After more than twenty years of marriage it is not often that you learn something entirely new about your partner. Today as I took stock of our camping equipment and cold weather apparel in preparation for our vacation to Alaska later this month, I made a startling discovery. Jeanine has a massive collection of yoga pants, 24 by my count! I was searching for clothing that could be used as a component in a layering system. I generally have little business or interest in Jeanine’s side of our walk in closet. After finding the tenth pair, I realized that I would need to conduct a thorough investigation. I know women who have had to construct special rooms for their shoe collections but I have never heard of anyone with a yoga pants obsession. With each new discovery, I laid the pants out on the floor in our bedroom until it was covered from end to end. When Jeanine eventually walked in she was humored by the presentation and quickly disabused me of my fetish accusations. Apparently 4 pair actually belonged to me (sweat pants), 3 pair were long underwear, 4 were biking pants, and 2 were running shorts. Two pair were thread bare and really ready for the trash. Later in the day we went shopping at REI to complete our packing list and Jeanine decided to get a rise out of me by asked me what I thought of a pair of yoga pants that were on sale.

My commute home this evening was delayed by a showdown between a car and a tree. There was little doubt who the victor was. Fortunately, it appeared as if the car absorbed the brunt of the impact and the passengers seemed uninjured. A second car was involved in the accident and I can only assume that the impact of the car vs. car collision propelled one of the vehicles into the tree. I was on my best defensive driving behavior for the remainder of my commute.

This evening, Jeanine hosted a beading party with a few friends and was joined by Maya. Jeanine is well known for finding any excuse to throw a party or more accurately for turning any occasion into a party. I believe this event was the female equivalent of a poker party. The only difference was that beads rather than chips changed hands from round to round. Both of my girls were very pleased with their creations and I will be the first to admit that the bracelets they created are really beautiful works of art.

Is this normal? I thought the idea was to paint all the toes the same color. In this case, Maya wanted them to match her fingernails which were decorated in similar fashion.

When she was a toddler we all referred to Maya as Brave Maya. It was not uncommon for me to place her on the top of a newel or fence post and watch her balance there or to fashion a balance beam out of a 2×4 propped between kitchen counter tops for her gymnastic amusement. I wouldn’t say she was a risk taker but she certainly showed no signs of trepidation in many situations that would leave most children and many adults paralyzed with fear.

When Pixar announce a movie entitled Brave that featured a willful, round faced teenage girl with hair as beautiful as it was unruly, there was little doubt that I would be taking Maya out on a father-daughter date night. We both enjoyed the movie immensely and it must be said that our Maya is very similar in many ways to the main character in this delightful animated comedy about the developing relationship between a young woman and her mother.

I enjoyed an early morning paddle on the Concord River with my nephew Rory. Despite his very tall frame, he fit comfortably in the kayak that Maya built. We encountered a Blue Heron, several ducks, and a bunch of leaping fish as we made our way past the Old North Bridge and downriver as far as the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Rory was not sure if he could trust his uncle as I guided him into a tiny tributary, home to a giant crocodile that had been released there decades ago as a foot long pet. Failing to sight the river monster we finished our tour with a quick visit to both the Assabet and Sudbury Rivers. Rory is as friendly and polite a young man as you will ever meet. His favorite subject in school is history and he plays tennis competitively at the state level in Minnesota. I hope to get his brother Mario on the water after work but inclement weather may preclude that outing.

With an undefeated season and the championship trophy on the line, Concord United played for all the marbles this evening against Hudson in the playoff finals. We looked dull in the first half. Defense of our net was adequate but we never really developed a cohesive attack and spectators would not have chosen us to win the match. When one of our strikers was injured, I moved from my normal wing midfielder assignment into the forward position and played there for the remainder of the game without a sub. We entered the second half scoreless and managed to lift our game to a higher level. Jeanine, Kyle, Nicolai, Mario, Rory and John all arrived at half time to cheer for the team and to watch me play. There is little doubt that this helped motivate me to play to the maximum of my potential and with 20 minutes left in the match I scored what would be the decisive goal of the game. I received an awkward pass from midfield which put me one on one with the sweeper who I managed to beat. It was then a foot race to the net with him breathing down my neck (apparently trying to foul me, according to a later report from the linesman). I found myself in a showdown with the advancing keeper who had already made some nice saves in the game and had now cut down my angle on the net substantially. To my credit, I did not panic and I did not rush. I picked the lower left corner and drove the ball low and hard off my left foot. It was a well made goal, in a must have situation, during a championship match, in front of my sons, nephews and wife (who were all on their feet screaming with enthusiasm.) Soccer for an old man does not get any better than this and I will forever cherish the memory of this game and the opportunity to play in front of my family.

