Every day I walk from work to Central Square and back twice; first for breakfast and again for lunch.  Over the past several weeks, I have been watching as a new high-rise building goes up. At the risk of posting more than my quota of construction cranes for the week, I decided to get an aerial photo of the project now that the central elevator shaft seems to have reached its final height.

One of my fondest memories of our early days in Boston was taking the family out on a Duck Boat tour.  The driver/captain was very funny and gave the kids a chance to drive once we were on the water.  At the time, I did not pay attention to where we entered or left the Charles River.  Today, on my early morning walk, I discovered the answer.

A major project to replace the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge is underway in Boston. This morning I walked over to the construction site and watched for a good 30 minutes. It was amazing. To facilitate the work, a large number of adjacent streets and bridges have been closed to the combined 56,000 daily car and train commuters. These closures have spawned dozens of sub projects designed to take advantage of the suspended traffic. After a few minutes of observation I was able to identify the small group of workers from the crew of 200 that were actually working on the bridge replacement. In the course of 20 minutes I watch three guys install a massive steel I-beam across the highway. One guy operated a 440 ton crane while the other two secured the 150 foot, 45 ton beam to the end of its hoist cable. They then moved the beam from the flat bed truck on which it arrived to its anchoring foundations with a level of speed and accuracy that I would not have thought possible. The project will use a total of 44 steel girders, 267 concrete deck panels and a fleet of 5 cranes to install them. The staging and choreography of equipment and materials is nothing short of incredible. After the Big Dig fiasco, I would not have thought it possible for Boston planners and worker to execute such a massive project so well.

While in New Hampshire yesterday, I had an opportunity to shoot more than just the ocean. After a nice bike ride with Jeanine this afternoon, to visit Maya’s tiny house, I had a chance to post process a couple of my favorites. 

When plans to go sailing with friends in Rhode Island were postponed due to the potential for bad weather, Jeanine and I decided to head north to the New Hampshire coast for an afternoon at the beach. We stopped at several beaches along the way before settling down on one just north of Concord Point in Rye.

Jeanine was attracted to the water with all the zeal of a small child. The result was predictable and she returned from her initial foray dripping wet.

Later we set out chairs and a blanket and relaxed until dinner time. Contrary to our normal practice, I selected the restaurant. Using my very sophisticated algorithm (number of cars in the parking lot divided by the number of available spaces times the square root of two) I selected Petey’s Summertime Seafood which proved to be an excellent choice.

This morning I decided to walk over to the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge where major construction started today on what is planned to be a two-week project to replace the bridge. I will post some photos once construction is midway. On the way back to Superpedestrian I decided to put my drone up for an aerial view of Magazine Beach Park. Construction of a new kayak launch can be seen in the foreground and I plan to be one of the first to use it once completed.

Groupings for the 2018 Amputee World Cup were live-streamed today on Facebook.  The top team in each group plus the next two highest finishing teams will advance to the round of 8.  The USA draw has it grouped with Turkey which placed third at the 2014 World Cup.  The good news is that Nicolai does not get along with Turkey’s star player (photo below from their 2014 World Cup encounter) and I am sure this will only serve to motivate him as he trains for the tournament which will take place late October and early November in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Rain every day this week has turned the far end of the field behind our house into a beautiful sea of flowers.  More rain and high humidity are forecasted for several more days.  On the bright side, this coincides with a very busy time at work so the reduced temptation to be outdoors is welcomed.

We finally found time to look at all the photos Kyle took during his recent visit to Europe. His adventure took him from Dublin to Galway, Ireland, and then to Paris and Marseille, France. This photo was taken a few blocks from Sacré-Cœur which was featured in a previous post including some of his other photos. I really liked this image because I felt transported back in time to my college term abroad in France. I very likely walked the very same street when I visited Sacré-Cœur some 40 years ago.

Slate rooves are attractive but they require regular maintenance to stay ahead of potential issues.  The unusually harsh winter and the fact that we skipped having any work done last year has left a fair bit of damage to be addressed.  Our regular slater quoted us a staggering figure based on replacing 50 tiles.  A thorough, close-up survey of the roof with my drone revealed a far smaller number of damaged tiles.  The pictures should prove a compelling resource when I discuss the job with our guy.

