Maya was glued to baby Rose and really seemed to enjoy being the oldest girl amongst these cousins rather than her normal status as the youngest of our family.

 
Mario has gotten very tall and is quite the handsome young man. At age thirteen he looks like he is about ready to start shaving.

 
Mario consoles her sister after she learns that all the ice cream has been devoured before she could get any.

 
Sohpia gets the better of Nicolai in a wrestling contest that erupts spontaneously in the living room.

 
My brother Mark and his family flew out from Minnesota to attend an award ceremony for Nicolai later this weekend. Pictured here is my sister-in-law, Marie, and nieces, Sophia and little Rose.

 
Today, on the way home from work, I decided I deserved an ice cream cone and stopped in at my favorite shop. I rarely feel guilty about anything I do but must admit that I paused in the garage to finish my cone and to dispose of all evidence of my purchase before entering the house. Delaying this post by five days should satisfy the statute of limitations on being pressured by the kids into a return visit.

 
Here is a close up featuring an apple, corn, and fish next to the anatomically correct male and mother with baby gathered around a campfire.

 
Maya is putting the finishing touches on her diorama depicting the Maliseet Indian tribe. She used left over hardened epoxy from the kayak to form a river.

 
Spring in New England is over in the blink of an eye but the reward is spectacular if subdued color. From my morning commute.

 
My art shot for the day. I was drawn to these beaver gnawed and weathered branches which were on the verge of falling into the river.

F

 
While Kyle was warming up, I wandered over to the Oxbow Nature Reserve for a little photography.

 
Kyle was cleated in the ankle during his game. I pointed out that my shin pads include ankle protectors which would have spared him this injury. He told me that I was a baby and that real soccer players don’t wear such bulky protection.

 
Today the Calabria men had to settle for draws. Kyle’s team was down 0-3 at halftime but worked hard to win three goals in the second half to tie the score with minutes left to play. It was a very exciting game to watch and Kyle is shown here winning a header at midfield. My match this morning also ended in a tie. I scored our only goal in the opening minutes and our opponents equalized late in the second half. I played 90 minutes and almost scored a second time on a direct kick which hit the crossbar. In action yesterday, Nicolai’s team won 5-3 (Nico scored on a header and had several assists) and Maya’s team won 2-1.

 
With Jeanine away, I held down the fort and delivered the children to their various sporting events. On the way back from dropping Maya at her game, I came across this mother and baby horse which I know she will be thrilled to see.