I am fondly remembering my adventure with Kyle to Patagonia today as we celebrate his 22nd birthday from a distance. We had such a great time that I would very much like to embark on another expedition with him. He is getting ready to enter his senior year at Santa Clara University and I suspect it will only get harder to find the time to make such trips in the future. That said, I am going to start planning the next one now. I believe that your master numbered (same two digits; 11, 22, 33, …) birthdays are like chapters in a book, demarcating major points of transition. I look forward to seeing what path Kyle chooses to follow and to contrast that with my own choices as my 55th year comes to a close.
Maya tackled the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park which she described as one of the most beautiful she has ever seen. This cell phone photo was sent by one of the group leaders. The kids are only allowed 2 phone calls during the three week excursion and we are looking forward to hearing from her tomorrow. I am also eager to see the photos that Maya has taken on her camera. She will be white water rafting on Wednesday and then one more thirty-mile ride before her adventure comes to a close. She returns to Concord this Saturday and we cannot wait to see her.
While traveling down the highway at 70mph it was hard not to notice two massive Great Danes with their heads sticking out of an SUV, ears, and jowls flapping all over the place. By the time I could pull out my camera for the high-speed snapshot, only one was still enjoying the breeze.
Homemade blueberry pie was on the dinner dessert menu this evening courtesy of Jeanine’s sister Susan. She arrived yesterday with her friend Jean and will be staying with us for the weekend. They spent most of the day organizing our walk-in closet (read helping Jeanine decide which clothes were ready for donation) while I was reorganizing the garage to make room for my new car which should be arriving by the end of the month.
Maya’s bike expedition has entered Glacier National Park to begin their third and last week on the road. From the Apogee blog is the first photo in which we can clearly see Maya.
I spent the better part of 6 hours installing a new washer and dryer in our second-floor laundry room. The new units arrived this morning and were delivered to our first-floor foyer. I managed to get the old units down and the dryer upstairs by myself (using various principles of mechanical advantage). The washer was just too heavy so I enlisted the help of Nico and his friend. The water supply shut-off valve was stuck in the on position which meant I had to turn off the water to the entire house and then repair the valve (extra two hours). Mounting both units on pedestals also took longer than I would have expected but will make for a lot less bending over in the years to come and was well worth the extra effort. Jeanine made a delicious chicken cacciatore dinner as a reward and we pulled up chairs to watch the first wash cycle through the glass portals. Possibly the most pathetic date night ever, but oddly one we both enjoyed.
We are members of a local CSA . Each week we pick up a basketful of in season vegetables and/or fruits. With Jeanine arriving later this evening it fell to me to make today’s pickup. I must admit it was fun to select from the variety of offerings with the knowledge that Jeanine would transform it all into some very yummy and healthy meals.
Pictured here is my kayak storage / car loading system. A pulley system lowers the kayaks directly onto my homemade car carrier with almost no effort. In the storage position the kayaks are near the ceiling of the garage where they are well out of harms way. I can load and secure a kayak in less than 2 minutes with no assistance.
224 miles into her Montana biking expedition, Maya reached the small town of Choteau today. The kids get to make one phone call each week and Jeanine was the recipient of the first. Maya reports that she is having a great time and that their route is extremely beautiful. I Googled Choteau and found this image by photographer Ann Torrence. Before she left I gave Maya a nice camera and I hope she is making frequent use of it.
Still stiff from the volleyball tournament yesterday, it was not easy to drag myself to soccer practice this morning but I did none the less. After a torrential downpour during the early afternoon, I set out for some photography in the towns of Sudbury and Maynard. My final destination was the Assabett River National Wildlife Refuge where I found an ample supply of subjects.
Each of the following photos contains at least one insect. There are a total of 78 including 6 species.
This evening, Nicolai was the honorary captain of the New England Revolution MLS soccer team participating in the coin toss to start their match against the Columbus Crew. He earned his stripes by winning the toss for the Revs. Nico received ten complimentary clubhouse tickets and invited his friends to join him for the game. When one couple canceled, I was next in line for a ticket and enjoyed the opportunity to see him at center field with Jose Goncalves and Michael Parkhurst, captains for the Revs and Crew respectively.
Earlier in the day I attended the iRobot annual summer picnic at Kimbal Farm. This year I was assigned to a pretty respectable volleyball team and we placed second in the eight team tournament. I was able to make some positive contributions to my team but with each passing year I feel my speed is approaching that of this guest of the farm.
