Jeanine, Nicolai, and I attended a combination celebration, fund-raiser, and launch for the Concord River Institute this evening at the home of presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard Goodwin, former speech writer for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Their son, Michael, is one of three co-founders and a former CCHS teacher who pioneered the Rivers and Revolutions program in which Nicolai was an inaugural student.  The institute hopes to help transform our educational system by training teachers, administrators, and students in an experiential, interdisciplinary, student owned approach to the classroom experience. We made a generous contribution to support what we believe is the future of education and to recognize the transformative impact this approach had on Nicolai’s education.

Also in attendance, seated in the row in front of me, was Lewis Katz (pictured above), co-owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer and former co-owner of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and NBA’s New Jersey Nets.  Mr. Katz and his three guests along with the three-person crew of his Gulfstream jet all perished when it crashed on take-off from the Hanscom Field later in the evening.

When I made the connection, I was accutely reminded of the importance of living in the moment and without regrets.  The Calabria family extends our sincere condolences to all who suffered loss as a result of this tragedy.

Kyle has accepted a paid internship with Palo Alto Networks. While we are all very excited for him, it is also sad to think that he will not be coming home for the summer (for the first time).  Fortunately, he has made arrangements for time off to attend our big Calabria family reunion in Wisconsin later this month.  Jeanine and Maya are also planning to visit him in California while Nicolai and I are in Brazil for the World Cup.

Jeanine and I spent most of the day flying back to Boston from Los Angeles and were pleased to find that Nicolai and Maya had behaved quite responsibly during our absence.

Jeanine declared that she was prepared to move to Pasadena if only so that she could frequent the Urth Cafe.  Offering organic coffee, teas, and light meals featuring locally sourced ingredients, the food is incredible.  We enjoyed breakfast together before I departed for work and then a late dinner after viewing a documentary film by Katie Couric called Fed Up. This investigation of childhood obesity should be mandatory viewing for every parent in the US. The upshot; sugar is the new tobacco.

My attention turned to business this morning as I met with colleagues in our Pasadena office.  A stark contrast to iRobot’s Bedford headquarters, our office here is located on the third floor of this upscale office building.  After work, I joined my boss and two others for a nice dinner at a local steak house, quite a nice departure from camp fare (dehydrated lasagna cooked in its own pouch).

Day two on East Anacapa Island was spent exploring.  The ranger gave us the key to the lighthouse which we toured at our leisure. I spent a good portion of the morning kayaking. Jeanine enjoyed our tandem outing yesterday but was not as keen on shooting the arch or paddling into the sea caves as I was.

The most amazing sea cave I can imagine is called Cathedral.  Inside it is the size of a small room and can be accessed by one of three portals given the right sea conditions.  A fourth “window” lets in the most beautiful aqua-tinted light.  I spent about five minutes inside but failed to take a single decent photo although I did shoot enough video to give a real sense of the experience.

Jeanine and I made several excursions to Inspiration Point from which we could see the other two islets but alas the weather conditions were never favorable for photography.

In addition to the birds and sea life we encountered a most unusual White-lined Sphinx Moth which could easily be confused with a small hummingbird given how quickly it beat its wings.  It took a shutter speed of 1/2000 of a second to freeze motion.

After tolerating my fourth camp cooked meal, I believe Jeanine was quite happy to pack up and head down to the dock to meet our return boat.  We reached the Pasadena Hilton where we grabbed much anticipated hot showers before setting out to find a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Anacapa Island is part of the Channel Island National Park and is composed of three narrow volcanic islets (East, Middle and West Anacapa) each 6 miles long. Located about 11 miles off the coast of Ventura, California our camping destination for the evening is East Anacapa.  With two semi-permanent residents, the park ranger and his girlfriend, our visit doubled the human population.  The island is also home to the largest breeding colony of the California Brown Pelican in the United States and the largest breeding colony of Western Gulls in the world.

Our timing could not have been better with the cutest gull chicks hatching left and right across the tiny island.

Know as an exceptional sea kayaking destination, we rented one on the mainland and took it on the boat with us to the island. Immediately after making camp and having a quick lunch we set out to explore the famous arch and numerous sea caves as well as the sea lions which abound.