Several years ago I installed an automatic back-up generator for our homes electrical system.  It was a rather complicated project requiring gas line plumbing, partitioning of the wiring at the circuit breaker box into critical and non-critical circuits, and installation of an automatic transfer switch.  Recently I moved the 12V battery which starts the generator from within the outdoor generator housing to the interior of our house where it stays warm all winter.  During two prior power outages, the generator did not start automatically (first time due to high winds affecting the gas to air ratio, second time due to depleted battery from sub-zero temperature).  When the power in most of West Concord failed this afternoon, the generator kicked in and everything worked as planned.  The computers, phones, routers, and TV (all on battery backup) bridged the automated switch over without a glitch and essential functions of the house remained operational (full kitchen except for ovens, one zone of HVAC, garage door openers, family room and media center).  The outage only lasted for two hours but my satisfaction with the system finally working exactly as planned lasted all day.

Jeanine suggested a visit to the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival this afternoon and it proved to be a great outing. The weather was perfect and the sand sculptures were truly amazing. We both agreed that it would be fun to return next year while the artists are still working on their creations. In addition to the works of art, we enjoyed live music by saxophonist Mike Rollins.

Today I rented a 3/4 ton pick-up truck with which to move Maya’s tiny house to a new location.  Kyle, back from his European adventure yesterday, was a huge help. We hitched the trailer and towed the house from Verrill Farm, where it has been since autumn, back to our house.  There we loaded it with all of the appliances and remaining building supplies that we have been storing in the third bay of our garage. Finally, we towed it to a new location on the property of a friend in nearby Sudbury.  Here the house will be guarded by two sheep that live in their own tiny house located only feet away.

Nothing better than a company barbecue after a long day at the office. Caterers set up their grill in our parking lot which we converted to an open air dining area / playground. Later we headed back in doors for karaoke. Those who know me well are aware I have no aptitude for singing whatsoever but I do appreciate that gift in others. The whole evening was a ton of fun.

I happened to be experimenting with some focus settings on my camera this evening and using Jeanine as a test subject. She is generally less than fond of such involvement with these experimental pursuits but flashed me a big smile which I was happy to record.

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Charles River and is now considered a Boston icon. The bridge and connecting tunnel were built as part of the Big Dig, the largest highway construction project in the United States. Its full name commemorates Boston civic leader and civil rights activist Leonard P. Zakim who championed “building bridges between peoples”, and the “Battle of Bunker Hill.”  I stopped in the neighborhood of the bridge this morning after dropping Kris off at Logan Airport for an early flight home. I then walked along the river to where the USS Constitution and USS Cassin Young are docked while putting my drone to good use along the way.

Nicolai called us this evening from a pet store in Colorado Springs where he was picking out a gift with and for his girlfriend Karuna.  Shortly after our conversation, he texted us this image which seems to suggest that these dinosaurs are now part of their family.  Normally I think of Nicolai as a master of the grand romantic gesture.  I now find myself reconsidering that assessment.  These guys look like baby velociraptors that escaped from Jurassic Park. Not to worry, I am sure Kubo (their recently acquired dog) will kill them before they eat anyone.  Just ask the chickens at the Catamount Center for Environmental Science & Education where he recently dispatched one of the flock which, it should be noted, belonged to the Director of the program and Nicolai’s future boss when he begins working there next month.

Kris, Jeanine and I had breakfast out and then went for a walk at Heart Pond along the new rail trail. We then stocked up on groceries and snacks for our micro World Cup viewing party. You have to admire the Croatians for their work rate and “never say die” attitude but in the end, the French put the ball in the net more times. It has been a great World Cup tournament and I am now looking forward to the Amputee World Cup which will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico in late November

Visiting us for a few days is Kris Earle,  Jeanine’s best friend dating back to her middle school days.  The two have remained extremely close and it is always a pleasure to spend time together.  Kris was curious about the Copenhagen Wheel so I set her up with my bike and she joined Jeanine for a short ride.  It is always fun to see how people react the first time they try it and Kris was no exception.

Judging from the photos we are receiving from him, Kyle appears to be having a tremendous European vacation.  Here he is “flying though Paris.”  He started in Ireland (Dublin and Galway), flew to Paris, and is now headed for Marseille by train.

During our visit to Switzerland, I took several series of photos for later merging into high resolution panoramas. This evening I completed the post processing and have posted my favorites here.  The only way to appreciate these is by clicking on the images and then zooming in and scrolling about.  Normally, I crop the final results into rectangles  but left the raw borders of the one below unmodified since it followed the lines of the glacier so nicely.

Today will be spent returning home by way of Zurich where I will rendezvous with Jeanine at the airport.  I left Friedrichshaffen on the 5:40am ferry bound for Romanshorn and then took a train to Konstanz (Germany to Switzerland to Germany). I checked my big backpack into a locker at the train station and gave myself a couple of hours to tour the city.

