The pictured nightstands will serve as the base for a large bookshelf-style headboard to complement the platform bed I recently completed. I would have finished the project yesterday when the drawer slide hardware arrived if not for the fact that I had fabricated all 6 drawer boxes to the wrong depth. The nightstands are 18 inches deep, and that was the depth I used for the drawer boxes rather than the 15-inch depth of the drawer slides. Fortunately, I devised a rather clever way to slice 3 inches out of the drawers without compromising their integrity or appearance. Incidentally, these 6 drawers bring the total number I have built for our house to 120. I think I can safely say that we do not need any more and that these will be the last ones.

Back in October, Jeanine and I joined a local fitness facility and have been going together regularly. As I walked past her on the elliptical machine today, she had the biggest grin I have ever seen on anyone working out. I have little doubt that she was listening to a humorous podcast and must be sure to ask her about it. I listen to the news on NPR, which tends to have the opposite effect on me.

We were graced by about an inch of snow today. High winds prevented it from accumulating on tree limbs but it was happy to settle on the iced-over sections of the river and distant Fairhaven Bay. I opted to fly from the comfort of our living room (although it may be difficult to see me through the window) rather than venturing outdoors for a second time, the first to clear snow from the driveway.

I used the pink slab of insulation as a takeoff and landing pad to keep my drone from getting wet.

As part of a Conantum community tradition, we hosted a holiday potluck open house for our neighbors this evening for the second time in a row. Each year, ~10 residents host a party attended by ~20 neighbors. Our oldest guest was 90, and our youngest was 2. As always seems to be the case, most folks congregated in the kitchen area despite comfortable seating only steps away. Our kitchen was designed to handle multiple cooks, but the wide aisles also facilitate gathering around the island.

Of the recent gatherings we have hosted, preparation for this one seemed easy by comparison. I steam-roasted a large turkey breast, and Jeanine added holiday decorations throughout the house. She called me to the front hallway to photograph our digital picture frame, which was displaying a picture of young Maya in a tasseled winter hat. This, only moments after she had placed a Santa Claus hat on one of my mother’s sculptures, creating an admittedly humorous juxtaposition.

Last weekend, Jeanine and I drove downtown for the Concord holiday parade and tree lighting ceremony. Having forgotten the start time, we were late to the festivities. While this made finding a parking spot easy, we missed all but the carolers who performed in colonial period attire to end the event. Also forgotten was that I had taken this picture, but hadn’t downloaded it until today.

I completed the bed platform I started building last week today. I added horizontal slats, which serve two functions. The spacing allows the mattress to “breathe” while the 1/2″ thickness permits them to flex, adding a modest amount of give to the foundation. The slats are floating to allow them to bend. Fixed spacers provide permanent alignment. I can’t wait to test the feel of our mattress on the new frame. If it needs to be firmer, I can replace the slats with thicker ones, and should it be too firm, with thinner ones. I will probably need to wax the slat support surfaces to prevent squeaking during vigorous activity on the mattress. I am looking forward to that aspect of testing.

During the winter months, I tend to spend more time in my shop building projects of one type or another. Jeanine finds more time for baking, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Pictured above are some of her recent creations from the kitchen. As I type this entry, there is the aroma of lemon nut bread in the air and a batch of Jeanine’s special granola in the oven.

A slight break from sub-freezing temperatures encouraged me to install new driveway lighting today. I lined one side of the driveway with a 200-foot LED rope light, replacing the one I placed 2 years ago. Its control box was run over, allowing water to enter and damage the electronics. The animated lights provide a welcoming path to our house. Don’t be surprised to see an aerial video of the lights at night in a future post.

The motorized blinds for Jeanine’s office arrived yesterday, and I installed them this afternoon. The fit and color matched the walls perfectly. Unfortunately, one of four units appears to be dead-on-arrival. The other three are working as expected. While trying to debug the problem, I spotted a Bald Eagle hunting over the partially frozen river. It eventually landed on the edge of the ice, where it lingered for a few minutes, likely on the lookout for dinner. This month has produced a good number of really nice animal sightings.

