Despite a case of laryngitis, my sister Alissa took to her first official dance competition this morning at the Boston Park Plaza hotel securing a second place finish. She and her partner Florin, danced the Waltz, Tango, Venetian Waltz, Foxtrot and Quickstep in a number of divisions performing each a total of four times. I was exhausted just following the action with my camera (a full set of photos can be found here). My niece Rachel, a terrific dancer in her own right, was also there to support her mother. In my unsanctioned judging event, Alissa took first place in the hottest babe category.
Kyle and I have been making steady progress on his basement renovation project, working together most Saturdays for the last several months. Today we made a big push and relocated the water heater from its temporary position to its final location in the new mechanical room next to the heat pump that replaced the old gas-fired furnace. That was the easy part. Much more time consuming was installing the hot and cold water pipes connecting the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and outside water spigots to the water heater and tying these into the pipes delivering water to the first floor. All of this work required us to turn off water to the house and we were under serious time pressure to get it restored for Kyle’s tenant by 5pm when she had planned to shower and start laundry. It took a total of ten hours to complete the work and unfortunately we did not finish until 8pm.
Tess, one of Jeanine’s closest friends, arrived on the red-eye from Seattle this morning. The two are heading to Acadia National Park for some glamping, kayaking, and hiking this weekend. Tess is an interior designer, among many other things, and even in her sleep deprived state was quick to spot an opportunity to improve the design of the River House when we showed her a model. I have been so focused on the river-side elevations where 80% of the windows are concentrated that I failed to give as much attention to the other side of the house where there are very few. When Tess suggested making the separation of the pairs of vertical windows on the northern elevation symmetrical, it took me all of 2 seconds to fall in love with the idea (top rendering). The timing could not have been more fortuitous as the irrevocable order for the windows is being placed today. I was able to submit the changes just in time and am very appreciative of the fresh perspective that Tess provided.
With lead times for some kitchen appliances of up to a year, it is important that we finalize our appliance selections and get our orders placed for the new house. We have pretty much settled on everything except the refrigerator. Although much of the kitchen floor plan is now fixed, we still have some flexibility to accept a refrigerator of either 36″, 42″ or 48″ in width. To help illustrate the different possibilities for Jeanine, I made some crude scale models for the cabinetry and appliances, allowing us to swap different variations in and out quickly.
Of great value to me, a visual learner and three dimensional thinker, this exercise proved entirely unhelpful for Jeanine who expressed her unambiguous wishes in very clear terms. “I want a refrigerator just like the one we have now (36″ wide x 72″ tall, French doors, counter depth) plus a separate standing freezer with shelves wide enough for a turkey.” I approach decisions like this one from a dimensional perspective (cubic feet of capacity, height, width and depth) while Jeanine thinks in terms of lived experience. Since I am something of a tourist in the kitchen, I thought it best to go with the advice of the full-time resident.
This weekend, several members of the US National Amputee Soccer Team were in town for a training camp. Nicolai had the group climb 3,165-ft Mount Monadnock on their crutches for a strength and endurance workout. This during a heat wave with temperatures in the high 90s.
Mayela, Stephen and I decided to visit Rockport today. The small town on the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula is a perennial favorite for its classic New England charm. Although it was still pretty hot outside, overcast skies and an off shore wind made our walking tour much more enjoyable. We drove a little further north for lunch at the Lobster Pool in Folly Cove. On the way home, we stopped at Loblolly Cove where I dispatched my drone for a one mile excursion to photograph the Thacher Island lighthouses, each 124 feet tall and located 900 feet apart. Illuminated for the first time on December 21, 1771 these lights provided valuable assistance for the fishermen and sailors of the sea. Even so, there was a strong feeling among the townspeople that the lighthouses were helping the British fleet more than they were helping the Patriot cause. In July 1775, Dr. Samuel Rogers of Gloucester led his company of minutemen to the island and destroyed the lighthouses. Both lights were rebuilt and lit in 1861.
We finally had an opportunity to celebrate Nicolai’s 28th birthday (July 8th actual) with the entire family. Even better, we were joined by my sister Mayela, her husband Stephen, and three members of Nicolai’s amputee soccer community. Jeanine prepared his favorite meal (Chinese chicken salad) and a chocolate cheesecake that he requested. Not surprisingly, it was unbelievably good.
A small bocce tournament and tours of Maya’s tiny house entertained our guests between rounds of food.
Earlier in the day, Mayela, Stephen, Jeanine and I visited the International Sand Sculpture competition on Revere beach. Between the heat, on-going Covid concerns, and being the last day of the event, we encountered an unusually small crowd which greatly facilitated parking and viewing of the sand sculptures. The event typically draws 1 million visitors over a three day period.
Visiting from North Carolina are my sister Mayela, her husband Stephen, and their two dogs, Banjo and Moo. Banjo is rambunctious and super friendly. Moo takes a little longer to warm up to new people but was cuddled in my lap happily accepting a head massage by the end of the evening. Both are cute as buttons, very well behaved and a joy to have in the house.