Rhine Falls is on the way to Zurich and my next destination. About twenty minutes and two trains into that journey I realized that I had left my large backpack at the Konstanz train station necessitating some serious backtracking.  Even so, I had time to quickly visit the falls which far surpassed my expectations.  The volume of water and sound was overwhelming.  I continued to the Zurich airport where I reconnected with Jeanine with plenty of time before boarding our flight back to the states.

In addition to bicycles and e-bikes, the show featured an occasional hybrid vehicle of the three and four-wheel variety.  It is my prediction that we will see more and more human/electric-powered hybrids like this replacing cars in urban environments.  Small footprint, environmentally friendly vehicles are the only real near term solution to urban traffic congestion and I am glad to be part of an industry that will be addressing this global problem.

Pictured here are some of my colleagues attending the Eurobike trade show. Each evening we dined together and it was fun hearing stories about the early days of the company as recounted by the veterans.  They reminded me a great deal about the early days of Truevision, the company I co-founded in my twenties.

Superpedestrian is exhibiting at Eurobike 2018, the largest bike show in the world. Our booth is located in the biggest hall of a twelve-hall Messe Friedrichshafen complex which was entirely devoted to electric bikes.  This being my first bike show, my main objective was to familiarize myself with the players in the industry and to gather information useful to Superpedestrian.  I covered close to 11 miles according to my step counter and tested several e-bikes throughout the course of the day.  I took hundreds of photos documenting our competition as well as potential component suppliers.

The Matterhorn has a very unique profile and is regarded by many as one of the most photogenic mountains in the world. I whole heartedly concur and could not be happier with the photos I captured this morning. My first attempt was at 3am from the Fluhalp. When I walked outside, there it was in all its glory, illuminated by starlight. I set up my tripod and triggered a 30s trial exposure. I then adjusted the settings on my camera for the exposure I wanted and tripped the shutter again 180 seconds after the first shot. In that time, the entire mountain became obscured by clouds which rolled up in front of my camera position. I could not have been more disappointed and went back to sleep.

I got up again at 5am and walked down to the lake which was covered in clouds and set up for the shot I had pre-visualized the day before. At 5:30am I was joined by a group of Japanese who were also staying at the Fluhalp. Fog on the lake had lifted but the Matterhorn was still shrouded.  I put up my drone and took a picture of the assembled group waiting for the magic to happen. It didn’t and they left for breakfast an hour later.

Thankfully, the clouds began lifting by 7am and by 7:30am the sky was clear and I went crazy, starting with the picture at the top of this post.  The light was perfect and there was no wind making for an excellent reflection in the water. Satisfied with my images, I started hiking to the cable car station, stopping for a few more shots along the way.

I arrived back at the hotel where Jeanine was staying just in time to join her for breakfast before we departed Zermatt for Thun. The Thun Castle, pictured below, contains a really engaging museum and offers excellent views of the city from its turrets.

After a quick lunch, Jeanine and I boarded different trains. She will remain in Switzerland for the next four days while I travel to Germany to attend a trade show for work.

The Gornergrat (10,285 ft) is a rocky ridge of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Gorner Glacier. It offers a commanding view of more than twenty 13,000 feet peaks and can be reached from Zermatt by the Gornergrat rack railway, the highest open-air railway in Europe. The structure pictured above was originally the Gornergrat Infrared Telescope and is now the Kulm Hotel. When we arrived early this morning clouds obscured most of the peaks but we did have a nice view of the glacier.

We returned to Zermatt briefly to prepare for the longest hike of our vacation while runners from around the world prepared for the Zermatt Marathon to be run tomorrow.

The Five Lakes Trail covers nearly 10km and is generally hiked in the downhill direction. We chose the uphill direction which is considerably more work but far less trying on my knees.

Pictured above is the Bergrestaurant Fluhalp alpine restaurant and hotel. I will spend the night here while Jeanine returns to Zermatt. My plan is to photograph the Matterhorn at sunrise from nearby Stellisee Lake if the weather cooperates. Thus far we have yet to catch a glimpse of the iconic mountain which has been shrouded in clouds all day.

Yesterday afternoon we made a first attempt to hike from Grosse Scheidegg to First.  When we arrived after a 30 minute bus ride up the switchbacks to the pass, we decided the weather was not a good match to our gear. This morning we made a second attempt only to find ourselves shrouded in clouds and a steady rain. We decided to forge forward on the 6km hike anyway. About an hour in, the clouds began to dissipate and magnificent views of Eiger’s north face came into view.  Our time in the Alps has reinforced the notion that mountain weather can change abruptly and dramatically and that you should be prepared for every eventuality.

