Our family was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of 22-year-old Grant Backerman, a senior at Wake Forest University this weekend. Growing up 3 houses from ours, Grant was on the CCHS wrestling team with Nicolai and worked briefly for Kyle’s Yard Dogs business. Pictured here at age 12 attending a neighborhood block party, we remember a very intelligent, thoughtful, and polite young man. Our prayers and condolences go out to the Backerman family and to all those who have a hole in their hearts today.

Prettiest flower in the garden.

The prettiest flower in the garden.

Maya guides her crew off the dock as they take to the Charles for a morning of practice. Recently elected co-captain of her CRI team, Maya’s boat won their first race last week in Saratoga. I was unable to attend due to my soccer game and am looking forward to her first competition at home. Coxswain is the perfect position for a naturally bossy child and I enjoy hearing about her exploits on the water each time we return from practice.

The arrival of May has brought with it what feels like the beginning of spring. Trees and flowers are beginning to bloom everywhere. New England sports a very short spring but it is oh so glorious. Below are the buds on our Japanese Maple tree. In addition to the flowers you can see the leaves poised to unfurl.

This winter was arguably the worst in Boston’s history. A total of 8 feet of snow took its toll on the roof, the gutters, and tree limbs. While workers replaced 55 tiles on our slate roof, Jeanine and I gathered and burned off all of the downed branches from around the yard. Today is the last day on which a permit can be obtained to legally do so. There is something very satisfying about completing such a task although I am sure my sore muscles will inform a different feeling tomorrow.

As I looked through all of the photos Maya took while in Paris last week, I settled on this one as my favorite. I love the composition, the tonality and the use of patterns. It makes me infinitely happy that all three kids have become such proficient photographers.

I had the pleasure of lunching with former iRobot head of marketing, Nancy Dussault Smith and Firdaus Bhathena, CEO of Lineage Labs. The company they co-founded is working on a product called “Bevy,” an easy-to-use solution for storing and sharing photos and videos for the entire family. Our conversation turned to a discussion about ways we might work together. An exciting possibility to be sure and one which I will give some serious consideration over the coming days.

I have been playing indoor soccer for the entire winter in a D1 Men’s Over-40 league. This evening was the year-end tournament to determine a champion. We accepted a forfeit in the first round, won 2-1 in the semi-finals scoring the winning goal with just 3 seconds on the clock, and clinched first-place honors with a 3-0 victory in the finals. For this effort we received an iPhone quality team photo and champion’s t-shirt, … oh … and bragging rights until next winter. Giving up 16 years to some of my opponents, I am just happy I made it through the season without a significant injury.

Maya sustained a minor injury to her foot this evening and requested my assistance with the repair work. For reasons that make no sense in this day and age, our home has five functional fireplaces including one in Maya’s bedroom. She sustained her cut on some loose grout used for the tile work on the hearth. Maya was returned to service after an application of soap and water followed by hydrogen peroxide and a bandaid.

I was deeply saddened when I heard news of yesterday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal and the resulting loss of life.  It has only been 16 months since I visited and images of the UNESCO World Heritage sites that now lie in ruins are fresh in my mind. I find myself angered by US news coverage which seems disproportionately focussed on a relatively small number of foreign climbers on Everest rather than the thousands of Nepalese who have been killed and the loss of history that the country has suffered. My prayers go out to all who are suffering as a result of this catastrophe.

It pleases me to no end that my children are becoming very good photographers. Maya returned from Paris with a treasure trove of images and I have selected a few samples to share here.  I am looking forward to sitting down with her to learn all about her Parisian adventure.

While Jeanine and I were in Portugal, Maya was in France touring Paris on a school-organized trip of students studying French. Our preview of being empty-nesters left us very happy to welcome her home this evening as we met the bus carrying the contingent back from the airport. When we arrived back at home Maya presented her mother with the almond croissants she had requested as a birthday present and shared the photographs she took while in the City of Light.

My third flight in as many days, I am ready to stay put for a little while. My interview in Pittsburgh went very well and while the opportunity is extremely exciting, I am going to have to consult with Jeanine about the realities of spending so much time away from home over the coming years. I am still waiting to hear about a local opportunity that is also very compelling and which will factor into the picture. My last official day at iRobot is tomorrow and I suspect next week will be one filled with some big decision making about what comes next.

Less than 8 hours after returning from Portugal, I found myself on a flight to Pittsburgh for a job interview in the area tomorrow. Should I accept the position, it is understood that I would commute from Boston, which while less than ideal, is not that uncommon in the high-tech sector these days. While Pittsburgh once dominated the steel-making industry (mills can still be found in the area as pictured above) the region is in the midst of a high-tech transformation with robotics at its core.

Tall islands in the middle of the ocean tend to make their own weather and are often covered in clouds. Two prior attempts to do justice to a photograph of Lagoa Do Fogo were thwarted by overcast skies. Our perseverance and third visit were rewarded with sunshine and nice clouds. Jeanine photographed me taking photos of the lake and I photographed her as she climbed down for a visit to the beach (you may need to look closely to spot her).

Our last stop on the island was a small ceramics factory where everything is made by hand using techniques passed down for generations. Here we purchased a nice plate to add to our collection from distant lands as well as a few presents for friends back home. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare for our afternoon return to Boston.