I think it is safe to say that Jeanine really needed to get away from the pressures of work and family to unwind for a bit. From all reports, she is having a fabulous time in West Palm Beach. Apparently, the sun there is extremely intense. On the home front, I am pleased to say that all children and one dog remain alive with an increased appreciation for their mother’s fine cooking.

I published another new photo book, this one documenting my 2011 trekking vacation in Peru. I am on something of a roll now and think I will tackle Alaska next.

It sweeps to the sea cliff and will travel through time.

Simple deep and pure.

Stream growing, pools shimmer light blue.

Water sewn to the Earth,

it wraps around life and again begins.

Water bends to the spirit

and dances back to explore the fire.

Jeanine and Maya were guest speakers at the First Parish Sunday Forum where they shared pictures and their accounts of Maya’s Coming of Age adventure in India. Dressed in the clothes they wore while in India, they talked about the school for tribal girls where they volunteered, the people that they met, and the highlights of their visit. Also presenting was Derek Mitchell, Director of the Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program which helped to create and funds the school.

Immediately after the forum, I whisked Jeanine off to the airport. She is bound for West Palm Beach to visit with childhood friend Kris Earle and her mother. I will be holding down the fort until she returns on Thursday. I have promised to keep the children fed but made no representations about nutritional quality. The dog is at the mercy of the kids for her sustenance.

Maya and I took turns flying a quadcopter that I have on loan for the weekend. On more than one occasion during her early training, I found myself running for life and limb. Laughter during these episodes did nothing to improve her skill. Amazingly, despite rather strong winds, we managed to avoid any crash landings. With a little more practice I may attempt an aerial photograph of the house.

In a recent phone call with Kyle we sensed he was under some pressure in the face of approaching exams. Jeanine decided to send him a care package which included home baked raisin oatmeal cookies, a Captain Underpants hat, and fresh pumpkin bread. Maya added several personal messages to the outside of the box and I added a copy of the photo book I recently completed which documents the adventure Kyle and I shared in Patagonia. The book can be perused by clicking below.

When under stress, some people grind their teeth during sleep. I am one of them and managed to fracture a tooth and pop out an existing restoration last week, a fairly good indicator of my anxiety at work over a product quality issue. I have a night guard to help protect my teeth but find it to be incompatible with romantic aspirations. This morning I paid the price during a two-hour session with my dentist. I had the restoration replaced without Novacane but wisely opted to use it for the tooth receiving a new crown. That tooth still hurts a day later as I am typing this entry.

Today I am going to let the photos speak for themselves. What is your version of the story?

While Nicolai and I were in Texas, Jeanine and Maya spent the weekend in Indianapolis visiting with our niece Erica who was celebrating her 30th birthday. Now a mother of two (Will and Lilly) herself, I have known Erica since she was 2 years old and was the photographer for her wedding.

Nicolai and talented new recruit, Noah Grove, head out to the practice field for a final two hour training session before members of the team begin departing for the airport. It is damn tough to build a cohesive national team when every practice requires every member to board a plane. Despite this challenge, the squad was looking very sharp at the end of the long weekend. Two more training camps are planned before the World Cup tournament in late November.

The weather in San Antonio took a distinct turn for the worse today. Rain held off for the morning clinic at the STAR soccer complex which was well attended and produced a handful of potential amputee soccer recruits. The afternoon training session was conducted in the rain and cold. Spirits on the team were lifted when Steve Sampson arrived to observe the team and share his coaching wisdom.

Sampson, known to many as Uncle Sam, was the head coach of the United States men’s national soccer team from 1995 to 1998, head coach of the Costa Rica national team from 2002 to 2004, and head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy from 2004 to 2006. He had some very complimentary things to say about Nicolai after watching the team play and joined us all for dinner on the River Walk.

As it was just around the block, we made a brief detour to visit the site of the Battle of the Alamo. Following a 13-day siege in 1836, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission during which all of the Texian defenders were killed. Santa Anna’s perceived cruelty during the battle inspired many Texians to join the army. Buoyed by a desire for revenge, they defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto six weeks later.

The Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) was the site for this mornings AASA (American Amputee Soccer Association) outreach clinic. Members of the US National Team participated in a family sports day for the Warrior Transition Battalion, the unit charged with returning Wounded Warriors back to service or into civilian life. Those missing a limb were introduced to the sport of amputee soccer and those with two legs were encouraged to play on crutches using only one leg. It is always an honor to work with our veterans and sobering to see first hand the price that is paid to wage war. An IED nearly killed the woman in the upper right corner of the group picture who survived with massive injuries to her face and head, left eye, throat, left leg and arm. She was not strong enough to play in the organized tournament but she was on the sidelines watching every game. As things wound down I approached her and asked if she wanted to kick the ball with me. She was delighted by the offer and took shots on me in goal. I was humbled by her courage and determination and will never forget the sacrifice she made in the name of our country.

Up at the crack of dawn, Nicolai and I flew from Atlanta to San Antonio this morning. Nico is here for three days of practice with the US National Amputee Soccer Team in preparation for the 2014 World Cup tournament to be held in the fall. When we arrived at the team hotel, Nico was understandably more interested in hanging out with his teammates than joining me on a three hour round trip to the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and five mile hike in the park. The drive went quickly in the sporty Mini Cooper I rented given the 75 mph speed limits that abound in Texas. The park features a massive, 640 acre pink granite dome which rises 425 feet above the base elevation and 1,825 feet above sea level. One billion years ago, this granite was part of a large pool of magma seven miles below the earth’s surface. It pushed up into the rock above in places, then cooled and hardened very slowly, turning into granite. Over time, the surface rock and soil wore away. I followed the established trail to the top of the rock where numerous vernal pools are to be found sporting all manner of beautiful microhabitats. In quest of the picture above, I unwisely elected to scale down the rock face pictured below. In retrospect, it was a very poor decision. I managed to avoid falling (barely) but paid the price when the brand new Misfit Shine activity monitor I was wearing came off my wrist somewhere during the decent. It was re-gifted to me by Nicolai who had received it in his Coca Cola gift bag. I was extremely unhappy about this but figured it was a karmic reprimand for taking such an unnecessary risk. I returned to San Antonio just in time to join the team for dinner.