Maya is now 11 years old. Her day stated with French crepes filled with fruit, whipped cream, Nutela and topped with powdered sugar. Nico and Jeanine did the crepe making while Kyle and I assisted Maya with crepe consumption.

In this event, teams of student seek to suspend a bucket of balls using only their feet for as long as possible.

I was able to join the afternoon Fun Day activities courtesy of iRobot summer hours which allow for half day Fridays. In this event, one student is wrapped about the middle in double sided tape as their partner guides them, wheelbarrow style, over a course strewn with plastic balls. The goal is to pick up a many balls as possible using the tape. Still photos cannot convey the hilarity of this event.

It seems like only yesterday that Maya was in Kindergarten, and today, she is celebrating her last day of elementary school. During the morning, Jeanine was on hand to watch as Maya delivered a graduation speech to parents and students, the text of which is included here.

Hi, my name is Maya Calabria and I’ve been a student at Willard School since I was five.
I’ve enjoyed 6 years, 6 last days, 6 teachers, 6 carnivals, and unfortunately only 4 ice cream socials.
This year has been the hardest transition I have ever had to make. I’ve really had to step up and take responsibility for my learning by being organized and managing my time well. I learned how to be independent and to persevere.
In past years my work ethic has been to ask my parents for help. Now I can be patient and problem solve on my own.
I have learned more than in any other year and I had my first “ah ha” moment when one detail helped me link two pieces of history together. I will miss Willard but I am looking forward to the new challenges of Middle School and to making new friends.
I’d like to thank all of my teachers for being so understanding, for helping me to prepare for the future, and for choosing to devote their time to educating students. I’d also like to thank my parents for encouraging me and teaching me to value my education.There aren’t enough ways to say thank you.

Nothing like a “thermal event” in one of my test labs at work to spice up the day. A shorted motor in a test fixture induced a failure in the circuit board that was controlling it producing enough heat to melt everything in the vicinity resulting in a plume of acrid smoke. Before releasing a product we conduct a battery of stress tests to ensure the quality of our designs. These tests run 24/7 in unoccupied labs. In this case we were testing a wheel assembly and after 2000 hours of operation the brushes in the motor wore out and the springs which support them shorted together. Far better that we discover this failure mode in our labs rather than in a customer’s home and the incident will result in design improvements and a new smoke detection/power interruption system for all our test labs.

Everyday I drive past this field of yellow flowers. Today I paused for a moment to capture the image. During the early morning or evening hours it is not uncommon to see deer grazing here. Although the boys are busy studying for final exams it is unclear to me how watching World Cup soccer is helping them do this. I must confess to taking in the first half of the 7AM game between Chile and Honduras myself.

Jeanine and I attended Maya’s Portfolio Celebration this morning where we had an opportunity to view her best work from the past school year. Each child in the class prepares a very official looking portfolio of their best work in each subject area to which they add a statement explaining why they selected each piece. It is a great opportunity for parents to share in the scholastic accomplishments of their child and in our case there was much to admire and be proud of. Maya poses with the welcome poster she helped create for the special occasion.

Kyle models a tie-dye shirt of his crafting. The consensus in the family is that this is the best any of us have ever created. Fortunately for me, Kyle’s muscular physique now requires the same large size that is necessary to drape my fat body, giving me yet another piece of clothing I can borrow from him.

Yesterday during my soccer match I had my feet taken out from under me while I was up for a header. I fell flat on my back from a height of about 6 feet, had the wind knocked out of me, and heard enough snap, crackle and pops to make a Rice Krispies commercial. Today my back, neck and shoulders feel better than they have in years. I feel taller, my flexibility has improved dramatically, and the low back pain that has been nagging me for months is totally gone. Although I cannot recommend this form of treatment to others, I am convinced it is the single most effective chiropractic adjustment I have ever received and was well worth the initial 5 minutes of utter agony.

Hours of watching World Cup soccer this weekend did little to improve our game as my team wrapped up the spring season with a 0-1 loss. We had several opportunities to score but the back of the net was not to be found. My knee held up well although the missed practices needed to rest it were apparent in my sub standard conditioning. Missing from the photo and game due to injury is Jamie one of our strongest players and John one of our most reliable.

Today I have been something of a couch potato watching three World Cup soccer matches culminating with the US tie of England (almost as good as a win against this theoretically superior team). In an effort to make some productive use of the remainder of an otherwise dreary and rainy day, I decided to sell a lens which has not seen much use lately, my beloved 150mm f/2.8 macro. Preparing a good sales listing requires taking a number of glamor shots which I enjoy doing because of the lighting challenge.

Nicolai fights for a header inside the 6-yard box during his match against Newton. Nico played very well with some great defensive saves as well as his usual offensive play-making. Newton, however, was the larger and more skilled team, earning them the 4-1 win.

MRI results for my knee confirm nothing more serious than patellar tendinitis. A final match for me this weekend and then I will give the knee a long rest combined with prescribed PT.

