This morning, in a rematch of last season’s championship game, my soccer team faced Everett. That game was stopped after 8 minutes when their captain suffered a heart attack on the field and was resuscitated by a doctor who plays for our team. The goodwill generated then lasted all of about two minutes before the intense rivalry between our squads was rekindled. They scored first, but we managed to equalize before halftime. We had the run of play in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net until stoppage time, when we managed to score twice in the last three minutes. It was an extremely satisfying win. I played well with one very powerful shot on goal but it found the keeper rather than the net. I also managed to blow out one of my soccer cleats and will need to replace it before I return to the pitch in two weeks. Jeanine and I travel to Calgary this evening to begin a 10 day vacation through Glacier National Park (subject to the looming government shutdown), Banff, and Jasper.

For the second year in a row, Jeanine helped organize the Conantum Harvest Supper at Verrill Farm. The new venue has proven to be a great fit for the celebration. With nearly 150 attendees, I decided to focus my photographic interest on the growing crop of youngsters present. The full album can be found here.

Earlier in the day, I prepared a pancake and bacon breakfast for Maya, Kyle, and Jeanine. Nico is at a wedding in Maine. My methods may be unconventional, but all seemed satisfied with the meal.

A large syringe makes for efficient and accurate batter disbursement. High-temperature silicon pinch mitt pot holders keep the flat-bottom griddle from sliding around on the flat cooktop.

This morning, I spotted a King Fisher perched above the river and managed to get two shots off before it set out in search of breakfast. The light was not very good, but I really liked the takeoff shot.

I have been eating lunch at Chipotle 4-5 times a week ever since retiring. What can I say? The food is health and tasty and reasonably priced. Until recently, this has required a 36-minute round-trip excursion to Waltham, often coupled with a visit to Home Depot for project supplies. When a new Chipotle opened here in Concord, I was thrilled by the prospect of saving 20 minutes of driving time for each visit. Regrettably, the efficiency of the new restaurant has been quite poor. Initially, I chalked it up to the new staff learning the ropes. Unfortunately, I have seen no improvements, and now that demand has grown, the slow service has become a real problem. Today, I ordered in advance online hoping to avoid the in-store delay. It took 33 minutes to fill my order! Because I am invested in the success of the Concord location, I wrote an e-mail to Chipotle’s CEO to make him aware of my experiences at the restaurant. He responded within minutes promising to look into the situation and get back to me. I am left hopeful that improvements will be made and impressed by a leader who takes customer feedback so seriously.

In our hometown of Schenectady, NY, my sister received a Proclamation from the Office of the Mayor declaring September 24, 2025, Alissa Calabria Quinn Day.

WHEREAS, Alissa Calabria Quinn was born in Albany, New York, the daughter of Dr. Frank and Angela Calabria, and moved to Schenectady at the age of four when her father joined Union College as a professor in the psychology department; and

WHEREAS, Alissa attended Zoller Elementary School, Oneida Middle School, and graduated as the salutatorian of the Mont Pleasant High School Class of 1980, later earning a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Economics from Union College; and

WHEREAS, Alissa blazed a trail in the field of wealth management in the Capital District, achieving the role of Senior Vice President – Wealth Management and Financial Advisor of the Quinn Wealth Management Group, all while raising her son John and daughter Rachel; and

WHEREAS, Alissa is an international award-winning ballroom dancer, having first developed her passion for dance in Schenectady while watching her parents dance, and she has continued to share that love of ballroom dancing with others; and

WHEREAS, Alissa is also a published author and a recognized community leader, crediting her education in Schenectady and her development through the Schenectady Business and Professional Women’s Club Individual Development Program, which empowered her personal and professional growth; and

WHEREAS, through her leadership and community involvement, Alissa has supported children’s dance programs, the nonprofit Girls Inc., and numerous initiatives in business and finance, inspiring and uplifting countless individuals throughout Schenectady and beyond.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GARY MCCARTHY, Mayor of the City of Schenectady,

do hereby proclaim September 24, 2025, as Alissa Calabria Quinn Day in the City of Schenectady. On behalf of our community, we celebrate her achievements, her dedication, and her many contributions that have enriched the lives of so many.

