The older kids were much more reluctant to let me photograph them but a little perserverance paid big dividends. All photos of the event can be seen at this link (Mattson Block Party).

These photos are among my favorites of the younger kids.

This afternoon, we attended a neighborhood block party for the residents of Mattison Drive and all of its cul-de-sacs. Jeanine was central to reviving and coordinating this event. Despite the threat of rain and a slight drizzle towards the end the party was a great success. Kyle helped with setup, Nico was our DJ and put together a great playlist, Maya was generally helpful throughout, and I captured portraits of all the kids who attended and most of the adults.

Maya and teammate Emma both seeking to play a ball at midfield. It is not clear to me exactly what was going on but I thought the photo was entertaining enough to warrant posting. Earlier in the day my soccer team lost 0-2 against Medfield, a stronger team which deserved the victory. One of their goals was unearned and we did well to keep the score close. I played almost 75 minutes and for the first time in months was not plagued with knee pain. Their defense was very strong and I was afforded a single shot on net. I had to settle for a left footed, over the shoulder, full volley from outside the box which is to say a very low probability attempt. If we bring our best game on our home field when we play then again we have a chance at beating them.

Maya demonstrated very nice form on a cross to the center. Today, she played in both a front line and midfield position rather than her normal spot on defense. She made several nice attacking runs and had two strong shots on goal. Her team had to come from behind to settle for a 1-1 tie in a very competitive match.

My cousin Anita married Dave, her stepfather’s brother, today. Both are widowers who lost their respective spouses at almost the same time. Much humor was made of their unusual family connection despite their independent lineage. The wedding ceremony and reception were held at a posh hall on Long Island. Anita and Dave were attended by a seemingly endless supply of small related children, only a fraction of which are pictured here.

Naturally, I did my best to photograph the entire wedding and have included some of my favorite shots here. All the photos can be seen by following this link (Anita and Dave’s Wedding).

My mother and sister Alissa both exceptional ballroom dancers were partnered by my cousin Edward who is equally talented. Had my father been present, he would have no doubt been in the thick of the action. Unfortunately, his current state of health made the long trip ill advised.

I took a half day of vacation and drove to NYC with Jeanine where we met up with my brother Mark and his wife Marie, my sister Alissa, and my mother. We are all here for my cousin’s wedding tomorrow. This photo was taken to document the fact that my brother and I are wearing essentially the same outfit which the others found very amusing.

The first signs of fall are beginning to emerge. I am looking forward with unusual anticipation to the turning of the leaves and hope to spend as much time as possible enjoying the autumn splendor. This scene is from Concord Center, which I pass every day on my commute to work.

A beautiful harvest moon this evening that I was able to capture as it went in and out of the clouds. At this resolution, I needed to use a relatively fast shutter speed because the moon is traveling so quickly. We often just assume that it lumbers through the night sky, but in reality, it is more of a sprint.

I decided that Maya might like to see a picture of a horse having just returned from Merrivista camp, where she spent three days with students from her school enjoying the great outdoors and getting to know each other.

I have agreed not to make any parental type remarks on the blog in exchange for photography privileges of this wound to Kyle’s left hand.

Apparently this fascination with shaving of the father’s beard runs in the family. Kyle, as a toddler, was equally interested if not nearly as proficient as Maya.