Maya and members of her Girl Scout troop traveled to the Eye of the Storm horse rescue farm in Stow, MA, today. They raised enough money to purchase over a ton of horse feed, 400 pounds of which they delivered (two girls to a 50-pound bag), completing this community service project which they have worked on for months.

A birthday surprise for one of my colleagues at iRobot made for a nice afternoon break today. Nicolai will be pleased to learn that I brought my own recycled fork and dish (I have been washing them after each use) to the party. While at the Mountain film festival we saw a movie called Bag It that impacted us deeply.

Plastics are made from petroleum which took 70 million years to create. There is a finite and dwindling supply of it. We make it into a fork (or bottle or bag) that will be used for a few minutes and then discard it into our environment where it will take one hundred years to breakdown. The logic here is just so flawed. Please think about ways you can reduce your use of plastic for the sake of our planet.

A winning team deserves a winning team photo and I had a lot of fun with the girls trying to get one this evening during a 10 minute window before the sun set. In their last game the coaches promised ice cream to all girls who played like mad dogs and this photo session was followed by an expensive visit to the local ice cream parlor.

I encountered this Yellow Jacket on our porch. I was able to get a reasonable photo because it seemed rather lethargic and not too interested in stinging me (as I approached to within an inch with my macro lens). I did a little research and learned that they are members of the wasp family and that males die shortly after mating. I believe this may have been the fate of this otherwise healthy looking fellow. Not a bad way to go, all other possibilities considered.

This evening, Nico and I completed an interview with a reporter from the Concord Journal regarding Nico’s Challenge and our experience at the Mountainfilm Festival. A question which keeps coming up is “What’s next?” Leading the life of a normal teenager, Nicolai’s true ambition, does not seem to satisfy such inquiry. Perhaps the “what’s next” chapter of this story will be written by another child who is inspired by our film to do something amazing and raise money for a deserving charity, much as Nico was inspired by the movie Emmanuel’s Gift. When we met Emmanuel I asked what inspired him and he told me it was his mother’s love and the story of Jim MacLaren (story here) who refused to quit despite great challenges in his life. Maybe the tale of our adventure will light the flame for the next carrier(s) of the torch. Whatever happens next, we are grateful for our blessings and pleased that all of our children have embraced social action and community service.

Kyle took this photograph of his girlfriend Hannah. He was experimenting with the use of shadows for a photography class assignment. Once he got the results he was looking for he switched from digital to film for the final shot. Hannah was an extremely patient model.

Maya graduated from a Junior Girl Scout to a Cadet in what is called a Bridging Ceremony this evening. The threat of thundershowers moved the event from the Old North Bridge to the Scout House. She was joined by her good friends Sarrinaugh and Allison who have shared the Girl Scout experience with her since we moved to Boston.

Attendance at the Willard Carnival was significantly higher than in years past. Perhaps the new school building was the draw. Maya and Lydia baked a wind power themed cake for the Cake Walk event and won first place in the Alternative Energy category. Jeanine was a volunteer at the bell ringing competition (big hammer, strikes target, sends clanger up a poll to ring the bell) and seemed quite relieved when her shift was over. I joined the girls at the carnival after my soccer game. We suffered a disappointing 0-1 loss. Although I was only able to play at about 70% intensity due to my knee, I made one notable run from midfield beating five opponents for a strong shot on goal. Regrettably it was right at the keeper.

Maya’s soccer team won their game today, cinching a first-place finish in their division and qualifying them for playoffs. Last night, Kyle helped Maya learn to do a proper chest trap and she used her newly acquired skill to great advantage twice during the game.

Each year, our field gets two haircuts. With the exception of Nala, who does not appreciate encroachment by anyone or thing on her territory, we all enjoy watching the methodical process of cutting and gathering the hay.

I had my first MRI this evening at 7:30pm. It took about 20 minutes to complete the scan which is rather annoying as the machine emits a very loud and irritating noise during operation. I will not get results until next week and if I am able to manage the pain see no reason why I cannot play soccer this weekend.

Mothers played daughters at this evenings end of the season soccer practice. Despite a respectable showing, experience and wisdom were no match for youth and talent. Jeanine demonstrated excellent field position and made several good defensive plays.

I finally got a chance to see an orthopedist about my ailing left knee. The good news is that I do not have arthritis beyond what is normal for someone my age and this is not the cause of my pain. The bad news is that I have a very clear case of patellar tendonitis sometimes called Jumper’s Knee. This condition is very treatable with rest and will take care of itself if I stop playing soccer. Fortunately there are only two games left in the season and I will have the entire summer to recuperate.

The doctor did notice something else, probably related to a previous injury, that he felt might be the underlying cause of the tendonitis and ordered an MRI to confirm his suspicions.

Kyle and good friend Nick Jessee have started a landscaping business together. I have been very impressed by Kyle’s entrepreneurial approach, commitment to customer satisfaction, and strong work ethic. I can recommend these Yard Dogs without reservation to anyone in need of hard working, inexpensive landscapers.

Nico and I returned today from Colorado a day later than planned after missing the only flight of the day out of Montrose due to a navigation error while driving back to the airport.