Today is a rest day for all teams.  A portion of the US contingent used the time to visit Guanajuato, one of the most beautiful urban tapestries I have ever seen.  I have a 21 image stitched panorama of the entire city of which the above photo is but a single panel.  It may be my favorite pano of all time.

After viewing the city from above we went on a short walking tour of the main open air market where we had lunch and later visited the Parroquia de Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato and the Teatro Principal.

We then re-boarded our tour van which took us to the Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato, a most appropriate destination on this first Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos). On display here are 59 mummies of a collection that totals 111. The naturally mummified bodies interred during a cholera outbreak in 1833 were later disinterred when a local tax was imposed for “perpetual” burial. Bodies for which the tax was not paid were exhumed and those in the best condition were stored and are now a major attraction for the city.

Continuing on our tour of truly haunting stuff, we next stopped at the Galeras de la Inquisicion, the most horrifying place I have ever visited. Here, in the name of the Catholic religion, indigenous people who failed to renounce their traditional beliefs were tortured to death in the most gruesome and drawn-out ways imaginable. For all the importance and meaning it has for so many, it never ceases to amaze me how much killing has been and continues to be done in the name of religion. Some victims were locked into the chamber pictured below until they bled to death or died of thirst. This was one of the more benign methods used.  I will not describe the more heinous ones.

Our final destination was distinctly more uplifting, to the tune of 8,900 feet. The Cristo Rey (Shrine of Christ the King) stands 75 feet tall atop the summit of Cerro del Cubilete (Dice Cup Hill) and was completed in 1950 after a smaller statue was destroyed in 1928 by the anti-religious (and particularly anti-Catholic) regime of President Plutarco Elías Calles.

When we returned to San Juan de los Lagos we rejoined the rest of the team for a formal dinner in honor of all the World Cup athletes, their delegations and the referees, some 500 people. We were treated to more musical and dance performances as well as a lovely dinner.  Pictured below are a couple of the 40 odd tables located in the open air court yard of a local school.  Nicolai can be seen on stage, where team captains from all countries were invited to try a Mexican game of dexterity called Barrel on a Stick.  Not a single one could catch the barrel, including the Mexican captain who, no doubt, was both familiar with the game and had plenty of time to practice.

This evening the US faced Turkey, the third ranked team in the world. With little chance of winning, the US objective was to limit the goal differential so as to maximize our chances of qualifying for the elimination rounds.  Turkey took little time to demonstrate why they are so highly ranked with a goal in the first minute and then a second before the end of the first half.  They started the second half with another before Nico provided the first US goal, a beautiful header off a corner kick (see full sequence below).  Turkey responded twice more to deliver the final 5-1 result.

The outcome was not unexpected but the goal margin placed us in a tie break situation (prioritization criteria: goal differential, goals against, card points, flip of a coin) for advancing to the elimination round.  Unfortunately, we had two yellow cards to Ireland’s one which allowed them to advance and us to enter the consolation bracket. Truly heartbreaking.

I don’t believe you will find a more friendly and welcoming people than Mexicans. They have treated us like family from the moment we arrived. This morning the team visited a local kindergarten school to meet with the students and deliver presents purchased with donations collected in the US.  As has been my habit all week, I elected to walk rather than take the bus.  Unfortunately, Google Maps directed me to the wrong school, three miles in the opposite direction. The guard there let me in and the school’s Director explained I was at the wrong place.  I apologized for the interruption and told them I would simply walk back to my hotel.  Fifteen minutes into my journey, a van pulled up with the Director and a driver she had located to take me to the correct school.  There, I captured some of my favorite portraits as well as many of the team interacting with the students.

After four days in country, the US team was excited to take the pitch for their first match, facing a strong team from Kenya.  Nicolai got things off to a good start with a goal about ten minutes in.

Unfortunately, Kenya was able to equalize and then pull ahead with a second goal.  With less than a minute left in the game, Nicolai received a nice pass which he trapped from his knee to his head and then flicked over his defender to set up a shot directly in front of the keeper.  As the photo below illustrates, his defender used his arm and crutch to hold Nicolai preventing him from turning to kick the ball.  The referee’s failure to award a penalty kick for this clear infraction was a game-changer that would cost the US dearly.

Earlier in the day I went for a four-mile walk along the river which flows through the city.  I encountered a great number of herons and a flock of parakeets which were too far away to photograph well.  