At any given time I own a half dozen cameras. The one pictured here is a Sony RX100 which I carry with me all the time. One day (soon) someone will design a high quality camera phone. Until then, I will be using a purpose built camera for my everyday “snapshots”. Today I sold this trusted friend and replaced it with the newest generation of the same model, the RX100 iii. It features a better lens, a better sensor, and a pop up viewfinder to name the key improvements.
When people ask me why I love living in Concord it would be easy to explain if I had this photo on hand. Beyond our quaint downtown and our historic landmarks, the town has fought fiercely to preserve open spaces. This scene is less than a mile from our house.
Liverpool F.C. played A.S. Roma this evening in a friendly match at Fenway Park. Who knew you could squeeze a soccer pitch into a baseball park? Roma scored the only goal in stoppage time for the win. I attended the match with Nico as a guest of Lumber Liquidators. They are sponsoring Nico’s amp soccer teammate, Noah Grove (pictured above) who is in town for the event with his parents. The match was not terribly exciting but the company was great.
Jeanine left for California this morning and will be spending the next week with Kyle.
My eye is often drawn to patterns. These can be found across from Verrill Farm on the Old Road to Nine Acre Corner, one of my favorite street names of all time. The tongue-twister title of this post was created with today’s pattern theme in mind.
A fairly large portion of the day was devoted to getting Maya packed for her Apogee bike trip. She leaves early tomorrow morning for Montana where she will bike an average of 40 miles per day for the next three weeks. In addition, she will complete 30 hours of community service on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, raft the Flathead River, and bike the “Going to the Sun” road in Glacier National Park, one of the most scenic highways in the country. After a special family dinner (Maya requested Mexican Torta for her farewell meal and Jeanine added a healthy quinoa salad) we had a long FaceTime chat with Kyle who has settled nicely into the house he is renting. I was back on the soccer pitch this morning working on my touch and conditioning. I will be playing in a big summer tournament in August and need to stay in shape.
We are fortunate to live less than a mile from 200 acre, family run, Verrill Farm, established in 1918. Today was the Blueberry Pancake Breakfast and Pie Eating Contest, one of many seasonal festivals held throughout the year. With Jeanine and Maya driving back from Vermont this afternoon, I was thrilled to have a good reason to head out for breakfast. The fresh blueberry pancakes are really quite delicious and worth the 30 minute wait in line.
The pie eating contest is broken up into different age groups. Contestants may not use their hands at anytime and the first to produce a clean pie tin is the winner. Many participants care less about winning a ribbon and more about enjoying the pie.
My favorite benefit at iRobot is half-day Fridays. During the summer months you can leave at noon if you have put in 40 hours before then. I decided to spend the afternoon on the water in my home built kayak. The weather was ideal and I encountered dozens of turtles, hundreds of damselflies, and a hand full of huge blue herons. I covered about 7 miles so as not to overdo things on my first outing of the summer. My right shoulder is still hurting from beach volleyball in Brazil so I kept my pace fairly slow.
I learned to appreciate a beautiful sunset from my father. He knew how to pause whatever he was doing and give his full attention to the appreciation of nature’s light show. This was also true of a good campfire. I am pleased that I inherited his mindfulness and ability to really live in the moments of such beauty. With Jeanine visiting her sister in Vermont, Maya at ballet camp in Montreal, and Nico on a date with Koruna, I enjoyed the sunset this evening with memories of my father.
Gerbil B wished to be photographed with a funny face. Rose has a distinctly different personality than her sister and I am reminded of the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character when I am around her. She is a bundle of energy and a force of nature.I enjoyed this visit and was sad to see the girls leave today. Jeanine heads north to visit her sister in Burlington, Vermont today before the pair continue on to Montreal to pick up Maya from ballet camp.
We are enjoying a visit this week from my two nieces, Sophia and Rosie. They are here with my brother’s wife, Marie, who is in town on business. Yesterday, Jeanine spent the day with them at White Pond and today took them to the Science Museum in Boston by way of the commuter rail and “T”. When I returned from work, I conducted two belly button inspections, clearing both children for dinner after which I singled out Sophia for a few photographs. Their time with us has been positioned as a visit to camp Calabria. As such they have been given camp names. I call Sophia, Gerbil A. Tomorrow, the blog will feature a picture of her sister, Gerbil B.
Jeanine’s raspberry patch produced the first fruit of the season. Always a good excuse to break out the ice cream, I sampled the crop and am prepared to declare it will be a good year for berries. The trick now, is to visit the patch everyday to gather the ripe fruit before the deers and birds make off with the harvest.
