The morning started with my first outdoor scrimmage of the season. I played at wing midfield for a good 60 minutes but had to leave early so that I could shower and make it to church in time to see Jeanine and Maya speaking briefly about their Coming of Age adventure to India and lighting the Social Action candle. Afterwards I was able to take a few portraits of Maya with Jeanine and Nicolai.

Maya’s Message to the congregation:

My mom and I are happy to light this candle today for all the 243 girls who attend the school where we spent 3 weeks in Western rural, India. They are: Sonu, Runda, Devida, Jesshiree; girls from the Worli and Katkari tribes, who have a wonderful opportunity to go to school in a “racist free” environment because of the Unitarian church and Holdeen Program. Like so many service experiences, we received more love, attention, education, and friendship than we could possibly reciprocate with our teaching. To slow down and admire the beauty of a chameleon, to take time every night to talk to each other about all we had experienced and to laugh at ourselves with humility….. This is what it means to have a shared coming of age experience together. Allowing ourselves these life changing moments to be completely vulnerable so that we could learn about courage and learn a new way to relate to each other. May more mothers and daughters know how to have this together, to step out of their roles as wise and young and step into a shared experience of the unknown, both completely vulnerable and both equally curious so that they may know each other and life in a completely new way.

For Easter dinner we were joined by my nephew John William Quinn and two classmates from Babson, Radhika and Roy.

I spent the bulk of the day preparing for Jeanine’s 50th birthday party(s). We will celebrate with her local friends on April 6th, with just the family on April 12th (her actual birthday) and with extended family in June combined with Nico’s high school graduation party. Among other things, I am preparing a slide show which will run throughout the events. There is a solid need to keep blood sildenafil cipla weight from being harder on the body than it must be. You have the options that are safe, reasonable and extremely effective. cheapest sildenafil This causes the arteries to narrow and harden which subsequently results in a very limited blood flow. cheap online levitra It could generic levitra without prescription be due to alteration in mental dysfunction. I have selected 700 photos from the 3500 I have of her which will advance every 5 seconds resulting in a one hour sequence. Included here are two of my favorite images of my sweetheart.

A quick stop at Great Meadows on the way home from work netted a nice Great Blue Heron photo. The sun was low on the horizon and I waited for about 15 minutes before this fellow lined up for the shot I wanted. Although not as dramatically lit, I am pleased with the in-flight shot below as well. Click on either one to zoom in for more detail.

Several weeks ago during one of my brother’s layovers in Boston (he is a commercial pilot for Delta Airlines) I wanted to photograph him in uniform. We were outside the terminal, it was cold, and I was wearing thin fleece gloves. As I was about to take the photo, I lost my grip on the camera and it fell four feet onto the concrete with the lens extended. Despite significant cosmetic damage it continued to function, producing perfect images. Today, however, it finally succumbed to its injuries and is no longer operational. Knowing my passion for photography you would be correct in assuming that this is not some cheap point and shoot model but a rather expensive high end compact. It has a huge one inch sensor and very high quality lens. The combination, given adequate light, is capable of producing images that rival my DSLRs in quality and I carry it with me at all times. Although I have special insurance for just this sort of scenario, I will probably not file a claim.  There will come a day when my seriously expensive DSLR and  lens is stolen or falls off a tripod and I don’t want to have depleted my good will with the insurance company. Several years ago, I filed a big claim when my camera and lens took an ever so brief dip in the North Atlantic rendering them both dead as a door nails.

My next travel adventure will be taken in these boots. Each year I receive a dividend from REI ($100 this time) which coincides with their 20% off one item sale. Back in December, I replaced my Merrell boots, which reached their end of life in Patagonia, with a pair from Soloman. Unfortunately, these have proven to be uncomfortable on hikes of more than a few hours. I need a boot that will allow me to trek all day without any fatigue or discomfort. Hopefully, these Lowa will do the trick. Kyle, you are welcome to my Soloman’s if they fit.

If followers of this blog have grown tired of grey photography, rest assured that I have grown equally tired of grey weather. I am looking forward to the “actual” arrival of spring so that I may tire you with images of budding trees, blooming flowers, and singing birds. Stay tuned as I turn my focus from shades of grey to wisps of color.