Visiting for an extended weekend are my nephews Mario and Rory. We ventured to Watertown this morning for breakfast at The Diner where we met up with my other nephew from my side of the family, John. After a very satisfying meal it took little effort to get this group of athletes to help me create a unique portrait using a technique refereed to as levitation (jumping without appearing to jump). It was difficult to get all five in the perfect position but we had an enormous amount of fun in the effort. Rory in particular had a knack for floating in air.

Maya is visiting with her new friend Maddie on Cape Cod. The two developed a friendship while traveling together in China and she was thrilled to accept an invitation to spend the weekend at her family’s summer home. We received the photo shown here via text message. Maya put her Bayside training to good use as she landed this 34-inch striped sea bass while fishing with the family. She would later share with the family and her cousins the story of the ten-minute battle to land this monster (which she named Fatso) while we were eating it for Sunday dinner. The smallest member of our family now holds the record for catching the biggest fish. Her Uncle Mark (our family fishing enthusiast and expert) would have been proud.

Our new driveway was finished today although it will be several more days before we can drive on it. The asphalt needs time to cure and the 100-degree heat wave we are experiencing only serves to prolong the process. If the durability of the surface matches the quality of workmanship I will remain very pleased with the company that did this work for us. Time will tell.

When we first moved into our home in Concord we agreed that the driveway needed to be repaved. It is one of those projects which is easily postponed year after year. Doing it right involves removing the old surface, regrading for better water shedding, and addressing a significant depression in the front lawn (caused by a slowly decaying massive underground tree root). Construction on this long overdue project began Monday and I hope to post a picture of our new driveway later this week.

I have discovered an all natural method for creating beautiful eye shadows in the hues of black, blue and purple. The process is quite simple. Run as fast as you can, leap as high into the air as you can, and ram your eyebrow into another individual’s eyebrow as hard as you can. This method is inexpensive, creates vibrant long long-lasting color from within the skin, is hypoalergenic, and creates stunning shadows that will subtly change in color and size over time. Before seeking patent protection, additional experimentation will be necessary to determine if I can achieve good color and pattern matching on the other eye. Perhaps my soccer match on Sunday will afford that opportunity as my team competes for top divisional honors in the final game of the spring season. To prepare, I was on the pitch at 6 am this morning practicing with my teammates. Neither son could be convinced to join me for the early morning workout.

This evening we celebrated Maya’s 13th birthday as a family (the official day is actually tomorrow). It is hard to believe we now have three teenagers although this will only be true for a few more weeks until Kyle turns 20. Jeanine recreated an award-winning cake she had baked when she was 13. Jeanine and I gave her the latest model iPad for a present. Her stellar academic performance this year made it east to justify the bigger than usual birthday gift. Her brothers have offered to take her shopping to find a suitable cover/case. Cousin John Quinn joined us for the celebration.

My children are quick to observe that it is hard to buy presents for me and yet my perfect Father’s Day gift rarely takes the form of an object. My request this year was for a meal prepared by all three kids to be consumed while watching a Euro 2012 soccer match as a family. I requested Caprese salad for an appetizer, Cobb salad for an entree and strawberry shortcake for dessert. The sounds of the children working collaboratively in the kitchen to fashion their master pieces was as enjoyable as the delicious meal. I am not one to watch sports on television but must admit that I have been glued to the the Euro 2012 matches this week. My own game this morning produced a 3-0 win and advances our team to the Divisional finals to be played next weekend. I had a very nice assist on our first goal before suffering a mild concussion late in the first half. I went up for a header and came down with a large knot over my right eye. I felt rather nauseous but continued to play until we scored our second goal. At that point I wisely elected to sit out for the remainder of the game to give my noggin a rest.

