Maya performed in concert this evening playing alto sax and also helping to introduce one of the pieces to the capacity crowd. Two prior attempts to hold the winter concert were thwarted by snow cancellations. The third time was the charm and I must say that this group of sixth graders sounded quite musical.

I was in the mood to organize today and spent several hours on the south wall of my workshop. I enjoy having my tools close at hand and organized by function. This little grouping is for measurement, layout, and cutting. When I constructed my shop I used plywood for the walls specifically so I could easily affix all manner of holders, fixtures, and screws.

We are expecting rain today which will be absorbed like a sponge by the two feet of snow on most roofs. The combined weight of the snow and rain creates a serious risk of collapse. Workers at the farm across the street spent the better part of the day clearing their horse stable roof.

Jeanine is hosting a dinner for the women of her book group. Maya has been “banished” to the basement and I to my study. Occasionally I venture out for morsels of food in between courses. It has been a very hectic week at work but also extremely productive and I am looking forward to relaxing this weekend.

Last night I experienced a weather phenomenon I have never encountered in my entire life. This very poor photograph of the hood of my SUV shows what I can only describe as miniature-sized snowballs which were raining down at a furious pace. These mini-snowballs are not to be confused with hail which I have seen before. Needless to say, the resulting sea of marble-sized snowballs did not enhance driving conditions.

Some types of photography take more practice than others to perfect. Extreme close-up (macro) photography is very challenging because the depth of field (area that is in focus) is razor-thin. Without a tripod and head capable of very flexible positioning it is hard to get a decent shot. Given the dismal weather, I put in a few hours this evening optimizing my gear so that it will be ready for the field when spring rolls around and the world of nature explodes with amazingly beautiful tiny creatures and plants.

So it has been snowing all day and school has already been canceled for tomorrow. In the mind of a teenager, this is a good reason to host a party. Never mind that a dozen parents need to drive their kids here and back. As Nico’s friends arrived, I was experimenting with one of the products that my team developed at iRobot. The Scooba 230 is designed for use on the floor but in theory, there is no reason why it can’t work on countertops. The design incorporates a cliff sensor which prevents it from going over the edge of our kitchen island. Naturally, Jeanine is watching it like a hawk to see if it will get a single stain which has escaped her own cleaning efforts. Several of Nico’s guests were enthralled with this little robot and watched it for quite some time before joining the party underway in the basement.

I spent 15 hours at work today trying to make progress on a brief I am preparing for the Board of Directors. When I arrived home after 11 pm I had no photo for the day and decided to search for an early photo of Kyle with his friends, David and Brian (his California hosts last weekend). I was unable to locate one of the three of them from our California days but did find this one of them when they visited us after we moved back to Indiana.