We traveled to Milton Academy this afternoon where we all enjoyed the iRobot family picnic. Jeanine and I both enjoyed meeting Madeline Chu, a friendly and adorable one-year-old. Maya connected with her sister Olivia, and the two were hard to separate. The boys made a beeline for the food before starting a game of volleyball.
The boys have acquired a taste for poker and routinely host games on the sun porch. Tonight’s pot is $75 and the trash talk was in high gear before the first hand was finished. I had planned to take advantage of iRobot’s half day Friday summer hours to get an early start on our up coming week long vacation. One thing led to another and by the time I returned home I had logged an actual half day (12 hours) which is not really how this benefit is supposed to work.
A farewell celebration for a departing employee did little to help my efforts to eat healthfully today. Between such events and my lack of exercise while my knees recover from the soccer season I am starting to feel rounder than desired.
As I looked through my pictures for the day, nothing came close to this portrait Kyle took during our Father’s Day photo outing. I love the concept, composition and execution, not to mention the subject. As we enter the summer months, Kyle is demonstrating a new level of maturity. He is taking his landscaping business very seriously, his hard work at the end of the school year paid off with an improved GPA, and he is making solid plans for college preparation over the break. Kyle needs to buy a truck for his business and he requested we make him an interest bearing loan for that purpose. Jeanine and I decided, to his utter surprise, to gift him our Honda Odyssey instead, our way of recognizing his hard work and supporting his entrepreneurial venture. He should be able to trade it in on a rather decent truck.
Complications at work prevented me from joining Jeanine and Maya for her end-of-the-year soccer party this evening. Each member of the team received a trophy for winning sectionals. The soccer ball on the trophy spins and has been a great hit with the family.
Maya celebrated her birthday with friends this afternoon after officially “graduating” from Willard School this morning. Jeanine and a few parents took the girls to Wingaersheek Beach for the party. Although I missed the festivities, I arrived home just in time to capture the group in pig pile formation.
Here are my favorites from each family member in the same order as the last post. Is it possible to inherit talent from your children and spouse?
My final treat was the best gift I have ever received for Father’s Day. I armed each member of the family with a camera and asked them to take a photograph of me (since I am almost always on the other side of the lens). Second, I requested an artistic photo from each one. We agreed on the Minute Man National Historic Park as our photo safari destination. Above are the results of their portraiture. Now just make a guess as to who took each photo? (Hint: The order is the same as in which their first initial appears in the prior question.)
Plan B: My first treat shall remain undisclosed. My second treat was breakfast prepared by the kids and served to me on the couch where we gathered to watch home videos of the children when they were very young. My third treat was a visit to the National Heritage Museum in Lexington with Jeanine where we enjoyed a photo exhibit by Quang–Tuan Luong composed of a single exquisite photograph of each of the 58 US National Parks. My fourth treat was watching the Brazil versus Ivory Coast World Cup Match in the home theater with Maya. My fifth treat was a delicious dinner that was half indulgent and half healthy.
This is the first birthday celebration I can remember where the parents had as much fun as the child. Maya enjoyed herself, having reached the age where she appreciated the full mix of activities we enjoyed today. I hope we can do this again.
After another fountain cool down we reached our Faneuil Hall our final destination for the day. Here we enjoyed various street artists, birthday gift shopping, visiting with the local horses, and Maya’s all time favorite dinner, Mac & Cheese.
Georges Island is dominated by historic Fort Warren, a Civil War-era fort known for its graceful granite archways and reputed ghost, the Lady in Black. Maya led us on a random walk tour and we eventually joined the end of a ranger led tour which took us through the very scary Dark Tunnel.
We arrive on Georges Island just in time to enjoy a wonderful performance of Brazilian music by graduating students of the Berkeley School of Music.
We boarded the Island Discovery ferry for the 30 minute voyage to Georges Island, part of Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.