I purchased this camp stove some 30 years ago. Today I sold it on Craig’s List for a profit. It really pays to take care of your equipment. The stove can run on unleaded gas, kerosene, or white gas. I am replacing it with one that runs on propane which is a much easier and safer fuel to work with. Still up for sale is a vintage Coleman lantern which I also expect to sell at a profit.
Regrettably, one man’s miracle of aerial seed dissemination is another’s source of perturbation in a sea of uniformity.
When my new Tesla X arrives I am looking forward to some serious cross-country travel and car camping. I currently have a 1 person ultralight tent for solo backpacking, a 2 person tent that Jeanine and I use when flying to a destination where we will be car camping and a giant 6 person tent that we use as a family for car and backyard camping. Today I picked up a 4 person tent that will be used by Jeanine and I for road trips. It is tall enough to stand in and has room inside for a pair of chairs and a small table. Our 6-person Marmot is now up for sale on Craig’s list. All initial tent testing happens in our master bedroom. If I don’t like the dimensions, setup, tear-down, or features it goes right back to REI without getting dirty. This one is a keeper.
It has been a long time since I paid any attention to the Audi which has been complaining about a failed side marker light bulb for several months. Realizing last week that the MA vehicle inspection had long since expired, I decided to take care of numerous minor issues and take it in for inspection. Accessing the bulb required removal of a fair number of large components in the engine compartment but in the end proved to be fairly straightforward. A small plastic clip which holds the sun visor in place needed to be replaced. The dealership wanted $35 for the $1 piece of plastic. I found an identical replacement on eBay for $2.89 including shipping from China. I also took time to document 3 dents on the car for a repair estimate. If the quote is reasonable, I’ll have these taken care of as well.
My nephew John contributes to the household by cooking dinner on Sunday nights. He has become quite a proficient cook and we look forward to what he will select each weekend. This evening we enjoyed meatballs with fava beans and spinach/date/sourdough bread salad in addition to a delicious tomato soup prepared by Jeanine. I had quite an appetite after my morning soccer game in which I played 80 minutes. We managed a 1-1 tie despite the fact that we had only one sub to our opponent’s 6.
We celebrated my niece Rachel’s 19th birthday this evening with my sister Alissa, her husband John, their son Johnny, and the rest of our family. Rachel is in her freshman year at Babson and seems to be enjoying college life immensely. In addition to being an excellent scholar, she is a highly accomplished ballroom dancer who competes with the Harvard dance team.
Jeanine joined me for a 5 mile paddle on the Sudbury River after completing a 22 mile bike ride earlier in the day. A more perfect day for kayaking I cannot remember as we enjoyed numerous wildlife sightings and the serenity of being on the water. Meanwhile, Nicolai had a speaking gig in Great Barrington, MA and was joined for the road trip by cousin John. The pair continued on to spend the night at my sister’s house in Slingerlands, NY and will return tomorrow.
My nephew, John Quinn, has settled nicely into his new Product Manager job at Nielson. He continues to live with us and is a great addition to the household. Today he prepared an enormous batch of homemade granola to bring to the office and left a portion at home for the family to enjoy. He prepares exotic dinners every Sunday night which take half the day to prepare only to be consumed in a matter of delicious moments. We chat on topics from technology, entrepreneurship, and management to SUVs and politics.
Flossing is an important part of dental hygiene except when it results in the dislocation of a filling. Such was the case this morning and will require a trip to the dentist for repairs. Note to children: You can avoid all this hassle by taking better care of your teeth as young adults.
Maya was inducted into the National Honor Society during a ceremony this evening at the high school. Inductees must satisfy requirements in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Her mother and I were members of the NHS and could not be more proud that she has also been recognized with this distinction.
The hummingbird feeder outside the bay window over our kitchen sink has seen a lot of visitors over the past few days. I decided to try and capture a few this afternoon. It was both cold and windy so I bundled up before taking up a position on the deck with a long telephoto lens. I don’t consider these to be very good photographs and will try again with better lighting and more interesting background.
Nicolai is back for the summer break after completing his sophomore year at Colorado College. He drove straight through from Colorado Springs with his friend Oliver and is seen above unloading (tossing) his gear from the SUV. Nico has been doing very well academically and remains very excited about school and his choice of CC. He looks to have put on a few pounds, much of it muscle, some of it not, since our last visit. The US National Amputee Soccer Team is tentatively scheduled to attend a tournament in Costa Rica this summer so he is going to have to start training again to get back into world class soccer shape.
Even with 4 and a half inch heels on, Maya appears petite compared to her prom date, Chris Ruediger, an excellent student and talented musician (Chris’ website). We hosted a pre-prom party at our house for a large group of Maya’s friends providing an opportunity for everyone to get photographs of the kids before they boarded a bus for the Boston Park Plaza where the event was held. I orchestrated some group shots in the backyard (will post tomorrow) and did indoor and outdoor portraits for many of the couples. Because my photo studio is adjacent to my woodworking shop, some of the kids found objects to use for props. I am particularly fond of the photos below featuring matching hearing protectors. I am still working on a clever caption.
For 11 years now I have been posting a photo and short message every day on this blog. It all started with the photo of Maya above taken when she was 5 years old. According to my website this is the 6,194th post I have made. There have been many days when I struggled to find the inspiration or energy to create an entry. Fortunately, I managed to persevere and am very proud of the journal I have created for the benefit of my family and friends. At some point, when Maya graduates high school perhaps, I imagine I may scale back to weekly postings. I am also starting to look for some software that can convert this blog into a PDF book. When I am long gone and no one is left to maintain this website, I’d like to ensure that there is a permanent record of this photo journal for my kids and theirs.