Jeanine spent Friday and Saturday in Burlington, VT with her sister Susan who was celebrating her birthday. The Roche family chipped in to buy her a bicycle which was put to immediate use on the fine spring day.

 
A bonus Nantucket photo from Jeanine’s camera of me teaching Nico to drive the moped.

 
A quick ride on the moped and I was on the other side of the harbor for a parting shot of the Brant Point lighthouse.

 
This morning I went out before sunrise so I could be in position for this photo at the right time. In a few weeks Nantucket will be crawling with tourists and the beaches will be packed. Our off season visit really gave us a unique opportunity to see the island for what it is most of the time. A quiet and serene home for people drawn to the sea.

 
Jeanine is really in her element when we go to Ferry Beach. She gets to cook in an industrial size kitchen and play games in the evening. This year she introduced a new coffee cake recipe which was a big success.

 
My favorite photo of the weekend. Kyle with friend Chris (who joined our family for the weekend). I took this after sunset and asked the boys to stand motionless while I made the long exposure under a sodium street light.

 
Nicolai loves to play volleyball and demonstrates here his willingness to take on even the most intimidating opponent. Photo courtesy of Stoney.

 
Although I enjoy the challenge of shooting birds, my real passion is for portraiture. I was pleased this year with the results of my efforts which can be found in this web album.

 
Everywhere time you turn around, if you take the time to look, there is sure to be a rabbit near by. I counted dozens of the furry critters and was quick enouh to capture this one before he dashed away.

 
After lunch I returned to the osprey nest with the right lens and am treated to this image which includes what appears to be the tail of a rather large fish.

 
My art shot for the day.

 
It is really not difficult to predict how this maneuver is going to end. Nicolai seems to believe himself able to defy gravity indefinately.

 
It is unclear to me why my children seem incapable of going to a beach and simply admiring the beauty. Every visit will predictably result in soaked shoes and clothing resulting from races lost with the sea. Nicolai employs his crutches to good advantage but even he succumbs to a total drenching in the end.

 
Nico and I shared this moped so we could keep up with Jeanine, Kyle and Maya on their bicycles. When we arrived at Surfside Beach I let Kyle take the moped out for a spin in the vacant parking area. The size of the smile on his face does not bode well for his future with motorized vehicles. That said he demonstrated excellent control and looked like a pro tooling about the lot.