This morning, Nicolai set out for Ecuador to join his ROMP climbing team for their ascent of Cotopaxi. Unfortunately, he only made it as far as the Logan Airport check-in desk, where he learned that his flight to Atlanta had been delayed due to Hurricane Helene and that his connection to Quito would be missed. He is rebooked for tomorrow and believes he can still meet up with his team before they depart for the mountains. Fortunately, I decided to visit nearby Constitution Beach after dropping him at the airport and was only 5 minutes away when he requested that I pick him up for a return to Concord.
The Bionic Project is hosting a big fundraiser gala tomorrow, and I visited their website to get the details. Instead, I found recent news coverage of their visit to California. It presents a nice overview of the program they offer.
Before purchasing our home on the Sudbury River, our family resided about a mile away on Mattison Drive. Today, I learned about an unbelievable real estate scam involving the sale of the last undeveloped lot in that neighborhood. The true owners of the land, purchased in 1991, live in South Carolina and have been paying property taxes ever since. They had hoped to return to Massachusetts one day or gift the property to one of their children. A scam artist posing as the owner contacted a local real estate agent by e-mail seeking a seller’s agent. The realtor failed to verify the fake seller’s identity and proceeded to list the property for sale. A New Hampshire-based real estate agent made an offer to purchase the land for $550,000, a little over half the going rate for comparable undeveloped land in Concord. His father-in-law is a developer and the pair saw an opportunity to build and sell a home in the highly desirable neighborhood for a nice profit. The deal was contingent on being able to secure the necessary Natural Resource Commission permits. The true owners of the property received registered mail from a contractor preparing work for presentation to the NRC, their first indication that something was amiss. They contacted the NRC and explained that they were not selling the property and that the request for a permit hearing should be denied. Apparently, the request was initially denied but weeks later was heard and approved. Closing moved forward, site work followed and a new house was framed. When the true owners inquired as to why they had not received their property tax bill, they were informed that the property had been sold.
I learned all of this by reading the lawsuit filed by the true owners. They are suing the buyer, the developer, the realtor, and both real estate lawyers for failing to notice any of the red flags suggesting this was a scam (forged signatures, fake forms of ID, improperly notarized documents, several misspelled names and locations, and request for half a million dollars in proceeds to be sent to a UPS store in Pennsylvania,)
I will be inquisitive to see how this plays out. All defendants named in the lawsuit had a profit motive for seeing the deal close, and it would appear that they saw only what they wanted to see.
UPDATE:
A few minutes of sleuthing turned up this posting by the selling agent thanking the “seller’s” real estate attorney for “all your hard work representing our clients, and ensuring we get to the closing table.”
It is always exciting to have a first-time visitor at the River House. This juvenile red-tailed hawk showed up today, undoubtedly interested in the abundant chipmunk and squirrel population here. He hung around for about 15 minutes but did not seem to be in the mood for hunting.
Had he lived, today would be my father’s 100th birthday. On this day, I remember a kind and loving man who adored his family and lived life to the fullest. I will never forget his infectious laughter and often think of him when I hear a story that would have gotten him started. I only wish he could have lived to see his grandchildren become adults. He would have been so proud of them.