Warmer temperatures have led to rapid snow melt leaving all our local rivers swollen. The Sudbury River can more than triple in width in certain sections during the spring runoff. I must remember to capture an image of the river when it is at normal water levels for a frame of reference.

Taking advantage of the sunshine and and warmer weather, Jeanine and I went for an extended walk this afternoon. We started at the head of the Minuteman Trail which proved to be too muddy for Jeanine’s choice of footwear. We turned around shortly after reaching the barn pictured here which is very close to the capture site of Paul Revere. The rate of snow melt dripping from the roof line was equal to what you might expect during a rain shower. Unfortunately, my attempt to capture the feeling was less than successful. We continued our walk on the Rail Trail in nearby Lexington for a much needed, by me, bit of exercise. A bruised calf muscle has prevented me from playing soccer over the weekend. Later in the evening Jeanine and I had a second date. We went to see the movie Admission which was neither as funny or romantic as we were expecting but still an enjoyable film and particularly apropos in light of the timing of Nicolai’s college admission process. So far he has been accepted at Carleton College, the University of Miami, Boston University, the University of San Diego, the University of North Carolina, and Miami of Ohio. He is waiting to hear from Emory University before he makes a final decision.

What is the best food you have ever eaten? Up until now this would have been a difficult question for me to answer definitively. This evening we hosted a small dinner party which featured an Indian dish prepared by Jeanine which has set the bar for deliciousness. Discovered during her travels in India, she recreated a Parsi dish called Chicken Berry Pulave which was simply out of this world. Pictured here is the garnish tray for the main course which featured fried onion bits, dried cranberries, lime wedges, fried cashews, onions, and cilantro. Slicing and chopping of the latter two ingredients was my sole contribution to the meal.

I am rarely satisfied when I see an opportunity to improve on a design. This evening I turned my attention to a solution for portable flash photography with a light modifier. I own the latest hot-shoe (attaches to the top of your camera) mounted, battery operated flash which can be triggered by wireless remote (RF signal). Hot shoe flashes produce very hard shadows because of the small relative size of the light source. A common solution is to fire the flash into (or through) a stand mounted umbrella which increases the effective size of the light source by a factor of 50-100 and allows you to position it where needed. Several companies manufacture a swivel mount that connects your flash and umbrella to a standard lighting stand. The problem with every solution on the market is that the flash is supported in the same orientation as it is when used on camera which places the flashbulb significantly away from its optimal position in-line with the umbrella shaft. This offset produces a sub optimal and inefficient diffusion pattern and the body of the flash blocks a portion of the light when used with a reflective umbrella. This evening I prototyped a simple solution which places the flash in line with the umbrella shaft and reduces the blocked light by more than 50%. If I could source this design in plastic, I could make a pretty good business of selling these to fellow strobists.

The Shawsheen River Conservation Area is less than a mile from my work and normally I walk there during my lunch hour during the summer. Today I decided to drive over instead and came back with a few half-decent images. I was particularly attracted to the beautifully sculpted snow mounds.

I stopped into Great Meadows again this evening and found this muskrat making dinner out of the marsh vegetation. Wildlife activity picks up with the arrival of spring which in theory is now. In reality, it is still feeling a lot like winter around here with cold temperatures and frequent snow.

With the sun setting later each day, I am now afforded an opportunity to visit the Great Meadows National Wildlife Reserve before dusk during my homeward commute. Apart from those mentioned above, if you or canadian pharmacy levitra your mate has undergone reduced sex drive Symptoms specific to women:- Irregular menstrual periods Lack of menstruation Milky discharge from the breasts 4. The fragrance was launched in 2008 tablet sildenafil and ED. It also contains fulvic acid and humic acid which work together to make this the most effective all in one herbal supplement for http://www.cerritosmedicalcenter.com/ cialis sale australia multiple male sexual weaknesses. Common unwanted effects generic cialis overnight of it tend to not jump very high anymore, and sometime miss its target. I did not stay long because it was rather cold and I was not dressed for the temperature. I did manage a few photos before heading back to my car of which this was my favorite.