What a difference a day makes. Clear skies and unlimited visibility have been replaced by thick clouds and the threat of rain. Determined to reach home in time for the World Cup finals, I skip breakfast and break camp before dawn. In my haste, I managed to miss the turn for the Zealand Hut and found myself atop South Twin Mountain. I was in no mood to retrace several hours of my climb and decided to continue over North Twin and back to civilization via Haystack Road. I was extremely fortunate to meet a trio of Tufts students at the end of the trail who were kind enough to drive 30 minutes out of their way to return me to my car. I made a beeline for home and only missed the first 5 minutes of the game, which I watched, flanked on either side by my visiting nieces. The extremely rocky trails, four 4000 footers and a total of 16 hours of climbing have left me very sore but equally happy.
On the advice of a colleague who is an avid White Mountain climber, I am headed for Bondcliff today. Located in the middle of the Pemigewasset wilderness, this very remote 4,265 ft. high peak offers a pristine 360 degree view of the Whites. I start from the Zealand trailhead at 6:30am arriving at the Guyout tent site five and half hours later. Here I pause for lunch and to setup tent (the yellow one) on the provided wooden platforms (3 to a site to accommodate the maximum number of campers).
With a much lighter pack I departed camp at 1:30pm reaching Bondcliff by 3:30pm after a leisurely stop on top of 4698 ft. Mount Bond.
The view from Bondcliff was spectacular and I could not have asked for better weather conditions. If not for my fear of heights, I would have ventured out onto the small rock platform atop the cliff edge for a truly memorable selfie but had to settle for the less dramatic version below. On my return to Guyout, it was my plan to take the spur trail to West Bond for the sunset. My water ran out about the same time my legs did and I thought the better of finishing the day hiking by headlamp.
Before leaving for work this morning I decided I would spend the bulk of the weekend in the White Mountains and quickly packed my backpack for a 2 night excursion. I left work at noon and drove first to Franconia Notch where I stopped for a little photography at the Basin.
I continued on to the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the world’s first mountain-climbing rack-and-pinion railway and a National Historic Engineering Landmark. The three mile railway is the second steepest rack railway in the world with an average grade of over 25% and a maximum grade of 37.41%. Unfortunately, I arrived too late for the last run and had to settle for photos of the descending trains.
I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner in advance of several camp site prepared meals (read dehydrated food) at the famous Mount Washington Resort.
As I was enjoying their strawberry-balsamic soup from the veranda, I was treated to a full moon rising over the mountains. My final stop for the evening was the Zealand campsite.
Jeanine and close friend Irene head out this evening for a long weekend on Martha’s Vineyard. With Nico off to a multi-day concert and Maya in Montreal, I am on my own for the next three days. If the weather holds, I may head to the White Mountains for some climbing or look into a multi-day kayaking trip.
I think it is safe to say that Nico and I returned from Brazil with more clothing and bags then when we left. The Coca-Cola hospitality package included warmup-jackets, rain-jackets, shirts, scarves, umbrellas, hats, tambourines, workout bags, luggage tags, Coke tumblers and this does not even include the Powerade items that Nico received. I had occasion this morning, as I was starting to unpack, to lay many of the items out for a quick photograph. This is not even the whole package. I am not sure about the tambourines, but everything else is going to be put to very good use.
Nico celebrated his twentieth birthday today with friends who joined him to watch the Germany-Brazil semi-final World Cup match at the house. Later he and Koruna went out for a nice dinner and allowed me to make a nice portrait upon their return. It is hard to believe that we our down to one teenager and she is currently in Montreal attending ballet camp.
While Nico and I were in Brazil, Jeanine and Maya were visiting with Kyle and his girlfriend, Isabella, in California. Mother and sister helped Kyle feather his new nest, the house below, which he shares with a few classmates. Maya assembled a complicated Ikea dresser for her brother while Jeanine ensured the driving safety of his car by having the brakes serviced. Since he will not be returning this summer due to his internship at Palo Alto Networks, I will plan to visit him sometime this summer.
Checkout time this morning was 9am and our shuttle to the airport is not until 6pm. We decided to fill the day with sightseeing and hopped into a taxi to Sugarloaf Mountain immediately after breakfast. Unlike my first visit, the atmospheric conditions today are absolutely perfect. With minimal crowds and 20 mile visibility we lingered on top until we had absorbed the amazing panoramic views.
After descending we were fortunate to find the Rio Splash Tour on the verge of departure. We jumped on the amphibious open-sided bus akin to the Boston Duck Boats for a tour of the harbor. The views were exceptional and offered a very different vantage point from which to enjoy the city.
Our final stop for the day was the Copacabana beach where we enjoyed a late lunch, a visit to the FIFA Fanfest Store (a total waste of time), and a stroll on the beach. Never have I seen so many people on such an extensive beach in all my life.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
