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.