As is the case in much of the rest of the country, not to mention the rest of the world, we are experiencing a heat wave and drought in Massachusetts. Temperatures here have been and are expected to remain in the mid to high 90s which is not as bad as many other places but still quite oppressive. Ten years ago, Jeanine and I were more concerned with the cold than the heat while vacationing in Alaska. I thought it would be fun to post this photo to help think cool thoughts.
Apple TV+ just announce a new series called Best Foot Forward. It is loosely based on a memoir by Josh Sundquist, a former amputee soccer teammate of Nicolai’s. The two have the same size foot and are missing opposite legs. They shared new pairs of shoes for many years. We are thrilled for Josh who is an Executive Director on the series and look forward to watching this weekend.
Boston’s Old City Hall was home to the city council from 1865 to 1969. It was one of the first buildings in the French Second Empire style to be built in the United States. It is now privately owned and houses a number of businesses, organizations, and restaurants. I passed it while en route to a client’s HQ for all day meetings.
Work with one of my clients today included a field trip to a building under construction that will be our new headquarters. We are hoping to move into the new lab and office space by the end of the summer, construction delays not withstanding. The lab will require minor modifications to accommodate the instruments we are building and we want to ensure that these changes can be made before our move in date.
Over the past weekend, Jeanine and I found ourselves grabbing lunch at a restaurant featuring a Fenway Park theme. Even though we opted to eat outdoors on the lovely day, there was no resisting a photo with the green wall.
Jeanine and I enjoyed a long walk this morning. We were checking out exterior house colors and masonry types for consideration on the River House. At one point, we encountered this butterfly and I asked to borrow Jeanine’s phone to take a photo (it was the only camera available). I was able to get close enough for a reasonably nice image.
On our walk, I had an “ah ha” moment regarding backup power for the all-electric new house we are building. It is imperative for any house built in a cold climate to have some means of keeping the heat going in the event of a power outage to prevent water pipes from freezing. Since moving to Concord some 18 years ago we have experienced 4 long-duration blackouts. This suggests we will likely see future outages every 4 years or so, possibly more, given the increased severity of weather events due to climate change. I learned important lessons from our last backup generator. (1) Power outages happen during extreme weather conditions; blizzards, extreme cold, thunderstorms, and high winds). (2) Generators don’t like to start during these conditions. With this knowledge, I specified the following accessories for the generator I am considering; oil pan heater, carburetor heater, battery heater, air intake heater, and fuel regulator heater. After completing the list it occurred to me that generators are intrinsically not well suited to starting/running in very cold conditions. My break through idea was to install the generator in our basement where it will live in human comfort conditions and need none of the cold weather adaptations which waste energy needlessly whenever it is cold. Furthermore, I will not have to worry about high snow blocking vents or critters taking up residence inside. The price for all this goodness is that I will have to engineer a leak-free exhaust extension to carry the carbon monoxide produced during combustion outside of the house. I found a high temperature flexible hose that should do the trick. It is rated for operation up to 1200F and will accommodate the considerable vibration of the generator while starting and running. The other issue will be the very loud noise during operation. To address this I will build a sound dampening enclosure inspired by one my brother built in his wood shop for his very noisy air compressor.
While on a stroll with Jeanine, we came across a house under construction and noticed they were installing a Tesla solar roof. This is the first one I have seen in person and it has reignited my investigation into solar. Because we have heavy tree cover the ROI for solar is not very attractive. That assumes that we would add solar panels to an existing roof. However, if we installed a solar roof instead of a regular roof, the economics improve dramatically.
The official poster for the 2022 World Amputee Football World Cup was published today. Front and center is the star of Turkey’s team (the home country). Featured prominently is Nicolai from a photograph I took of him. We are all getting very excited as the tournament draws closer. The whole family will be traveling to Istanbul to watch the US play. Jeanine and I for 16 days and Kyle and Maya for 9 days.
This morning, Jeanine asked me to help out with a few projects at Open Table. First, I met with the contractor who will be making improvements to Open Table’s new warehouse (I recommended changing the location of their loading dock which proved to be an almost immediately embraced idea). Second, I used my drone to check the gutters on their main and office buildings (they were clean as a whistle). And finally, I hung four large paintings in their office (which apparently went unnoticed by employees the following day). In exchange, she treated me to breakfast at nearby Babico’s Grill and Cafe which is like stepping into a time machine.
I was at Formlabs today working on a special assignment and had a chance to have lunch with Maya. She also gave me a quick tour of her workstation, lab area, and the project she is currently working on. What a treat.
