For the first time in a week, the sun was out, demanding that I jump in the car for a road trip in search of fall color. Unfortunately, the 400 miles I covered driving through three states provided few scenes that lived up to my expectations. Instead, I turned my attention to waterfalls, making stops at Moss Glen Falls, Warren Falls, and Bartlett Falls.
Work on our front walkway was completed today after a few days of rain delay. We are delighted with the results. It would have been far easier to make the curves had we chosen smaller bluestones, but I am pleased we held out for the larger ones. I think the scale is a perfect match for the house.
The two river rock streams are there to carry rainwater away from the house. The one on the left-hand side of the photo captures a substantial amount of water from our downhill-sloping 300-foot driveway. The one that crosses the new walkway collects the relatively small volume that falls from the four leftmost panels of the 2nd-floor metal roof. Not shown in this photo is one additional river rock stream that collects water from the garage roof and carries it down to the Sudbury River.
While the new walkway has added some formality to the “front yard,” we are looking forward to when all the plantings we have installed develop into the more natural oasis we are hoping for.
Conditions this year are conspiring against my efforts to photograph the spectacular fall foliage we usually get in New England. It has been raining nonstop for the past 72 hours, and today, by the time I reached Shelburne Falls, the clear skies above Concord gave way to heavy cloud cover. On the positive side, all that rain made for spectacular flow over the falls.
No doubt, I will continue to make leaf peeping excursions over the next two weeks, but most observers are reporting muted colors this year, likely the result of a rainy spring and summer drought.
I found this photo of me taken by my cousin Vincent while perusing my archive this afternoon. Initially, I thought it was taken in Montana while on a road trip from Indianapolis to California. When I reached out to him for confirmation, his memory proved to be substantially better than mine, and he provided a full accounting of the adventure. He flew out to California to help me drive my Alfa Romeo Spider from Palo Alto, where I had just completed my Master’s Degree at Stanford, to Indianapolis, where I was expected to report for work at Bell Labs a week later. In the photo below, I am seen servicing the car in advance of our departure. I believe I changed the plugs, oil, and front brake pads, the latter of which will be significant to the end of the story.
After bidding farewell to my California friends, we drove up the California and Oregon coast, stopping to see giant redwood trees and the ocean rocks of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Then we started heading east through Idaho and into Wyoming, where the handstand photo was taken in front of the Grand Tetons. As we were running short of time and money, the remainder of the trip was something of a high-speed blur through Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. Vincent drove the final overnight shift through dense fog while I slept. He did this without the benefit of working brakes. Apparently, while hanging the calipers to change pads, I damaged one of the brake line hoses which led to the eventual loss of all brake fluid. Vincent used the mechanical emergency brake to complete the journey without incident.
Looking back, it was probably the most epic road trip of my life and a fond memory I will share with my cousin (now that we have collectively recalled it). I have omitted several details such that my children (and wife) will continue to hold me in high regard. Suffice it to say that we narrowly avoided confrontations with the police, collisions with wildlife, and other general consequences of debauchery.
I just discovered an Instagram post that Nico made for the Bionic Project.
You can watch the full video at https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPwTZ2wALT0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Another video I found on his site can be found at
Pink Martini is an American band renowned for its eclectic, cosmopolitan style, blending classic pop, jazz, Latin, big band, and international influences. The group describes itself as a “little orchestra” that emphasizes multicultural connection and inclusion through a glamorous, accessible sound. Founded in 1994 by pianist and bandleader Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon, Pink Martini has enjoyed global popularity for over 30 years, performing at iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Sydney Opera House. This evening, Jeanine and I were invited to join our good friend, Aliza, and another couple to attend their concert in Lexington’s intimate Cary Memorial Hall.
Lauderdale is a flamboyant pianist who, in the photo above, performed briefly in a chicken suit, a nod to recent ICE protests in Portland. Leftmost in the photo is Ari Shapiro, acclaimed radio journalist, cabaret performer, and author, most widely known as a host of NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
Lead singer Storm Large, pictured below, exudes a magnetic stage presence, mixing raw emotional energy, glamor, humor, and vulnerability. She delivered a captivating, uninhibited performance that combined vocal power with theatrical charisma. Each of the other singers and band members, to a person, was an exceptional artist in their own right. We had a great time at the concert, which ended with us on stage dancing in a Conga line.
Earlier in the day (8 am), I had a soccer match in Haverhill, which proved to be a very close match. Although we dominated the run of play and despite numerous opportunities, we struggled to find the back of the net. Our defense held them scoreless, which allowed the one goal we did score to secure the win. I played well despite lingering symptoms from the cold I caught while on vacation.
