iRobot employees are encouraged to volunteer with our initiative called SPARK (Starter Programs for the Advancement of Robotics Knowledge). We bring interactive robot demonstrations to K-12 schools, host tours of our corporate headquarters to give students hands-on experience with robots and show teachers how robots can be used to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects. Today I joined two colleagues at the MIT Museum where we demonstrated several of our robots in a special exhibition for the community. I had a chance to demo our PackBot. This is one bad boy robot and a lot of fun to drive. Unfortunately, our 2 hour demo ended all too quickly and I was back at the office preparing for a one week trip to China. It is very likely that I will not be able to post again until I return.

My mother arrived by train this evening from NYC. She has kindly offered to stay with Nicolai while I am travelling in China on business next week. We drove directly from the train station to the airport where we picked up my brother, who is a pilot with Delta Airlines. He is in town on a layover which afforded us enough time for dinner together. It was a nice surprise for my mom who did not know she would be getting two sons for the price of one. It is the first time I have ever seen him decked out in his pilot’s uniform and had hoped to include a picture of him as well. Unfortunately, I managed to drop my camera as it slipped from my gloved hand and was not able to get the shot. Hopefully I will get another chance the next time he is in town.

For the second time in as many weeks, I had the great pleasure of dining with Cathleen Asch, my former partner and co-founder of Truevision. This time we were joined by Jim Dadmun, CEO of DGI Technologies, formerly the President and CEO of Techex, Truevision’s international distributor. We reminisced over dinner at Papa Razzi and it was great fun catching up. Cathleen has landed a short-term CFO gig for a local company and will be traveling to the area frequently over the coming weeks.

After another superb breakfast, we said goodbye to our B&B and to Canada as we began the 6-hour drive back to Concord. With a morning temperature of 3 degrees and windchill down to -20F, we were happy to be heading south. We paused for about an hour at Franconia Notch where we stretched our legs while exploring the Pemigewasset River. Nicolai split the driving with me as we listened to the Steve Jobs biography on tape helping the hours to pass quickly. We both had a great time and I am looking forward to more impromptu road trips in the future.

Jeanine would be proud of Nicolai’s choice of B&B. We started our busy day with a truly memorable breakfast followed by great sightseeing recommendations from our hosts. As luck would have it we are here for the last day of Carnaval de Quebec, a 17-day, multi-venue winter carnival. Think Mardi Gras in winter and you have an idea of how big a deal the Quebec Winter Carnival is, the largest such event in the world. We arrived at the Place Desjardins located on the Plains of Abraham where we were amused and impressed by the snow sculptures, toured through a two story castle made entirely of ice, and watched some very unusual and funny amusement park style activities including our favorite, human fussball. Contestants are strapped to huge rods on a scaled up table and try to work as a team to score goals (very entertaining to watch). We spent the most time watching a horse drawn sledding competition which involved solo racing over a complex course with time penalties assigned for failure to cleanly traverse a gate.

We then proceeded, walking along the walls of the Citadel to Old Quebec. The rich historic nature of Old Quebec is marked by the city’s ramparts, fortifications, and many historic houses and buildings. The majority of buildings in the neighborhood date from 19th century, although the construction of some date back to 17th and 18th centuries. The famous Château Frontenac, currently operating as a grand hotel, is without doubt one of the most iconic structures in the city. I photographed it from a ferry during a brief excursion across the ice flow laden Saint Lawrence River.

Our final destination for the day are the Montmorency Falls. At 275 feet high, (and 150 feet wide) they are the highest in the province of Quebec and 100 feet higher than Niagara Falls. The falls are at the mouth of the Montmorency River where it drops over the cliff shore into the Saint Lawrence River, opposite the western end of the Île d’Orleans. There are staircases that allow visitors to view the falls from several different perspectives. Despite being closed, Nicolai went to the top and I to the first landing to enjoy the views at the risk of slipping on the ice encrusted steps.