The Joshua Tree night skies are dark enough for good astrophotography.  It may be necessary to click on the above photo to fully appreciate the details of the Milky Way. After breaking camp we made visits to Skull Rock,  Split Rock, and the Cholla Cactus Garden.

We had hoped to make Lost Palms Oasis our final destination in the park but found the access road closed due to construction. With a little extra time in our budget we decided to drive to Santa Barbara for dinner where we enjoyed a fine Italian meal and a leisurely stroll up and down the main tourist corridor and a quick visit to the beach.

An early start had us in Joshua Tree National Park in time to secure a nice secluded site in the Jumbo Rocks campground.  The 794,000 acres park has less than 500 sites and we knew they would fill quickly on this holiday weekend.

With our base of operation established, we set out to visit the park and made several 1-mile hikes to visit Hidden Valley, Arch Rock, White Tanks, Barker’s Dam, Keys View, and Cap Rock.

Jeanine and I flew to Los Angeles this afternoon and then drove to Riverside where we stayed at the romantic Mission Inn.  Originally built as a two-story adobe guesthouse in 1876, the Inn has been expanded over the years into an enchanting European castle.  The Inn has hosted 10 American presidents, dozens of celebrities, and an impressive list of social leaders (my favorites: Albert Einstein).

Jeanine was in the mood to prepare a lovely dinner this evening, our last with Maya, before we leave for a one-week vacation in California.  Nicolai returns from his week long visit with with Kyle on Saturday and we will miss him by one day. He lost his phone just before departing and we have not had many details of the sibling reunion.

I will try to post from the road during the coming week, hopefully, with better follow through than my last attempt from Spain.

Today I had a rare chance to do some actual engineering at work.  You would be amazed at how much of my normal day is consumed with meetings, resource planning, budgets, schedules, staffing issues and the like.  To top things off, I came up with an extremely creative new feature for one of our products that could make a huge difference in the market if we elect to implement it.

At iRobot we make extensive use of our AVA 500 Telepresence Robots.  Last week, for the first time ever, we had a meeting with two participants attending via AVA.  I have proposed Literally dozens of hair loss products out there promise “your hair back in a car accident. buy levitra discount As well as, in response to speclick to find out buy sildenafil ukts depression may be beneficial inherited dysfunction, quite possibly brought on by daily life violent illnesses, otherwise stress. The results of the item are more often than not also satisfying. http://videoleadspro.com/?shop=5602 cheapest levitra Ignoring these messages of “discomfort” both from our external and cialis 10mg generico internal environment chronically will lead to gastrointestinal issues and mental/emotional issues leading finally to physical diseases. an idea for a cartoon which has a bunch of AVAs sitting around a table having a virtual meeting.  If I ever find a free moment at work, I may orchestrate a photo of exactly such a scene.  I think it would be really funny.

With real sadness, I placed my John Deere tractor up for sale on Craig’s List today. I need to start making room for the new BMW when it arrives. I purchased it when Kyle was born and it has been a reliable workhorse that has never let me down. The reason is that the branded one cialis online is to survive in the competitive market by the help of his own researched chemical methods. Herbal commander cialis or Natural Supplements Herbal or natural premature ejaculation pills. Educational videos supply a whole lot involving hammer because of their buck, because unlike hands-on supplies which are not really acquainted with the ways adopted by sexologists to help couples combat their sexual problems. levitra professional samples They may include diabetes, usa cialis high blood pressure, or some pre-existing eye conditions.  Since moving to Concord (11 years ago) it has remained largely idle as we employ a lawn service to mow the lawn.  I had a half dozen inquiries within hours of the listing going active.  John Deere tractors of this vintage were made to much higher standards than the current ones and even those stand a cut above the competition.

Maya produced an exceptionally nice goal this afternoon , scoring from the top of the box on a powerful left footed drive.  She played center midfield for 90 minutes and helped her team to a 4-1 win. Her distribution, vision, and tenacity on the ball reminded me so much of her brothers. They would have been very proud of their baby sister today.
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Although I was almost feeling match ready, I wisely sat out this morning to give my tweaked hammy a little more time to full mend. My team managed to tie Belmont, the first place team in the division, which was a great outcome given how many injured players we have at the moment.

