Maya created this wonderful selfie of us relaxing on the couch.  One of my favorite pictures of all time.

I pass this house whenever I head into West Concord and frequently pause to admire the natural beauty and serenity of this scene.

Jeanine and I enjoyed a 16.5 mile bike ride this morning along the Nashua River Rail Trail. We started in Groton and turned around once we reached the New Hampshire border.  Along the way we paused for this photograph within the J. Harry Rich State Forest.  Overcast skies made for a chilly start to the ride but the exercise eventually warmed us up.

My soccer team concluded its regular season in fine form this morning with a 4-1 win to secure a second-place finish in our Division 1 (southern region) over-50 soccer league.  Our age group includes 64 teams split between five divisions and two regions (north and south). Unfortunately, an injury that has been nagging me all season reached the point where I needed to sit out and will likely miss the playoffs as well (the top 4 teams in the league compete for the champions trophy). Bummer!

Maya had an afternoon scrimmage with her club team.  She looked a bit rusty but still showed some mad skills and made some very impressive attacking runs.

Santa Clara University held its undergraduate commencement ceremony this morning under beautiful California skies. Karina, Jeanine and I were there to witness the auspicious occasion.  He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance with a minor in Computer Science back in December but we encouraged him to attend the ceremony for our benefit. How else would we get the official graduation portrait of parents kissing child?  In my exuberance, I may have gotten little carried away with the whole concept.

Apparently, the women who attend Santa Clara are as strong as they are attractive.  I do not know if it is customary for graduating males to be hoisted in the fashion illustrated below, but who am I to judge in light of my approach to showing affection for my son?

Before catching the red-eye back to Boston, we concluded our California visit with a nice walk to the Rose Garden in San Jose.  Jeanine and I really enjoyed getting to know Karina better during our brief visit. She graduated from Santa Clara last year and is preparing to pursue a graduate degree in Education. She exudes a relaxed confidence in herself that makes being around her so enjoyable.  She is as charming and beautiful as she is intelligent and hard working. Kyle has much to be thankful for.

Our flight from Boston to Los Angeles, where we connected for San Jose, took us right over the Grand Canyon.  Shortly after arriving we met with Kyle and his girlfriend, Karina, for a wonderful dinner followed by Copa America soccer viewing back at our hotel.

Despite overcast skies and high winds it proved to be a nice day for a nature walk.  I discovered a new path which offered great access to our new Great Blue Heron rookery even if from a very great distance.  I spotted two and three chicks on every nest, a veritable bumper crop of very healthy looking birds.

Jeanine and I leave for California in the morning where we will witness Kyle’s commencement ceremony on Saturday.  Although he graduated in December, we wanted him to experience the full pomp and circumstance of this milestone.

Jeanine has been offered and accepted the position of Executive Director at Open Table.  Maya and Karuna (Nicolai’s girlfriend) surprised her with flowers and ice cream to celebrate the occasion.  Taking her out for lunch at Paparazzi, by comparison, seems like a feeble gesture on my part. I did, however, offer much emotional and coaching support as she navigated the long interview process which included 20 other candidates.  Her start date will be August 1st allowing her to travel to Europe on a visit already planned for July.  We are all very proud of her and can’t wait to watch as she leads the organization into the future.

No longer the speedster she once was, Nala is aging gracefully as she turns 50 in human years.  She can still out run me but in another year or two I expect to gain the advantage.  She remains gentle and independent, behaving more like a cat than a dog.  I am going to try and persuade Maya to reshoot a photo that I took when Nala was just a puppy.  Although she is much larger now, Maya is plenty strong enough to pick her up and I think the grass in Mattison field is just the right height. Stay tuned.

Shot two nights ago, I finally had a chance to select my favorites from over 100 images I took.  Everywhere I looked, the sky was on fire.  Pictured on top and bottom is the Sudbury River. The image in the middle is from our back yard.

Our garden is peaking this week with flowers blooming everywhere. In a matter of days the spring symphony will be over and I am pleased I have been able to enjoy it this year.

At Concord Carlisle High School, seniors are treated to an All Night Live party to celebrate their graduation.  Parents of underclassmen traditionally take charge of the event so senior parents can relax.  Jeanine and I were on the decorating committee and placed in charge of lighting.

As a favor for a close friend who is moving, I photographed and put up for sale the pictured telescope. The rest of the day was split between eradicating a bumper crop of poison ivy located in the woods at the edge of our property and shopping for the few remaining items needed to complete my car camping setup.  Jeanine and I will be driving down to North Carolina for a family reunion at the end of the month and plan to visit the Great Smoky Mountain and Shenandoah National Parks.

Nicolai was in charge of dinner this evening and prepared bacon and avocado cheeseburgers.  Yummy.