This week’s Concord Journal had a nice piece on Concord Men’s Soccer. This season the Over-30, O-40, and O-50 all reached the play offs and my team was undefeated. I also got a nice call out as the leading scorer for my team. Click on the article for a readable view.
It was a wonderful Father’s day which started with a soccer match. My right thigh remains very injured and I was very fortunate when our opponents elected to forfeit the match. The rain had rendered their home field in Needham almost unplayable. We decided to play a friendly match anyway and this allowed me almost 90 minutes of game time during which I only exerted myself at 50% capacity allowing me to get a cardio workout and to stay in shape for the play offs which begin next week. When I returned from the game, drenched to the bone, the family was waiting with a delicious pancake breakfast. Later in the day I added detailing stripes to the kayak in advance of the final varnish coat. It was a difficult Father’s Day for Jeanine, having just lost her dad, but she and Maya took some measure of comfort in unpacking some of the heirlooms that she had returned from Indiana with. Maya models the Easter helmet (bonnet) that Jeanine wore as a child.
Kyle enlists the help of his sister to insert his earring. Something seems very backwards about these roles.
Energy and eye brows restored.
Maya was rather exhuasted and relaxed while enjoying an eye brow massage by her father.
This evening we attended a surprise party for a friend of the family with Maya and Kyle. The trampoline is a natural magnet for the Calabria children and Kyle spent no time before trying to launch himself into low altitude orbit.
Nico extends to win this ball and turns to serve a nice pass up the touchline. The team played with no subs and often a man short while a player would sit out for water and rest. Nico played the entire game and was quite exhuasted when the game ended.
Next up was Nicolai, shown here executing a perfect chest trap. His team scored an impressive 5-1 win and also celebrated with an end of season party after the game.
This morning Jeanine and I both looked on as Maya completed her last game of the season. She has truly become a very talented defender and is every bit as good as either of her brothers at this age (quite possibly better). Here she runs through a defender to clear the ball. Maya’s team was clearly the stronger club but a fluke goal and some bad luck left the score 1-0 in favor of their opponents. After the game Maya joined the squad for a pool party and it was the perfect antidote for the blistering heat.
This evening Jeanine and I joined a group of friends for Tapas and ballroom dancing. I was fairly confident I would not be able to dance with my injured thigh, but it turns out you can do a pretty mean Salsa without using much upper leg strength.
Last night I practiced under the lights on the new CCHS turf field. The Over 50 team scrimmaged the Over 40 team and we absolutely held our own. The fact that we had a couple teenagers playing on our side evened things out. The field plays just like grass and is really luxurious to play on. My practice ended abruptly when the goalie took me out as I was dribbling past him. His knee went into the top of my right thigh and I can honestly say it was one of the most painful injuries I have ever experienced. I went home immediately (using my left foot to work the pedals)and iced it down. Fortunately it is just a muscle bruise or tear and this morning I was able to walk again. The blood has begun pooling in my ankle and I suspect it is going to look even worse this evening. The good news is that I feel like I will not miss the playoffs and with any luck may even be ready to play this Sunday.
Although my new commute has less nature, there are still some pretty interesting things along the way. I believe this building is part of the MIT campus.
My Avid commute was filled with natural beauty. My Sonos commute is more urban but also produces some interesting photo opportunities. I shot this through my windshield while driving home this evening.
We enjoyed fresh lettuce grown by Maya for dinner. The elevated garden she used to grow it in was a gift from her grandfather, Larry, who passed away a week ago and who was a passionate gardener. Larry was a frequent visitor to this blog and I believe he is still tuning in. This post is for you.