Nicolai returned from Colorado this afternoon uniting the family once again. I was thrilled that both boys agreed to join me for my soccer practice this evening. Few things bring me more joy than playing soccer with my kids and I was thrilled that both boys were interested in joining me for my outdoor soccer practice this evening. The temperature was just under freezing which is quite pleasant if you dress properly. Kyle has not lost a step and still has some very sweet moves that I need to learn from him. Nico was in fine form as well, picking apart the defense with his precision passing. I managed to show the boys where they got their skills from with 3 goals including a nice diving header.

Jeanine is never happier than when the family is together.  Kyle returned from California late this evening looking trim and fit if not entirely exhausted. His work has been very challenging over the past few months so we will make sure he is well fed and rested before he returns.  We are also trying to persuade him to consider a job in the Boston area so we can see him more often.  If you know of an opportunity for a brilliant finance/computer science type please let us know.

For a change of pace, I decided to go for a stroll on the grounds of the Nashawtuc Country Club today. Normally, I prefer to hike on trails but they are generally somewhat boring, photographically speaking.

The need to test a new camera and lens setup had me venture out into the frigid cold in search of highly detailed scenes to photograph.  I didn’t need to look much further than our own downtown cheese shop for just the ticket.  Of course, it could be that my choice had something to do with the wonderful Caprese sandwich that they serve for lunch.

Trimming the Christmas tree this year was especially enjoyable. The family was joined by Maya’s new boyfriend Caleb and his sister Sara. Many hands made the work go quickly as we enjoyed holiday music, the first fire of the season, and a Jewish apple cake that Jeanine whipped together. I think Kyle and Nico will find the decorations up to par when they return home later this week. “It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.”

The first significant snowfall of the season left us with about 5 inches of fluffy powder and morning temperatures in the teens. It was a good day to spend indoors. Using a recipe from her upcoming cookbook, Jeanine baked ten cranberry-lemon bread loaves.  She spent the rest of the day trying to keep Maya and I away from them. I spent the day obsessing over the photo kit I will bring with me when I head out to the Southwest for the first two weeks of January.  Weather permitting, I am planning a long hike and overnight at Havasu Falls which means carry weight will be a factor. My standard travel set is 12 pounds. Ideally, I would like to cut that by half for the 24 mile round trip hike. These days I prefer to limit my total pack weight to 30 pounds and a 20% allocation to photo gear seems about right.

In preparation for a tree trimming party tomorrow, we started decorating the house and added lights to our Christmas tree.

I finally got around to writing our 2016 Holiday Letter and have posted the text here for those who may not be on our mailing list.  The complete letter with many photographs can be found at 2016 Holiday Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

2016 finds the Calabria family healthy and happy in a year marked by major transitions. We continue to reside in Concord, Massachusetts but are planning to downsize (location still undetermined) when Maya leaves for college. The year has been characterized by much travel and many new beginnings. Carl continues to post daily photos on our family website and we invite you to visit with us at www.carlcalabria.com

After volunteering for 3 years as the President of Open Table, Jeanine accepted the paid position of Executive Director this summer. Her first challenge has been to find a new facility for the community dinner program and food pantry. Managing the 300 person organization, soliciting donations and preparing for the move has been both exciting and exhausting.  Jeanine completed a 25 mile Ride for Food to raise money for area food relief and also completed writing her memoir cookbook to be published soon.

Since graduating from Santa Clara University last December, Kyle has been working as the Trading Operations Manager at Decker & Company, a boutique Asian emerging and frontier specialist broker. He spent three months living in Thailand as part of his introduction to the company and now lives in Menlo Park, CA. This year he obtained his Series 7 and Series 24 FINRA certifications and is waiting to learn the results of the CFA Level 1 test he recently completed.

Nicolai is a junior at Colorado College where he has just completed their semester long TREE (Teaching & Research in Environmental Education) program at the Catamount Center, located on the North Slope of Pikes Peak. Nico was named co-captain of the USA National Amputee Soccer Team and traveled to Costa Rica to compete in the Copa Internacional where the team placed third. Nico earned team MVP honors and is now the all-time leading scorer for the US.

