Maya and Jeanine are on the Esplanade this evening taking in the Boston Pops as they rehearse for tomorrow’s Fourth of July extravaganza. With expectations of rain for the main event, they joined the Yoder family for an advanced preview under perfect conditions. Originally, I was slated to join them after work. As I was getting ready to leave, however, Jeanine called to say that virtually everyone in Boston had the same idea of going a day early to beat the rain. She advised it would not be worth the effort. Since I already had my camera gear packed, I decided to venture out for some local photography. This long exposure black and white was the result.

A lightning strike last year killed one of our neighbor’s massive pine trees. As I was getting ready for work, I looked out of our bathroom window and saw this massive crane lifting the top of a huge tree across the horizon. I had to settle for a photo of the second section of the tree being hoisted down by the time I was able to dress and make it out into the back yard. My neighbor told me that the cost to the crew for the crane was $7,000 an hour. I don’t even want to imagine what the whole operation must have cost. Still it was clearly the right tool for the job.

Nicolai announced this morning that he had mastered a back flip and offered to give a demonstration. Naturally, I grabbed my camera to document the feat. He did one in pike position and a second in tuck. In retrospect I should have probably shot video in lieu of stills but perhaps I will get another chance to do that as he continues to create material for some promotional videos he is working on (one for SideStix, the other for the American Amputee Soccer Association). I tweaked my hamstring again during soccer practice this morning which has left me in a foul mood especially because I was not able to join Kyle on another bike ride today.

After more than twenty years of marriage it is not often that you learn something entirely new about your partner. Today as I took stock of our camping equipment and cold weather apparel in preparation for our vacation to Alaska later this month, I made a startling discovery. Jeanine has a massive collection of yoga pants, 24 by my count! I was searching for clothing that could be used as a component in a layering system. I generally have little business or interest in Jeanine’s side of our walk in closet. After finding the tenth pair, I realized that I would need to conduct a thorough investigation. I know women who have had to construct special rooms for their shoe collections but I have never heard of anyone with a yoga pants obsession. With each new discovery, I laid the pants out on the floor in our bedroom until it was covered from end to end. When Jeanine eventually walked in she was humored by the presentation and quickly disabused me of my fetish accusations. Apparently 4 pair actually belonged to me (sweat pants), 3 pair were long underwear, 4 were biking pants, and 2 were running shorts. Two pair were thread bare and really ready for the trash. Later in the day we went shopping at REI to complete our packing list and Jeanine decided to get a rise out of me by asked me what I thought of a pair of yoga pants that were on sale.

My commute home this evening was delayed by a showdown between a car and a tree. There was little doubt who the victor was. Fortunately, it appeared as if the car absorbed the brunt of the impact and the passengers seemed uninjured. A second car was involved in the accident and I can only assume that the impact of the car vs. car collision propelled one of the vehicles into the tree. I was on my best defensive driving behavior for the remainder of my commute.

This evening, Jeanine hosted a beading party with a few friends and was joined by Maya. Jeanine is well known for finding any excuse to throw a party or more accurately for turning any occasion into a party. I believe this event was the female equivalent of a poker party. The only difference was that beads rather than chips changed hands from round to round. Both of my girls were very pleased with their creations and I will be the first to admit that the bracelets they created are really beautiful works of art.

Is this normal? I thought the idea was to paint all the toes the same color. In this case, Maya wanted them to match her fingernails which were decorated in similar fashion.

When she was a toddler we all referred to Maya as Brave Maya. It was not uncommon for me to place her on the top of a newel or fence post and watch her balance there or to fashion a balance beam out of a 2×4 propped between kitchen counter tops for her gymnastic amusement. I wouldn’t say she was a risk taker but she certainly showed no signs of trepidation in many situations that would leave most children and many adults paralyzed with fear.