We surprised my sister-in-law, Susan, this morning and invited her out for breakfast before continuing on our journey. We are always thrilled when she makes the trip to Concord and we were excited to reciprocate with a visit, if only for a brief while. Our primary destination for the day is the magnificent Montreal Biodome where visitors walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas. A variety of animals live in each simulated habitat, ranging from the macaws in the Tropical Forest, to the lynx in the Laurentian Forest, to the penguins in the Antarctic, and the different kinds of fish that inhabit the waters of the Saint Lawrence River. I took hundreds of photographs of the wildlife most of which were free to roam their respective habitats. The dome is suspended by dozens of cables that emanate from the massive cantilevered tower that rises above the flying saucer-shaped building.

We spent the late afternoon exploring Old Montreal and searching for a place to stay for the evening. After calling a half dozen hotels only to discover they were fully booked, we decided to drive on to Quebec City where Nicolai was able to locate a terrific B&B with a single room remaining.

Jeanine and Maya are staying at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace during their three days in Mumbai. Arguably the finest hotel in the city it will be a stark contrast to their living arrangements for the next three weeks. They will share a room in the dormitory of the school where they will be teaching. Text message reports indicated that they have been busy shopping for appropriate clothing, visiting the local sights, and having attended two weddings(?).

Nicolai and I, on the spur of the moment, have decided to take a road trip over the long holiday weekend. This evening after work (Nicolai has a new job teaching gymnastics and wrestling) we drove to Burlington, Vermont and plan on visiting Montreal and Quebec City over the next three days.

Maya and Jeanine arrived in Mumbai safely. I received a message with this photo and was informed that Maya was falling asleep during tea. They are now ten and a half hours ahead of us and I am sure it will take a few days before they recover from the jet lag. I cannot remember spending a Valentine’s Day apart from Jeanine and I am already missing her but am very happy that she will have a chance to enjoy with Maya what I had a chance to enjoy with the boys during their Coming of Age adventures. On the home front, all is well. Nicolai prepared omelets for breakfast and they were quite delicious. Jeanine has raised boys who know how to cook well.

I took my girls to the airport early this morning as Maya began her Coming of Age adventure with Jeanine. Starting with Kyle, we decided that our family would celebrate, at age 13, the transition from childhood to adulthood with an exotic adventure. Kyle choose to explore the caves and underground rivers of Belize and to camp on a sliver of land 35 miles off the coast. Nicolai elected to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania followed by recuperation on the island of Zanzibar. Maya will spend a month in India with 3 weeks spent volunteering at a school in the province of Maharashtra and the balance sightseeing in Mumbai, Delhi and Agra. Jeanine will be posting updates to her Facebook page and I will re-post pictures here as well.

Nala has discovered a high perch from which to survey her domain. Although warm temperatures are causing the snow to melt they are also causing it to slide off the roof and onto the deck helping to keep her observatory platform intact.

Ice generally starts forming from the shores of a flowing river eventually closing at the center. In this case, it appears that local eddies caused by the bridge from which this photo was taken have prevented ice from forming across its entire width. This gives the unusual impression that the ice is advancing like a glacier.

Jeanine and Maya are members of the National Charity League, a philanthropic organization for mothers-daughters committed to community service, leadership development, and cultural experiences. This afternoon they attended a “Tea” to honor graduating seniors and the rest of the day packing for Maya’s Coming of Age adventure to India where the majority of their stay will be spent volunteering at the Residential School for Tribal Girls located 2 hours outside of Mumbai.

My Honda snow blower clears a path 28″ wide and 20″ high. Winter storm Nemo, a blizzard with hurricane-force winds, has left much of New England under several feet of snow. The average show depth on our driveway was 20″ with some drifts rising above 3 feet. At one point, I found myself chewing through a snow bank, and the top of the snow blower chute (42″) went below the surface of the snow. With the driveway cleared, I am very tempted to head out in search of snowscapes to photograph. Unfortunately, a state of emergency is still in effect, and anyone caught driving is subject to imprisonment for one year.

Everyone in New England was hunkering down as winter storm Nemo descended on the eastern seaboard. iRobot asked all employees to leave for home at noon and by 4 PM the governor closed all roads in the state to all but emergency vehicles (anyone driving after that would be ticketed). Nicolai’s friend Taylor was visiting as the storm began and was stranded here until her father was able to pick her up just as the curfew was going into effect. A beautiful girl and natural model, Taylor enjoyed posing for portraits to pass some of the time. Maya provided several different scarves for us to work with and served as my lighting assistant.