You know that spring is just around the corner when the first crocuses bloom. It was extremely windy today so I decided to pick this flower from our yard and photograph it inside. I choose a textured background to play off the patterns in the petals. I rather like the finished image which almost looks like it might have been painted.

When I returned from work last night, I noticed that the state of charge on my electric Audi was extremely low. When I plugged it in on my home charger, nothing seemed to happen. I eventually traced the problem to a damaged connector used in the service disconnect panel. You can see where the plastic housing has started to melt which led to misalignment of the connector and eventually to an open circuit. I was able to bypass the device and expect my car will be fully charged when I leave for work this morning.

My sister-in-law, Marie, shared this picture of my mother taken over the weekend. The two-hour in-person visit to her Minneapolis assisted living center was the first since the beginning of the pandemic. During that time they discussed health, wealth, politics, and dancing. Apparently, my mother also demonstrated her exercise routine which included doing push-ups against a wall while on her tippy toes in preparation for a return to the dance floor and her beloved tango.

The purchase of my new Apple computer and monitor included a 1-year subscription to Apple TV+. Based on the recommendations of several friends we checked out a series called Ted Lasso. We watched the entire first season in one sitting last night and can’t wait until the second season is released, reportedly this summer. Needless to say, we can heartily recommend it to others.

Last week my iMac computer died. I took it into Apple and was told it would need a new motherboard. Given the age of the system, I decided to replace it with a new Apple-silicon-based Mac Mini computer and their 6K XDR display. All of the hardware arrived today and it only took a few hours to set up and restore my working environment. Pictured above is the back of the passively cooled monitor which looks like high-tech swiss cheese.

Scavengers made quick work of this unfortunate deer which did not fare as well as the car which took its life. With no wolves, mountain lions, and only a small number of coyotes in the town of Concord, the automobile may actually constitute an apex predator in the food chain. I am sad for this deer, but take comfort in knowing that its body has nourished so many other members of our local wildlife.

Occasionally, I come across YouTube content that is so amazing, I feel compelled to share it. Enjoy.

While listening to NPR, I learned of a flamboyance of pink flamingos that appeared overnight in the Seaport district. While returning from Dorchester yesterday, Jeanine and I made a short detour to investigate the unusual migration which included some 2000 birds.

I drove Jeanine to Dorchester this afternoon for her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. She became eligible by virtue of her role in a food relief organization. I also now qualify given my age and have scheduled my first shot for this Saturday. We both felt a powerful sense of relief after she received the painless injection. While waiting her turn, I stepped outside to photograph the former Congregation Adath Jeshurun synagogue.

Nicolai recently competed in his first road race, the Bionic 5K. He is planning to do so again on April 25th and has invited the entire family to join his team, New England Amputee Soccer, for the virtual race. All proceeds from the race will benefit the Bionic Project Inc, a Cambridge-based 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to promote active lifestyles, athletics, and inclusive environments for those who have to overcome physical challenges. Click on the image below to read an athlete profile on Nico and please consider joining his team as well.

My spring soccer season starts on Easter Sunday. Today we had our first preseason tune-up match. We played a Division 1 over-48 team which put their average age about ten years below ours (and a good 14 below mine). We held our own for 80 minutes with the score tied at 0-0. By the end of the game, however, their younger legs made the difference and they produced a pair of goals before the final whistle. Our side actually played very well leaving us satisfied with the outcome. Next week we play another over-48 squad and then it is on to the official season where we will compete with teams our own age.

After the match, the kids all came over for our regular Sunday get-together. Normally, it is a time to relax and catch up on the latest happenings. Today, our gathering took the form of a work party during which we gathered down limbs from all over the yard and burned them in a very large bonfire. In a matter of a few hours, we cleared the property of years worth of deadwood.

This morning, I heard some rustling outside the front door. A peek out the window revealed a trio of dear munching away on something in the yard. By the time I retrieved my camera, they had moved off to the neighbor’s lot and I had to settle for this somewhat obscured photo. The remainder of my day was spent cutting down tree limbs that threaten our overhead power lines. It was a substantial workout and was happy to put my feet up at the end of the day.

The sun was just starting to rise when Jeanine noticed a female wood duck on a branch above the river. Her partner was wading around in the water below. Low light and shooting through glass did nothing to help this photo.

The first flowers of the year emerged in the yard today. These tiny snowdrops are about half an inch in length. They start the day with their petals tightly closed but open up as the temperature rises throughout the day. I will try to get a photograph of them when they are fully opened.

If not for the fact that Iceland is closed to anyone outside the country who has not been vaccinated or previously infected, I would be on a plane this instant to photograph the erupting Fagradalsfjall volcano. On a previous visit, I was less than three miles from the exact location pictured in the amazing drone footage shown here. One of the items on my bucket list is to photograph an erupting volcano and as luck would have it, I cannot travel to this very nearby one of incredible beauty due to Covid.

Nicolai is actively working to develop an amputee soccer team for the Northeast region. He has been visiting local prosthetic clinics to get the word out and identify potential candidates. Little did he know that “A Step Ahead” is located less than two minutes from my office.

