Fall foliage this year is as spectacular as any I can remember. I spent the entire day in New Hampshire taking in the glorious scenery and making the best of a mostly cloudy day. Be sure to click on the panoramic view to fully appreciate the beauty of Franconia Notch.
I dropped Jeanine off at the airport early this morning for a flight to Seattle where she will spend several days visiting with Maya. Maya has been interning with Blue Origin for some time now, helping to test sensors used on the outside of their spacecraft. Apparently she has also been doing a little blacksmithing as evidenced by the knife she fashioned from a horse shoe.
Jeanine hosted her book group at the house last night. Invited was Katharine Esty, the author of the book being discussed, Eightysomethings, and a member of her writer’s group. It never ceases to amaze me how good Jeanine is at bringing wonderful people together.
I love this time of year when fall colors are approaching peak intensity. This morning I put the drone up for an aerial view of the landscape surrounding our home. The thumb shaped field at the center-right of the photograph is the field behind our house and the reason we feel so immersed in nature. The colorful rectangular area to the left only became known to me when I started flying my drone; a real lesson in how perspective can change your view of everything. Click on the photo to see more detail.
I arrived at my dentist office at 8am today only to discover that I had cancelled my appointment for this time slot some time back (for reasons that escape me now). Fortunately, there was a cancellation and opening at 9am which left me with an hour to spend in downtown Lexington. After a light breakfast, I walked over to the Lexington Battle Green. It was here, on the morning of April 19, 1775, that “the first blood was spilt in the dispute with Great Britain,” as George Washington wrote in his diary. In this first skirmish, 77 Minutemen (local colonists who had volunteered to be first responders to military and other threats) faced British Regulars. Eight Minutemen lost their lives and 10 were wounded. Two British soldiers were also injured.
When one of my colleagues returned from his honeymoon, he found his desk covered in nuts and bolts and various other hardware. Such pranks are common around the office and it is only a matter of time before I become the target of one.
Jeanine and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary today! As has been the reality in our marriage we spent some of the day together and some of the day apart. Jeanine completed the 25 mile Ride for Food fund raiser while I played soccer this morning (beating Lexington 3-1). We then spent the afternoon and evening together relaxing over a tapas dinner out while discussing plans for our future. In years past, our conversation would have been centered on the kids but now we are more focused on how we plan to spend our remaining work and retirement years. Of all the big life decisions I have ever had to make, asking Jeanine to marry me is the smartest thing I have ever done. She is as smart and loving as she is beautiful and the only reason I have evolved into a half decent man.
With perfect conditions forecasted for the day, I ventured north to Franconia Notch only to find that I was probably a week early for optimal fall color. Even so, any day spent in the mountains is a day well spent. Weather and schedule permitting, I hope to make a return visit when peak color has arrived.
The Head of People Operations at Formlabs reached her 7 year anniversary with the company today. To celebrate, her staff threw her a surprise party which included two of her very favorite things, a petting zoo and a dipping bar (variety of foods that can be dipped). If you had told me when I started my career at Bell Labs some 40 years ago that cuddling of baby animals would one day be a component of work life, I would have thought you were nuts. That said, I think it is a wonderful development.
You don’t see one of these too often. Bound, no doubt, for a car/motorcycle show. I did a quick internet search and believe this to be a 1000cc 2-cylinder bike made circa 1920.
Normally when I sustain a bruise, I have a pretty good idea of how I got it. Not so with this one on my bicep. I have had it since last weekend and cannot think of something that would have caused it. Soccer is the obvious choice but the near perfect circular shape is inconsistent with the kinds that I have experienced in the past. Jeanine thinks I got it while clearing vegetation from around our air conditioners. While doing so, I was stung by a bumble bee, once on the neck and once on the face. I made a rapid exit from the area through thick brush and may have been poked by a branch in the process.
One of the followers of this blog has a keen interest in bridges. Given I was too busy catching up at work for any new photography today, I decided to feature pictures of bridges I took during my recent travels.
This last image is a rather depressing one. It was taken from my plane as I departed Hong Kong. In any other setting the bridge and mountains would have been totally clear. What you see here is the impact of air pollution. For all the strides the Chinese have made, this will be their legacy if they do not take action to protect the environment now.
I received this set of photos from one of our partners in China after my recent visit. Does this person remind you of anyone you know?
When I look back on my life, it is hard to imagine where the 61 years have gone since my birth. With each passing year, it feels like time is accelerating and I feel more compelled to suck every bit of marrow from the bone. As is my habit on my birthday, I like to take stock in how closely I am living to the standard of my Constancy of Purpose credo. This year with letter grades.
Achieve Balance:
Strive for Excellence:
Enjoy Life:
I spent the morning on the soccer pitch; a more perfect fall day you could not ask for. I got about 40 minutes of playing time which was just the right amount and managed one very nice shot on goal that just missed wide. We secured a 6-1 win. I spent the rest of the day with Jeanine and the boys. We watched the Patriots game together, played an epic match of bocce (with Maya observing via FaceTime), and then enjoyed a birthday meal including one of my childhood favorite foods; corn fritters. Kyle, while manning the grill, spotted the coyote pictured above. I managed to get my telephoto lens mounted just in time to capture his purposeful traverse of the field behind our house.
