I encountered this tarantula while walking in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park the week before last. It was slightly larger than my outstretched hand. I would have liked to photograph this fellow at a lower angle but I remembered that they are quite quick and have serious fangs. Their bite is said to be similar to that of a wasp. I thought best not to conduct any experiments.

Too busy at work for new photography so I am posting some of my snake photos from Costa Rica.

Too busy at work for new photography so I am posting some additional frog photos from my recent trip to Costa Rica.

I had an occasion to speak with a colleague last week about our mutual appreciation for the Indianapolis 500. I recalled getting my hands on a press pass one year (2003 to be precise) and the opportunity to photograph the Eddie Cheever Red Bull racing team when they won the pit stop competition that year. Since I did not start my blog until 2005, I thought I would add this entry for future reference.

Back to the present, my soccer team won our match today against a team of Russians by a margin of 5-0. I had one nice shot from distance that I lofted over the goalie who was way too far off his line but it sailed an inch or two over the crossbar. I also managed a nice defensive play that deprived their wing midfielder of a very dangerous shot on our goal.

The Japanese Maple we planted when we first moved to Concord some 16 years ago has grown to be a spectacular addition to our backyard. It is also the last tree to turn color and shed its leaves each year. When I think back on all the improvements we have made to our home, few are as satisfying and important as the trees we have planted. You can renovate a house or find a new one in short order but only time can provide you with the splendor of a magnificent tree.

This brings to mind an old Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

For years, students from the Fenn School have volunteered at Open Table. Today, Jeanine spoke at an assembly about the value of this work and thanking the school and students for their participation. Some parts of her job are not very satisfying and can put a strain on her but speaking to young people about the realities of food insecurity and the importance of the Open Table mission makes up for all of that.

I had a few minutes this morning before it started raining again to photograph the house with our landscaping foliage at peak color (perhaps a day or two past). If the weekend weather is accommodating, I may head south on Saturday to capture the last of this year’s color in what has been a most spectacular year.

The rising success of the US National Amputee Soccer program would not be possible without the dedication of the all volunteer staff of the American Amputee Soccer Association (AASA). Pictured above from left to right are the Head Coach, Massage Therapist, Assistant Coach, and Athletic Trainer. Without their contributions to the team, it would not have been possible to secure the victories we did in Costa Rica last week.

Today my team held a half day offsite program retrospective for the Form 3. The idea is to identify what went well and what could have gone better so as to learn how to improve on future programs. As is the culture at Formlabs, we spent 99% of our time focused on our mistakes. Also in keeping with our culture we spent the second half of the afternoon enjoying ourselves in each other’s company.

I took a red-eye from San Jose to Boston today and was back in the office by noon. As is usually the case when I take a “vacation,” I returned entirely spent but spiritually recharged. I experienced the natural beauty of Costa Rican volcanoes, waterfalls, and wildlife. I had the pleasure of watching Nicolai playing the game he loves so much while wearing the colors of his country. Perhaps most gratifying, however, was witnessing the inspirational impact that our amputee athletes had on all who watched them compete. Able bodied observers walked away with a new appreciation for the determination and adaptability of differently-abled people. Those facing their own physical challenges were lifted in the knowledge of what is possible.

With one win and one loss, today’s match between the US and Costa Rican National teams was for all the marbles. Actually, it was for the President’s Cup trophy. Despite last night’s ordeal, the team voted to go ahead with the competition and on some level used their collective anger to push themselves to new limits. The US scored first; the Costa Ricans answered almost instantly. The US scored again and with just minutes left in the game the equalizer came, forcing another penalty kick shoot out. Thanks once again to our excellent keeper we were up 3-1 on PKs. Once again, Nico was summoned for the deciding kick which he put away definitively for the 4-1 win and his twentieth international goal. If you want to know what pure joy looks like, have a peek at the celebration below.

I will return to Boston totally exhausted and thoroughly happy for my solo time in nature and my community time with Nico and his teammates. A full set of soccer photos can be found here.

The field we played on yesterday was right next to the Church Vazquez de Coronado which I photographed early this morning before the team boarded a bus for seaside Puntas Arenas. There the US faced Costa Rica for the second time with a much less satisfactory outcome. The team gave up two early goals and a third in the second half falling to a 3-0 defeat. The two hour ride in a barely large enough bus had done little to help with the stiff muscles everyone was experiencing. Nicolai played well and put shots on both the left and right posts but could not find the back of the net.

After the match both teams enjoyed dinner at a restaurant just off the beach. A number of us paused our meal to enjoy a beautiful sunset and to dip our toes in the Pacific Ocean. The two hour return to San Jose after losing was not made easier by constant rain. Adding insult to injury, we arrived at the Olympic compound only to discover that the room Nico was staying in had been burglarized. Three of our players lost all their electronics and other valuables and one lost his passport. Amazingly, Nico’s belongings were undisturbed. Apparently the thief had to make a hasty exit. Cue memories of my last visit to Costa Rica when all my camera gear was stolen. Hours were spent investigating and providing the police with necessary details. A decision on withdrawing from the tournament to help our stranded player with obtaining a replacement passport was postponed until the morning.

Having enjoyed a few days of vacation it is now time to get down to business. In my capacity as the Vice President of the American Amputee Soccer Associations and more importantly, the team photographer, I am in Costa Rica to support the US National Amputee Soccer team as they face Costa Rica in a series of three international friendly matches. The team is being hosted at the Costa Rican Olympic Training Center, an oasis in an otherwise densely populated suburb of San Jose. Nicolai is captain of the US team and was featured in a flattering article published earlier this week in the local paper. I used Google to translate the article into English.

The team’s first match was this afternoon in a light rain. At the end of regulation time the score was tied 0-0. By prior agreement, a winner would be determined in a penalty kick shoot out. Thanks to some outstanding goal tending, the US went up two goals to zero. A third goal would secure victory and Nico delivered a low shot to the right corner for the win and celebration with his teammates. It must be said that officiating was fairly one-sided making the victory that much sweeter.

Many people consider the Resplendent Quetzal to be the most beautiful bird in the world. I would not disagree. It is also very hard to photograph. They feed primarily on wild avocados so the key to finding one is to locate and stake out an avocado tree with ripe fruit. Ninety percent of the time the Quetzal is in and among the branches and leaves making a clean shot nearly impossible. Posted here are my best images from today and yesterday. A total of ten hours at one tree. Some might think this is a crazy use of vacation time. It may be easier to relate if you think of this as a form of hunting, something deeply embedded in our primitive programming. I enjoy the challenge, the resulting “trophy” and spending quiet time in a beautiful natural setting which for me is very restorative.