Today begins a new chapter in my professional career as the Senior VP of Product Development for the Home Robots Division of iRobot. I spent the entire morning in orientation briefings with 7 other new employees (the company is growing fast). The Government & Industrial Division does some work for the defense department on Secret and Top Secret projects. Because of this all employees must understand and comply with stringent security policies. I enjoyed lunch with my new boss and spent the afternoon in meetings with new colleagues. I spent the evening settling into my new office and made it home in time to enjoy the 11pm news.
For the last few days many of the roads to and from our home have been flooded due to heavy rains. This has added significant delays to our simplest journeys. Today, fortunately, the water has subsided sufficiently to allow slow passage. Our home sits on high ground and we have been spared the problems of many of our Concord neighbors who have flooded basements.
The Black & White Ball was held this evening at the high school. Kyle escorted the lovely Hannah, and both allowed me to photograph them after the event. Nicolai, after much vascillation, also decided to attend. Both fit in the tuxedo I wore at my wedding and it was amusing to watch them fight over it.
When we returned from the talent show the family enjoyed an Angel Food cake prepared from scratch by Maya and her Aunt Lauren. By the time I set up a proper fill flash, the cake was already being devoured and I had to settle for this poorly lit photo of the cooks and their creation.
Maya with friends Sarinnagh and Kristina performed a dance routine that she choreographed during the annual Willard School Talent show this evening. Thunderous applause from the standing room only audience was the reward for extensive rehearsal and flawless execution. Maya reports that she loves being on stage.
Jeanine’s sister Lauren and nephew Luke are staying with us for a couple of days while they check out the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. This evening Kyle and Luke grilled a chicken and built a nice fire. Nico and I helped eat the chicken. Later the cousins took up a game of cards on the deck making the most of the great spring weather.
We stopped frequently on this final day of our thousand mile, four day adventure discovering an abandoned goal mine, a Vietnam War Memorial, and countless photogenic landscapes. Between stops we had hours of time to talk and reflect on the passage of our combined 101 years, work, family, friends and our respective interests. I hope Alissa and Mayela are both up for some kind of sibling adventure as I would like to do the same with each of them when they reach the half century mark.
Mark and Jeanine both share a gift for spotting wildlife from a speeding car. Mark spotted a group of male Big Horn sheep on a distant mountainside in waning light. Unbelievable, as they practically disappear into their environment. The herd of females was easier to track down and we ultimately found a dirt road that took us to within feet of them for great close ups.
The petroglyphs are about twenty feet above the ground on along a vertical wall and it was not clear to either Mark or I as to how they were placed there. The dinosaur tracks, highlighted in white, are about twice the size of my hand and required a short but tricky climb to get a close up view.
Today is a travel day back to Denver where we will stay in a hotel before our flights tomorrow morning. Before departing, however, we make a brief excursion down the Colorado in the opposite direction, where we seek out Native American petroglyphs and preserved dinosaur tracks.
As sunset approaches, Mark and I make the strenuous climb to iconic Delicate Arch. We are both acrophobic and the last few hundred feet are along a narrow cliff ledge. Although Mark makes it past the ledge he elects to descend immediately rather than waiting as I will for golden light which necessitates a return in darkness. Only during the winter months does the angle of the setting sun afford a near shadowless image. Add in snow caps on the La Sal Mountains and it does not get any better than this.
We spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening enjoying Arches National Park where there is no shortage of stunning scenery to capture. Mark has a great photographic eye and an affinity for shooting tiny details through the macro lens while I tend to look for the big picture vistas. His photo above of the lichen covered mounds is one of my favorites from the trip. The subtle color palette combined with the strong opposing diagonal elements makes for a really sophisticated composition and great image.
Learning a lesson from the prior evening, we find an approved tent site early in the day. The Arches campground is full so we opt for a site directly adjacent to the Colorado River which turned out to be a superior second choice and offered us quick access to Moab for gas and food.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
