Despite having seemingly endless beaches, the Sheraton Rio is the city’s only resort actually situated on the water. Our home for the next five days could not be a more welcome sight after a sleepless night in the airplane.

The view from our 11th floor window overlooks the resort grounds and Ipanema Beach to the north. Coca-Cola has literally taken over portions of the hotel where it is hosting guests from around the world for the duration of the World Cup. The entire fifth floor has been converted to a Coca-Cola guest exclusive lounge, discotheque, cafe, big screen viewing area and game arcade.  Facades have been built over every wall and decorated with a Brazilian/World Cup/Coca-Cola theme. Meals that would earn praise from Jeanine for their taste, variety and healthfulness are served buffet style in the cafe which easily accommodates the ~300 guests here this week.  These include consumer prize package winners from around the world as well as Coca-Cola employees who won internal prize packages.  Nico and I are special guests by virtue of his involvement with the Powerade World Cup media campaign and we see his commercials running everywhere from the lounge to the TVs on the buses.

Our host for the week is Bachir Zeroual who we meet upon our arrival. He provides us with our photo credentials and orients us to the excitement that lies ahead.

As soon as we are settled in and have had lunch, Nico makes a beeline for the beach and volleyball.  I opt for an afternoon tour to Sugarloaf Mountain.

Situated at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf Mountain is a peak rising 1,299 ft above the harbor. Its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar. The mountain is only one of several monolithic granite and quartz mountains that rise straight from the water’s edge around Rio de Janeiro. A glass-walled cable car runs between the peaks of Morro da Urca and Pão de Açúcar from which visitors enjoy a spectacular 360 degree, panoramic view of Rio, the harbor, and the ocean. Unfortunately, hazy weather makes for poor photographs and I decide I will return with Nicolai on a clearer day.

The Calabria’s departed Boston in opposite directions today.  Jeanine and Maya are headed to California where they will spend the balance of the week visiting Kyle.  Meanwhile, Nicolai and I are headed to Brazil where we will be the guests of the Coca-Cola company for the next five days enjoying a front-row seat to the World Cup quarterfinals.  We timed our arrival at the airport so that we could watch the USA vs. Belgium match after clearing security and before our red-eye flight to Rio de Janeiro.  Our disappointment over the loss was quickly replaced with excitement when we landed in Rio the following morning and were greeted at the airport by our “lollypop” bearing hosts.

I spent the better part of the evening post processing photos from the family reunion and uploading them to the web.  This one, of the older cousins, is among my favorites.  Nico and I leave for Brazil tomorrow where we will be the guests of the Coca-Cola company who have invited us to attend the World Cup quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro.  I will likely not post again until we return next Monday.

Levitation photos have become derigueur for family gatherings of Calabria cousins. Pictured above is my nephew Rory, demonstrating the speed and strength that won him this year’s Minnesota State Tennis Doubles Championship. None of these photos have been edited.

Activities today included an ad hoc breakfast at the lodge, swimming and sliding at the massive waterpark contained within, World Cup viewing at a Lake Geneva bar, a continuation of the multi-year croquet tournament between the older cousins, and dinner at the Grand Geneva Resort, formerly the Playboy Club of Lake Geneva.  I have been taking photographs throughout the weekend which can be viewed by following the link to Reunion Photos. To the great amusement of those gathered, I ruined this attempt at a full family portrait when I assumed I arrived too late for the delayed shutter release. Subsequent attempts proved more fruitful and included what will likely be our Christmas card image for 2014.

Jeanine, Nicolai, Maya, and I flew to Chicago’s Midway Airport this afternoon.  We rented a car and then collected Kyle from O’Hare Airport en route to Lake Geneva Wisconsin where my side of the family will be celebrating a family reunion this weekend at the Timber Ridge Lodge. In total 34 out of a possible 36 of my relatives traveled from California, North Carolina, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland for the event which kicked off this evening with dinner in town.

This weekend the Calabria side of the family is gathering for a family reunion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  We are all very excited about seeing the extended family and especially about seeing Kyle who is working as an intern at Palo Alto Networks this summer. Our little boy is all grown up and we miss him.

Nicolai slept in the Atlanta airport after his flight was cancelled last night. He caught the first flight out this morning so he could join his friends at the house for the USA-Germany soccer match up.

Maya looked entirely relaxed after completing her last set of finals. She has a busy summer planned with ballet camp in Montreal, Apogee biking in Montana, a trip to California to visit with Kyle, and a local soccer camp.

