I had a meeting in Cambridge this afternoon with a venture capital/startup incubator that is looking for an engineering executive to help out with some of their portfolio companies. It sounds like a very interesting opportunity and one that is compatible with my desire to transition to part-time work only. While I was in the neighborhood, I decided to stop in at Superpedestrian to visit with my old colleagues. The guys have done a tremendous job with the business which has grown from 20 employees to roughly 200 by way of a strategic acquisition. When I left, we had just completed our first electric scooter prototypes. Now the company has some 35,000 deployed around the world. Bravo! On my drive home, my car registered an outside temperature of 103°F while passing the Alewife T Station. Boston reached 97°F, the highest temperature ever measured for this date since records have been kept.

There are two very large trees on our property that are a threat to the house. Earlier this year, we received permission from the Concord Natural Resource Commission to have them removed. To offset their loss, we were asked to plant four bushes from a list of native species. We choose Spartan High Bush Blueberries. Thus far, they seem to be very happy along the river bank and have been undisturbed by the local critters. This cultivar produces berries that are quarter-sized and very delicious. Hopefully, we will get to taste them in a few weeks.

In recent days, the number of geese swimming past the house has increased dramatically. The collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge; when flying or swimming close together, they are called a plump. Fortunately, they seem very content in the river and have not visited our shores, a big relief to us.

Jeanine and I joined Kyle and Nico for a burrito diner in Davis Square this evening. It was our first chance to see Nicolai’s new apartment which overlooks the Somerville Community Path and the Bikeway Community Garden. The short walk to Davis Square takes you past some really fun outdoor sculptures.

Earlier in the day, my soccer team played our last match of the spring season in the Division 1 finals. We battled in the sweltering heat to a 0-0 tie at the end of regulation absent our starting sweeper (badly injured in an accident earlier this week) and our 2nd leading scorer who was not able to play the entire game due to a lingering injury. Unfortunately, our penalty takers were unable to deliver the victory and we had to settle for a second-place finish. I played one of my better games but failed to put two header opportunities on frame among many chances our team had to score. After the loss, no one was in the mood for a team photo but I did get one from the start of the match.

Rarely encountered indoors, I found this Golden Rod Crab Spider on the moulding of the door that leads to our basement. Thinking ahead to Jeanine’s response to my discovery, I relocated it outside to continue my photoshoot. This is one of the few spiders in North America that are capable of actively changing their body color from yellow to white, or vice versa, depending on the flower they are perched on. They do this by transferring a liquid pigmented material to the cuticle. The color change can take anywhere from one to twenty days to complete. I am certain this is a female which are 3 to 4 times larger than males. She will only produce one brood in her lifetime and my hope is that she does so outdoors.

When it comes time to demolish our house, it will be done with a massive excavator, probably in a day or two. Once the above-grade structure has been removed, the excavator will be fitted with a massive jackhammer to break up the 4″ thick foundation before removing it. The water main for our house enters through the foundation in the corner of the basement. To prevent it from being damaged by the heavy equipment, I carefully removed a section of the slab around the pipe so that it is completely free of the structure. I did this with a hammer drill (baby jackhammer) taking a surgical approach to the task. One false move and I could have ruptured the pipe resulting in a very expensive call to the water company. Patience and the right tools allowed me to complete the task in under two hours with not so much as a scratch on the pipe.

I had to drive to Northborough to pick up our revised site plan drawings for delivery to the Concord Natural Resources Commission before tomorrow. On the way back, I decided to detour through the quaint little town of Groton. Once there, I decided to photograph the First Parish UU Church, a local farm, and the Shirdi Sai Temple. My return home may or may not have included a brief stop at Kimbal’s where I may or may not have enjoyed a small cup of Chocolate Almond ice cream.

I took advantage of ideal weather for a late afternoon 4-mile walk and brought my drone with me. Less than 2% of the state’s river miles are designated wild and scenic and today’s photo provides a definition of that label. It has been more than 6 months now that we have been living in our new home and there isn’t a day that goes by when we do not wake up and admire the beauty of the river. We are situated (see the red dot on the map) just south of where the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers meet to form the Concord River. It is possible with two short portages and a small section of class III and IV white water rapids to reach the Merrimac River which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. I should rather like to attempt that journey over a weekend once our house building project is complete.

