I received a new lens in the mail today and through sheer laziness did all of my testing while sacked out on the couch. From that vantage point, our entry foyer is the most interesting subject. I am in the middle of transitioning camera systems and have been buying one new lens for each one I sell.
The commute to Cambridge is almost tolerable if I leave at 6:30 AM as was the case this morning with a door-to-door time of 42 minutes. The breakfast options within walking distance of the office are impressive and the walk invariably presents new photo ops. You simply don’t see dumpsters decorated in this manner anywhere in Concord.
Couldn’t resist this shot of my bonsai as I was headed out the door this morning. The sun had just risen and was bathing our Japanese maple in golden light. Wish I had spent a few more minutes to set up some foreground lighting but beating the crush of commuter traffic was a higher priority.
The only aspect of my new job that I do not like is the commute. Last week it averaged 1 hour and 15 minutes. Today I left the house at 6:30AM and used a couple of back road detours and was able to reach the office in 44 minutes; wahoo!! Having skipped breakfast I walked a half mile down Brookline Ave to Central Square where I found a great place to eat. I can tell this is going to become a routine. The breakfast sandwich I had was out of this world and the walk, featuring great urban art scenes along the way, is a wonderful way to kick off my work day.
My Division 1 over-56 soccer team closed the fall season this morning with a come-from-behind 2-2 tie securing us a 3rd-place finish in the league. I managed 60 minutes of play before re-tweaking the hamstring that has been plaguing me all season. With 6 goals in the four matches I played healthy, it is one of my better seasons in some time. I think I am going to skip the indoor season and let my various injuries heal thoroughly.
Our Japanese maple is always the last to turn color and a beautiful focal point in our backyard. We planted this tree shortly after moving here some 14 years ago and it has grown to be quite large. Also in full color are the two massive burning bushes that frame our front yard (only one pictured below). I took advantage of the nice weather to winterize our irrigation system and outdoor water faucets, relocate our snowblower from the shed to our garage, and spend some time working on the tiny house.
I am loving everything about my new job except the commute. Each day I try a different route in an attempt to avoid the traffic pinch points. This experimentation sometimes leads to interesting discoveries as was the case this morning when I encountered a block-long row of scarecrows.
The Superpedestian office is what you would expect of a startup on a tight budget. The pair of buildings we occupy are rather nondescript and look more like a bike shop than anything else. We are rapidly running out of space and have to share what little remains with dozens and dozens of bikes. I believe we have more bikes than employees at this point and they are even used for wall art (which I find very cool).
I received this photo from Jeanine in a text but was too busy at work to figure out what she was up to.
I did not get back from work until long after Halloween trick-or-treaters had made the rounds. Fortunately (or not), there was still an abundant supply of Kit-Kat bars in the foyer when I returned. No chance for photography today, so a thematically appropriate entry taken earlier this month.
As much as I enjoyed my failed attempt at retirement, it was very exciting to be back in the thick of a high-tech startup environment again. Today was my first day on the job as VP of Engineering for Superpedestrian. A very early arrival and late return from our Cambridge office helped me avoid the worst of what can only be described as a miserable commute. Traffic in the Boston area has been getting worse every year, a function of the city’s booming economy. Our office has a very hip vibe and feels more like an urban bike shop than anything else. We are already crowded in the two adjacent buildings we lease and it is clear we are going to need a new location sooner than later. I was warmly welcomed by my new colleagues and found myself very well ensconced, dare I say already productive, by the end of what turned out to be a very long day.
It has been 17 years since I transitioned from film photography to digital. My first DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera was the Canon EOS D30 which sported a resolution of 3.1 MP, 3 frames per second shooting rate and 3 autofocus points. Today, I sold what will be my very last DSLR, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, a 30MP, 7 fps, 61 point AF camera that is considered by many to be one of the best in the world. I am transitioning to interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras and from the Canon to Sony brand. My 5DM4 will be replaced with a Sony A7r3 due in by the end of November. It has a resolution of 42MP with 10fps and 399 point AF system. Most importantly it replaces the mirror found on all DSLRs with an electronic viewfinder capable of delivering better than optical performance and a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) preview. Sony has leapfrogged both Canon and Nikon with this technology and I feel it will take both many years to catch up since they have such a vested interest in perpetuating the DSLR architecture. Of equal significance, Sony has started to make some seriously impressive lenses that are every bit as good or better than their “Canikon” equivalents.
I was back in action on the soccer pitch this morning and my hamstring seems to have fully healed. I managed a very pretty goal from the top of the box, one timing a perfect cross and sending it rocketing past the keeper. Although the game was close through the first half we were overrun by numbers in the second (their squad of 22 versus ours of 11) and suffered a 2-6 loss. Hard to beat a team with fresh subs every 10 minutes when you have none. Still, I was happy to be back on the pitch again.
With my new job starting on Monday, Jeanine and I decided to share some couples time making a day trip to Turners Falls where we enjoyed an out of this world lunch at the Great Falls Harvest restaurant. A leisurely walk along the river and through the town made for a delightful afternoon on what is likely to be the last perfect day of fall. We also visited Millers Falls and the Quabbin reservoir.
Jeanine spotted this magnificent tree which is no doubt the prettiest of the season. It was located on private property and guarded by a rather threatening dog so I had to make do with a photo through the open car window. The full resolution original image is simply amazing.
One of my soccer teammates is now the coach of the CCHS Freshman Women’s Soccer Team. He contacted me yesterday wondering if I would be available to photograph today’s match. He would like each of the girls to have a nice photograph to remember their season by. I was happy to do it even though I am between camera systems right now and had neither the proper body or lens for the assignment. I made the best of my available gear and in the end was reasonably happy with the results. I couldn’t help stopping on the way to the game to capture the swans below.