During the early afternoon we had a rare visit from both of Jeanine’s sisters as the entire group returned from their week long stay on Martha’s Vineyard where they had celebrated Susan’s 60th birthday in style.

A Father’s Day posting would not be complete without a picture of the father, this one courtesy of Maya was angled to minimize the appearance of the bump over my eye.

Occasionally it is nice to spend the day with no specific plan in mind. I retrieved Maya from a sleep over and she assisted Nicolai as they prepared chocolate chip pancakes from scratch. I posted several items for sale on Craig’s List and generally organized my study, workshop, and camera equipment storage areas. brand cialis 20mg Erectile dysfunction or impotence is a serious health concern among men. Medicines like http://pamelaannschoolofdance.com/jenee-sutter/ buy levitra, Silagra and generic Sildenafil citrate ensures optimum flow of blood to the penis by blocking a chemical that reduces the flow. Side effects experienced by pamelaannschoolofdance.com generic cialis people after taking Kamagra tablets are head ache and congestion. Although this condition occurs rarely, it is necessary to have generic cialis in canada living sperms to get pregnant naturally. Another several hours went into tagging my photo collection (a process which will take several months to complete but will allow me to find specific photos very quickly). As the day came to a close I found myself in the garden looking for some nice photos for the day.

Kyle has completed his freshman year at Santa Clara University and returned to Concord this morning for the summer. We are extremely pleased with his academic performance and he appears to be very happy with his choice of schools. His studies have proved very useful as he continues to develop his business. Yard Dogs is now a LLC (Limited Liability Corporation), duly incorporated in the state of Massachusetts. Pictured here is the raised seal which bears witness to the legal status of his company. He slept for most of the day catching up on sleep lost while studying for finals. Late in the afternoon, he enjoyed catching up with his siblings and me while watching a very exciting UEFOA Euro 2012 soccer match between England and Sweden. We ended the day with a boy’s night out at Paparazzi while Maya spent the night at a sleepover. Kyle offered sage advice to his brother about the best approach to picking a college.

Hard to say which girl is cuter. The pair are certainly hard to match. Although I find Nala lacking in virtually all desirable canine attributes she still manages to elicit great adoration from the women in this family. Admittedly she does make for a nice photo prop and therefore I am willing to dismiss her otherwise annoying feline characteristics.

As a result of his contract with SideStix, Nico will be featured in the company’s marketing campaigns. We received an advanced copy of this advertisement which will begin appearing next month in selected magazines. In theory, I can now add commercial photographer to my resume as well. Nico is very excited about his new role with SideStix and is looking forward to getting through his finals so that we can start working on a new video to promote the company’s crutches.

I spent my second day on the campus of Babson College at their Executive Center attending a strategy planning session for iRobot’s Home Business Unit. After our session ended I drove around campus hoping I might bump into my nephew who is attending school here. No such luck but I did enjoy my tour despite having turned my ankle at a 6 am soccer practice this morning. Hopefully, it will heal in time for our playoff match this weekend.

This evening I attended a presentation of the Peabody Middle School Drama Class of which Maya is a member. This term’s assignment was to create a short video project. Students worked in small groups starting with a storyboard, followed by shooting, and finally editing their masterpieces. Maya’s group of three created a movie trailer for a horror film. It was the final project to be shown (a position reserved for what I will proudly assert was the standout project of the class). I am working to obtain a link to the video and hope to embed it on this page in the near future.

Meanwhile, Jeanine reported in from her vacation on Martha’s Vineyard where she is spending the week with her sisters and a few friends to celebrate Susan’s 60th birthday.

My soccer season also ended this weekend. We won decisively, 4-0 over Lexington to complete an undefeated season and promotion to Division 1 in the fall. I scored the final goal of the match on a break away, beating the sweeper with a nice cross-over move and slotted a strong left footed shot past the advancing keeper to the lower left hand corner of the goal. Our over fifty league has 5 divisions, each with a North and South section. The top two teams in each section will compete next weekend for the right to advance to the Division Finals the following weekend. I have fully recovered from my hamstring injury but my conditioning is not where it needs to be, something I hope to address over the coming weeks.