This little fellow is a regular visitor at the feeder that Jeanine set up just outside one of our windows. It rained for a good part of the day and I spent most of it indoors working on the house design. When I needed a break, I thought it would be fun to capture some hovering hummingbird photos. The light was terrible and I did not want to set up a strobe out in the rain. The resulting images are very grainy but good enough to remind me how magnificent these little creatures are. When the weather improves, you can expect to find a future post with improved lighting.

Last week I shared some images of dragonflies. Today, on my morning walk, I noticed some lovely damselflies. Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, with bodies that typically range between 1 1/2 inches and 2 inches, while dragonfly bodies are typically longer than 2 inches. Dragonflies have much larger eyes that take up most of the insect’s head. Damselflies also have large eyes, but they are smaller than a dragonfly’s and there is always a space between them. Both dragonflies and damselflies have two sets of wings. When not in flight, a dragonfly’s wings stick straight out, perpendicular to their body like an airplane’s wings. A damselfly’s wings fold back so they are in line with their body, giving them a more sleek, slender appearance at rest. 

At a joint party held at Kyle’s new house, we celebrated Maya’s 22nd birthday (actually yesterday) and Father’s Day. Our family was joined by my nephew John and his girlfriend Quinn (plus new puppy; Miso) and Maya’s roommate Lauren and her boyfriend. Maya flew back from Normal, IL for the weekend. There, she has a summer internship with electric adventure vehicle maker, Rivian. With the newly recognized Juneteenth national holiday, Maya will always be assured of a day off on her birthday going forward. My Father’s Day included a long afternoon nap after playing soccer in the 80+ degree heat of the morning sun. We won 3-0 and will advance to the division finals to be held next Sunday. I had an opportunity to score what would have been a very spectacular goal after making a nice trap at the top of the 18 and beating two defenders. It was a side volley and I got all of it. Unfortunately, the resulting rocket went wide of the left post and I had to settle for imagining what might have been.

I decided to float in the wind this afternoon. I got in my car and headed west with no particular destination in mind. I eventually wound up in Worcester where I photographed the brand new Polar Park baseball stadium and the very old Union Station. The Woosox were in action and I had half a mind to stay for the game. Then I remembered how boring I find baseball. On the other hand, it is a very intimate ballpark and I think it might be fun to take in a game at some point. Most amazing to me about this park was the precision with which the grass is mowed. Close inspection will reveal near-perfect geometry in the mowing lines.

Union Station was built in 1911 and is the western terminus of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail line, with inbound service to Boston, and a station along Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited passenger line which will take you as far a Chicago.

During my wanderings, I came across the unidentified building pictured below. Currently, in a state of disrepair, I would venture to guess it was once a church based on the stained glass windows..

Most of my day was consumed with researching and sizing windows for the new house. Key factors are energy efficiency (U-factor, air leakage, solar gain), long-term durability (aluminum or fiberglass exterior frames, functionality (integrated screens, ease of operation and cleaning), and appearance. Today’s photos captured my interest because of their separation from their respective background.

After spending the morning looking at windows for the new house, I spent the noon hour with my chiropractor for a much need back adjustment. After a nice nap, I took advantage of perfect weather for a nature stroll and some photography which had dragonflies on the menu. I challenged myself to shoot one in mid-flight and got a few images worth sharing. These guys are very fast so it is not such an easy thing to do. They are slowest when coming in for a landing so I set focus on a likely landing site and waited for one to show up.

This evening, the wetlands scientist and civil engineer we hired to presented our Notice of Intent did so in front of the Concord Natural Resource Commission which must approve all development plans for work being done in close proximity to rivers or wetlands. Our plans call for the demolition and reconstruction of our current home on the existing footprint with the addition of an attached garage which will necessitate the relocation of our septic tank and pump chamber. Fortunately, only minor issues were identified and we are optimistic that we will receive final approval for our plan at the next meeting on July 7. The house design has also been shaping up and we are very close to a final concept which now includes integration of the east and west wing basements into a single unified walk-out basement.