From his obituary:
Dr. Frank M. Calabria, 86, of Wendell Avenue, Schenectady, NY, died peacefully in his home surrounded by his loving family on October 20, 2010. Frank was born in Brooklyn, NY, son of the late Ernesto and Rosina Calabria. He was predeceased by his brother, Ernest Calabria and sisters, Jacqueline Gomez and Antoinette Barkley. He met his beloved wife, Angela, of 54 years at the Byrnes & Swanson dance studio in Brooklyn while working as a ballroom dance instructor there. They have four children and nine grandchildren. His son, Carl and his wife, Jeanine reside in Concord, MA with their children, Kyle, Nicolai and Maya; son, Mark and his wife, Marie reside in Plymouth, MN with their children, Mario, Rory, Sophia and Rose; daughter, Alissa Quinn and her husband, John reside in Slingerlands, NY with their children, John and Rachel; and daughter, Mayela Harris and her husband, Stephen reside in Fuquay-Varina, NC. Frank graduated from City College with his bachelor’s in science degree and was accepted into the graduate program in clinical psychology. He received his Ph.D. at New York University. Frank began his career as a professor of psychology, teaching in the evening division at Russell Sage College for five years. He was a professor of psychology for 24 years at Union College and retired professor emeritus. He also maintained a private practice as a psychotherapist and was an author of two books, “Dance of the Sleepwalkers: The Dance Marathon Fad” and “Let it Be a Dance – My Life Story.” He served in WWII as an athletic instructor where he was decorated with a Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal and American Theatre Service medal. He received an honorable discharge in 1946. Frank formed a body building club as a young teenager, after spending a year in a wheelchair. He was a teacher of ballroom dance at the local USO, Dance of America conventions and in various local studios. Frank played classical guitar and was an avid ballroom dancer for over 50 years.
Kyle has been in Ithaca, NY this week, hanging out with half a dozen friends from his running group. He shared this image of spectacular Taughannock Falls. The last time I was in the Finger Lakes district, I stopped here but the falls were not flowing at the time. This picture makes me really want to go back and I am thrilled that Kyle had an opportunity to visit this very special place.
My sister-in-law shared this photo from our recent visit to Minneapolis. There is a lot to digest in this image, and I will leave it to the reader to draw their own conclusions.
The Bionic Project, where Nico works as the Lead Educator, has been selected as a finalist in the national Land Rover Defender Service Awards! This contest is a partnership between Land Rover and Chase Bank and rewards nonprofits in 5 categories. The Bionic Project is a finalist in the “Outdoor Education and Accessibility” category. Here is a link to the press release announcing the finalists.
Winning would mean $25K and a Bionic-branded Land Rover Defender for the organization. Public voting will be open from Oct 2 – 17, and I will share a link to the Bionic Project video entry at that time.
Using plant stalks from the floral arrangement we received as a gift earlier this month, Jeanine created a new arrangement that will adorn our entryway. I love it. We spent a good portion of the day moving wood chips. It is great exercise and satisfying to see new yard areas start looking somewhat groomed.
Supermoons are full moons that appear larger because they happen in tandem with the lunar orbit’s closest approach to Earth, appearing 30% brighter and 14% larger than when the moon is at its faintest. Tonight’s supermoon is also called a harvest moon because it’s the full moon that appears closest to the fall equinox, rising near sunset and providing extended illumination for farmers to bring in their crops. Now add a partial eclipse and we have the subject of today’s blog. Pictured above is the moon at the moment of maximum occlusion and below before the eclipse began.
Having recently acquired a lathe, my brother Mark has since produced several beautiful turned vessels. The one pictured above he made specifically as a present for us to store cooking salt. The ones pictured below, I absconded with after loosely obtaining permission to take them. They will all be proudly displayed in our new home.
Joined by the Earles, Jeanine and I started our day with a leisurely stroll through the East Village of Des Moines, where we discovered some Midwest wildlife. Later, we joined the wedding party for an extended brunch where we got a chance to spend time with Zoe’s family. It was a very relaxing day culminating with an uneventful set of flights back to Boston where Nico retrieved us from the airport.
Jeanine and I attended Collin Earle and Zoe Mauck’s wedding this evening. Collin is the son of Jeanine’s best friend from childhood. The wedding took place at the prairie estate of Zoe’s parents and was officiated by her father. The couple met through their passion for cycling, a theme visited several times in the emotional and moving ceremony.
Earlier in the day, we had an opportunity to do some sightseeing in Des Moines. Pictured below is the state capitol building and, below that, the Des Moines Art Center.
Our morning visit to the Framers Market provided an opportunity for me to join in with a local yoga group, a sight so rare that Jeanine felt compelled to document it.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