Nicolai was scheduled to return from Atlanta this evening after completing a full-day speaking engagement at Camp Coleman, an hour outside of the city. Inclement weather on the eastern seaboard forced the cancelation of his flight and he will not return until tomorrow. To his great disappointment, he will not be able to watch the US World Cup match with his friends.  On a positive note, the Camp Director was very pleased with the event and shared the following comment with me. “Totally amazing. Many veteran staff and campers told me that it was the most inspirational day of their camp life.  He related incredibly well with the campers and staff. He has a wonderful message and he is sharp and insightful beyond his years.”

This afternoon iRobot employees were treated to ice cream from a pair of trucks that pulled up to our courtyard. Beautiful weather, ice cream in the middle of the afternoon, a very nice treat indeed.

On the home front we were visited by a Japanese video production company that is interested in doing a segment about Nicolai for their show called “Unbelievable.”  The preliminary interview is to gauge interest back in Japan.  We will have to see if this leads anywhere.

Moments after his interview, Nico was picked up by a car service to Logan airport for his flight to Atlanta. He has an all day speaking engagement tomorrow at a Jewish summer camp with some 400 campers and 150 counselors. Hopefully he will return with a few photos for the blog.

As another soccer season has come to an end, I reflected back on the first team I ever played for.  I was a “walk-on” at Union College. I had never played in high school but impressed the coach during tryouts.  My field skills were not on par with the seasoned players but he liked my tenacity and gave me a turn in goal.  It turns out that quick reflexes and a total lack of regard for injury to one’s body are all that is required to play the position. I was the starting JV goalie for three years giving up an average of 0.76 goals per game. I would never have imagined then that I would still be playing competitively some 35 years later.  With any luck, I think I can manage another 10.

The minute it was announced, I preordered this Canon 16-35mm f/4 wide angle zoom lens, said to be the new standard for sharpness in this focal range. It will replace my trusty 17-40mm f/4 (already sold) as my go-to landscape lens. Reported to start shipping this week, I am hoping to receive it in time for our Wisconsin family reunion next weekend and if not before I leave with Nico for Brazil the following week.

This morning my soccer team played Stoneham F.C. in the Division 1 championship playoffs. We expected the all Brazilian club, including three former professional players, to be more than we could handle. Had we had more than 2 subs to their 8, I believe we might have enjoyed a different outcome. They took an early 2-0 lead with admittedly nice goals.  I scored my first goal of the season, a powerful strike from distance, to open the second half.  We had several good chances for an equalizer but could not find the back of the net and gave up another goal in the final minute.  Overall it was a great season and I was happy to finish it uninjured and with a nice goal.

Maya turned 15 on Thursday while I was away in Rhode Island.  We therefore postponed our family celebration until today. She requested brunch at Nancy’s Airfield Cafe in Stow.  We were joined by her friend Maddie who is spending the weekend with us and Koruna, Nico’s girlfriend.  Maya was very happy to receive a ukulele from her parents, an instrument that she is intent on mastering and has wanted for some time.

The 3-day, iRobot team building offsite I have been attending this week came to a close today at noon.  I was asked to create a team photo which is always a challenge with a group of this size.  I like shooting from a high angle so that it is possible to see everyone’s face.  The trick is to find a location where I can trigger the shutter and still manage to get in the photo myself before the ten-second timer expires. A quick Where’s Waldo search will confirm that I made the sprint in time (just).

On today’s agenda is a sailing event, geo-trekking competition and clam bake dinner.  Half the group does sailing in the morning while the remainder does geo-tracking and then we switch activities for the afternoon after a combined lunch. I was in the morning sailing group which had to contend with rain and very light winds.  Our team of four worked together well by optimizing role assignments, communicating, and working collaboratively. The results after 3 races was a first place finish among the ten teams competing. What do all of the boats in the picture below have in common? They are all in our rear view mirror 🙂

By noon the weather cleared and conditions could not have been more enjoyable. The geo-trekking competition could be described as a high-tech scavenger hunt. Teams guided by GPS devices walk to dozens of locations throughout Newport and earn points by answering questions that can only be answered once you have arrived at the correct location. It is impossible to reach all targets within the three hour time frame and teams must stay together as they cover an average of 6-8 miles.  Our team included a member with an ambulatory challenge so we placed a high premium on advanced planning so that we could maximize points while minimizing walking distance.  I would not be surprised if we outscored more than half the teams.

We ended the day with an outdoor clam bake including lobsters, corn on the cob, clams, and potatoes, all cooked by heated rocks under a bed of seaweed.  A perfect end to a rewarding but exhausting day.