Not too many airports feature an elk antler arch over the tarmac entry door. Elk shed their antlers each year which the local Boy Scouts collect and sell.

At 4:30 AM, Kyle drove Jeanine and I to the airport where we departed for a 5-night getaway in celebration of our twentieth wedding anniversary. It is also my 52nd birthday. We are traveling to Wyoming where we will enjoy equal measures of backcountry hiking/camping and rustic resort pampering. Pictured here are the Grand Teton’s with Jenny Lake in the foreground taken on final approach to the Jackson Hole airport.

I purchased a new 50L backpack for my upcoming backcountry hiking adventure with Jeanine. Maya is happy to model it for me despite the 40-pound load. Maya is no stranger to backpacking, having completed an 11-mile hike with a 10-pound load while attending Farm & Wilderness summer camp. She will be loaning her pack to Jeanine for the trip who will be carrying 30 pounds.

Maya is dressed for her first ballroom dance class. My father taught ballroom dancing to finance his PhD and met my mother doing so. They are still dancing well into their 80s. We hope Maya will enjoy ballroom as much as her grandparents and will continue the family tradition.

The older kids were much more reluctant to let me photograph them but a little perserverance paid big dividends. All photos of the event can be seen at this link (Mattson Block Party).

These photos are among my favorites of the younger kids.

This afternoon, we attended a neighborhood block party for the residents of Mattison Drive and all of its cul-de-sacs. Jeanine was central to reviving and coordinating this event. Despite the threat of rain and a slight drizzle towards the end the party was a great success. Kyle helped with setup, Nico was our DJ and put together a great playlist, Maya was generally helpful throughout, and I captured portraits of all the kids who attended and most of the adults.

Maya and teammate Emma both seeking to play a ball at midfield. It is not clear to me exactly what was going on but I thought the photo was entertaining enough to warrant posting. Earlier in the day my soccer team lost 0-2 against Medfield, a stronger team which deserved the victory. One of their goals was unearned and we did well to keep the score close. I played almost 75 minutes and for the first time in months was not plagued with knee pain. Their defense was very strong and I was afforded a single shot on net. I had to settle for a left footed, over the shoulder, full volley from outside the box which is to say a very low probability attempt. If we bring our best game on our home field when we play then again we have a chance at beating them.

Maya demonstrated very nice form on a cross to the center. Today, she played in both a front line and midfield position rather than her normal spot on defense. She made several nice attacking runs and had two strong shots on goal. Her team had to come from behind to settle for a 1-1 tie in a very competitive match.

My cousin Anita married Dave, her stepfather’s brother, today. Both are widowers who lost their respective spouses at almost the same time. Much humor was made of their unusual family connection despite their independent lineage. The wedding ceremony and reception were held at a posh hall on Long Island. Anita and Dave were attended by a seemingly endless supply of small related children, only a fraction of which are pictured here.

Naturally, I did my best to photograph the entire wedding and have included some of my favorite shots here. All the photos can be seen by following this link (Anita and Dave’s Wedding).

My mother and sister Alissa both exceptional ballroom dancers were partnered by my cousin Edward who is equally talented. Had my father been present, he would have no doubt been in the thick of the action. Unfortunately, his current state of health made the long trip ill advised.

I took a half day of vacation and drove to NYC with Jeanine where we met up with my brother Mark and his wife Marie, my sister Alissa, and my mother. We are all here for my cousin’s wedding tomorrow. This photo was taken to document the fact that my brother and I are wearing essentially the same outfit which the others found very amusing.

The first signs of fall are beginning to emerge. I am looking forward with unusual anticipation to the turning of the leaves and hope to spend as much time as possible enjoying the autumn splendor. This scene is from Concord Center, which I pass every day on my commute to work.