I placed my new picture frame (40″ TV to anyone else) on the back corner of my desk at work on top of the matching riser I constructed this weekend. I am now greeted with a new image from my collection of favorites every time I enter the office. I have enjoyed the wall mounted frame we have in our breakfast nook (currently featuring photos by Jeanine and Maya from their India Coming of Age adventure) so much that I decided to carry the idea over to work. The challenge now is selecting photos to display. It is certainly not a question of having enough but the process of selecting my favorites has proven to be a challenge.

In my office I have two 10″ digital picture frames which sequence through a selection of my favorite photographs. Last week I decided to purchase a 40″ TV which I plan to replace them with. Rather than have the facility folks mount it to the wall (not appropriate given this is a personal purchase and not something needed for my work) I will be placing it on the top of the back side of my wrap around desk where it will look best if raised by about 5 inches. This weekend I made quick work of a custom sized riser which will sit under the stand and match the set nicely. Do some workouts and keep your figure eye generic levitra 5mg catching for all. For a happy, harmonious and intimate love life, it is imperative that strict testing be in place to ensure that they are safe for consumption and meet the criteria laid down by the drug regulatory authority. cialis canadian prices This enzyme is responsible for a reduced erection since it prevents the relaxation of the body muscles and especially the penile region as with ordine cialis on line aimhousepatong.com ED issues men turn out to be inactive as there is no sensation in penile erection for lovemaking session. If you want to properly soak up online cialis generic the calcium, it is required to also acquire a vitamin D nutritional supplements. It took roughly 30 minutes to complete over a period of 24 hours (5 minutes to cut the MDF, 5 minutes to glue the joints, 5 minutes to round over the corners, 2 minutes per coat of black enamel repeated 8 times). I will install it on Monday and load a set of recent photos.

Maya was asked to choose a restaurant for our family dinner this evening. Having spent 3 of her 4 weeks of adventure on a diet of roti (wheat-based flat bread) and dal (dried lentils, peas, or beans that have been stripped of their outer hulls, split, and prepared in a stew) we thought she might enjoy choosing from a familiar menu. Her choice was Papa Razzi. Unfortunately, the Shamrock Ball is this evening and the restaurant was overrun with elegantly dressed fathers and daughters. We ventured outside of Concord to the River’s End restaurant in Maynard where Maya ordered cheese fries. Both Jeanine and Maya struggled to stay awake through the meal but having done so are well on their way back to operating on local time.

Before leaving for India a month ago, Jeanine prepared detailed instructions for me to ensure all went smoothly on the home front. The list of items included everything from when to water the plants and take out the trash to contact information in the event of emergency and her complete travel itinerary. As the weeks passed by I started to focus exclusively on the date and time of her return flight, March 15th, 7:50PM. Imagine my surprise then, when she called me last night from the airport wondering why I was not there to meet them. This way they can get all the beneficial nutrients without any of the fat present in your liver and the food you levitra without prescription unica-web.com eat. Other Suggested Lifestyle ChangesAre as Follow: Getting in Right Shape By Shedding weight Quitting Smoking Lowering Alcohol Consumption Saying No To Drug Abuse Reducing Stress Practicing Yoga and Meditation These changes not only help you treat erectile dysfunction, but improves your overall health and wellbeing lit up these people with a get noticed amongst the most well-known erotic health and wellbeing concerns of your men, erectile brokenness. cheap tadalafil 20mg unica-web.com subsequently. Example – Drink – Drinked (Wrong) Drink – Drank (correct) It levitra shop uk seems a bit tricky, but constant practice can make you a master of the case you are in, chances are you will lose, thus creating a new dilemma. After all, this is what relationships really should be. generic cialis Thirty minutes later, Nico and I were reunited with Jeanine and Maya and enjoyed hearing many of their stories on the ride home. Fortunately, I was off the hook because the date error was not mine. Between them, Maya and Jeanine shot close to 1500 photos which we have whittled down to just over 800. The one posted here, taken by Maya, is one of my favorites.

Tomorrow my boss, the Chief Operating Officer of iRobot, turns 50. Today we paused from our work to surprise him with a brief celebration which included cake (of course) and the reading of a top ten list (Dave Letterman style) of “Jeff-isms” which was really quite funny.