As we finished a walk of the neighborhood, Jeanine spotted this mushroom emerging from the wood chips I spread earlier this summer. I am hoping it will be the first of many.

My day revolved around getting the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines and then sitting down with Jeanine to plan hikes for our upcoming trip to Glacier National Park, Banff, and Jasper. After New Zealand, we are taking a realistic view of how much time we want to spend hiking each day.

For years, I owned Canon cameras. When Sony introduced the first professional mirrorless cameras, I switched brands wholesale and have never looked back. I own both a Sony Alpha 1 and an A7R4, which are currently meeting my needs in every way. The former is ideal for sports and wildlife photography, while the latter excels in landscapes, portraiture, and product photography. For all of Sony’s hardware prowess, they truly suck at software and user interface. The entirety of my day was consumed performing a software update to my Alpha’s firmware and then restoring the infinite number of settings in the menu system.

Step 1: Download Sony Driver system extension for Mac. (10m)

Step 2: Restart my MacBook in Safe mode, disable a security feature that prevents malicious software from being installed, reboot, install the Sony extension, reboot, reboot again in Safe mode, renable security settings, reboot. (20m)

Step 3: Download and install Ver. 1.31 → Ver. 1.35 updater. (40m)

Step 4: Download and install Ver. 1.35 → Ver. 2.01 updater. (40m)

Step 5: Download and install Ver. 2.01 → Ver. 3.01 updater. (10m)

<I should mention that if any of the prior three steps get interrupted for any reason, it is possible to render the camera a total brick>

Step 6: Program several hundred settings, recustomize the controls and menus to restore the camera to its last configured state (half of the time is spent looking up and deciphering what many of the menu items do). (180m)

Suffice it to say that this was not a very enjoyable day, save for the fact that Jeanine returned from Vermont.

My soccer team traveled to Raynham this morning, where we inflicted a 5-0 drubbing of an opponent that had a few dirty players. One intentionally cleated the top of my right foot, provoking me to subsequently knock him off his feet. Fortunately, the referee saw the lead-up and did not issue me a card for my infraction.

Having driven an hour south, I decided to continue south after the match to visit Woods Hole, MA. There, I stopped first at the Nobska Lighthouse, a historic 40-foot cast-iron tower built in 1876. It serves as a landmark, offering views of Vineyard Sound and guiding mariners to safety through the area’s dangerous shoals. The site is now a publicly accessible museum about maritime history.

Eel Pond, pictured below, is a serene coastal pond at the heart of Woods Hole, valued for its scenic beauty and calm waters.

Alvin is a three-person crewed deep-sea titanium-hulled submersible operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, capable of diving to depths of 6,500 meters (21,300 feet) for ocean floor research. Its personnel sphere, forged from titanium and featuring 2.9-inch thick walls, houses the pilot and two scientists and is designed to withstand immense deep-ocean pressures while providing five viewports for observation.

The Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge is a vertical lift bridge completed in 1935, featuring a 544-foot span and 135-foot clearance when raised. It was the longest vertical lift span in the world at the time, and currently is the second-longest in the United States. Engineered for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the bridge serves freight and seasonal tourist trains and operates primarily by keeping its span raised except during train crossings. In the early 2000s, it underwent a major $30 million rehabilitation to update its cables, machinery, and electrical systems

Jeanine left for Burlington, VT, to stay with her sister, Susan, for the weekend. I was not able to join her because of my soccer game tomorrow. Instead, I decided to head down to the Seaport District to watch the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition, which is in Boston this weekend.

Pictured in this sequence is Gary Hunt, arguably the best cliff diver in the world, having won the Red Bull Cliff Diving Series 10 times. He is the current leader in this year’s series and was the winner of today’s event. Men dive from a specially constructed platform that is 90 feet from the water, and women from 70 feet. The athleticism and fearlessness of these competitors were amazing.