Later I did a little street photography focusing on two of my favorite subjects, families on motorcycles and kids.

As the sun set this evening, there were hundreds of birds flying in squadrons over the field and hundreds of fans in the stands where the US was set to take on Liberia in the first match of group play. Unfortunately, there were no Liberians to be found anywhere.  They were stranded in Ghana.  It is not clear whether it is a problem with flights or with visas but the US won by forfeit when Liberia failed to field a team at the appointed hour.  

Earlier and later in the day, I visited the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos which houses the image of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos which is believed to have miraculous powers.

After practicing in the morning, Team USA participated in the 2018 Amputee Soccer World Cup opening ceremony.  Held at the main soccer stadium there was a standing room only crowd.

The competitors were treated to song, dance and traditional reenactments. 

The president of the World Amputee Football Federation (also the president of the American Amputee Soccer Association) received a key to the city.  While only symbolic, I can tell you that the reality is even better.  The city has offered us their hearts.  We feel so welcomed by everyone we encounter. The evening was capped with fireworks and the team left totally energized for the coming competition.

San Juan de los Lagos is a city of 66,000 residents located in the northeast corner of the state of Jalisco, Mexico, in a region known as Los Altos at an altitude of 5741 feet. It is best known as the home of a small image of the Virgin Mary called Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos. Since the first major miracle ascribed to her in 1632, she has been venerated especially for cases involving mortal danger. The miracles ascribed to her have made the basilica in which she is found a major tourist attraction, attracting between seven and nine million people per year.  The city with sponsorship from Proan, one of the leading egg producers in Mexico, stepped up to host the Amputee World Cup when the Guadalajara organizing committee began to drop the ball.  The reception and hospitality we have received is exceptional.  The four competition fields are all first-rate and located on or overlooking the banks of the San Juan River.

Most of the day was devoted to the World Amputee Football Federation Congress meeting which precedes the tournament.  The team had plenty of time to adjust to the altitude and explore the city before a late afternoon training session.

Jeanine was kind enough to wake up at 4 am to drive me to the airport for my flight to Guadalajara via Dallas.  The first leg was delayed by 30m and I found myself running between terminals to make the second where I connected with Nicolai and the rest of the US National Amputee Soccer Team.  After arriving in Mexico and collecting our baggage the entire squad was bused to the city of San Juan de los Lagos some 2.5 hours away.  We enjoyed a three-motorcycle police escort and a greeting committee when we arrived at our hotel.  By 7 pm we were on the bus again for a brief trip to the dining venue where we will be taking our meals for the rest of our stay.  There, the team enjoyed reconnecting with fellow soccer players from around the world and entertainment put on by the tournament organizers.  Mexico sure knows how to host a World Cup.

February 02, 1917 – October 08, 2018

Vincent Circhio was my father’s second cousin and a close friend of the family. We learned only this week of his passing earlier this month at the age of 101.  My dad and Vinny both grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and were very close despite their seven-year age difference.  Reading his obituary, I was embarrassed by how little I knew of his incredible life story. What I knew is that he shared a passion for ballroom dancing and fitness with my father and that my father looked up to him as one would an older brother. I remember a man who always seemed to have a twinkle in his eye and a genuine interest in what I was up to.  I don’t believe in an afterlife but am convinced Vinny and my dad’s souls are swapping stories as I type.

I spent the evening replacing this leaking control valve for one of our upstairs showers.  In order to gain access, I had to climb a ladder and then down into a small hidden chamber behind the shower wall.  The space was barely shoulder-width wide and my first task was to fashion a set of built-in stair rungs so I could climb in and out.  The project took several hours and I had to battle claustrophobia the entire time. Jeanine was close at hand to lower parts and tools in and out from the top.  Despite the very cramped working conditions, I managed some very nice soldering without starting the house on fire or burning myself.  In addition to replacing the control valve, I added two cut-off valves, a new shower head, and a tub downspout.

