My soccer team was graced with ideal weather for the final regulation match of our fall season.  We cruised to an 8-2 win securing a second place finish in Division 1 South and qualifying us for the play-offs to begin next weekend.  I was not feeling my best but managed to finish the game with one assist, one impressively bad shot on goal (missed high, VERY) and most importantly, with no further aggravation to my slowly mending left hamstring.

Our over-50 (years old) league is composed of 5 divisions, each with a southern and northern region except for division 5 which also has a central region.  Each regional division has 6 teams for a total of 66 teams with a typical roster of 18.  That is nearly 1200 over-50 players in Western Massachusetts.  The playoffs pit the top 4 teams against each other to determine the league champion.  We are underdogs in the semi-finals to perennial winner,  Stoneham, but I like our chances this year.

Jeanine and Maya created an autumnal-themed floral centerpiece using a pumpkin for a vase.  It is a gift for the hostess of a gourmet dinner/birthday party we attended this evening.  When asked to take a photo of it, Maya was first in line with her new camera.  Once captured we reviewed her images on the computer which led me to show Maya the collection of images she has made over the course of her life, nearly 2000 in total.  Seeing the world through the eyes of your child is a rare gift and we both enjoyed our trip down memory lane immensely.

I was up with the sun for a little photography before breakfast. Hoping for dramatic light that often accompanies inclement weather, I had to make the best of what nature provided.  Any morning spent walking on a beach, however, is nothing to complain about and I was highly invigorated by the fresh air and sea breeze.

Pausing from our meeting, I dragged everyone to the beach in a light drizzle for a team photo.  There was a tiny amount of grousing but I insisted on taking the shot with the ocean in the background.  What is the point of traveling to a beautiful venue if you are not going to take advantage of it? Our team has grown to include a new head of marketing, head of North American Sales, and head of European Sales.

iRobot’s Home Business Unit leadership team retreated to the Stage Neck Inn in York Harbor, Maine for a two-and-a-half-day strategic planning meeting.  Our objective was to identify a 4-year path to a billion dollars in annual revenue.  Before we left, I could see a line of site to 2 billion and had a chance to get to know three new members of our team.  The weather was gray and rainy but the ambiance made up for it.

My brother Mark, a pilot for one of Delta Airline’s regional carriers, had a layover in Boston this evening and joined us for dinner.  Although I am the more handsome brother, one cannot deny that he looks rather dashing in his uniform.  Maya, with a little lighting assistance, was happy to take our portrait with her new camera.  I think she did a great job.

Maya is an incredibly self-motivated student and applies herself to learning more than either Jeanine or I can take genetic credit for.  She is equally strong in all her subjects but I see the inquisitive and creative mind of a scientist or engineer blossoming in front of me. Few things bring me more pleasure than chatting with her about how something works or how to solve a challenging real-world problem.

A nice sunset was the reward for an otherwise miserable weather day. Temperatures during my soccer game this morning hovered in the mid-30s.  Winds were so strong that a ball placed on the field for a direct kick would often start rolling away.  When it began to rain/snow it was more horizontal than vertical.  These conditions led to great difficulty in scoring and we had to settle for a 0-0 tie.  I had the best shot on goal for my team, a strong volley from a lofted ball, no mean feat given the wind. Unfortunately, it found the keeper rather than the back of the net.

The latest cameras do not make me a better photographer but I take great pleasure in using fine tools.  Last week I added two newly released cameras to my collection and therefore am selling the cameras they are replacing.  Pictured here is Canon 70D which I have replaced with a Canon 7DM2 and a Sony RX100M3 which I have replaced with a Canon G7 X.  Last month I gave each of the kids their own camera from my collection which reduced my total from 7 down to a marginally justifiable 4 (landscape, sports, hiking, everyday carry).

Maya hosted a Halloween party this evening which was a great success.  I resisted the temptation to photograph the kids understanding that this would have been met with much resistance from Maya.

Concord Power & Light took the entire Mattison Drive neighborhood offline this morning while they replaced several aging transformers. Pictured above is the one that will service our home.  High tension lines connect to the red terminals and split phase 220V is produced on the spatula-shaped terminals.  The planned outage was a nice test for our automatic emergency generator which kicked in and kept all our essential circuits up and running while the work was being completed.

A blustery day seemed fitting for the last game of Maya’s soccer season. The Concord Carlisle girls scored the only goal of the game in the final minutes despite having controlled possession for 90% of the game. A nice finish to the season which has seen the team make huge strides in their play and bodes well for next year. Maya has become every bit the soccer player her brothers are and I am looking forward to seeing them all play together (perhaps when we travel to Mexico later this month for the Amputee World Cup tournament). I am very proud of Maya for the way she embraced her role as co-captain of the team.  She led by example, promoted a strong work ethic, always had a positive outlook and did so with great humility.

It would be safe to say that iRobot takes Halloween pretty seriously. Many areas within the building are decorated for the children of employees who visit for a portion of the day. Employees compete for best costume awards while the rest enjoy trick-or-treating without the need for one. Oddly, I am teased for wearing a mountain trekking costume for the entire year except for today.

Her next-to-last game of the season ended in a defeat to arch-rival Acton Boxborough by a score of 1-3.  Despite the loss, the team has secured first place in the DCL league, a terrific outcome.  More importantly, from my perspective, the team has improved tremendously over the course of the season and is really playing a much improved game of soccer with thoughtful passing and movement off the ball.  I have no explanation for the picture above but thought it worthy of a snapshot.

Peak color has long past for the season but one can still find enclaves of outrageously vibrant foliage.  This has been, without a doubt, the most colorful autumn I have ever witnessed in New England.  I feel fortunate to have enjoyed it so thoroughly.