After work I went down to Stearns Wharf just as the sun was setting. I like the fact that the hotel I am staying at is walking distance from both the office and the ocean. The weather has been delightful and one can see why many have fallen in love with this part of the country. Unlike much of the California coast, the beach here runs East/West rather than North/South providing morning and evening light similar to the Mediteranean coast.

 
Today I woke up at 5am to catch a flight for Santa Barbara where I will spend the remainder of the week meeting my colleagues there. This unusual bit of architecture was located adjacent to the hotel I was staying in. Travel included it was an 18 hour day.

 
I returned from Ferry Beach early to ensure I would make my soccer game against Lexington, currently our main challenger for the top spot in our division. I received a nice pass at the top of the 18, turned and released a very strong low shot that found the right side of the net to give us a 1-0 victory.

 
The talent show featured a man who could stand on one leg, hold his big toe, and then jump through the opening.

 
One of the cornerstones of Ferry Beach weekend is the annual croquet tournament and the intense competition for the coveted Elephant Trophy. This year I am proud to say that my partner Adrian and I were able to claim the trophy after fending off the field of thirty two. The semi-finals had us pitted against Nicolai (a former champion) and his partner. There was quite a bit of trash talking and this only sweetened the victory over the perennial favorite who eliminated me in last year’s competition. Adrian and I will have our names engraved onto the elephant and will keep the trophy until next Memorial Day when it will be the subject of another contest. Serious crouquet actually involves a lot of skill and strategy. Tough matches can go on for hours.

 
Maya spends most of her time on the beach with friends. She has become very independent and if not for refueling breaks we would scarcely see her. Jeanine and I agree that this totally unstructured time is something we need to provide more of for her.

 
Nicolai would play until he was positively starving and then return to the cafeteria for a quick recharge before returning to his friends.

 
One of my favorite portraits from the weekend. It took several attempts to catch the hulla hopp in exactly this position.

 
Maya has become the families most consistent marshmallow roaster. After attending to her own nutritional needs, she offers to roast marshmallows for anyone in need.

 
I love this Glossy Ibis. Last year I was lucky to get a couple of shots of a single bird. This year I was able to locate a large group by searching for their favorite habitat. They like a combination of 4 inch deep water with plenty of adjacent mud banks and short grass.

 
This landscape was taken at the Scarborough Nature Preserve where I spent a good bit of time.

 
Every Memorial Day weekend we drive up to Ferry Beach in Maine where we join members of our church and the neighboring Lexington congregation for a family retreat. This year we took two cars so Jeanine and the kids could get an early start and I could put in an extended day in on the new job. Each morning I woke up with the sun (5:30am) and treated myself to two hours of nature photography. I was able to get very close to this heron and captured a very nice series including this shot as he took flight.

 
Jeanine had another healthy cooking class this evening featuring her own creation which Maya has named the Highly Nutritious and Very Delicious Veggie Wrap. During class I am banned from the kitchen but waited patiently like a vulture for the tasty leftovers.

 
I decided to try the train for my commute today. I boarded at the West Concord station and switched to the T at Porter Square. Nothing could be easier, but even with the express train, the trip took about 70 minutes. I think my final solution will be to use the car and avoid rush hour.