The Head of the Charles Regatta is the largest 2-day regatta in the world, with 11,000 athletes rowing in over 1,900 boats in 61 events. I was a spectator for the first time in 2009 when the daughter of good friends Cindy and Rob Shurtleff was a participant. Since then, I have been attending roughly every other year. Independent of the tremendous athleticism on display it is a beautiful fall spectacle. This afternoon Jeanine joined me for her first experience of the regatta. I was tempted to use my drone for some perspectives that cannot be obtained from the shore or bridges but decided against it for fear of distracting the athletes or spectators. In retrospect, I believe this was a mistaken decision. I could see a number of shooting locations and angles that would have been entirely non-intrusive. I will just have to wait until next year. Jeanine spent her morning participating in the sermon at Concord’s Tricon Church where she gave a speech on food insecurity to the congregation. I was back on the soccer pitch for all of about ten minute, just long enough to realize that my hamstring was still not ready for prime time. My team managed a 2-0 win over the entirely Russian team from South Newton.

The tiny house has returned to its birthplace where it will remain until work on the interior can be completed.  I rented a 3/4 ton pick-up truck this morning and with Jeanine serving as my spotter we moved it from its summer home to our backyard.  Positioned here, I will have walk-out access from my wood shop which will make working on it that much easier.  We had hoped that Olin would allow Maya to work on it as an independent study project but so far their facilities people have not agreed to this plan.  I am expecting my work schedule to become increasingly demanding and will try and nibble away at the work over weekends during the winter months.

Warners Pond is fed and drained by Nashoba Brook which flows into the Assabet River which then joins the Sudbury River to form the Concord River.  It is located adjacent to West Concord just a few minutes from our house.  I was in town to interview a candidate at the Nashoba Brook Bakery and grabbed this shot while waiting for him to arrive.

I like squirrels as much as the next guy but I am not comfortable with the level of intimacy on display above.  This one has been fed so often by humans that it no longer has any fear of them.  I did my part to re-establish appropriate boundaries when his attempt to climb my leg earned him a short flight into the pond.

I interrupted my morning commute for a drone photo of the Sudbury River (I cross the pictured bridge every day).  Once I had flown into position, I noticed an approaching canoe and timed my shot to include the rower as a foreground element.  It wasn’t until I could review the image on my computer that I noticed she was also a photographer and interested in my drone as a foreground element.  I hope to one day meet this person so we can exchange photos.

Although I am pleased with the photographs I took last week at Franconia Notch they could have been even better if the sun was out. Today’s forecast for that area was for bright sun and peak color. I decided to take the morning off and make a quick run up to the mountains for another attempt. One must seriously question the intelligence of someone who would make a 300-mile round trip for a second attempt at a photograph they already had. My journey began in the dark at 6 am. I was halfway to the notch when the sun rose. The light was glorious and the foliage magnificent. It was hard to contain my excitement. Alas, with less than 5 miles to go, I could see that the mountain pass I had hoped to photograph was shaded by clouds that looked like they were there to stay. I am no stranger to such disappointment and simply made the best of my return trip to Boston.

At this time of the year, I leave for the office well before sunrise.  This morning I was running late which afforded me the chance to catch a rather colorful sunrise.

With a beautiful day in the forecast, Jeanine and I decided to make a day tour of western Massachusetts and southern Vermont where foliage reports indicated we would find peak fall color.  Our first stop was the Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams.  Named for its natural bridge of white marble, unique in North America, the park also offers woodland walks with views of a dam made of white marble, and a picturesque old marble quarry.  The bedrock marble from which the natural bridge was created is estimated to be some 550 million years old. Water from glacial runoff began carving the arch after the last Ice Age, 13,000 years ago.

After enjoying lunch at the Freight Yard, we continued to the 93-foot-high, lighthouse-like Massachusetts Veterans War Memorial Tower at the summit of 3,491-foot tall Mount Greylock, the highest point in the state.

We continued to Bennington and Brattleboro, Vermont before completing our 11-hour road trip.  Despite reports to the contrary, we did not find the foliage to be at peak color.  I suspect another few days or a week before that will be the case.

Not the best photograph, as it was taken through the windshield of my car.  Fortunately for the subject, I spotted him crossing the road in time to avoid a car versus snapping turtle situation. Not so fortunate for me were the blaring horns of the angry motorists stopped behind me unaware of the reason for my standstill.

I spent 11 hours driving around New Hampshire today in search of dramatic fall color. Unfortunately the remnants of Hurricane Michael covered the state in clouds for most of the day.  Even so, I managed a few shots that I am very happy with.  I visited Lake Winnipesaukee for the first time and then made my way over to Franconia Notch. 

Some photos just speak for themselves. 