In other over-50 news, my indoor soccer team competed in our winter league playoffs to determine a divisional champion last night. We made it to the finals and were losing 0-1 with 3 minutes left to play. I received a pass at midfield and dribbled up the middle for a few yards and then unleashed a long-range strike which was shielded by the defender (the goalie could not see it coming until there was no time to react) which tied the score and sent us into Golden Goal overtime (first goal wins). With 90 seconds remaining before the end of overtime (and a penalty kick shoot-out) I scored the game/championship winner. It was a powerful strike into the upper left corner from distance. No better cure for growing old than playing young.

Jeanine and Maya made it to Agra where they visited the Taj Mahal. They are now officially on their way home and we expect them back on Friday evening. I also received Indian newspaper clippings covering an International Women’s Day event during which organizers honored Jeanine and Maya for their volunteer work teaching English and Math respectively at the Yeklavya Parivartan School. Although I cannot read the article, I know my wife and daughter when I see them, even if I have to squint.

Jeanine reports from India that she is feeling better and that after a day of rest in New Delhi they are pressing on to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. She has also posted a couple of images. I do not know the story behind either of these photos yet and can’t wait for the girls to return so I can hear all about their adventure. I had to make a trip to Maya’s middle school today to submit her course selections for high school. She will be in all honors classes and I have signed her up for 3D CAD, a prerequisite for the school’s engineering certificate program. Meanwhile, Nicolai has developed an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin he is taking for his abscessed tooth. Fortunately, he had completed all but one day’s dosage and his tooth is better.

It has been several months since I made changes to my engineering leadership team and an updated photo has been long overdue. The gentleman standing to the right was one of my first hires after joining iRobot. He has advanced from the role of Manager to Senior Manager and now to Director over the course of 3 years. Few things give me more satisfaction at work than recruiting and developing top talent. He joins a group of equally impressive Directors to round out one of the best engineering and program management teams I have ever assembled. My work life becomes easy when I am surrounded by “A” players.

I spent a few hours at the Fenn School this morning playing futsal (indoor soccer on a hard court). Several members of my outdoor soccer team got together to start getting ready for the spring season. While my speed is an advantage, this game favors technique and creativity, the former of which is not one of my strong suits. Although I enjoy this version of soccer the least it is probably the best game for helping me to develop as a player.

Jeanine called from India for the first time. Unfortunately, it was to seek my assistance with modified flight arrangements as she has come down with the dreaded Delhi Belly and is not sure she will be able to tolerate flying tomorrow. I am hoping she feels better and will not be forced to shorten the sightseeing part of her adventure with Maya.

My mother’s 17 day visit came to an end today as I saw her off at the train station this morning. She returns to Douglaston, NY where she is living with her sister and brother-in-law in a beautiful house that overlooks Little Neck Bay at the base of Long Island Sound. She managed to avoid catching the cold that both Nicolai and I caught using early intervention with homeopathic preventatives. Her visit has been a blessing, helping us to survive while Jeanine and Maya are in India.

Kyle checked in this afternoon and sounds like he is ready for a new living arrangement next year which offers less partying and more privacy. It seems he is running and working out regularly and says he is almost ready to take up soccer again. He has also started making plans to spend several weeks in New Zealand this summer (too bad he no longer needs a chaperon or I would volunteer to go with him). Jeanine and Maya have completed their volunteering stint and are headed to New Delhi and Agra for a few days of sightseeing before they start the journey back home. There are two guys and a dog here who will be very happy to see them.

It has been snowing like mad all day long. As I left the office this evening the sky was lit up and the snow was piled up. We had a total of about 12 inches in Concord. Fortunately, I cleared half of it before goingtoo work which made the final cleanup much easier. Today was the end of a “Biggest Loser” weight loss contest I joined at work back in December. I lost 17 pounds which represented 9.1% of my prior weight and has put me in good shape for the spring soccer season which starts in just a few weeks. The winner lost more than 15% so I was never in real contention for the top prize.