Maya, in her senior year at Concord Carlisle High School, is deep in the midst of the college application process. She spent 6 weeks of the summer interning at prestigious Brookhaven National Labs where she worked analyzing data for a researcher who is studying the quark gluon plasma. She played varsity soccer, is co-captain of the nordic ski team and co-president of the National Honor Society. Over the summer she travelled to California with Carl to visit schools and for a mini vacation.

After 36 years in high tech, Carl began dabbling in retirement. Unsure if he will simply complete a “gap year” or begin a new chapter of travel adventure/photography, he has visited 9 countries, 22 states and 10 national parks so far this year. He spent 2 weeks with Jeanine in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and then another 2 weeks solo in Myanmar and India. Carl still plays Division 1 soccer (over 50s) and travelled with his team to Iceland to compete in an international friendly.

Now that Maya’s soccer season is over, I have decided to sell my dedicated sports photography setup. It has served me extremely well but will see little use now that the kids are all finished with high school sports.  I have a different kit I will use for Maya’s Nordic skiing and for Nico’s future amputee soccer events. I spent the day taking “glamour shots” in my studio and expect my listings will net me close to $12K for the lens, camera, and tripod.

For several years now I have been unable to locate our wedding album.  While continuing what will certainly be a month-long project to scan in all my remaining photographic prints, I finally found it; hidden behind a box of photos in my office. (Maya: Please advise if this is the correct use of a semicolon.)  The photo above is my favorite of us and even though I already had a digital version, I rescanned it with my newer equipment to produce a much better result. Neither of us looks like this anymore but I still find great beauty in my partner for life.

From geometric to organic to classical, the architecture to be found on the campus of MIT can only be described as eclectic.  After a morning meeting in Cambridge, I took a leisurely stroll and captured some of the iconic facades. My last visit here was with Maya during warmer weather when the grounds were crawling with students and visitors. Not so today affording me unpopulated sight lines. It never ceases to amaze me how much you can adjust the composition of an image by simply changing your shooting position.  Notice in the photos below how I made the massive lawn nearly disappear by stepping back a few feet

Today I discovered a profound work of photography by artist Benjamin Von Wong which I feel compelled to share, not only for the raw beauty of the images but for the powerful statement behind them.  It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. 50% of all plastic is used just once and it will not decompose for hundreds of years. I am proud to live in Concord, the first town in the country to ban single-use plastic water bottles. Please consider what choices you can make to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics. Von Wong’s blog documenting his work can be found at http://blog.vonwong.com/mermaidplastic/. It is both entertaining and informative.

I spent several hours today scanning old family slides and continue to discover images I have never seen before.  I appear to be about five years old in the picture above.  Believe it or not, the item in my hands is a Kodak Flash Dial used to determine lens aperture based on film speed and distance before the days of camera automation. Didn’t realize my interest in photography went this far back.

Below is a picture of my uncle Ernie, his wife Barbara, and their close friend Tony Bennet.  Ernie was a professional musician who often accompanied Bennet on the acoustic guitar. 

Apparently my siblings and I received much needed training in the art of kissing under the direction of my mother. Early efforts by Alissa appear to be targeted at the nostrils of sister Mayela and I seem headed for my brother’s lower lip. I think it is safe to say that we all eventually got the knack of it when left to experiment on non-siblings.

Jeanine is on Martha’s Vineyard enjoying a girl’s weekend with friends. Charged with the nutritional sustenance of Maya during her absence, I suggested that we make a burrito run for lunch.  Black beans, brown rice, chicken, salsa, and lettuce make a healthy substrate for cheese and sour cream included only to satisfy our daily dairy requirements. Sending this selfie which Maya snapped to her mother did not elicit the good housekeeping stamp of approval I was hoping for.  I guess it is true what they say; “When the cat is away the mice will eat burritos.” Next thing you know I will be tearing the house apart to locate my stash of black licorice which Jeanine has hidden from me (admittedly at my own request.)

I found this pathetic scene in the living room shortly after Maya returned home from Nordic ski practice this afternoon.  I am still trying to solve the mystery.