After descending by cable car back to Grindelwald we collected our bags from the hotel and began the long train ride to Zermatt transferring to a different line in Spiez were I had a few minutes to take the photo below of the Schloss Spiez (Spiez Castle) before the heavens opened up in a major deluge.

When we arrived in Zermatt we made a bee line for our hotel (pictured below) hoping we could get in another hike for the day. It proved to be too late so we settled for a walk through the opulent town and for dinner at a restaurant owned by the descendants of the first man to ever scale the Matterhorn.

The Schilthorn summit stands at 2,970 meters (`10,000 feet) offering a commanding view of the surrounding Bernese Alps including Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. It is the site of Piz Gloria, a revolving restaurant, featured in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and our destination for this morning.

I shot the self portrait below by using the glass windows of the restaurant as a mirror which reflected the mountains surrounding the summit.

Mürrenbach Falls, according to a sign at the base, claims to be the tallest waterfall in continental Europe by virtue of a recent reclassification of the top section from a cascade to a portion of the falls. I have not been able to substantiate this assertion elsewhere but the falls are most impressive and beautiful in any case. They are located in Stechelberg where we descended from Schilthorn as did the many paragliders which launch from Mürren.

After collecting our bags from our hotel we took a train to Grindelwald where our stay coincided with an evening street festival featuring local food, entertainment and even fireworks in celebration of the 4th of July.

When I die, it is my wish to be cremated and have my ashes scattered in a place of beauty.  A visit to the immaculately groomed Lauterbrunnen Cemetery this morning had me considering a change of plans. Each grave is artistically adorned with a micro garden of brilliantly colored flowers. Each marker is distinctively designed and speaks to the loved one who rests there. It is located at the entrance to a valley which most reminds me of Yosemite.  Jeanine and I were amazed by the number of people interred here, mostly women, who lived past the age of 100, a testament to the healthy life style of the people of this region.

Traveling further down the valley we visited Trümmelbach Falls, a series of ten glacier-fed waterfalls inside a mountain made accessible by a tunnel-funicular, built in 1913, and a series of passages and stairways carved into the rock. The sound of 20,000 litres of water per second carving its way through the mountain was deafening and it was easy to imagine how this wonder of nature was created over the millennia.

Further still up the Lauterbrunnen Valley we boarded a cable car which took us to the quaint little town of Gimmelwald, easily the most authentic Swiss alpine village we visited.

Another cable car delivered us to Mürren, where we paused for coffee and snacks. An upscale and beautiful town with dozens of restored and modern hotels it was less appealing to us than Gimmelwald and after a brief tour we continued up to Allmendhubel where we began our hike of the Mountain View Trail to Grutschalp. Walking the trail normally takes 2 hours but with so much to see and photograph it took us closer to 3 hours.

Our hike ended with a symphony of cow bells by the happiest orchestra ever to play the instrument. If you believe nothing else about Switzerland, know that it is home to the most content cows on Earth.

Located in the picturesque Lauterbrunnen Valley, the city of the same name is home to some 2,500 residents and 72 waterfalls. It will be our base of operations for the next two days. Our hotel is located a stone’s throw from Staubbach Falls, the 2nd tallest in continental Europe with a drop of nearly 1000 feet.  After checking our bags at the hotel, we set out for our first hike.  We rode a cog train and then a cable car to ascend more than a 1.2 miles in altitude to the top of Männlichen. On the way up we got a close look at the avalanche fencing used to protect life and property below.

We also witnessed the arrival of a helicopter which made numerous subsequent trips, shuttling construction supplies between improvement projects. In the Alps, these are the equivalents of construction pickup trucks.

Snow at our altitude was still present in areas shaded from the sun. Jeanine posed me on a large mound for a nice portrait.  I posed her in a field of wild flowers which were in abundance everywhere.

We hiked at a leisurely pace to Kleine Scheidegg enjoying magnificent views of the mountains and lakes along the way. Jeanine stopped to photograph every new wildflower she encountered (at least twenty by my count) and I for every gorgeous mountain vista. Although it was forecasted to rain all day, we were fortunate that it did so for only a short while.  It started as hail before turning into the biggest raindrops I have ever seen.  Click on the image below and see how many people you can find in the photo.  This should put the scale of the mountains into perspective. Rain may not be so great for hiking but for someone who likes to photograph waterfalls it is a welcome thing.

Before we knew it the rain was over and the sun was out. Jeanine and I both love to be in nature and to exercise. It doesn’t get much better for us than hiking through the mountains in the midst of such grandeur.

After completing our hike we took a cable car down to the cute town of Wengen where we stopped at a bar for food and to watch World Cup soccer.