After dinner, we set out to stock up on breakfast food supplies. Maya was in charge of bread and pastries which are gathered with tongs and placed on a tray before a clerk wraps them up. For under $40 we should be set for the entire week.
Our flights were uneventful and we arrived in Cancun about 3PM where we rented a car and proceeded to the Royal Sands. Our desire to explore the resort was overwhelmed by the need to eat so we headed out for downtown Cancun where we found a local seafood restaurant. The menu was in Spanish and the wait staff only spoke Spanish. Without Kyle, our only Spanish speaker, we were dependent on my limited command of the language to place our order. Jeanine enjoyed a seafood payaya. Nico and I were unsure if we had ordered shrimp or crab until our meals arrived (crab for me, shrimp for Nico).
As if to validate our choice of Cancun as a winter break vacation destination it began to snow this morning as we set out for the airport. When we checked in for our flight we discovered that Kyle’s passport had expired which left us with some difficult decisions to make. We decided to leave Kyle behind with the keys to my car. With any luck he should be able to renew his passport in Boston tomorrow (it is closed for President’s Day today) and catch a flight later in the day. Worst case we are hoping he can join us by Wednesday.
This evening we were joined for dinner by Rob and Cindy Shurtleff and their son Kyle and daughter Katie. Cindy and I met when I was at Stanford and we have remained friends since. They live in Seattle and are here looking at schools for Katie and visiting Kyle who is a freshman at Tufts. Jeanine prepared a wonderful Mexican meal and we enjoyed catching up and getting to know the kids better.
Everyone is packed and ready for our Cancun vacation which begins tomorrow. We are all looking forward to the warm weather and I will post again when we return next week.
Maya was in fine form this evening as she helped her team to victory with a powerfully struck shot for a goal. She remains the smallest player on the pitch (easily a full head height smaller) but is both fearless and tenacious. Her skills are developing nicely and she may well be on a path to follow in her brother’s footsteps.
I took this photograph at 11:30 PM. In Nico’s mind, this is a perfectly acceptable time to prepare a pasta dinner for himself and his friend Oliver. And I was worried I might not get an interesting photo for the day.
Kyle alerted me to a spectacular sunrise this morning and I wasted no time capturing the moment. Peak color lasts for little more than a minute so I have learned to run for my camera when the opportunity presents itself. My father, by example, taught me to dwell and appreciate two simple things in life; a beautiful sunrise/sunset and a waning fire. He did not simply observe these events, he experienced them fully. My thoughts were of him as I soaked in the beauty.
This piece of ceramic artwork has adorned each of my work offices over the last decade. In addition to its intrinsic beauty, the piece has served me as a convenient tie holder for those rare times when I am expected to wear one. Today was such an occasion as I stood before the iRobot Board of Directors responding to questions about how we might improve development speed. In the lower right corner is a framing nail I drove through my hand while building our home theater. It is there to remind me how painful self inflicted wounds can be. Fortunately my performance in the board room was very strong and no such wounds were sustained. Before leaving the office I returned the tie to its resting place, ready for the next adventure.
I sold my trusty 100-400mm telephoto zoom (pictured) today on Craig’s List just as Canon’s latest 70-300mm arrived on the UPS truck. The new lens is sharper, lighter, more compact, and has better image stabilization. When I travel I usually do so with a wide-angle zoom on one camera and a long telephoto zoom on the other. The new lens will get its first workout next week when the family travels to Mexico for winter break.
Maya decided to create a Valentine’s Day outfit for school today. Apparently, it was very effective because she received a necklace from a secret admirer and many cards. Jeanine treated the family to a lovely dinner including heart-shaped tarts that were out of this world. I sent roses to my favorite author and she reciprocated with a gift for me to be worn by her. No photo will be provided.
Morning light reflecting off the frozen surface of the snow covering our field to a depth of 2 feet.
Nicolai and a group of his friends from Church will travel to El Salvador later this year as part of a service project. This evening they sponsored a Latin Dance Night to raise funds to benefit the people in the village they will visit. Young and old alike took to the dance floor after an introductory lesson. I had two dates; Maya and her friend Lydia so I got a pretty good work out. Jeanine is still recovering from the flu and thought it best to stay home and get a good night’s rest.
Maya is slow waking up this morning and is quite content to rest at the breakfast table soaking up the morning sun.
Our entire division left work at 4PM to meet at the Rain Forest Cafe where we celebrated another great quarter of financial performance. A massive aquarium framed the entrance to the bar area where we enjoyed passed hor d’oerves and an open bar. The company stock has more than doubled since I joined last March and I am looking forward to helping that trend continue.