Kyle starts his new job with Hims & Hers on Monday and was in need of a new headshot. I was happy to take one for him and I think he will be pleased with the result. I spent the entire afternoon at his house helping him to square away a number of items in need of attention and shopping for essential new homeowner tools (tape measure, utility knife, level, and ladder).

One of the traditions of the soccer team I play for is to celebrate after each match with an après. Hosted on a rotating basis by members of the team, we get together to enjoy a few drinks and whatever’s on the grill. Although always welcome, hosting spouses and kids generally make themselves scarce due to the amount of profanity and off-color conversation that generally occurs. Yesterday was an exception. Per and his lovely wife and daughter served up a wonderful meal that featured much healthier food than our normal fare of chips and burgers. Today, members of the team received this photo memorializing the gathering. I have played soccer with some of these guys for 18 years now and I am really going to miss them as much as the game when it comes time to hang up my cleats, something I hope to postpone for as long as my knees permit.

Two months ago I began passing a pair of kidney stones (one from each kidney). It took about a week for them to make the excruciating journey from my kidneys to my bladder. This morning, I passed one of the stones out of my bladder. It measured 3mm, which corresponds with what was observed on my CAT scan. That scan also revealed more than a dozen stones still remaining in my kidneys. Jeanine has me on an improved diet and drinking a ton of water to minimize future stone production. The inauspicious start to my day left plenty of room for more interesting developments. My soccer team won our final match of the season by a margin of 4-0. I played in the striker position for the first time this year but other than making a few good passes did little to distinguish myself in the new role. Having won our division, we will enter two more weeks of playoffs to determine the overall league champion for our age group.

Later in the day, Jeanine and I joined Kyle for move-in day at his new house. Jeanine prepared a lovely dinner and helped with unpacking. I helped Kyle set up his bedroom furniture, install a pair of air conditioners and a dehumidifier in the basement.

UPDATE: Two days after this posting, I passed the second stone in the pair. This one was larger (3.5mm) and sharper. I realize these kidney stone posts may be off-putting to some but my blog does double duty as a medical journal and it is a very convenient way for me to thoroughly document these episodes.

Jeanine spent the day helping Kyle pack for the move into his new home. I fixed a leaking sink, attended a local talk on invasive species and planting for pollinators, and continued to refine our house plans. We decided to dine out in the outdoors, not because of Covid restrictions but just because it was a beautiful evening. When taking this photograph I wanted to feature the umbrellas being illuminated by the setting sun. I should have got up and walked into a position where I could have made that the foreground. Instead, it is the midground and the family at an adjacent table became the foreground. I did not realize it at the time, but I was saddened upon review to see that everyone at the table seemed to be focused on a phone or tablet. Is this the new family night out?

While walking in the Twin Pond Conservation Land with Jeanine a few weeks ago, we came across a home that has many of the design elements we are planning for our home, a standing seam metal roof, stone foundation, and lots of floor to ceiling windows. Jeanine asked me to return for a photograph so that we could examine it for design inspiration and share it with our architect. The home sits high on a bluff overlooking one of the ponds so I opted for an aerial photo to reveal more of the house.

My soccer team practices under the lights on one of two turf fields at our local high school on Thursday evenings. Today, one of the fields was covered in plywood squares and rectangles in a very distinctive pattern. I decided it was worth putting my drone up for an aerial perspective. The wood is there to protect the turf from the chairs that will be placed upon them. My guess that these are being set up for Concord’s annual town meeting which is to be held on Sunday.

I almost posted this photo of my nephew Mario in this weekend’s post about his hurling match. I choose not to because he had just missed catching the ball he was leaping for. Today, I decided I had to post it because of the sheer athleticism of the jump. It reminded me of a photo that Nico took of me during a soccer match some 16 years ago proving that we have good jumping genes in the Calabria family. Photography Tip: Nico took this photo of me from a prone position with the lens a few inches off the grass which really creates a dramatic separation of the subject from the ground. The horizon line appears well below me. I took the photo of Mario from a standing position which diminishes the separation by placing the horizon line through his midsection. Had I taken his photo from a lower angle, Mario would have appeared to have left lower Earth orbit.