Initially, Jeanine and I thought we would be happy with a stone dust walkway to our front door. It imparted the casual feel we were after. Having lived with it through four seasons now, we have decided it is not really the right material. When wet, two problems emerge. First, the sand-like stone dust sticks to the bottom of shoes, which then tracks it into the house. Second, it becomes soft and particularly prone to denting from point loads such as a high-heeled shoe or crutch tip. Finally, when using a snowblower to clear the walk, it is very difficult to avoid scraping up material into the augers, bad for the machine and the walkway.
Yesterday, the installation of a bluestone slab walkway started. The large stone slab “bridge” over the river rock river drainage channel remains in place. With any luck, the job will be completed before the forecasted Nor’easter hits us on Sunday afternoon.
Every once in a while, I take an unintentional photograph that holds my interest. This morning, a mystical fog was lifting over the river in front of our house. I decided to photograph it from above with the drone and set out to launch it from a bistro table on the patio. I accidentally snapped the photo above before takeoff and have decided I like it better than the aerial photos I took once airborne.
I have been to Canada several times in my life, but this past week has been the longest stretch of time I have spent in the country. It is said that Canadians are polite, friendly, humble, and community-oriented, with a strong emphasis on respect for others, fairness, and multiculturalism. Based on my experiences here over the past week, I can confirm these generalizations to be correct. I found myself constantly compelled to apologize for the manner in which our administration has been characterizing the country. It is so insulting to suggest that Canada would be better off if they became our 51st state. In fact, we could stand to learn a lot from them. Canada may not be a perfect country, but it is full of truly wonderful people who we are lucky to have as neighbors.
Pictured above is the boarding area inside the Calgary Airport where we waited for our departure. Unlike our flights to get here, our return was uneventful, and we enjoyed sharing stories of our adventure with Maya, who picked us up at Logan Airport.
Thus far on our vacation, we have been fortunate to dodge inclement weather, if not, more than our fair share of cloudy skies. Today, on our drive from Jasper to Calgary, we experienced an hour of rain, an hour of snow, and three hours of clear skies. We stopped in Banff for lunch and to enjoy the Vermilion Lakes area. It has been a wonderful vacation during which we celebrated my 67th birthday and our 35th wedding anniversary. Having both caught colds, we did not do quite as much hiking as we had originally planned but were able to reach more than 90% of our planned destinations. I return with a treasure trove of photographs, only a small fraction of which I have posted here, and the satisfaction of finally visiting a part of the world I have wanted to see forever.
The drive from Banff to Jasper took us about 5 hours with stops at the Sunwapta Falls (above), Athabasca Falls (below), a second visit to Herbert Lake, and an unnamed horseshoe bend in the Athabasca River. Forecasted rain never materialized, and we were bathed in sun for most of the day. Should we get percipitation this evening, it may take the form of snow which could slow us down tomorrow as we make the long trek back to Calgary.
Thirty-five years ago, I had the good sense to marry Jeanine. Some men talk about their “better half” when referring to their wife. Jeanine is my better two-thirds. She is a genuinely kind and wonderful human being, a loving mother, and still a sexy dish. She puts up with me because I am good at fixing things. I consider myself a lucky man and look forward to the many adventures we have yet to share.
We departed our hotel in Banff at 5 am to arrive at Lake Moraine in time for sunrise. Waiting in the bitter cold for the sun to kiss the mountain tops was totally worth it. A light snowfall last night had left the mountains and trees covered with a dusting that made the scene even more magical. What is not shown in this photo are the several hundred other people interested in capturing the exact same moment. I was able to use my tripod on top of a retaining wall to shoot over all the distractions.
By the time we left Lake Moraine, the parking lot at Lake Louise was completely full, so I used my drone to get an aerial view, including the famous Fairmont Chateau.
We decided to spend most of the remainder of the day in Yoho National Park, stopping at Takakkaw Falls and Natural Bridge.
By late afternoon, the light on the Icefields Parkway was not very flattering, so our drive there was mostly a scouting mission for tomorrow’s outing.
Jeanine has been feeling a little under the weather and slept in this morning while I drove from Banff to Calgary to pick up a new drone. When I returned, we enjoyed a leisurely walk about the town, which is nestled between massive peaks and the confluence of the Bow and Spray Rivers.
Later we drove to the Surprise Corner Viewpoint for views of the stunning Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Bow Falls.
