Maya and her grandmother go for a stroll on the campus of Union College before the party.

Today we drove to Schenectady where we celebrated my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. A full set of photos from the day can be found here. Pictured in this photo are my brother Mark, sisters Mayela (left) and Alissa (right) and our parents taken in the lobby of the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia, NY where the party was held.

After a long hiatus from fredmiranda.com (photography website featuring a weekly themed competition which has helped me improve my photography) I took second place for my photo.  The theme for the week was “Lines.”  Regretably, the image itself has been lost to the internet.

It is not uncommon for Maya to wake up and read to her pig.

Over the summer I have been playing in the Greater Boston Soccer League Open Division. Tonight we won in the finals by a score of 4-2. After going scoreless for the entire summer, I placed a nice left footer in the net to give my team the early lead. Our opponents came back with 2 goals to go ahead and then we responded with three more to secure the championship. It was a very exciting game and I played all 90 minutes.

When I arrived at home, I found Nico in the driveway riding this contraption he calls a “wawa” (short for Chiuaua). He has bungy corded a lawn chair to a skateboard and propels the arrangement with his crutches. Maya also served in a propulsive capacity.

Lots to report for a Monday. On the home front, Jeanine and Maya captured a bat that found its way into the house. Nicolai photographed the entire undertaking.

For family night we went out to a new Indian restaurant with two other families. The kids had their own table and Maya held court among a group of six boys. I hope this is not a pattern which will contine in her future.

Kyle and buddy Seth hanging out. Kyle has grown to within 2.5 inches of his father as confirmed by measurments this morning. Maya grew an inch in the last couple of months. Nicolai grew slightly. I am happy to report that I have not started shrinking yet.

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.