On March 12, I ordered a birthday present for Jeanine’s April 12th birthday based on an estimated 3 week delivery lead time. Nearly three months later, the 10-piece set of Demeyere Atlantis cookware arrived today. In a year during which so many businesses have been impacted by Covid, it seemed like being patient was a better course of action than canceling the order. I am only venturing a guess, but I think Jeanine is very happy with the gift and that it was worth the wait. These pots and pans just exude quality workmanship and style. Not five minutes after the first saucepan was unpacked, it was put into service for the preparation of this evening’s dinner.

As of today, I am beginning my second attempt at early retirement. Digital Alloys wrapped up operations on Friday, unable to secure “C” round financing or a company interested in purchasing the going concern. I am disappointed that we did not achieve a better business outcome and was very sad to miss the last day in the office and the opportunity to thank and say goodbye to folks in person. At the same time, I am extremely proud of my team and the work that we completed over the last 18 months. It has been one of my most satisfying jobs in recent history, having had an opportunity to wade neck-deep in design and engineering. I will continue my consulting role at Formlabs for now and will remain open to other consulting or advisory roles but I am quite satisfied to call this an end to a full-time work schedule. With our permitting process well underway, I plan to throw myself fully into our new home planning and construction, and with Covid restrictions lifting, to picking up where I left off on my travel plans.

My first act as a semi-retired individual was to finally program my electric car for nighttime only charging, entitling us to a nice discount on our energy bill. A simple task that I never seemed to find time for when I was so focused on work.

Our day began with an early visit to the Minnetonka Landscape Arboreutm with Mark and Marie. There we were greeted with the above pictured “YouBetcha” Stick Sculpture by Patrick Dougherty. Made of tree saplings woven together, the installation is just as fun to wander through as it is to look at. Later we met Brook, Mario’s girlfriend, at a hurling tournament in which he was competing.

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin. The objective of the game is for players to use a wooden stick called a hurley to hit a small ball between the opponents’ goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for three points. The ball can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked, or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than four steps has to bounce or balance the ball on the end of the stick, and the ball can only be handled twice while in the player’s possession.

Next, it was on to watch my other nephew, Rory, compete in a soccer match on the other side of town. Like his uncle, he plays the wing midfield position. Unlike his uncle, he runs like the wind and never seems to tire.

Most 92-year-olds consider watching TV until 9 PM to be an exciting Saturday evening. My mother’s idea of fun is heading out at 9 PM for an evening of ballroom dancing and staying out past midnight. It was my pleasure to accompany her to a Tango Night where she danced with four different partners for a total of ten dances. She is as graceful as ever and puts women one third her age to shame. I enjoyed watching and photographing her as well as meeting her many friends from the local dance community.

Jeanine and I flew to Minneapolis today to visit my mother, brother, and his family. It was so wonderful to be able to hug them all again and visit in person. Angela is looking radiant and has returned to full health. She has returned to the dance floor and we are looking forward to seeing her in action tomorrow night (stay tuned for photos). We visited her at the assisted living center where she resides and received the grand tour. She has a wonderful apartment filled with her artwork, all the amenities of a modern facility, and an outdoor nature area which she is stealthfully turning into a bonsai garden. We proceeded to take care of some technology issues she was having and to do a little hat and shoe shopping before arriving at my brother Mark’s house. Then it was off to collect my niece, Rose, from her soccer practice before returning to a feast prepared by my sister-in-law Marie where we were joined by my other niece, Sophia, and nephews Rory and Mario. A more perfect reunion, I cannot imagine.

Once a month I do consulting work for my former employer, Formlabs. For more than a year now, I have been doing so remotely via Zoom. Today, I was able to return to in-person meetings at the Somerville headquarters and also got to tour all of the facility improvements that have happened over the last year. I left hours in advance of my first meeting and stopped in Arlington for some birding. It made for a very relaxing start to my day.

It is quite thrilling when I encounter a species that I have never seen before. These are a pair of black-crowned night herons that I came across while looking for bald eagles on Memorial Day. I found them perched about 15 feet above a small stream that was chock full of Alewife fish.

Throughout the wild kingdom, parents will risk everything to protect their young. Pictured here are a pair of tiny swallows trying to chase off a mature bald eagle in an effort to keep him away from their nest. Eventually, their efforts paid off and the eagle decided to look for a more peaceful perch.