While I was working full-time at Formlabs the nearby building pictured above was under construction. Two plus years later, it appears to be nearing completion. At the time, I bemoaned the fact that its three-story parking basement would contribute that many more cars to an already untenable commuter log jam. Now, an even larger building with what appears to be a four-story underground parking garage is under construction. It is only a matter of time before the owner of the junkyard (right side, middle of photo) sells out and yet another mega building goes up. I guess the desire for a larger tax base trumps any commitment to thoughtful urban planning.
Nicolai shared this photo taken of him playing an international friendly against Haiti in Miami, Florida last weekend. Unfortunately, the US was missing their two starting defenders and could do little to thwart the speed of the Haitian forwards resulting in a one-sided result. At this stage, however, any opportunity to get playing time as a team is extremely valuable. It is sad to say, but the Haitians have raised more money to support their team in the US than the US team has in the US. Please consider donating to the US National Amputee Soccer Team. Your donations will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous donor.
Inspired by my recent visits to the wetlands of eastern Florida, I decided to visit one of our local rookeries today. I was fortunate to find an osprey at home but not much else in the way of birdlife. The variety of dragonflies, however, was amazing and I will have to return in the future with a macro lens.
The Fruitlands Museum is located on Prospect Hill Road in Harvard, MA. The location has a commanding view of Mount Wachusett and the valley below it. It is one of my favorite locations to practice flying my drone and doing range tests. Most of my day was spent with Kyle working on his basement renovation project. He is scheduled to have an HVAC contractor install updated ductwork adding runs for the new living spaces and insulating all supply ducts since the new system will cool as well as heat.
Jeanine received a lovely note of congratulation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives for being named a Commonwealth Heroine. We are all very proud of her.
Concord is served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Commuter Rail which will take you all the way into Boston’s North Station. Since moving to MA, my downtown jobs have been in Cambridge and Sommerville. Getting to either from a commuter rail stop requires a time-consuming subway transfer and never made sense. Today, I started consulting for a new client with headquarters in Boston proper and a short 23-minute walk from North Station. I took the 6:11 am train from West Concord and was surprised by how empty it was. The ride was slow but relaxing compared to driving and the walk through downtown Boston was delightful.
The Asplundh Tree Expert Co. was founded in 1928 in Pennsylvania by brothers Griffith, Lester and Carl Asplundh, members of a Swedish-American family who combined their educations and experience in arboriculture, electrical engineering and finance. The later is Beth’s father-in-law and we joined her this morning at his winter home before leaving for our flight back to Concord. The company was the first to specialize in trimming trees around power and telephone lines instead of residential services and has been enormously successful. When we arrived at the residence, Kris was totally surprised when greeted by her son Colin who had secretly traveled to Florida from Salt Lake City to visit with his parents. Beth and Colin enjoyed paddle boarding on the river, while Kris and Jeanine relaxed in the pool.
We treated our hosts to a special dinner in Palm Beach this evening at Buccan, We very much enjoyed the small plate dining experience and insanely good desserts. Afterward, we posed for a group portrait on famous Worth Avenue. Our day started with a stroll through the Green Cay Wetlands and breakfast at the Original House of Pancakes where Rob and I had the Belgian waffles we had been craving. Later, we were joined by Kris’ daughter Bethany for lunch on the Intercostal at Prime Catch. A more glutinous day of food consumption, I cannot remember.
Less than five miles from Kris and Rob’s condo are the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. We arrived shortly after sunrise and were treated to all manner of birds, reptiles, and insects. Situated on 50 acres of previous wastewater utility property, Wakodahatchee is a constructed wetlands featuring a three-quarter mile boardwalk that crosses between open water pond areas and islands. Later in the day, we went to see the new Top gun movie, our first time in a theater since the start of the pandemic. Of any movie I can imagine, this is one to see on the big screen.
This morning we flew to West Plam Beach, FL to visit Jeanine’s lifelong friend, Kris, and her husband Rob. Jeanine and Kris grew up together in Lebanon, IN and have remained close for nearly half a century. We enjoyed lunch at the Restoration Hardware rooftop restaurant and then did a car tour of Palm Beach. The Gulfstream Park in Briny Breezes was our destination for a barbecue dinner, where we discovered a very holiday-appropriate message constructed of seaweed on the beach.
All that remains of the old River House is the small pile of rubble pictured above. The rest of the site is now a blank slate for our new house. We will be building on the exact same footprint necessitating a return visit of our surveyor to stake out the house corners. These stakes will guide excavation for the footings and walls of the new basement. Once the footings are poured we will have the surveyor return again to precisely locate the foundation wall corners on the footings. Jeanine and I travel to southern Florida tomorrow and will enjoy a nice respite from work and house.
Demolition of the River House has been completed. Tomorrow the two remaining dumpsters will be pulled and a small load of concrete will be hauled away. The old garage will remain in place providing storage until the end of the project at which time it will also be demolished. After a family dinner this evening, everyone met at the site to check out the progress and to spend some time enjoying the serenity of the river. Next week, excavation for the footings will commence and we will finally be in build mode.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