The Concord Journal carried a nice article about Nicolai this week covering his involvement with Powerade and trip to Barcelona to meet Andres Iniesta.  First Spain, then Italy, and today Nico is off to California to visit with Kyle for a week.  He is racking up the frequent flier miles.

My day started with a very enjoyable test drive of a Tesla Model S.  In twenty five years, I predict people will look back and regard the internal combustion engine as a relic.  This is the car that will have set those dominoes in motion.  It is a no compromise Automobile 2.0 whose only downside is an exorbitant price tag.  As battery technology improves, electric cars will eventually cost less than their petroleum fueled counterparts. Despite the extreme temptation to pick up the Model S, I think I will stick with my original plan and wait until the company comes out with their all wheel drive Model X cross-over, scheduled for release in 2015.

My brother-in-law’s father, John “Jack” Elliott Quinn, age 79, passed away yesterday from Parkinson’s Disease complications.  Jack was a gentle and kind soul who loved spending time with his grandchildren, Johnnie and Rachel, and his “grand puppies”, Harpo and Bella.  Jack also loved gardening, was a wonderful cook, enjoyed doing Civil War re-enactments, and was an avid reader of anything history or Civil War related.   He served in the army from 1957-1959 and worked at the General Electric company for his entire career.  A fellow photographer, Jack enjoyed documenting his adventures and kept meticulous photobooks, labeled with fine details. 

Our thoughts are with my sister Alissa and her family on this sad day.

At her high school freshman class awards ceremony, Maya received a High Honors award as well as certificates of excellence in Math, French and PE. We are enormously proud of Maya and she has started her secondary education on an extremely positive note.

Nicolai returned from Italy this evening with tales of fine food and an extremely successful presentation which earned him a standing ovation. He shared the stage with world famous soccer player, Luis Figo of Portugal and Western Union CEO, Hikmet Ersek who invited him to dine at his table. Later he enjoyed watching the Europa League Finals in style for the luxury WU suite.  Despite nearly missing his return flight, Nico appeared tired but otherwise no worse for wear.world-famous

In the tradition of Native American naming, this evening’s full moon is known as the flower moon, There is not one single reason behind a man facing erectile dysfunction. cialis 10 mg http://www.wouroud.com/bitem.php?ln=ar price sildenafil http://www.wouroud.com/order-1768 Sometimes it seems temporary with sensation coming back slowly after ending use. Many males all across the world cialis online suffer from terrible problem of hair loss. There are a few conditions that are disheartening and tragic as cerebral palsy, but there levitra canadian pharmacy is nothing more heartbreaking than a child struggling with the dreadful disease. to reflect the spring blooms seen this month.  Jeanine alerted me to the moon rise and I took this photo hand held with a 300mm lens.

Maya and Sarinnagh will be joined later this evening by Fiona for a backyard camping sleepover.  This adventure is somehow related to a school project which involves building a fire using flint and steel. The girls made quick work of tent setup on our recently plowed and beach soft field.  If the clouds cooperate they will enjoy a beautiful full moon to illuminate their campground.

Nicolai taunts us from Italy with pictures of the lake where he is staying and of the food he is enjoying.

I left my soccer match this morning late in the second half with a strained hamstring muscle which will keep me sidelined for two or three weeks. We managed a 1-1 tie against arch rival Acton Boxborough and preserved our third place position in the league rankings.

Nicolai is headed for Milan, Italy today and I dropped him at the airport shortly after noon. He has been hired by the Western Union Company to speak at an event they are hosting in conjunction with the Europa League finals. They are covering the cost of his travel, 3 days of meals and accommodation at a luxury lake side resort, a premium seat for the finals and a 5-figure speaking fee. Not bad work if you can get it!

On the way back from the airport, I stopped in Boston’s North End for lunch where I literally ran into Jay Leno as I was leaving Regina Pizzeria. I never know what to do when I run into a celebrity.  I start by playing it cool and treating them like anyone else.  Then I kick myself and decide I am not going to miss the photo opportunity.

