Nicolai was inseparable from his group of friends, and when he surfaced, he could usually be found on the basketball court.

Despite the ample supply of photogenic subjects, my favorites do not get a break from my photographic interest.

The adults are far more challenging to photograph. Why do we become so self conscious as we mature? I literally shoot from the hip to get candid images of my peers.

The people who attend Ferry Beach are all wonderful and each finds a way to share their gifts with the community. Whether it is officiating the croquet tournament, building the camp fire, watching the kids on the beach, or running the talent show, everyone finds a way to share what they love. Photography is my contribution and I make an effort each year to capture a portrait of everyone. The children are by far the easiest to photograph.

 
Ferry Beach has something for the entire family. Naturally the beach is the major attraction but it is also a perfect venue for kayaking, bike riding, and bird watching. Volleyball, extreme croquet and sand castle building feature prominently in the activities which culminate in a talent show on Sunday evening. This UUI owned summer camp includes several dormitories as well as a camping area.

Each Memorial Day weekend the family travels to Ferry Beach, Maine where families from the Concord and Lexington UUI churches gather to celebrate life and enjoy each others company. The kids have long standing friendships which are rekindled each year. Kyle elected to remain at home this year concerned that none of his friends would be in attendance this year.

 
Kyle mentioned that he is thinking about wrestling next season and as I looked at this photo I realized his strength training has already given him the requisite neck muscles to be successful.

 
While Kyle mingled, I found a few interesting subjects to photograph in the glorious pre-dusk light. The weather today could not have been better for an evening picnic. A keen eye will detect more than a flower in this photo.

 
Kyle and I attended his end of the season soccer party at Kimball Farm. I am glad he excels at soccer because I think you need to keep your eyes open if you want to be any good at football. The celebration/awards ceremony involves both the boys and girls Star club teams.

 
Jeanine’s vegetable garden is beginning to show signs of food. Not sure what this is but I am sure I will be eating it in a couple of weeks. I included the quarter to give a sense of scale. Maya checks the garden daily for progress.

No one enjoys Spring more than Nala who is happy to spend the entire day outside. She has worn a path through the garden (with no regard for plant life) along the road just inside the perimeter of her electric containment fence. At the first sign of a car or bicycle she sprints down the path to discourage any incursions onto our property. Absent these distractions she keeps a close eye on the field for any form of wildlife she deems unacceptable. Deer are at the top of her list. Speaking of running, I have been coerced by my colleagues to enter the Corporate Challenge Run next month. The 3+ mile event will draw 12,000 runners this year and proceeds will be used to fund summer camps for urban youth. This evening after work I joined my fellow team mates on a practice run. My knee held up very well on the 3.5 mile run but it is very clear that soccer endurance and muscles do not map to distance running at all. It was a challenge to keep up the pace with a group of guys that were not even born when I did my last training run for a road race. I am reminded how much more I prefer running after a ball than tediously in a straight line.

 
Jeanine and I took Nala for a walk around the neighborhood this evening and Maya joined us on her bike. It never ceases to amaze me how short Spring is in New England. In a matter of two or three weeks everything has turned a lush green aided by a greater than average amount of rainfall.

 
Sarinnagh celebrates her tenth birthday with Maya soon to follow. Maya and her friends got together and bought her an Ipod Shuffle and wrapped the miniature device inside a huge box hidden within one of three gift bags. All took delight as Sarinnagh slowly searched through the packaging to discover her present.

Immediately after her dance recital, Maya and I left to attend a birthday party being held at Harvard Stadium where the Boston Breakers professional women’s soccer team (in blue) was in action.

Maya performed in her first dance recital today. She has been studying jazz dance for several months and this is the first time we have had a chance to see her in action. She was absolutely terrific and more importantly seemed to really enjoy herself. She showed no signs of nervousness despite the scale of the venue and a standing room only audience which looked to number around 400.

