With heavy rain in the forecast, Kyle and I decided to arrive early for Candidates Day at Villanova so that we could see the campus before the deluge arrived. Kyle remembered his way around and gave me the tour of this most beautiful campus.

The Villanova Business School was recently ranked 7th in the nation and after the presentations it became apparent why. The faculty is first rate, they make themselves entirely accessible to the students and the programs are highly experiential with significant ties to the business world. I was extremely impressed.

The formal programs ended by late afternoon and then Kyle connected with three other CCHS students who are considering Villanova to compare notes. Kyle really appreciated the academic excellence but felt that the school might be too conservative for him. Time will tell. The 6 hour drive home was grueling. We essentially followed a massive weather system up the Eastern seaboard and remained centered under its fury the entire way.

After Kyle finished school today, he and I drove to Villanova University, just outside of Philadelphia, so that we could attend their Candidates Day tomorrow. The journey took 6.5 hours with traffic but afforded me a nice opportunity to chat with Kyle about his college options. He has been accepted at several schools but has already narrowed the field to George Washington University, the University of Santa Clara Business School and the Villanova University Business School. He has about two weeks to make his final decision.

Before work this morning, in a plan to add exercise to my daily routine, I walked out to the Concord River where I was rewarded with this nice waterscape. In the evening I added 90 minutes of soccer practice. If I am going to compete at the level I want and have my knees hold up this season I am going to need to drop 15 pounds.

In keeping with the success and growth at iRobot we are in the process of upgrading the appearance of our “town hall” area where we congregate every other week for a “huddle” during which everyone in the division learns about the activities of one of our groups. This coffee table creates the illusion of an infinite path to our offices in China. I spent the day offsite in a Quarterly Business Review followed by a nice dinner with the team and then an indoor soccer match where I racked up two goals. A busy but highly successful day.

This little girl celebrated her 48th birthday with her family this evening at Paparazzi’s. She is all grown up now but has not lost touch with her inner child. She goes to school and plays for an hour every day. She has her very own dog and three other mammalian pets she cares for as well as a boyfriend who has loved her for more than half her life.

I left for work early today and stopped by the Great Meadows National Wildlife Reserve to do a little photography. I am not a birder per say but I do enjoy the challenge of photographing these amazing creatures which requires considerable patience and a bit of skill. Most satisfying, however, is the time spent immersed in nature as apposed to zooming by it. As I was leaving I came upon the pictured Great Blue Heron who was hunting for breakfast. I captured a great series of him catching fish and preening. Click on any photo for a more detailed view.

A disappointing start to my spring outdoor soccer season. Despite dominating play and possession (20 shots on goal to our opponents 2) we lost 1-0 on a penalty kick to Ashland. I played midfield and had three solid shots on goal, one a header that rebounded off the post, none that found the back of the net. I can guarantee we will beat this team in our next encounter but for today I will have to draw cheer from Maya’s Spring Dance Recital. She performed in both a jazz number and a ballet piece.

Maya’s day was chock full of activity. Her first outdoor soccer match of the season was followed by an indoor playoff match (in which she scored her team’s only goal) and then on to a dance recital rehearsal for both ballet and jazz. I was pleased to be her assigned chauffeur for the day and to watch as she demonstrated both her power and grace. In the first photo Maya duct tapes her shorts to her belly to prevent them from sliding off her slender waist. Not exactly the method I would have employed but further proof that Maya has a potential future in engineering. On the field Maya remains one tough cookie who refuses to yield to much larger opponents.

As I drove into work this morning I came across a family of four deer and was able to get close enough for a photo of the mother and one child. Work responsibilities demanded that I arrive earlier than normal and consequently I had little dawn light to work with explaining why the photo is a bit blurry.

A car makes a good blind for shooting deer as long as you lower the windows before you drive up. Once the car stops you will have their full attention until they are satisfied you do not represent a risk. Moving a second time, however, will generally spook them.

Pictured here on the left is Martin one of the recent additions to the Product Development team at iRobot. He is a tooling engineer based in China and the first person in my department based outside of Bedford, MA. He has been in the US for two weeks to meet the team and to attend Statistical Process Control training. He has a great sense of humor and has quickly endeared himself to the team. Picture with him are his manager Scott and his manager Doug who works for me. All three are hams and happy to play to the camera.

As I began my commute to work this morning, I spotted a mature adult Bald Eagle flying overhead. What a thrill! It was on a path from the Concord River across the Concord Country Club. As luck would have it, I had my 300-800mm zoom lens in the back of my SUV. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to get it out, mount it to a camera body and find something on which to rest this 15 pound bazooka, the eagle was beyond my range. Although I have found and photographed Bald Eagles in the wild, this is the first time one found me, and just a few hundred yards from our home. Had I been a tad faster this photo would be mine rather than an internet download.

My team recently released a new wet floor care robot into production. Despite or perhaps because of its diminutive size this is one of the most complex products I have ever been involved with. Motorized wheels, pumps, clean fluid reservoir, dirty water reservoir, brushes, battery, cliff sensors, bump sensors, anti-spill mechanism, … There is nothing like it on the market today.

Nico can spend hours at a time playing the piano and I never tire of listening to his music. He ceased taking lessons years ago and has no desire to restart. He plays for his own relaxation and pleasure. When we purchased a grand piano more than 15 years ago it was a big expenditure. Looking back, it has been an incredibly worthwhile investment.

Jeanine prepared two Aioli platters for this evening’s Open Table volunteer appreciation dinner. Open Table was founded in 1989 to provide weekly nutritious meals and a food pantry to anyone who wanted them — no questions asked. Their purpose is to address the hunger that exists in our area and to do this in a manner that respects the privacy and dignity of any guests and provides them a few moments of respite from their daily challenges. Jeanine has really enjoyed her service to this organization.