Most families pay a barber to cut hair. I am the barber in our family and for the first time had to resort to paying the boys to let me cut their hair (the negotiated rate was approximaely $20 per inch of hair removed). They acknowledge that the quality of my work is better than the in town barbers but that I take forever to finish the job. It was worth the combined cost of $80 to know that Kyle and Nicolai will both be returning to school looking respectable.

The cruise back to port took quite a bit longer than the trip out when the boat lost two of its four engines. We made the best of it and enjoyed the fresh sea air.

This was an experience none of us will ever forget and one which we can highly recommend.

One of the larger humpbacks which is longer and weighs more than the boat in the background.

Here is a finback. They are smaller and not nearly as magnificent as the humpbacks but just as graceful.

Whales can be identified by the patterns of their tales which are the equivalent of a fingerprint for humans. In total we saw at least a dozen different humpbacks and several finbacks.

Here the whale is cruising along the surface with its mouth open allowing the water to filter out while the little fish remain behind. This big bump on top is the blow hole.

Occasionally the whales would turn on their side and raise a flipper before slapping the water with it. It was almost as if they were waving to us.

Whale Ho! Here is our first sighting, a young humpback. This is one of the few experiences I have had where photography fails to convey the feeling I was experiencing. The boat gives a sense of scale, but nothing can convey how gracefully and peacefully these great giants make their way in the world.

On the one hour trip out to the whales we passed an identical version of the vessel we were on. I staked out a prime photography location at the front of the top deck and set up my tripod and long lens.

Erica selected whale watching for today’s family night activity. We departed from Boston’s Long Wharf (pictured here) on one of the high speed split hull ships.

Jeanine and I had a great date this evening. We had dinner at an open air cafe on Newbury St. and then enjoyed “Taming of the Shrew” on the Boston Common.

Das boot.

Kyle was in need of a headshot for this season’s soccer pass. This is about the only reason he will sit for a photograph these days.