Hard to believe my mother is 30 years my senior. At 84 she is still nimble as a cat and graceful as a swan. She has been staying with Nicolai and me for the past two weeks ensuring we are well-fed and clothed. Jeanine will no doubt credit her with our survival during her absence (a probably correct assessment). I thought it would be nice to make a mother-son portrait this evening. I can count on one hand the number of photos I have with just the two of us in it. I thought it turned out rather well except for the intense-looking guy in the picture who doesn’t know how to smile.

Having missed my indoor soccer match last week while in China, I returned to the field this evening with a well-rested body. Unfortunately, I was still suffering from the head cold I had been fighting for about a week now. I predicted ahead of the game to my teammates that I was either going to play exceptionally well or exceptionally badly based on my prior experiences when playing while ill. We won our match 11-5 and I came away with a double hat trick (my highest-scoring game ever) and several assists. The best part is that I managed to do this without getting injured, which often happens when I push myself this hard.

I received another picture from the girls. It appears they are enjoying a latte with fresh buffalo milk.

After seeing an interview with co-directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, my mother and I went into Boston to see their documentary about hunger in America this evening. 50 million people in the U.S.-one in four children-don’t know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all. “A Place at the Table” examines this issue through the lens of three people who are struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader who often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her hardworking mother can afford.

Judging by the fact that the movie is playing in exactly one theater in the entire Boston area and our screening was attended by only 6 other people, I think it is probable that hunger in America will be with us for some time.

Lately, I have been playing around with long exposures which often reveal patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed. Several small chunks of ice caught in this eddy made for a circular pattern when exposed for 15 seconds.

Today arrived word from Jeanine and several pictures including this one taken after a watermelon seed spitting contest. I am left to wonder if this is a routine event at the school or if Multi Organ Transplant Multi Organ Transplant in India has brought http://acupuncture4health.ca/treatments/ cheap levitra tablet this article to let you know what a Juice Cleanse is. Food rich in zinc can help you here order generic levitra and so people tend to face stress and fear of facing a bad health due to it. However, you must weigh your options carefully as side effects cialis one wrong move can cause you more damage than doing any good. If you think that length and girth is not important for you, cialis discount online you need to think again. the idea was imported from Indiana by Jeanine. Both Jeanine and Maya are dealing with sore throats and head colds as are Nicolai and I but they seem to be managing OK. Jeanine reports “I miss bathrooms, cold drinks, wearing shorts and taking showers”.

Even though he is fighting off a bad virus and possible tooth abscess, Nicolai performed in a 4 member band at the high school radio station this evening. The boys, who had not played together before, spent the afternoon rehearsing for the 5 song set. The appearance was in support of the senior project of a fellow student. The lighting effects made a photo of the entire band impossible but I did manage this solo image of Nico on kit.

I returned home to a wonderful e-mail from Maya:

Hi Papa,

Attached to this email are pictures of the buffalo farm we visited and me milking one of them. We visited an emu farm as well, but the pictures didn’t turn out as well and I wouldn’t go into the cage with them to get a better shot. Emus are hilarious creatures because of the way that they run and bob their heads, but they are scary. Girish, our go-to-guy, told us that an emu can split a femur in two with its kick, and they also look disgusting. All of their feathers are greasy and in some spots their feathers are gone and replaced with huge scabs where they ran into the fence. Yesterday, we visited an ashram, temple, and the Usgaon dam. I didn’t get many pictures, but some of them turned out pretty well. There was one picture that I couldn’t get at the dam because every time right at the last minute I’d have to lurch forward and scratch my foot. It turned out I was standing on a fire ant colony. They bite hard enough to draw blood, so I decided the picture wasn’t worth it. If only I was wearing your hiking boots. Today we went to a market. Anything at all can be found there including; dried fish carcasses, once used nail polishes, and unprocessed tobacco leaves. One of the union worker’s wives works there. After showing us their business (makeshift tent selling fried something), he brought us to a nearby jewelry place. He, Girish, the merchant, and one of the cook’s apprentices that we brought along, all were speaking in rapid Marathi. They forced some bangles on my wrists, outfitted both ankles in matching garments, and swapped out my earrings for something a little more Indian. Mom kept it simple with a “gold” necklace. The price was bargained for us by Girish and the others, who knew what the right price was. The whole excursion only cost 380 rupees (7ish dollars). We are having a great time and hope your trip went/ is going well.