While I was near the ocean, I decided to drive down the coast with stops at the Flynn Cruiseport, Castle Island, the JFK Presidential Library, and the Scituate Lighthouse.

The choice of stone dust for our front walkway has proven to be suboptimal. It becomes soft when wet and is easily deformed by Nico’s crutch tips. Wet or dry, the stone dust gets tracked into the house, and it is not very easily cleared with a snowblower in the winter. We have decided to have a bluestone walkway installed over the top. I was asked by one of the contractors bidding on the job to evaluate the thickness of the substrate, leading me to do a small excavation, revealing six inches of stone dust over compacted clay. I have yet to hear back if this will be adequate to build on or if we will have to excavate and fill with a thicker base.

Years ago, I purchased the pictured set of salt and pepper shakers. They feature a very unique top that “pops” open when the center is pressed. The design is quite clever and works perfectly to keep moisture and dust from contaminating the contents. On a recent picnic outing, we left one of these behind and find ourselves missing it dearly. When I searched the internet for a replacement, I discovered that it had been discontinued by the manufacturer. I then spent the better part of an hour searching for a retailer that still had a pair in stock. After visiting dozens of sites, I finally found one that still had inventory and I purchased their last remaining pair. It is odd to become so attached to something as mundane as a salt shaker but it speaks to the value of great industrial design.

My sister departed for New York this morning to meet up with her husband, who is driving up from North Carolina. We enjoyed a lovely long weekend with her, which was centered on the consumption of ice cream. She left us with five Dwarf Hummingbird Mint Kudos (Agastache Hybrid) plants as a housewarming gift, which Jeanine and I planted next to our patio this morning.

Since it was released 2 years ago, the DJI Mini 4 Pro has been my go-to drone. I prefer the small size and weight to the larger, more expensive drones I have since sold. For months now, I have been anticipating the announcement of the follow-on model Mini 5 Pro, which is primarily distinguished by a higher-quality camera among many other significant improvements. Today, it became available for sale worldwide except for the United States. Here, it is now subject to politically motivated import requirements. DJI must prove that its drones are not produced with coerced Uyghur labor or used to spy on Uyghur people. The company believes it can prove that neither of these are true but the relevant US regulatory bodies are making no effort to move the process along. I suspect the situation will not change until the US and China reach a comprehensive trade deal which could take months or years. I may try to purchase one when we travel to Canada later this month.

In addition to his work on the Bionic Project, Nico serves as the assistant coach for the Lexington High School men’s varsity soccer team. At his request, I took team photos of the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman squads in addition to headshots of the varsity team and coaches. The boys were very cooperative, and I am pleased with the results, which will be posted on the team’s website.

The Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, is a scenic 3.5-mile public trail along the southeastern shore of Aquidneck Island, famous for its dramatic ocean views and historic mansions from the Gilded Age. Jeanine, Mayela, and I ventured there after stops in Providence and Jamestown on an all-day car trip. Pictured above is the Anglesea, a private residence that may be my favorite on the Cliff Walk.

The Breakers is a renowned mansion built as the summer residence for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, chairman of the New York Central Railroad, between 1893 and 1895. The estate remained a Vanderbilt family property for decades. After Cornelius’s death, his wife, Alice, and then his daughter, Gladys Széchenyi, inherited it. Gladys leased the mansion to the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1948, who bought it outright in 1972.

The Forty Steps is a historic stone staircase originally constructed in the early 1800s and later rebuilt with granite in the 1990s. It became a lively gathering spot for mansion staff and locals during the Gilded Age, where people socialized, danced, and enjoyed ocean views after work.

The Chinese Tea House sits atop the Marble House estate, built between 1912 and 1914 by architect brothers Richard and Joseph Howland Hunt as a tribute to Song Dynasty architecture. Commissioned by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, it served as a site for suffragist rallies, with “Votes for Women” china and calligraphy inscribed to celebrate women’s rights.