This morning we drove to my parent’s home in Schenectady, NY where we were joined by my sister Alissa and her family for Thanksgiving Day dinner. Nala was not feeling well before we left for the trip. After the 3.5 hour drive she looked even worse. When she started wobbling and falling over, we rushed her to an emergency animal hospital where she was put on intravenous hydration and stayed for overnight observation. She was as good as new in the morning. The same can not be said of the father (me) who was ready for hospitalization after receiving the $500 bill. Jeanine and I could have stayed in the Ritz-Carlton sipping Champagne for less!
I needed a head shot for a presentation I am doing at work next month. All of the other executives have file photos taken by a professional using the standard format, suit and tie in front of a medium gray background. Having grown to despise suits and all they represent, I opted to pose in what I normally wear to the office. I picked the background to match my sweater and set up my lights. Jeanine induced the smile (I will not share what she whispered to me) and released the shutter. I used a less toothy version for work but liked this one the best.
Kyle had a number of friends over this evening including Chloe. Normally the kids watch movies in the basement theater. Perhaps due to the abundnance of pre-Thanksgiving Day cookies and pies the group watched Fly Boys on the family room TV.
A very disappointing 1-0 loss for the boys this morning against a team which by all rights they should have defeated. Kyle played even better than yesterday, little surprise after a good night’s sleep. These away tournaments are very expensive. I calculated that it costs $10 a minute to watch Kyle play in such an event. That said, the opportunity to spend a couple of days alone with Kyle away from friends and distractions is priceless.
Mayela with her baby. Jake is a very powerful little guy who can hold his own with a dog four times his size. He is very well behaved and does not eat his owners out of house and home. Perhaps he can be a mentor for Nala.
Fortunately for this deer, Jake was on leash when she crossed our path. Otherwise, we would have enjoyed venison rather than an exquisite Italian meal later that evening. We were joined by my cousin Heather and her husband Burton while Kyle joined his teammates for dinner.
After Kyle’s second game, we all went for a 2 hour hike in Umstead State Park. It was a real treat to experience fall colors all over again. Sometime after I retire, I would love to start in Maine and follow the fall colors south in an RV.
Despite getting only 5 hours of sleep, Kyle plays very well in both his games today. Here he gets a lot of air to make a nice header. The boys won their first games in freezing conditions and lost their second after the temperature had risen almost 20 degrees. We will hope for more cold tomorrow.
I made it back to the office in time for a stream of meetings before heading back to the airport, this time with Kyle for a weekend trip to Raleigh, NC to participate in a soccer tournament. Strong winds at LaGuardia delayed our flight and would have caused us to miss our connection. We booked a later direct flight which also was delayed. By the time we made it to our hotel it was 1AM. Given the 6:15AM meeting and 8AM first match, this was not a great way to start the weekend for Kyle. For me it was an exhausting 21 hour day which included the following way points: Indianapolis, Chicago, Manchester, Tewksbury, Boston, and Raleigh.
Yesterday started with an early breakfast with Cine-tal CEO, Rob Carrol, followed by an all day board meeting and then a nice dinner with the board and employees of the company. I had no time for photography. Today I get up at 4:30AM to catch an early flight back to Boston. Pictured here is a train yard in Chicago from the air.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