When Pixar announce a movie entitled Brave that featured a willful, round faced teenage girl with hair as beautiful as it was unruly, there was little doubt that I would be taking Maya out on a father-daughter date night. We both enjoyed the movie immensely and it must be said that our Maya is very similar in many ways to the main character in this delightful animated comedy about the developing relationship between a young woman and her mother.

I enjoyed an early morning paddle on the Concord River with my nephew Rory. Despite his very tall frame, he fit comfortably in the kayak that Maya built. We encountered a Blue Heron, several ducks, and a bunch of leaping fish as we made our way past the Old North Bridge and downriver as far as the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Rory was not sure if he could trust his uncle as I guided him into a tiny tributary, home to a giant crocodile that had been released there decades ago as a foot long pet. Failing to sight the river monster we finished our tour with a quick visit to both the Assabet and Sudbury Rivers. Rory is as friendly and polite a young man as you will ever meet. His favorite subject in school is history and he plays tennis competitively at the state level in Minnesota. I hope to get his brother Mario on the water after work but inclement weather may preclude that outing.

With an undefeated season and the championship trophy on the line, Concord United played for all the marbles this evening against Hudson in the playoff finals. We looked dull in the first half. Defense of our net was adequate but we never really developed a cohesive attack and spectators would not have chosen us to win the match. When one of our strikers was injured, I moved from my normal wing midfielder assignment into the forward position and played there for the remainder of the game without a sub. We entered the second half scoreless and managed to lift our game to a higher level. Jeanine, Kyle, Nicolai, Mario, Rory and John all arrived at half time to cheer for the team and to watch me play. There is little doubt that this helped motivate me to play to the maximum of my potential and with 20 minutes left in the match I scored what would be the decisive goal of the game. I received an awkward pass from midfield which put me one on one with the sweeper who I managed to beat. It was then a foot race to the net with him breathing down my neck (apparently trying to foul me, according to a later report from the linesman). I found myself in a showdown with the advancing keeper who had already made some nice saves in the game and had now cut down my angle on the net substantially. To my credit, I did not panic and I did not rush. I picked the lower left corner and drove the ball low and hard off my left foot. It was a well made goal, in a must have situation, during a championship match, in front of my sons, nephews and wife (who were all on their feet screaming with enthusiasm.) Soccer for an old man does not get any better than this and I will forever cherish the memory of this game and the opportunity to play in front of my family.

Visiting for an extended weekend are my nephews Mario and Rory. We ventured to Watertown this morning for breakfast at The Diner where we met up with my other nephew from my side of the family, John. After a very satisfying meal it took little effort to get this group of athletes to help me create a unique portrait using a technique refereed to as levitation (jumping without appearing to jump). It was difficult to get all five in the perfect position but we had an enormous amount of fun in the effort. Rory in particular had a knack for floating in air.

Maya is visiting with her new friend Maddie on Cape Cod. The two developed a friendship while traveling together in China and she was thrilled to accept an invitation to spend the weekend at her family’s summer home. We received the photo shown here via text message. Maya put her Bayside training to good use as she landed this 34-inch striped sea bass while fishing with the family. She would later share with the family and her cousins the story of the ten-minute battle to land this monster (which she named Fatso) while we were eating it for Sunday dinner. The smallest member of our family now holds the record for catching the biggest fish. Her Uncle Mark (our family fishing enthusiast and expert) would have been proud.

Our new driveway was finished today although it will be several more days before we can drive on it. The asphalt needs time to cure and the 100-degree heat wave we are experiencing only serves to prolong the process. If the durability of the surface matches the quality of workmanship I will remain very pleased with the company that did this work for us. Time will tell.

When we first moved into our home in Concord we agreed that the driveway needed to be repaved. It is one of those projects which is easily postponed year after year. Doing it right involves removing the old surface, regrading for better water shedding, and addressing a significant depression in the front lawn (caused by a slowly decaying massive underground tree root). Construction on this long overdue project began Monday and I hope to post a picture of our new driveway later this week.