Maya is currently touring the California coast with a new friend she met while interning at Rivian over the summer. Judging by the pictures she is sending back, they are having an excellent time. On their recent stop at Morrow Bay, they came upon a group of four sea otters basking on their backs in the calm waters of the bay, each with a baby on its chest. Maya’s spirit animal is the otter and I am certain that this encounter will register as a peak life experience for her.
Jeanine’s nephew, Luke, is among other things a stand-up comic. It was no surprise then that his wedding to Shellie was officiated by a fellow stand-up comic. I laughed so hard that it was difficult to steady my camera. The “ceremony” was more of a roast but as is the case with all good comedy, it exposes the truth. In this case, the love they share for each other. A complete set of the photos I took can be found here.
Because of Covid, some family members had to attend via Zoom. I set up a tripod with a phone holder on it and Jeanine’s sister, Susan, escorted it about the ceremony and reception. Below, Kyle and Jeanine visit with her niece, Erica.
One of my favorite non-wedding pictures of the evening was this portrait of Jeanine’s other nephew, Gabriel, with his son and girlfriend.
I moved to Indianapolis in 1980 to join Bell Labs. It was there that I met fellow engineer Rob Till, with whom I also played league soccer and volleyball. We became and have remained close friends ever since. He is pictured here with his wife Ann and their three Great Danes. Jeanine and I spent several hours visiting with them, reminiscing about old times and catching up on children and extended family. If Maya had joined us on this trip, the Till’s would find themselves short one dog. Thor took a particular liking to Jeanine.
Even though I lived in Indianapolis for twenty some odd years, I don’t think I have been back more than once or twice in the last 18 years. This morning, Jeanine and I flew there for the wedding of her nephew, Luke, to be held on Sunday evening. On approach, we flew past the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and judging from the number of trucks on the infield, there must be an upcoming race this weekend. After gathering our rental car, we visited with Jeanine’s sister Lauren and helped with the preparation of a massive mezze plater under her expert supervision.
We all took time to visit with her dog, Gandalf. Despite his age and a deformed leg, he is absolutely adorble and took an immediate shine to Jeanine.
I found myself in Pembroke, MA this afternoon visiting a showroom for windows and doors. After completing my business, I decided to head over to the ocean, given how close I was. I visited the very quaint Scituate Lighthouse which was built in 1811. It was here, during the war of 1812, that Rebecca (21) and Abby (15) Bates, daughters of the lighthouse keeper, observed a British ship making directly for the harbor. With their father away, the girls dispatched their brother to run for help. As the British ship drew near and began offloading sailors onto barges, the two struck up their fife and drum. Hidden from sight, the two girls sounded for all the world like an approaching army force. The British sailors retreated and the ship sailed away. The sisters became known the world over as “The Army of Two.”
Today, I celebrated my 63rd birthday. I still find it hard to fathom that I am a Sexagenarian (if not for the fact that I still really enjoy sex). It seems like only yesterday that I was beginning my career and starting a family. The time has passed in the blink of an eye. I have been married to a delightful, intelligent, and beautiful woman for almost half my life, have raised three children of whom I am so proud, and enjoyed a fulfilling and impactful career. I am a lucky man by any measure and feel even more compelled to make the most of every day that lies ahead. This brings us to the topic of ice cream which is how my day of celebration ended after Jeanine and I enjoyed lunch with my high school friend Tom and his lovely wife Karen, who also has a birthday today.
Temperatures are starting to drop and the feel of fall is in the air. This view of the Sudbury River has long been a favorite of mine since we moved to the area some 18 years ago. It is now even more meaningful as our new home lies just around the bend.
Pictured left is JD, the son of my cousin Vinny and his wife Michelle who are visiting from Manhattan Beach, CA. They treated us to a lovely brunch at the Farmstead Table in Newton Centre along with Nicolai and Maya. JD is a sophomore at Boston College where he is majoring in political science and communications. We had a delightful time catching up on family and comparing notes on parental matchmaking (apparently Vinny and I are equally interested in our children’s dating status and choices), house renovation (Michelle is a lawyer by day and avid interior designer by night), travel, and sports.
Earlier in the day, my soccer team cruised to a 4-0 win over Lexington which puts us at the top of the chart in our over-55 soccer league.
Founded by her two sons, the Lois Wells Memorial Kicks for Cancer soccer tournament is an annual event designed to raise money for ovarian cancer research. The day-long tournament features matches between local teams with all gate receipts and food and merchandise profits going to the very worthy cause. Players wear custom jerseys that carry the name of a loved one who was lost to or is battling cancer. Nicolai is coaching the CCHS men’s junior varsity team which faced arch-rival, Lincoln Sudbury. A close and hard-fought match ultimately concluded with CCHS winning 2-0. I was there for the match and photographed the action. A full set of photos can be found here.
Jeanine has decided that the groundhog is her spirit animal. She sees our resident pair, Greg and Grace, almost every day when she has her morning coffee in the living room which overlooks our side yard. There they can be observed doing all the things that groundhogs like to do (eating; they favor our local mushrooms, cavorting about the yard, sunbathing side by side). They are an extremely cute couple and we will try to ensure that our new home construction project does not disturb their den.
Today, I received several photos taken by others at my recent 45th-anniversary high school reunion. As much as I enjoy taking photos, sometimes it is nice to be featured on the other side of the lens. I am pictured above with class beauties, Christine Dieshner and MaryAnn Lake and with my high school wrestling partner and life-long friend, Tom Metzold below.
My mother is now 93 years old and still enjoys ballroom dancing (primarily Tango and Milonga) twice a week. My sister Alissa, 4 years my junior, has followed in her footsteps and fallen in love with ballroom dancing. She can be seen here performing to Swan Lake during a USA Dance demonstration at a shopping mall in Albany, NY. Something of a swan herself, this was a very fitting performance for her and my favorite to date.
Modeled after the traditional meyhanes of Turkey, the modern Mediterranean / middle eastern menu at Sarma is a large selection of small plates ( meze ). We had planned to dine here with my cousin Vinny (no, not Joe Pesci) and his wife who are visiting the area. A work commitment got in the way but we decided to keep the reservation and dined with the kids. We had a lovely evening, filled with the kind of joy a parent can only feel when all their babies are happy, healthy, and living life well. The significance of the octopus painted on the wall of their parking lot converted to outdoor dining never became apparent to me but made for a nice photo.
In addition to teaching history at the Concord Middle School, Nicolai is the head coach of the Concord Carlisle High School Men’s JV Soccer Team. Their nascent season is off to a good start with an undefeated record of 3-0-1. Nico asked me to take a team photo and I was happy to oblige. He suggested we use a concrete wall as a background and I rather like that choice over the more common sea of green or soccer netting that is more often seen in such portraits.