With the river partially frozen, we have had several furry visitors over the last few days. We see beavers all the time, but rarely out of the water. This pair spent at least an hour enjoying their meal and grooming before slipping back into the water. River otters, on the other hand, are relatively rare to see. We saw this one yesterday, and he returned today for a little fishing.

I spent the better part of the day finishing my plans for the headboard that will complement the platform bed I recently completed. The design will include integrated 3-drawer nightstands, built-in reading lights, and shelving intended for the display of framed photographs. The shelving unit will sit atop the nightstands and flush to the wall, weighing slightly more than 200 pounds.

Kyle spent the weekend in New York City celebrating a co-workers 30th birthday and chose the middle of a 10K to propose in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. We know next to nothing about the woman, but we could not be more excited. We can’t wait to learn more details from Kyle when he returns this evening. Stay tuned for updates.

UPDATE 1: Even though she said YES, there will be no wedding. Apparently, the 10K run was also a scavenger hunt during which Kyle was required to propose marriage to a complete stranger. At least he got some good practice in.

UPDATE 2: I was aware of the full story when I made the initial post and was careful not to make any inaccurate statements. I wanted to see how many relatives would reach out to congratulate us. The answer: two.

Since we moved to Concord 22 years ago, I have been a member of the Concord United Soccer Club. This evening, we celebrated the club’s 30th anniversary at our traditional year-end party. The club includes an over-30, over-40, over-48, over-55, and over-62 teams. We represent something of a dynasty in Massachusetts. My team has won our Division 14 times and won our League 8 times.

By the time interest turned to a group photo, many had already left. Even so, it was impossible to get everyone into a single frame, and I had to composite 5 images to make this portrait. It turned out better than I would have expected, given the state of inebriation of most subjects and their inability to remain motionless while I captured the images. I have little doubt this will become an iconic club photo, and I must admit that I am sad that I was on the other side of the camera for this one.

The event took place at Bandoleros, a very popular local Mexican restaurant. The owner is a friend of the team and closed the restaurant for our celebration. I arrived early to set up a large screen TV, where a slide show of club photos looped throughout the evening.

The Concord Bridge, our local newspaper, featured a new section in this week’s edition. It is called “My Concord” and includes a photo essay and story about town residents sharing what it means for them to call Concord home. It has been something like a year since we submitted our narrative and images, and we had all but forgotten doing so. It was a nice surprise to learn that our family had been featured in the inaugural installment.

Jeanine had a play date with her friend Barbara today. The two could be heard laughing in the kitchen while baking an exotic holiday treat. The  Kransekake (Norwegian) or Kransekage (Danish) is a traditional Scandinavian “wreath cake” or “tower cake” consisting of a stack of eighteen or more concentric almond cookie rings.

Meanwhile, I spent a good portion of the day in my shop building a bed frame. Given the simplicity of the design, I completed the fabrication work in a few hours, and now all that remains is to varnish the pieces before assembling them. Once moved to our bedroom, I will install the mattress support slats that will provide ventilation and a measure of suspension for the mattress.

Today, I completed the final component of Jeanine’s office furniture. The set now includes an 80″ x 28″ desktop supported by a three-drawer cabinet on the left side and a two-shelf under-desk storage area on the right. A six-drawer filing cabinet creates an L-shaped return, and a 90″ wide, 18″ deep horizontal bookcase completes the ensemble. In total, the contiguous work surface area exceeds 30 square feet, something Jeanine wanted a lot of.

Jeanine’s office will double as her sanctuary, with almost half the floor space devoted to a carpeted lounge area that will include a queen-size sofa sleeper and a comfy swivel chair for reading. The sofa creates a nice delineation between the spaces and offers a great view of the river.

I am very pleased with the way the furniture turned out and happy that Jeanine no longer has to deal with a temporary office setup. Next, I plan to tackle a new bedroom suite.