Packing all my photos, artwork, and books took longer than I anticipated and I was lucky to squeeze it all into my car. Last to go was the mask which has graced my door since my trip to South Africa.

 
Today was my last day of work at Avid after nearly a five year run. I was granted early release for good behavior (I had committed to stay through June but the transition has gone smoothly and our big release is on track for a June 6th ship date). While I am very anxious to start at Sonos, it was very hard saying farewell to so many wonderful and talented people. I will always remember Avid fondly and am thankful for the opportunity that brought our family to New England and afforded me such a great environment for professional growth. I was roasted during a Cake for Carl going away party and used the opportunity to project a slide show of the thousand plus photos I had taken of my colleagues over the years. It was a very nice note to end on.

 
Pictured here is the Concord School of Philosophy located on the grounds of the Orchard House (home of Louisa May Alcott). The school for adults was designed, built and run by her father, the Superintendant of Concord Schools. It is still used today for summer lectures.

 
Today after work I participated in a walking tour of historic Lexington Road. Next week I will be a volunteer in Maya’s class and will lead a small group of children on the same tour hopefully remembering much of what I learned.

 
It really feels like spring has arrived. Today was one of those simply glorious days.

 
Jeanine launched her new business venture this evening. The Earth Mama hosted a healthy cooking lesson for eleven participants who each left with a container of Jeanine’s Special Broth, seen simmering here, renewed appreciation for the dreaded pressure cooker, and new found love for Seaweed Salad. The event was a great success and Jeanine had that happy smile she gets when working with industrial size cooking vessels.

 
Alyson is so beautiful she literally stopped traffic (a true and funny story I will leave for her to tell).

 
This evening I did a photo shoot for Alyson. She is writing a book and may use some of the photos for her project.

 
Emmanuel who celebrates his 32nd birthday today joined Nico for practice and the interview. I loaned him a pair of my custom crutches that are sized for when Nicolai get’s older. Despite playing in a street shoe, Emmanuel showed he’s got game.

 
Nicolai and I were interviewed by the Fox Soccer Channel for a piece they are doing on Nicolai’s story. Nico was unusually brief with his comments and told me later that he is tired of doing interviews and was much more comfortable when they videotaped him during his soccer practice. He had some really nice headers which I hope they caught on tape. I will post air date when we receive the details. We learned that the fundraiser last night brought in another $21,000 in contributions raising his total to over $130,000.

 
Emmanuel presents Nicolai with the Ability Through Mobility Award. Nicolai was very thankful to be receiving his award from the man who inspired him and thanked everyone in a very heartfelt and well delivered speech.

 
Low light precluded a lot of photography during the banquet, but I took this photo to capture the mood.

 
My sister Alissa drove in from Albany, NY to join us in for the evening, a wonderful suprise that added to the magic of the evening.

 
This evening, Nicolai is being honored by the Free Wheelchair Mission for his fundraising efforts on their behalf. His total now stands at $110,000 which translates into 2500 wheelchairs for the disabled of Tanzania. The banquet is being held at the beautiful Fairmont Copley Hotel and we are treated to this vision of our boys looking quite dignified.