

Despite getting only 5 hours of sleep, Kyle plays very well in both his games today. Here he gets a lot of air to make a nice header. The boys won their first games in freezing conditions and lost their second after the temperature had risen almost 20 degrees. We will hope for more cold tomorrow. 

I made it back to the office in time for a stream of meetings before heading back to the airport, this time with Kyle for a weekend trip to Raleigh, NC to participate in a soccer tournament. Strong winds at LaGuardia delayed our flight and would have caused us to miss our connection. We booked a later direct flight which also was delayed. By the time we made it to our hotel it was 1AM. Given the 6:15AM meeting and 8AM first match, this was not a great way to start the weekend for Kyle. For me it was an exhausting 21 hour day which included the following way points: Indianapolis, Chicago, Manchester, Tewksbury, Boston, and Raleigh. 

Yesterday started with an early breakfast with Cine-tal CEO, Rob Carrol, followed by an all day board meeting and then a nice dinner with the board and employees of the company. I had no time for photography. Today I get up at 4:30AM to catch an early flight back to Boston. Pictured here is a train yard in Chicago from the air. 

I sit on the Board of Directors of a company called Cine-tal, founded by a former colleague at Truevision. Today, after work, I flew into Indianapolis to attend our annual strategy meeting to be held tomorrow. 

Jeanine’s best friend from Indianapolis, Monica, is visiting us for a few days. While in Indy, we were part of a gourmet dinner club. Monica not only inspired the club but took photos at every event. As a gift, she presented us with an album containing photos of every feast including the menus (always works of art in their own right). With each turn of the page you could almost taste the delicacies we had enjoyed years ago. It was an incredibly wonderful gift, typifying the thoughtfulness and love Monica brings to everything she does.  

Each year Avid executives serve a Thanksgiving Turkey Feast to our employees as a way of demonstrating our appreciation for all of their hard work. Today we served the 800 staff at our Tewksbury campus in three seating shifts. I was in charge of the squash and corn with temporary assignments on stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, and the turkey. I love the symbolism of this event and look forward to it with great anticipation every year. It reminds me of who I am here to serve. 

This afternoon Maya and I attended an end-of season party for her soccer team. The brunch was unbelievable and the girls had a terrific time. I came directly from my game covered in mud. This year, my team made it to the final four play-off of our 84 team league. We faced Juventis, a team that has not lost a game in over a year. The temperature at kick-off was 29 degrees and the field, one of the worst we have ever played on, was frozen. We battled to a 0-0 tie after ninety minutes of regulation play. The thirty minute overtime period remained tied until the 24th minute when the ref awarded a direct kick at the top of the box on a very questionable call. They converted with a very nicely taken direct kick. We shifted everyone forward in hopes of an equalizer but it was not to be. I played my best game of the season and had a lot of field time. I had a very nice header attempt that just missed the mark and I launched a missile from about 25 yards out that was on target for the upper left corner but the keeper made a nice save. In overtime, I intercepted a pass and had a breakaway opportunity. I was forced wide and played a perfect pass to our center forward but he was unable to finish. Despite losing a bunch of skin from both knee caps, it was a nice way to finish what will likely be my last game with the Concord United O40 club. Next year, I will be eligible for the over-50 league and my body is telling me that I should move up. Nicolai was also in action today ending his season with a very satisfying 3-2 win. 

Jeanine’s sister Lauren enjoys playing with her grandson after dinner. It was a wonderful evening. 

Kyle spent the afternoon at the home of his band’s newest member. She plays the bass and is a gifted vocalist whose parents are both professional musicians. He informs me that the acoustics in our basement are not up to snuff after rehearsing in their sound studio like basement. Kyle is our adventurous eater and sampled all forms of the delicious Indian fare we enjoyed. 

We enjoyed dinner at an Indian restaurant in Lexington. Maya finished her soccer season with a 1-1 tie and contributed with an assist despite having thrown up twice last night for reasons unknown. Nico also had an assist to help his team secure a 2-1 win. He played one of his best games ever doing a great job of distribution and dominating the midfield. 

In addition to being very cute, Bradley is incredibly bright. His dad has taught him to recite poetry and to hear him do it with accuracy and all the right inflections is really something.