Nico take a turn at the ring toss. Kyle and Jeanine are still in Amherst at a soccer tournament. 

These girls are best friends and it will be fun watching them grow up together. 

Maya and Sarinaugh behind bars (where they belong) at the Willard Fun Festival. Earlier in the day my soccer team was content to earn a 0-0 tie against a team that had beaten us soundly earlier in the season. I got 80 minutes of playing time and am totally exhausted. 

This evening, after a day of shuttling kids all over the planet I enjoyed some night photography. I joined a group of photographers, led by a friend I met at Ferry Beach, on a tour of Lowell. Here are a few samples (best viewed in dim light). 

After his referee assignment, Nico had diving practice followed by a soccer game. Here he winds up for an awesome score on goal. He volleys the ball into the back of the net before the keeper can even blink. 

Maya was in action today and she held her own against the big dogs helping her team to another win. 

Nicolai officiated his first outdoor soccer match today. I used to shovel snow and rake leaves to earn money as a youth. He blows a whistle and tells everyone what to do. If you argue with him, he can throw you out. I’d say he is off to a far better start than I in the working world. 

My brother sent me this photo to let me know that I was going to be an uncle for the ninth time and we could not be more thrilled. I have placed my order for a neice despite Marie’s instinct that it is a boy. On the home front, we took the first steps to add another member to our family as well. After work, I joined Jeanine and the kids at a local adoption center (for dogs). There was near agreement, but not family consensus so we decided to return next week when 70 new puppies will arrive. 

Construction of our stone wall terrace has been completed. Landscaping is the next and final phase of our renovation project. 

I decided I just had to post a couple more bird shots from Ferry Beach and one from the backyard this evening. Pictured are a pair of mating Tree Swallows, a male Goldfinch, a male House Finch and finally a Northern Flicker taken from our new deck. 
 
 
 

What would Ferry Beach be without the daily visit of the Good Humor man? 

This year I was asked to take the Ferry Beach group photo. I decided to shoot from a third floor dormitory window to get an interesting perspective and to include the ocean for context. I am still working on the final image in which I hope to Photoshop in some late arrivals. Click on the image for a larger view. 

Maya helped some of the older kids dig a really deep hole in the beach. The surf board was used to lower and extract her. When I was her age, I recall being thrilled to dig a neck-deep hole. She could stand on my shoulders and her head would still not clear the surface of this ten foot crater. 

Nicolai made many new friends at camp this year. The fact that most were girls seemed to be just fine with him.