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.