I was in the mood for a burrito today and took a short stroll at lunchtime to obtain the object of my desire. Along the way, I saw this interesting juxtaposition of nature and urban infrastructure and thought it would make a nice photo.
Nicolai rests on the couch while rubbing Nala’s belly. This week has seen temperatures well into the nineties, which has made soccer camp quite exhausting for the girls and left everyone ready to relax at the end of the day.
The new gardens have been a source of delight and nutrition for the entire summer. Now it is also the source of something of a mystery. There are two football sized gourd like objects which are growing adjacent to the raised beds. Jeanine has theorized that they have come from seeds in the compost. We will no doubt discover what they are when Jeanine cooks them into something or other.
Yesterday I received several 30″ x 20″ posters of photos I took on our southwestern RV adventure. The dining area of our kitchen features one wall which features a magnetic wall (steel embedded in the paint under the wall paper). This morning I mounted the various prints with magnets and enjoyed the reaction of the kids as they came down stairs for breakfast.
We can now choose the most fuel-efficient car for the trip at hand and Kyle can add an hour to his day by not having to ride the bus two ways. With Nico attending the same high school, it is a double bonus.
Meet 15 year old Jolle from Belgium. She will be spending the next three weeks with our family. She is the daughter of Jeanine’s Youth for Understanding (YFU) exchange sister, Frances who came from Belgium in 1980 to live with Jeanine’s family in Lebanon, Indiana. When Jeanine was twenty she stayed with Frances and her parents in Belgium. In no small part due to Jeanine’s father, Larry, the families remained connected over the last 30 years and we are delighted to host Jolle. This week she is attending a soccer training camp.
Today I participated in a charity soccer tournament in Ipswich with my former Concord United Over 40 teammates. The temperature was well above 90 and we played a total of four 35 minute games. The first three were back to back and we only had one sub. We tied the first game 1-1 and won the second 1-0. During the third game we were losing 2-0 with 15 minutes left to play. I spent most of the day as a defensive midfielder but at this point moved to the front line where I scored a very pretty diving header within a few minutes. The team rallied around this goal and we scored another two in quick succession to win the game and advance to the semi-finals. By the time we played our final match we were all exhausted and in my case sporting a pretty nasty blister. We did our best but were defeated by a younger and more skilled team. Proceeds of the tournament went to a college fund for the daughter of an Ipswich soccer player who died.
This motionless statue work seems to be catching on and it would seem that you can actually make a living by doing absolutely nothing.
We paused at this self-serve, honor system book store. Very reasonably priced books are laid out on a table, and if you want one, you simply put the marked price into a lockbox on the table. What a great concept.
Jeanine took the train into Cambridge, where she met me at work (her first visit to my office since I started at Sonos). With all three kids scattered to the winds, we enjoyed a date night, which started with dinner at Arabian restaurant Oleana. Later, we walked about Harvard Square, which always offers a lot to take in.
This evening Kyle clipped a curb and popped one of the tires on the van while avoiding another car in the very chaotic Route 2 rotary. Just last weekend we entered into the AAA teenage driver contract with him which spells our parent and teenager responsibilities regarding use of the family car. Tire damage is addressed and Kyle will pay the $150 repair bill. A painful lesson but better than a collision for which we are thankful.
The undisputed champion catcher was Jamie, who was virtually indistractable and had a near perfect record. He may, consequently, be the first to throw up.
From my perspective, the winning teams had the best tossers. A good toss required very little repositioning by the catcher. Dave received my vote for best tosser.
This evening Kyle had a number of his friends over to the house to hang out. How do 6 teenage boys entertain themselves? One activity involved tossing mini-marshmallows across the kitchen and catching them with your mouth. Tossers and catchers alternated while attempting to disorient or distract their opponents.