Followers of this blog may recall that I was a mentor in the Gordon Leadership program at MIT. My mentee, Nora, has gone on to a very successful career at Microsoft. Jeanine and I attended her wedding to Simon in August of 2013 and now look what they have created. What a cutie!
Snow storms this past winter brought down one of our big pines and countless branches throughout our yard. Together with the bushes and vines I removed yesterday they provided fuel for an all day bonfire. Jeanine helped me for parts of the day and we were joined by Maya late in the afternoon to enjoy our massive “campfire.” There remains at least another full day’s worth of branches that I will deal with tomorrow. Concord has fairly strict regulations around open burning and a permit must be obtained each day. This used to require a drive down to the fire station but is now easily handled online.
See if you can find the devil in the flames.
I can’t remember the last time I put in an 8 hour day of yard work but it has probably been close to 15 years. I think I will wait another 15 before trying it again based on the unanimous opinion of my aching muscles. There are just a few days in early spring when it makes sense to clear the underbrush and vines from the woods that line one side of our property. Too early and you freeze your butt off. Too late and everything has leafed out making the job five times harder. Normally, I give anything with thorns a wide berth but this year I decided they were getting out of control and took out about twenty bushes. Each one found a unique way to draw blood in an attempt to dissuade me from the task.
Although her big party was on Sunday, today is Jeanine’s actual birthday. I still see my 27-year-old bride in her beautiful face. We had a nice lunch date to celebrate the occasion and finished it with a scrumptious cheesecake. Regrettably, Jeanine had to endure my solo acapella rendition of Happy Birthday.
From sun up till sun down my entire day was consumed with preparing my federal and state income taxes. Between receiving income from two different companies, exercising various stock options and restricted stock units, and dealing with royalty income, it was an exercise in extreme frustration. The 6-digit incremental tax bill on top of all the withheld taxes was no prize for all the effort.
Jeanine celebrated her 53rd birthday with a party of her own design. She invited twenty or so of her friends to prepare one of the recipes from the memoir cookbook she is writing and bring it to sample with the others. Each guest was asked to provide feedback on both the quality of the recipe and instructions as well as the taste of the final creation. My contribution was to make images of the various dishes for inclusion in the book. Jeanine reported that it was one of her best birthday parties ever!
Earlier in the day I played in my first game of the spring outdoor soccer season. We travelled to Ludlow, MA, a 90 minute drive to face Lusitano. My lack of conditioning contributed to one of my worst performances ever. I did manage one good play, a long cross which I served right onto the foot of an overlapping fullback. The man marking him tried to clear the ball and wound up putting it in his own net which earned me credit for a goal and helped our team win by a margin of 2-0.
Jeanine and I are starting to think about how we will spend our time when Maya leaves for college. One idea we both like is the idea of becoming Road Writers. The new Tesla will be able to tow up to 5000 pounds and we are thinking about picking up a touring trailer and hitting the road. As we travel across the USA, Jeanine will interview people in different parts of the country for a new book about food insecurity while I continue my blog from the road. Its just an idea at this point but I did spend the better part of the afternoon looking at small Airstreams.
Buckman Tavern, located on the Battle Green in Lexington, MA is a historic American Revolutionary War site associated with the Battle of Lexington and Concord which began early on April 19, 1775.
Having received word that the regular army had left Boston in force to seize and destroy military supplies in Concord, several dozen militiamen gathered on the Lexington town common, and then eventually went to the tavern to await the arrival of the British troops. Definite word reached them just before sunrise, and Captain Parker’s company of militia left the tavern to assemble in two ranks on the common. Following the arrival of the army, a single shot was fired, by whom, it remains unknown. The British regulars, out numbering the colonial militia three to one, then opened fire leaving 7 of them dead. When the British advanced to Concord they met a much larger contingent of Minutemen at the Old North Bridge. There, for the first time, the Americans, acting under orders, fired upon and killed British soldiers. The colonist continued to fire upon and ambush the British as they retreated to Boston killing 73 and wounding 174.
Jeanine and I visited the tavern, now a museum, this afternoon and enjoyed the history lesson. Of even greater interest was the second floor exhibit dedicated to the Battle after the Battle between Concord and Lexington, each vying to be considered the birthplace of the American revolution.
The Series 7 exam, also known as the General Securities Representative Exam (GSRE), is a test administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) that must be passed before stockbrokers are issued a license to trade. One-third of those taking the 6-hour test do not pass on their first attempt. Kyle, whose continued employment was contingent on passing, did so on his first try with a very good score. We are very proud of his achievement and congratulate him on the milestone.
I found myself in the vicinity of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge this afternoon and decided to walk around the Water’s Edge trail. It was cold and windy and there was not much in the way of wildlife to see. Even so, I enjoyed the fresh air and exercise. In the coming weeks, this place will become alive with a great variety of birds. I will return with a long lens when things warm up a bit.
I had a meeting in Cambridge this afternoon and had a chance to photograph the Boston skyline from a high vantage point. For the first time since I can remember there is a new skyscraper on the horizon. Located on the left side of the image above (beneath the “C” in my watermark) is the 60 story Millennium Tower. It is nearing completion and at 685-foot tower will be the tallest residential building in Boston.
I received a notification from Tesla saying that my Model X will be delivered in the April/early May time frame. Based on my experience with the company so far, I am setting my own expectations for June/July. All the reviews I have read so far suggest that my two-year wait will have been worth it. Time will tell.
The opening game of my spring outdoor soccer season was postponed because our home field was covered in 3 inches of snow. Given that my trip to Asia prevented me from training with my team, I can really use the extra week to get my soccer legs back. The forecast says we are in store for even more snow over the coming days.
My nephew, John William Quinn, pictured above with his sister Rachael, will start working for Nielsen Media Research the week after next as a Product Manager. Jeanine decided we would celebrate with a dinner at the restaurant of his choice. Live Alive in Cambridge was his selected and the plan was to have Rachael join us there as a surprise. The problem was that no one bothered to tell me about this plan and I spilled the beans. It was just as well since Rachael went to the location in Lowell rather than Cambridge. In the end all worked out and we had a wonderful meal. Sadly, this probably means that Johnny, who has been living with us since graduating, will be moving to a place closer to his new job. He has been a great addition to the household and we are going to miss him. Below, Maya decides to pose with her dinner. She remains a very odd but lovable child.