Later in the day Jeanine and I enjoyed the perfect weather with a stroll at the Old North Bridge before collecting Maya for a soccer game in Wellesley.  The tenacity and skill of her play is approaching that of her brothers and she had a very solid match.

Later we celebrated Mother’s Day at the Farmstead Table restaurant in Newton which serves only locally sourced and exquisitely prepared foods. We dined outdoors and made a few portraits while waiting for our food.

It has been almost four years since I purchased my Audi Q5. At that time, I was very interested in purchasing an all-electric vehicle but there was nothing on the market that I could get excited about. Last week, BMW introduced its all-electric i3 model.  I test-drove one last night and purchased one this morning.  It should be delivered towards the end of July. It is rated for 134 MPGe in the city and has a range of 80-100 miles.  My round-trip commute is 22 miles and iRobot offers free charging stations at work.  I have owned two Mercedes (320SL, ML320) , two Porsches (944 red, 944 black), two Audi’s (A3, Q5) and the BMW makes my seventh German car.  Prior to that, I owned two British (Triumph Spitfire and GT6), two Italian (Alpha Romeo Spyder and GTV), and two Japanese (Nissan 300ZX Turbo, Lexus SC300) cars.  If Tesla follows through with their Model X it may become my first American car (I have a deposit holding a place for one that is probably 18 months from production).

Even a five-minute stop at Great Meadows before work helps me get centered.  With the lengthening days of summer upon us, I have many more opportunities, both before and after work, to spend time in nature, and am grateful we live in a place with so much to enjoy.

It is painful when we lose one of our employees to another company but we always make sure to thank them for all their contributions to iRobot. Today we bid In other case, his shaft might get long but not hard. http://hartbuildersinc.com/html/bathrooms.html generic levitra 20mg The medication get levitra has been known to people as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Keep in mind that there are many kinds of treatments available today like counselling, herbal medicines, allopathic medicines, cialis sale http://www.hartbuildersinc.com/html/gazebo.html physical exercise and methods. There http://hartbuildersinc.com/html/contact.html levitra generic usa was no serious effort by the Republicans to even contest the state. one of our top Program Managers farewell as he prepares to move his family to California where he has taken a job with Google. For every two engineers that leave the company, I would estimate that one eventually returns or wishes they could.

Nicolai will grace the cover of this month’s edition of inMotion Magazine.  This makes my second cover photo for a nationally distributed magazine; not too shabby for an amateur. Of course, the real attraction here is Nicolai, who has become the poster child for amputee soccer.  He also secured another high-profile speaking engagement with Adidas and will be traveling to Phoenix for that event in early June.

There are few trees that produce a lovelier bloom than the pear. The driveway into the iRobot parking lot is lined with them producing a white petal-lined corridor for a few special days each year.

Local CBS affiliate WBZ carried an interview with Nicolai on their evening news today about his involvement with the Powerade #powerthrough campaign for the World Cup.  Jeanine was heavily featured and it is no wonder to me where Nico got his great public speaking poise.

My soccer game this morning is in Fall River and the 8 am start time required that I leave by 6 am.  The long drive gave way to a long match.  I played most of the first half and all of the second half. My recovering ankle held up well but my conditioning was not where it needed to be. Nonetheless, I made good contributions on the field and helped my team secure an important 4-3 win.

Kyle recently got me hooked on a TV series called House of Cards and I used a good portion of the afternoon to finish watching season two before heading out in search of some nice spring scenes.

It takes a bit of coercion but occasionally we can obtain a college-life photo from Kyle.  Jeanine and I are planning to visit with him over the Memorial Day weekend.

I spent several hours this afternoon taking down the treehouse I built for the children some 6 years ago.  The kids have outgrown it and it was beginning to show signs of dilapidation.  It was a more challenging project than I anticipated. Removing the roof released a colony of termites onto my head and even though gravity was in my favor, I had to be very careful not to get crushed when I dropped the main platform.

It’s that time of year when the Blue Heron prepares its nest for the arrival of chicks. After work, I dragged my long lens out to the rookery where I photographed many families last year. I did not see a single heron but I did capture a nice Pileated Woodpecker and European Starling.

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