This photo was taken on a visit to the Old North Bridge last week. I was too busy at work today to find time for a photo. Jeanine called my attention to the nice light on the tall grass.  She has gotten quite good at spotting interesting light and is becoming a very good photographer in her own right.  The same cannot be said for my abilities as a cook despite my frequent close proximity to her while preparing food.

Following on the heels of our e-scooter demo unit, my team completed are first fully integrated shared e-bike today. Both demo units were created to demonstrate functionality and performance rather than being optimized for appearance. Prospective customers will be able to ride these vehicles as part of their evaluation process. Final units will be tailored to specific customer requirements and design parameters.

As part of Superpedestrian’s pivot into the shared electric micro-mobility market we have expanded beyond bicycles and now support electric scooters as well.  The demonstration prototype scooter above was developed by my team in record time and will be revealed to prospective customers starting this week. It is a huge step up from the Bird scooters which can already be found on the streets of Cambridge.  It features much larger wheels and a suspension system for enhanced safety and comfort.  It also sports the largest capacity battery of any scooter in the market today for extended range and superior hill climbing performance.

I re-injured my left hamstring during my soccer match this morning and therefore let my drone do all the work for my photograph of the day.  Operating the controls from the comfort of our deck, I flew all the way to the Sudbury River and back.  Above is the patch of colorful trees and bushes I only recently discovered by virtue of flying the drone.  It is located adjacent to the field behind our house (on the right above) but I had no idea it was there for the last 15 years.  The lesson I take away is that finding beauty is a matter of perspective. Below is an image of Mattison Field.  Both are best viewed at full resolution on a large screen.

Twenty eight years ago on an equally splendid fall day, Jeanine and I were married in a wooded setting not too dissimilar from that of our afternoon outing in the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge.  Jeanine’s beauty and my love for her have only grown with the passage of time.  It is hard to imagine that so many years have passed in what seems like the blink of an eye.  If we remain healthy, we may have only reached the halfway point in our marriage.

While walking through the refuge we encountered little in the way of wildlife but a veritable treasure trove of mushrooms.

Every autumn I spend countless hours driving around New England in search of photogenic fall foliage.  Last week I discovered the most vibrant scene I have ever witnessed.  Today, I finally had a sunny day and some time to photograph it.  Now for the unbelievable part of the story.  This field of small trees and bushes is located adjacent to the field behind our house.  It is literally a stone’s throw from our backyard.  How is it possible this went unnoticed by me for 15 years?  The area is surrounded on all sides by larger trees which when viewed from the ground are only moderately interesting at this time of year.  I have tried to enter this field during the summer months but it is invariably water logged and so thick with brambles that you cannot traverse it.  If not for my drone, I would have never found this gem.  Expect future photographs depicting its full extent and location relative to our house.

Followers of this blog know that I have been following the construction of the buildings that are part of the Mass+Main project in Central Square.  While researching the construction, I came across a live webcam that is documenting the construction, and the images captured will one day be used to form a time-lapse video.  I became curious about the location of the camera and was able to locate it today by reverse engineering the angles and using my drone to find it.

I managed to break another tooth this afternoon while eating pita bread at lunch.  This makes the 3rd or 4th tooth I have broken and if I keep up the pace I will soon have more broken teeth than intact ones.  Fortunately, the break was completely above the gum line and therefore one I can live with provided I have my dentist grind off the sharp edges on the remainder of the tooth.  Eventually, I will need a crown but for now, I will just leave it the way it is.  The reason I break so many teeth is because I grind them together while sleeping.  Time to locate the mouthguard I am supposed to wear at night to prevent such outcomes.

I had to bring my i3 in to have the airbags replaced as part of a factory recall campaign. Apparently, women in the fifth percentile of body size (approximately 5 feet tall and weighing 110 pounds) are slightly more likely to suffer a neck injury during a frontal collision if they’re not wearing their seatbelt. It’s a very small edge case, and it requires a person to not be wearing a seatbelt, but either way, the vehicle is ever so slightly outside of federal regulations hence the recall.  I have been given the X2 pictured above until the service has been completed.  Jeanine has been eyeing it lustfully so I have made a point to hide the keys.

I drove into Boston earlier than usual this morning affording me the time for a nice 5 mile walk before work. I opted to carry my drone rather than my camera with me, pausing a few times for interesting aerial landscapes.  I am glad I took the opportunity because the beautiful autumn morning gave way to a dreary afternoon of grey skies and rain.
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