Today, Nicolai and I climbed Mount Monadnock which rises to 3165 feet above southern New Hampshire. Here we take a rest once we have cleared the tree line. Nico is so able I sometimes forget how hard he has to work to do what is easy for others. We ascended a total of 1800 feet (2 miles up, 2 miles down) in about 4.5 hours. With 50 feet of ascent remaining, Nico hit the proverbial wall. We rested and had some food after which he decided to make a final push for the summit.  

Today was largely spent gardening. I noticed this dragonfly and was lucky enough to snap a quick shot before he flew away. 

Nicolai choose to take some of his fiends to Six Flags for an early birthday celebration before they leave for the summer. Along for the fun was Kyle and his friends supervised by Jeanine and another mom. 

While the boys appeared a bit awkward in their suits, Kyle’s female friends appeared totally at ease in their outfits. 

This evening, Kyle attended a formal end of the year dance and I took advantage of the opportunity to get a photo of the guys he hangs out with. 

I believe Kyle took this photograph capturing his sister’s true spirit. 

Happy Birthday Maya!!! 

Jeanine delivered another signature ice cream cake for the celebration. 

I was at work and missed the Tea Party, but good friend Kate was kind enough to capture the moments for us. 

In a normal home this would be a bunch of potted plants. Chez Jeanine, these are actually edible treats to be served at Maya’s Birthday Tea Party. I am told they were so realistic, that some children could not be convinced to dig into the “dirt”. 

Today little Miss Maya turned 8 years old. She starts the day caring for her new baby. I remember when she was as small as Nala and I was holding her in my arms. 

The grass on our field is now taller than Maya in some places. Here she finds refuge from her pursuer who questions the logic of entering what must look to her like a dense forest. 

The puppy chasing my little cat. 

This morning was the final match of my spring season and after the game I took the customary team photo. We needed a win or a tie to maintain our division one standing and were fortuante to achieve the latter after squandering a 2-0 lead. I had a beautiful solo goal taken away by an offsides call made by the ref who had his back to me when the ball was played. Although the goal did not count, it was a very sweet play that I will remember for a very long time. The ball was lobbed over the sweeper and the goalie came racing out to collect it. I was racing in to get there first. I beat him to it by a millisecond, flicking a quick header past him on the right and then jumping over his attempt to tackle me before slotting it in the low right corner. 

I took dozens of photos and these are among my favorites. I will try to post all of them on my web album later in the week. 
 
 
 

Later in the day we drove to Old Lyme, Connecticut for an annual gathering hosted by my cousin Anita and her husband Tony. The food is always magnificent and this year was no exception. 

Nico had a mock diving competition this morning (intra-squad event judged by high school divers). The idea is to acclimate to all of the requirements and routines of a real diving meet. Here he begins a forward one and a half in pike position. He placed second. 

Ever since the dog arrived, the pigs have received modest attention. This morning, Maya cleaned their cage and set out new bedding. This child loves anything with fur on it. For the record, I will be saying no when she eventually gets around to asking for a horse. 

Kyle refused to let me take a picture of him and his friend so I got stuck with a stupid flower from the garden. I will try to remember to ask Jeanine what kind it is and update the posting. 

As much as Maya loves the dog, there is little question that Jeanine is enjoying the puppy more than anyone. This is how I found them when I returned from work. 

Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to dial in the right shutter speed to get a clean shot of her leaping through the air when she decided I had gotten close enough. 

On the way home from work today I drove past this white-tailed deer. I pulled over and walked back for a closer look. 

Of course my very favorite has to be of Maya and our new dog. After a very interesting process of elimination and consensus building, we have settled on the name Nala. For family night, we all watched a DVD about the care and training of puppies. Ten minutes after finishing the video, Maya and Nico had Nala sitting on command. 

This afternoon, after my soccer game (a very disappointing 3-2 loss to the top team in our division) the team gathered for a pitch-in/pool party. Each year when we do this, I take portraits of all the children who come. Here are a few of my favorites. 
 
 
 

Today it rained most of the day and all soccer games were cancelled. There was a nice fog over our field most of the day. Jeanine and I managed to get away for a date night. We did a little shopping (something we rarely do together) and had a nice dinner out. 

Jeanine has been nurturing this rose bush for several months and it continues to produce blooms which brighten our kitchen. 

To say that Maya is in heaven would be an understatement. Nico and Kyle are also very excited. All three asked for photos of the dog to bring to school today. Jeanine is trying to conceal her pleasure in having another baby and all day companion but is fooling no one. Despite my initial reservations about getting a dog, I have to admit that I like this one. If anyone has name suggestions, we would love to hear them. Under consideration at this time are Charlotte (nick-named Charley) and Chloe. 

Meet the newest, as yet to be named, member of our family. Last night Jeanine, Maya, and Nicolai wnet to the adoption center and came back with this little girl. We do not know what kind of dog it is, but we think it will grow up to be medium sized. Her fur is a reddish brown and her tail has a black ring and white tip. 

Maya found this little frog on the deck this morning. I am going to have to do a little research to find out what kind it is. 

It is important, as circumstance ocassionally warrant, to remind myself what an idiot I am. This weekend, in a rush to meet up with some other photographers, I backed my car into the stone wall that borders our driveway. Having forgotten a piece of gear, which I never wound up using, I returned to the house and parked in an unusual place while I retrieved the item. When I went into the house, I was distracted by some miscommunication with one of the kids about how many guests they could have while I was out. Later than ever, I returned to my idling car, jumped in, and drove 15 feet before quickly coming to a stop accompanied by a sound that could have no good outcome. Does anything look strange about the placement of the wheel in the well? Yeah, that is what mechanics like to call suspension damage and you can add that to a bent rim, gouged tire, and paint abrasions resulting in mucho financial damage for the owner, who although uninjured, is clearly brain damaged. Kyle reminded me that my last crash was when I backed my Mercedes into a tree while rushing him to the hospital after he stepped on a bees nest and got stung multiple times. From this I must learn that backing up when my adrenaline levels are high leads to costly consequences. Adding insult to injury, our insurance covers damage to a neighbors stone wall but not ours. The morale of this story. Do not drive into big piles of rocks with a car unless they belong to someone else.  

Nico take a turn at the ring toss. Kyle and Jeanine are still in Amherst at a soccer tournament.