Jeanine spent a good part of the day gardening. Rather than planting vegetables, I was a vegetable recovering from an exhausting week of work. Between the travel and long days I just needed a day of decompression. Nico refereed three soccer games netting him $60 and Kyle did some landscaping work. Maya played soccer and went shopping for a birthday present for a friend. I am in charge of dinner and we will be having ravioli this evening.

It is a beautiful morning, and love is in the air.

This week marks more than four years of continuous daily blogging and by my count some 3,136 posts. When I began keeping this daily journal, I postulated that taking a photo every day would improve my photography. In point of fact, it has had the opposite effect. I am often hard pressed to come up with a photo each and every day and frequently settle for what I call a grab shot, one lacking much artistic or creative merit, but none the less freezing a moment in time.

Although my initial photographic goal was not realized through the blog, I feel like I have received a far greater benefit than I could have ever imagined. It generally takes me much longer to write the words that accompany each photo and somehow I have come to believe that a few well chosen words are often worth a thousand photos.

I look forward to keeping up my routine over the next four years and hope my children will one day look back upon this journal and enjoy sharing these memories with their own children.

Stanford is the size of a small city and I got a great shot of the entire campus. The image is far too detailed to post here so I settled on this more limited view of the sports complex.

Today is a travel day back to Boston. My flight was oversold, so I gave up my seat for a free ticket. My alternate flight took me to San Francisco, and on approach, we flew over my alma mater, Stanford University. This photo is of Stanford’s radio telescope, affectionately referred to as the dish.

Less than a mile from some of the worst destruction, the Santa Barbara Mission was spared and makes a nice reminder of the beauty that remains. Despite the terrible losses suffered, I saw and heard about many acts of compassion and generosity.

 
When a house burns to the ground the only thing which remains is usually the fire place and items made of brick or clay. Out of respect for the homeowners and their property all my photos of the fire aftermath were taken with a telephoto lens from a great distance away. I elected not to take pictues if family members were present. These would have been journalistically powerful but I am not a journalist and after this experience I am not sure I could be. I strive to make images which capture the spirit of the people in them. Taking a picture of someone who is suffering is something I am not now and may never be ready to do.

 
I am camping on the beach again so each morning I get up at about 3:30am and head into the office. I grab a shower and work for a couple of hours. After the sun comes up I head out for breakfast and a little photography. I was surprised to see so many burned up vehicles. A house made of wood I can understand but a machine made primarily of steel seems like a much less vulnerable target.

Helicopters, which looked more like hornets, are constantly picking up water and delivering it to the remaining hot spots.

Fire crews from all over the state and even neighboring states converged on Santa Barbara to help battle the blaze.

Everywhere you turn there are signs expressing deep appreciation for the firefighters, police and first responders whose heroic efforts saved many homes and many lives. Although something like 80 homes were lost, it was apparent to me that many hundreds more were saved. I often saw one house leveled to the ground with another standing 200 feet away without a hint of damage.

Today, I worked for 14 hours. That is nothing compared to this fire crew from Pasedena who has been on the scene for 5 days working around the clock. They informed me that the fire was well under control and that the weather was cooperating.

 
What you see here are the melted remains of the magnesium alloy wheels from this truck.

If

 
Volunteers have left a pair of gloves and a sifting screen for the family. Can you imagine having your entire home reduced to ash that will pass through a 1/4 inch wire mesh?

 
The family that lived here lost everything. Their house, in the background, has burned to the ground and their truck is nothing but a carcass. It was very sobering to view this scene and I can only begin to imagine the total sense of loss they must feel. Fortunately, despite the massive destruction, no one lost their life to the fire.

 
Another monthly trip to Santa Barbara today. Wake up at 4:30am, in the air by day break, land in LA at 10:30am (Pacific Time), drive to Santa Barbara, and then start an 8 hour work day. Still plenty of energy and almost an hour of sunlight to head up into the foothills to see first hand the aftermath of the Jesusita wildfire. It does not take long before I encounter the first signs. The fire is now largely contained due to favorable weather conditions but fire crews remain on site in the event hot spots reignite.