Today, I entered a consulting agreement with a very early-stage life sciences startup called Amide Technologies. The company has developed a protein printer (depicted above) that can synthesize arbitrary proteins with lengths of up to 250 amino acids. Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. Proteins are made up of hundreds or thousands of smaller units called amino acids, which are attached to one another in long chains. The sequence of amino acids determines each protein’s unique 3-dimensional structure and its specific function. These are literally the building blocks of life. Sticking to my goal of remaining semi-retired, I have limited my consulting time to 40 hours per month. I will be leading the engineering team with the goal of accelerating the speed of the printer by 100 times. It is a daunting challenge, but I already have thoughts on a new machine architecture that will make this possible. I will continue to work with my existing clients but will not be taking on any new ones for the foreseeable future.

The reason we call the home we are currently living in the Road House is because it is located very near to Route 2 on the side opposite Emerson Hospital. To say we are a stone’s throw from the hospital would be a slight exaggeration, although I am confident I could hit their parking lot from our backyard. We have grown accustomed to the occasional ambulance siren and the very rare helicopter landing. Yesterday, however, while working at my computer, I heard siren after siren arriving at the hospital. I thought it might be some type of mass casualty event and walked outside to investigate. What I saw was the entire Concord Fire Department on scene and people evacuated from the building. Eventually, fire trucks from Lincoln also rolled up. As best I can tell, it was a false alarm but it made for quite an exciting show of fire fighting force.

Jeanine asked me to photograph a number of raffle prizes that are being offered in a fundraiser for the Maynard Business Alliance to promote small store shopping within the community. Although I still have not set up a proper studio at the Road House, I did have access to my lighting equipment for the first time in over a year which helped me get the results I was after.

From the Facebook page of Massachusetts State Senator, Jamie Eldridge.

Always great to stop by the St. Matthew’s Festival of Sharing, a very impressive set-up of tables to support local, regional and international charities, by buying amazing holiday gifts, crafts made in developing countries, and the “Cookies per pound” table that I went a bit overboard on this year! Picked up a stunning straw decoration from Uganda, glazed plate from the West Bank in the Palestinian Authority, and bread heating plates from Bangladesh! Always wonderful to see my friend Dorothy Werst at her Boston Share Network table, Jeanine Calabria at Open Table which is now delivering food to Afghan refugees settling in Lowell, and to support the Toto Club helping children living in poverty in Kenya. The Festival of Sharing is open until 2 pm today, please stop by & give generously!

In early spring, we are planning to demolish our River House to make way for the new one. By then, I hope to have found a new home for or recycled all of the useful building materials. Pictured above, is our oil-fired furnace and air conditioner loaded onto a truck destined for a second life. Pictured below, from a few weeks ago is our water heater and dishwasher on their way to a new family. Over the weekend, I also removed all of the copper and bronze pipes from the house. They will soon find their way to a metal recycler. It is very satisfying to see all these items repurposed rather than winding up in a landfill somewhere.

When we purchased the Road House, the seller asked if we would like her to leave an artificial Christmas tree behind. I assumed it was too large for her new Boston apartment. When I assembled it today, I discovered the real reason. About a quarter of the pre-hung lighting strings were not working. Other than this, the tree is very nice so I decided to fix the lights. After replacing 98 burned-out bulbs and only restoring function to half the lights, I decided to call it quits after two hours with only two replacement bulbs left. Making the job most tedious was the fact that I had to swap the base on each bulb since the replacements were not a good match to the originals.

Late in the day yesterday, I passed another kidney stone. This one measured 5mm by 3mm. I have been feeling a little under the weather for the last few days but did not make the connection. Back in April, a CAT scan revealed that I had about a dozen stones in my kidney. By my count, that leaves another 8 or so to go. With encouragement from Jeanine and a new Soda Stream machine, I have been drinking considerably more water than in the past. On a positive note, the lower back pain from which I have been suffering for the last year seems to be abating. That, or my brain has rewired itself to ignore those nerves. Either way, I am grateful.

Today, I completed the remaining work to decommission the heating oil tank from the River House. I cut the middle section of the tank off and then proceeded to muck out the sludge (about 2 gallons worth) from the bottom of the tank. The work was time-consuming but not difficult. I cut the bottom off a plastic milk jug which served admirably as a mucking scoop. Kitty litter worked perfectly to absorb the small amount of remaining oil in the tank. Finally, I used an eco-friendly degreaser to remove all remaining residue from the tank.

Maya will graduate from Olin in the spring with a degree in robotic engineering. Two of the companies with which she interned have been actively recruiting her for full-time work after she graduates. The first, Rivian, is an electric car (adventure vehicle) company headquartered in Irvine, CA. The second is Formlabs, a 3D printer company located in Somerville, MA. It will surprise no one that her mother and I (and her brothers) would really prefer to see her remain in the area. At the same time, we want most for her to be happy. It has been clear that she was most excited by the mission of Rivian but earlier today she concluded that the actual day-to-day work at Formlabs would be more in line with what she wants to do long term. We could not have been more thrilled when she informed us this evening that she had accepted the Formlabs offer. A burrito celebration is being planned.

Fall color has lasted longer than ever before this year. This photo was taken ten days ago across the street from the River House. One of the last remaining stands of color in the area, the leaves were incredibly vibrant in the morning sun.

Among other projects I tackled today was the decommissioning of our 300-gallon fuel oil tank in preparation for demolition. Step one was disconnecting the filler and vent pipes as well as the supply lines feeding two furnaces. Step two was cutting off the top third of the tank which took about thirty minutes to make the circumferential cut in the 1/8 inch thick steel. Step three, shown above, was draining the remaining oil from the tank by lifting the side opposite the drain valve. Later this week, I will return to cut off the middle third which will make it possible to muck out the sludge at the bottom of the tank. I will filter the remaining heating oil (about 6 gallons) and pour it into the tank at Kyle’s house or find a neighbor who would like a couple of days of free heat. Once the inside of the tank has been cleaned, I will dispatch the metal to a scrap yard for recycling.

For some time now, I have been searching for a better way to keep the bits I most commonly use with my drill/driver close at hand. After trying a number of different ideas, I finally settled on the use of cup magnets. Each 3/4″ magnet is attached to the tool where the belt hook is normally secured. The four bits I most often use are a #2 Phillips, #2 Square Drive, #8 Flat, and a T25 Torx. I am very pleased with this solution and have now similarly fitted my two other drill/drivers. Odd, what simple things can give me such joy.

Maya was not pleased with the dinner rolls she baked for Thanksgiving and decided to make a new batch today. Apparently, the dough did not properly rise last time and there was much discussion between mother and daughter as to the best approach to proofing. Jeanine and I were treated to the improved rolls, hot from the oven, as we binge-watched Ted Lasso with Maya who has not seen it yet.

Yesterday’s Thanksgiving Day bocce tournament gave me an opportunity to photograph the kids without the normal pushback I get when pointing a camera in their direction. Our family has a long tradition of playing this multi-generational game when we gather for the holidays. My father, who introduced my siblings and me to bocce, would be very happy to see that his grandchildren have embraced the game as well. If there is an afterlife, I am sure my dad was smiling yesterday.