On a total spur of the moment decision, my brother Mark and nephews Mario and Rory flew out this evening. It is Mario’s birthday and this was what he wanted for a present. Nicolai’s birthday is tomorrow so we had a joint celebration this evening. Maya made the cakes from scratch. 

Along the way we spotted this baby swimming near the beaver damn. We think it is a pine marten but still need to confirm this. Nicolai took this photo and several other good ones as we paused for several minutes to observe. 

Nicolai and I climbed Wachusetts Mountain this morning. Compared to Monadnock this was a cake walk. We were up and down in three and half hours. 

It has been a nice week and the weather this evening is just perfect. Everyone wants to be outside. 

After a nice walk in Mattison Field. Maya races with Nala in the backyard. 

This rock was in my way, so I balanced it on top of the other one. 

I almost stepped on this spotted orange salamander and regretted not bringing my macro lens with me. 

Along the way we encountered evidence of beavers at work. Their damn looked to be about half way done. 

Today was a company wide holiday and Jeanine and I took advantage of the opportunity to get away for a little hiking. We climbed Wachusset Mountain and had lunch at the top. 

This afternoon we attended the annual 4th of July party thrown by good friends Tom and Karen. Tom and I attended high school together and were wrestling partners. This year there was an organized 4v4 soccer tournament and Nicolai could not have had more fun. Despite some light rain, Maya spent little time finding her way to the pool which incorporates this beautiful waterfall that doubles as a diving platform. Nala came with us and enjoyed all the delicious food that found its way to the ground. 

Bees are very hard to photograph because they never stop moving. No trouble getting very close as they are completely drunk on the nectar from these flowers. 

Came across this in the garden this morning. Perhaps Jeanine will identify it for me. Click on the image for a closer look. 

Nala gets her first bath after an excursion into the Mattison pond. 

The pigs have been getting a lot less attention since Nala arrived. Of course they can always count on Maya for a little play time. 

Is it possible that my little Nicolai is going to become a teenager next week? What happened to all my babies? 

Maya cuddles with mommy after dinner. Maybe she did miss us a little after her Texas adventure. 

It was a little cozy getting 8 people aboard this 30ft racing boat but everyone had a great perch. Wade is an expert sailor and I have never been more impressed with anyone’s sailing skills. He took us on a tour of the harbor and then out to sea. The weather was perfect and the wind was great. Truly a fantastic experience. 

Today we were invited by good friends Eliza and Wade to Marblehead for a bit of sailing and dinner at the Corinthian Yacht Club. 

Maya returns from Austin Texas after visiting with Aunt Susan (Tigger) and Rose for a week. She had a great time but was also happy to be home having missed her puppy dearly. As I was collecting Maya at the airport, Jeanine was dropping Kyle off in Freeport, Maine where he is joining ten other kids and two councilors on a 2-week bike excursion which will end in Quebec. They will be camping out along the way pausing only for a three day community service project. 

Nicolai captured this baby robin venturing to the edge ot its nest. Earlier in the week, while pruning this shrub, I cut the branch holding the nest. Out tumbled the day old baby and hit the ground with a thud. I picked the little guy up and showed him to Jeanine and Nicolai who both decided it was a goner. I placed it back in the nest, where I found his sister still clinging to it and then placed the nest back in the shrub. In no time, Mom returned to the nest with food and both chicks have been thriving. 

Nicolai and I went on a one hour nature walk and captured this dragon fly. 

This morning Nala attended her first puppy training class. She was very well behaved and one of the more timid dogs. She thought this boy was very rude considering this was their first encounter. 

Nico makes friends in the garden. 

Mother and new daughter fast asleep on the couch. Maya has my coloring. I would say that Nala looks more like Jeanine. 

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Fort Collins, Colorado visiting with a vendor. The good news was that the meetings proved far more valuable than I had anticipated. The bad news was that I had no time for photography. I grabbed this shot of a dirt bike course just off the highway on the return to the airport. 

Niece Sophia practicing her kissing technique on my brother. 

A little something from the garden (actually taken a few days ago). The day flew by with no chances for photography. My summer soccer league started today and I had a game after work. It is an open division which means no age restrictions. I got 60 minutes of playing time (on sore legs from the Monadnock climb) against kids easily half my age on a very hot day. It is very satisfying when you beat the 18 year old kid guarding you after he has assumed anyone older than his father has got nothing he can’t handle. I am travelling on business for the next two days and may not post again till the end of the week. Maya is in Texas visiting her Aunt Susan and I am missing her every day. 

Not sure who was prouder, father or son. Either way, a day I will never forget. 

My hero. 

All the hard work pays off as Nico stands atop the summit. 

This climb includes a lot of rock scrambling. Nico spent 30 minutes of our two and a half hour ascent on hands and knee working his way up the rocks. This was the most exhausting part for him. He was able to conserve much more energy when he could make use of his crutches.