For no apparent reason, Maya announced that I needed a shave and that she was going to do it for me. She did an excellent job and it was a wonderfully enjoyable experience for me.

Maya’s soccer team enjoyed a 3-0 win this afternoon. So far this season no opponent has scored a goal against Concord while Maya is on the field and she continues to be a ferocious little defender. A less that perfect header gave her a bloody nose but she did not seem to be phased by the injury. My game produced a less desirable outcome as we lost our first match this season 1-2 against Belmont, an admittedly strong team. I was fouled just outside the box and the ensuing direct kick produced an early 1-0 lead. Late in the game, trailing by a point, I was taken down again but we were not able to convert that opportunity into a goal.

Nicolai was being a clown this morning as I tried to get a decent photo of him for his passport renewal. Jeanine’s sister, Susan, has joined us for the weekend and the two spent the better part of the day shopping, something neither often does.

I have started to experiment with extreme macro photography. I am still working on my camera technique, but the real challenge is getting your subjects to pose. Does anyone want to guess what kind of insect this is?.

This entire flower is only the size of a match head, and although the focus is much softer than other versions I made of this image, I liked the overall dreamy quality and composition of this particular photo.

Maya’s friend Sarinnagh has been staying with us this week and Nala has been the beneficiary of additional attention.

On the way in to work this morning I noticed that the inspection sticker on the Smart Car had expired so I made a quick pit stop to rectify the situation. I have been enjoying the car since I sold my Audi and feel no sense of urgency to get another. Nicolai, however, realizing that this will be his car to drive when I replace mine is providing constant encouragement for me to pick a new car.

Nicolai made the CCHS JV soccer team which opened their season this afternoon with a 0-0 tie to Acton-Boxborough. The team did not look crisp and was lucky to walk away with the draw. Nico was not at his sharpest either but did set up some dangerous attacks on goal and did a fine job on the defensive clear pictured here.

Jeanine returned from a long weekend getaway at Kripalu just in time to retrieve Nicolai from the Alewife T station and deliver him to a mandatory meeting at our church for youth traveling to El Salvador next year. Nicolai spent the afternoon in Boston visiting with a friend he met while at the Encore Coda music camp two summers ago. She was in town for an audition at Symphony Hall. Nico missed his return train by seconds forcing him to take the T as far as Alewife where his mother was kind enough to pick him up. I felt there would have been a good lesson in having him pay for the taxi drive back instead.

My soccer team came away with a nice 3-1 victory this morning and I was able to contribute with two assists. I will know how my knee fared after all the Ibuprofen wears off.

Maya successfully steps through an attacker to strip her of the ball and then passes up the wing setting up the team’s only goal in their 1-2 season opener loss to Natick. Maya is playing with her friends on the Division One team and looked very strong in her defensive role. She remains smaller than most of her opponents but is tough as nails on the ball and no goals were scored by Natick while she was on the pitch.

I took a half day of vacation today so that I could better prepare myself to photograph my niece’s wedding next month. I offered my services as a second shooter at no charge so that I could practice my skills in a real world setting. Many professional wedding photographers use a second shooter to cover more of the wedding (a 2nd covers the groom getting ready while the primary covers the bride, for example) and to get additional angles on critical moments (nothing worse than missing a must have shot because someone inadvertently stepped in the line of sight). I was fortunate to hook up with a great photographer and fantastic couple which made this both a great learning experience and a lot of fun. I was totally spent when I returned home at 1AM after 5 hours in the office, 4 hours on the road (to/from Falmouth) and 8 hours shooting the wedding. The pro unexpectedly split his tip with me making this my first paid photo gig. I think I will stick to my day job, but it was a very nice affirmation to be paid for my photography work for the first time.

Cool temperatures this morning made it easier to sneak up on this bee, who was moving rather lethargically. There is a definite feeling of fall in the air.

Jeanine consoles Nala as Maya leaves for school.

Nala’s electric containment fence prevents her from waiting at the curb with Maya, so she looks on from her favorite perch.