One of the activities Maya enjoyed while on vacation was painting this ceramic fish which now adorns our kitchen bay window. Jeanine purchased a plate which she will add to her collection on the sun porch and Nico came back with a t-shirt.

Our return to Boston begins at 5:45am this morning and ends at 9pm. As if to punctuate the end of our vacation we arrived home to discover 6 inches of snow covering our driveway. I opted to put off the removal task until the morning to extend the week of vacation just a little further.

At the request of the children and Jeanine, this vacation was designed to favor relaxation over adventure (a key component of most Calabria travel). Even so, with minor arm twisting, I was able to convince everyone to try cenote snorkling. The Gran Cenote features crystal clear water, underground extensions, and an abyss. It is regarded as the premiere snorkling cenote in the world and because of its great distance from Cancun we had it almost to ourselves. The cool water and Eden like setting was the perfect antidote for the mornings sun drenched excursion.

After the tour we took a break to enjoy cool drinks and performances by modern Mayans recreating the ceremonies of their ancestors.

Despite grumblings from the children, we got an early start this morning for the two hour trip to the ruins of Tulum. Unique as the only Mayan city to be built overlooking the ocean, it is protected by a coral reef and cliffs. We were fortunate to get another very knowledgeable and charismatic private guide who helped us understand the history and context of the Mayan civilization. Today iguanas rule the temples that were once occupied by a people who developed a more accurate calendar than the Europeans and developed a hurricane warning siren that still operates today.

Jeanine was thrilled to have all her babies together again and we celebrated with a fancy dinner which was out of this world.

It did not take long for Kyle and Nico to find a game of beach volleyball and only slightly longer for me to join them. With my torn rotator cuff I cannot spike or serve over hand but I can still bump and set fairly well. Few things bring more joy to a father than sharing a game he loves with sons who have become his equal.

We forgot to pack pool toys for the boys but they found an adequate substitute.

The most important priority for the day was picking up Kyle from the airport after he survived 3 nights alone, arranging to obtain an expedited passport renewal, and rebooking his flight to Cancun. Despite a 4AM departure for the airport he nearly missed his flight due to construction delays. Fortunately his flight arrived ahead of schedule and he cleared customs quickly. I collected him as he exited the terminal and had him on the beach before noon.

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Our next stop was Valladolid where we enjoyed a wonderful meal and visit to the Zaci Cenote. This sinkhole is 150 feet in diameter and 260 feet deep. Afternoon light did not favor photography and these images do not do justice to the beauty of this natural wonder. Our return drive to Cancun was by way of the slower, non-toll road which passed through numerous villages (which we categorized by the number of speed bumps – ranging from 2 to 14). The views into typical Mexican communities and life was more than worth the additional travel time. As we entered Cancun I was pulled over by the Policia for speeding (which I was not). My research prior to the trip proved invaluable as I was armed with a Xeroxed copy of my license and the necessary strategy to deal with cops who solicit bribes from tourists to supplement their income. After 20 minutes we were on our way with no ticket and having paid no bribe.

We were rewarded for our early start this morning on our 2.5 hour drive to Chichen Itsa by beating the bus loads of tourists that arrived later in the day. Worth every Peso was the private guide we hired who brought the ancient Mayan ruins to life with his stories and knowledge of the history. Since Jeanine and I last visited, some 15 years ago, park patrons are no longer permitted to climb on the structures. Recent excavations revealed an entirely new layer to the main temple captured in the first photo. For me the observatory, pictured last, was the most fascinating structure, built with such precision and understanding of the celestial calendar it is hard to comprehend. Maya and Nico both enjoyed the ruins far more than I would have predicted (our guide Louis was a major factor, no doubt) and received lessons in price haggling as each purchased souveniers from the local artisans as we departed.

It didn’t take Nico long to find a game of beach volleyball about a 1/4 of a mile down the beach at a resort that caters to college students. I could watch him for hours as he amazed everyone with his raw skill and determination. He was the youngest person on the court and probably the best player.

Today was spent poolside and at the beach. Jeanine participated in a water aerobics class while I took advantage of the pool to do some rehab on my shoulder. Kyle made arrangements to get his passport tomorrow and will fly down to join us on Thursday morning. We got a preview of life when he leaves for college and it must be said that we all miss him.

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.

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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.

On the way home from work I stopped by the hospital to pick up the MRI study (comes on a CD) of my right shoulder. I have an appointment tomorrow with an orthopedist to determine the next steps. It has been almost a year since I injured myself playing goalie and my shoulder shows no signs of improvement. I launched the viewer program and read the radiologist’s notes which referenced the image above. The dark area between the yellow crosshairs is not supposed to be there.

On a more positive note I played my first indoor soccer of the winter season this evening after giving my body several months to heal from the various injuries sustained during the fall season. I scored 3 goals and an assist to help my team win by a margin of 7-4.

Maya has been playing indoor soccer this winter and I had a chance to watch her compete this evening. After beating her defender, she drills a shot on goal but it is just wide. I pass the facility on my commute so it has never been so convenient to see her play.

More snow this morning. Fortunately, it was only a few inches and wet enough to stick to the trees making for some photogenic scenes.