Maya’s last soccer game of the season ended in a 1-2 loss to Natick and a good bit of controversy over an obviously missed offside call (flagged by the linesman, ignored by the referee). She had a great game (and season) contributing on both the front line and the back line. Over time, I see her migrating to a midfielder position given the play-making ability she shares with her brothers and her endurance. When it came time for a team photo I had nothing but my telephoto zoom (300-800mm) and had to improvise with this unusual perspective.

Maya’s turns 13 on the 19th of this month. This evening she celebrated her birthday with close friends, many of whom will not be able to join her on the actual day. Pictured here is the masterpiece cake she created to share with her guests. It is called a Zauber Torte (Golden Cage), a recipe she selected from the Cake Bible. The cage which hovers above the lemon poppy seed pound cake is made of caramel and garnished with crystallized violets (from our neighbor’s garden) and is a challenge for even the most experienced cooks. Maya did all the work save for the frosting and it was impossible to say whether it was more beautiful or delicious. During the party the girls had a scavenger hunt, played a game they invented called Freedom (two girl’s seek to capture the rest who are hidden throughout the house, once captured they are confined to base unless they are rescued by a teammate), and watched a comedy about a female bounty hunter.

I spent the night at the Wiley Inn and was up at 5 AM hunting for ocean scapes. On the advice of a colleague, I made my way to Magnolia where I found plenty of opportunities to keep me busy until breakfast. Another long but productive day during which our management team focused on the theme of doing less better. In the end there was pretty strong consensus on our priorities and I feel very comfortable with the decisions. I was back in Concord by 6 PM but too tired to attend soccer practice.

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Twelve hours later I had an opportunity to shoot the Inn and signature fountain by twilight.

It was appropriate that Nicolai was dressed in business attire this morning (he has a mock court appearance today in his constitutional law class). He is pictured here signing an endorsement agreement that we have negotiated with SideStix, the maker of his forearm crutches. Nicolai is now an Ambassador for the company seeking to promote sales, provide marketing collateral materials (video and still photos), represent the company at tradeshows, and generally evangelize the product. It is hoped that his accomplishments on the soccer field for the American Amputee Soccer Association’s US National team will make SideStix the crutch of choice for serious athletes. In exchange for his endorsement, he has received a modest equity stake in the company and will receive a royalty stream on all SideStix sales. He joins his brother in owning part of a business before the age of majority. Nicolai is excited about his new role and I am confident he will help SideStix grow significantly.

With all the rain we have had this spring everything has bloomed with greater than usual magnificence. I spent a few minutes after work exploring our gardens and settled on this pair of beauties for today’s photo. Jeanine spent part of the weekend in Schenectady with my sisters Mayela and Alissa and my mother and her sister Maruja. They completed what turned out to be a very successful estate sale as we continued to prepare the home of our youth for sale. It looks like the house should be ready to list in a few more weeks.

We enjoyed the first corn of the season as Jeanine prepared a wonderful dinner on the grill. We were joined by my nephew, John Quinn, who spent most of the weekend with us. I was in action on the soccer pitch this morning and played very well as my team kept our perfect season intact with a 2-1 win.

At Nico’s request, I added some glow-in-the-dark tape to his crutches so that he could find them in the dark. We have passed the idea along to SideStix and hope they will include this feature on future crutches. Next, I plan to add some reflective tape to make the crutches highly visible to night-time drivers. These two improvements add almost no weight or cost but significantly improve the safety and convenience of the crutches.

An 11 AM return flight to Boston afforded me a few hours of photography this morning. The Fremont Troll, pictured above, is a mixed-media colossal statue, located on Troll Avenue, under the north end of the Aurora Bridge. It is clutching an actual Volkswagen Beetle, as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. Locals are quick to point out that the VW bears a California license plate. Despite a late departure from SeaTac which nearly cost me my connection through Dallas, I arrived in Boston by 11 PM and was fast asleep in my bed, exhausted from the jam-packed 3-day excursion, by midnight.