Nico flew out last week for his grandmother’s birthday/family reunion and returns to Colorado tomorrow.  He and Jeanine enjoyed doing some shopping together at REI.  They returned with a very nice backpack, padded gloves, and two pairs of boots (more accurately, 2 different left-footed boots, sold at a deep discount).  These were belated birthday presents. Nico turned 24 back on July 8 and this is the first time we have been together since then. New this year are glasses that seem fitting for someone pursuing a career as a professor.

I finally had a chance to upload the video I shot of my mother dancing at her birthday party last weekend.  How many 90-year-olds do you know who can do this? She is an inspiration to all who know her.

Over the weekend, I used my drone to capture images of famous Schenectady landmarks including Nott Memorial on the campus of Union College, the Saint John Evangelist Church, and City Hall. Schenectady fell on hard times when General Electric moved much of their operations out of the city decades ago. Now it feels like things are on the rebound with a new sense of vibrance at every turn.

Although his grandmother was the center of attention yesterday, Kyle was the star today. We celebrated his 26th birthday at a family reunion brunch this morning.  He will start his third week of work at Cengage tomorrow with a trip to Ohio and then on to New York City for a programming conference.  Last week he joined the Boston Sports Club where he works out every day before heading into the office. Below he takes my sister out for a spin at his grandmother’s party last night.

My mother celebrated her 90th birthday today (technically not till Aug 6).  Pictured here with her four children, their spouses, and her nine grandchildren, she chose to have the party at a dance studio.  Why? Because she loves ballroom dancing and can easily keep up with partners half her age.

Watching her grandchildren take to the floor demonstrating both interest and aptitude in ballroom dance was probably the most rewarding part of her evening. A full set of photos from the party and reunion weekend can be found here. I prepared a retrospective slide show dedicated to my mother which played on a TV in the studio. Those images can be found here.

Tomorrow members of my family and loved ones coming from far and wide will celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday.  This evening the first wave arrived and gathered to celebrate the birthday’s of my sister-in-law Marie, above with my sister Mayela and nephew Mario, and brother-in-law Stephen, below.

Niece Rose.

Daughter Maya.

Man seeking employment as a shopping mall Santa Claus?

Niece Sophia.

Sister Alissa and Jeanine.

Nephew Rory.

A member of the US Congress for 41 years, Ed Markey is the junior Senator from Massachusetts.  He is pictured here with Caleb Symons, Maya’s boyfriend, who is working over the summer as a Legislative Fellow for Markey. Caleb is a rising junior, studying Political Science and International Relations at Tufts University and is also a managing editor of the Tufts Daily. Because her flight from Indianapolis to Boston was delayed, Caleb was able to pick her up at the airport after work.  Maya is back for the weekend to attend the 90th birthday celebration for my mother being held in Schenectady, NY this weekend.

I would venture to say that this is a photographic perspective of Canadian Geese that has not been shot too often.  This gaggle was completely undisturbed by my drone flying not more than 5 feet overhead. I approached them gradually expecting them to fly away at any moment. These are obviously urban geese who have grown acclimated to the various and loud noises to be found in the city.

Every day I walk from work to Central Square and back twice; first for breakfast and again for lunch.  Over the past several weeks, I have been watching as a new high-rise building goes up. At the risk of posting more than my quota of construction cranes for the week, I decided to get an aerial photo of the project now that the central elevator shaft seems to have reached its final height.

One of my fondest memories of our early days in Boston was taking the family out on a Duck Boat tour.  The driver/captain was very funny and gave the kids a chance to drive once we were on the water.  At the time, I did not pay attention to where we entered or left the Charles River.  Today, on my early morning walk, I discovered the answer.

A major project to replace the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge is underway in Boston. This morning I walked over to the construction site and watched for a good 30 minutes. It was amazing. To facilitate the work, a large number of adjacent streets and bridges have been closed to the combined 56,000 daily car and train commuters. These closures have spawned dozens of sub projects designed to take advantage of the suspended traffic. After a few minutes of observation I was able to identify the small group of workers from the crew of 200 that were actually working on the bridge replacement. In the course of 20 minutes I watch three guys install a massive steel I-beam across the highway. One guy operated a 440 ton crane while the other two secured the 150 foot, 45 ton beam to the end of its hoist cable. They then moved the beam from the flat bed truck on which it arrived to its anchoring foundations with a level of speed and accuracy that I would not have thought possible. The project will use a total of 44 steel girders, 267 concrete deck panels and a fleet of 5 cranes to install them. The staging and choreography of equipment and materials is nothing short of incredible. After the Big Dig fiasco, I would not have thought it possible for Boston planners and worker to execute such a massive project so well.

While in New Hampshire yesterday, I had an opportunity to shoot more than just the ocean. After a nice bike ride with Jeanine this afternoon, to visit Maya’s tiny house, I had a chance to post process a couple of my favorites. 

When plans to go sailing with friends in Rhode Island were postponed due to the potential for bad weather, Jeanine and I decided to head north to the New Hampshire coast for an afternoon at the beach. We stopped at several beaches along the way before settling down on one just north of Concord Point in Rye.

Jeanine was attracted to the water with all the zeal of a small child. The result was predictable and she returned from her initial foray dripping wet.

Later we set out chairs and a blanket and relaxed until dinner time. Contrary to our normal practice, I selected the restaurant. Using my very sophisticated algorithm (number of cars in the parking lot divided by the number of available spaces times the square root of two) I selected Petey’s Summertime Seafood which proved to be an excellent choice.

This morning I decided to walk over to the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge where major construction started today on what is planned to be a two-week project to replace the bridge. I will post some photos once construction is midway. On the way back to Superpedestrian I decided to put my drone up for an aerial view of Magazine Beach Park. Construction of a new kayak launch can be seen in the foreground and I plan to be one of the first to use it once completed.