Today I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a neighbor, introduced by a mutual friend, who shares a passion for photography, nature, fine homebuilding, and travel. I joined him for a tour of Great Meadows viewed through the eyes of a naturalist and volunteer who helps to maintain the sanctuary. It was a most enjoyable 2-hour amble that netted the female downy woodpecker above and juvenile bald eagle below. Jeanine had a prior engagement and was not able to join us but is looking forward, as am I, to doing so on a future outing.

I joined Jeanine and her friend Maria on a lovely hike to nearby Fairhaven Bay. The trail passes by our house on the other side of the river and ends at the former summer home of the Robinson family. The 240 acres through which the trail passes were donated by Helen Robinson Wright to the Concord Land Conservation Trust. She was the granddaughter of Miles Pratt, founder of the Walker and Pratt Company, manufacturer of stoves, furnaces, and heaters who prospered during the Civil War, supplying the Union Army with ammunition and gun carriage castings. All that remains of the summer home is a terrace overlooking the bay and the stone boathouse far below at the water’s edge.

The Concord Journal featured a nice article about a recent grant received by Open Table. The pandemic has not only increased the need for food assistance but has also changed the logistics for gaining access to it. Open Table has had to discontinue the community dining aspect of their program in favor of food delivery. Not many organizations of its size could pivot so quickly to an entirely different operating model without skipping a beat.

I have to admit that geese are some of my least favorite birds. Even so, I am thankful for them every time I don a coat containing their down feathers. One of only a few birds that can be found in every US state at some time during the year, their numbers are on the rise worldwide.

The Covid-19 pandemic has all but shutdown amputee soccer for the last year. The US national team has not had a single match or in-person practice since the outbreak began. It has not, however, stood in the way of recruiting for the sport. Nicolai and a local teammate have made a big push to develop a regional team. They currently have six field players and are constantly working to build out the roster. Nico asked me to take headshots and a team photo at their practice this afternoon which I was more than happy to do.

There seems to be no end to the interesting ways ice can form. In the case above, the river level dropped leaving a horizontal ice cloud clinging to a pair of branches.

I really like the different patterns in the water which make up the foreground and background. of this photo. Having a nice subject in the middle doesn’t hurt either.

On days when the temperature hovers around the freezing mark, ice formations on the river can be quite interesting. I found this early morning shot quite beautiful. In it, one can find crisp linear patterns, diffuse undulating waves, and everything in between.

Last week, I thought I might have photographed a juvenile bald eagle. It turned out to be a red-tail hawk. This time, I am fairly certain this is an eagle but will wait for the neighborhood experts to opine. S/he is perched on a branch that is about 30 feet from our house and I will ensure that our new plans include a window positioned to take advantage of this view. Again, I must apologize for the poor photo quality. I shot through double pane glass at 6:40 AM with overcast skies.

Common Mergansers dive underwater to catch fish. After the chicks leave the nest in summer, the female stays with them as they grow up while males gather in flocks. In winter, mergansers form large flocks on inland reservoirs and rivers. They stay in these tight flocks to feed and court during the cold months. In migration and winter, they mix with other fish-eating, diving ducks such as Bufflehead, goldeneyes, and other species of mergansers. For several weeks now, their numbers have been increasing on the river and it has been fun to watch them fishing.

The most difficult part of designing our new house by far has been working out the details of the stairs. Because they connect two floors, their placement affects the floorplan of both which means a change on one cascades to the other. If they are stacked, one over the other, for efficient use of space as is the case in our west wing, a change on one floor affects three. Stair rise and run determine climbing comfort and the total number of treads determines floor to floor spacing. Today, I finalized all three staircases and have settled on a rise of 7 1/4″ with a run of 10″ and 14 treads resulting in a floor-to-floor height of 9′ 3/4″ (7.25 x (14+1)). This is a huge improvement over the as-built condition of the house which has an 8 1/2″ rise and 8 1/2″ run with 11 treads, a design that is no longer code compliant and very unpleasant to climb or descend. Most importantly, the east basement, where my new shop will reside, will now have a finished ceiling height of 8′ 3″ instead of 7′ 8″ which makes a HUGE difference which will be appreciated by anyone who has ever worked with 4’x8′ sheet goods.

Maya provided this macro image of a peacock feather she took using her iPhone and hand-help loupe. She is taking a class now which looks to the natural world for the wonders of engineering. The iridescent plumage of the peacock originates in the fine side branches of the feathers. Pigment particles are embedded into the newly grown feathers during the molting season. They absorb light of certain wavelengths, or disperse the reflected light, and so contribute to the color of the plumage.

Yesterday, while brunching with the kids at Kyle’s apartment, Maya asked me to photograph this object she found. Obviously originating from a tree or bush, it really is quite fascinating when viewed close up. Anyone who can provide an ID please do so and I will update the post.

UPDATE: This is a seedpod from a Sweet Gum tree. Thank you to SteveK for the ID.