Sophia and Uncle Carl have been enjoying numerous games over the last hour. Here she shows me how her toys go together.

 
This morning my soccer team played our semi-final play-off match and we came away with a 2-0 victory and a berth in the finals next weekend. My injured thigh had healed sufficiently to not incumber my play. Missing several practices while it got better did take its toll on my stamina. Never the less, I did assist on both goals and had a respectable game with most of my family looking on. One nice diving header towards the end even earned praise from Kyle and Nico (the ultimate reward). Pictured here is the squad. I handed off my camera for the shot and unfortuantely we did not get everyone in the photo. Our goalie was missing so we will have to take another next week, hopefully with a trophy in hand.

 
Today was a family work day. Everyone got their assignments from Jeanine. My list included repairing some broken shutters, adding two outdoor watering spigots, repairing the severed electric boundary wire for the invisible fence, completing the new gas grill assembly, and rebuilding a portion of our stone wall (and I got off easy). Later in the day my sister-in-law, Marie, and daughters Sophia and Rose arrived for a weekend visit. Baby Rose greets baby Togo.

 
Apparently we are duck sitting this weekend. Pictured here is Togo who was hatched from an abandoned egg and has imprinted on humans. S/he follows Maya around where ever she goes. I’ll be interested to see what Nala thinks of this whole situation by the end of the weekend.

 
I returned home this evening to find my mom and Jeanine busy at work in the various gardens around the yard.

 
Nine candles for my baby. Next year will be that last for our Sweedish birthday ring. Maya was very sleepy from her pain medication but lasted just long enough to enjoy her cake and presents.

 
My parents drove in from Schenectady to be with Maya for her birthday. My dad cops a feel while I snap a shot from a distance. I’m going to send these guys to bed early this evening.

 
Today is Maya’s actual birthday. After travelling for the better part of the day, I returned home to learn that Maya fell from her horse (not the little pony from her party) while jumping yesterday. X-rays confirm a hairline fracture of the clavicle. Although the doctor did not feel it was necessary, Maya has fashioned her own sling and says it helps with the pain. Maya was anxious to show me her dog puppet which she fashioned at school.

 
I am staying at a hotel that is a ten minute walk from the Sonos office. I worked for 15 hours today and was treated to this full moon, low on the horizon as I returned to the hotel to collapse.

 
Jeanine and Maya created this masterpiece for the birthday cake.

 
For her birthday party with her friends, Maya choose a horse riding party (little surprise). Although I was in Santa Barbara for the week, Jeanine took a nice set of photos so I could enjoy the celebration when I returned.

 
This week’s Concord Journal had a nice piece on Concord Men’s Soccer. This season the Over-30, O-40, and O-50 all reached the play offs and my team was undefeated. I also got a nice call out as the leading scorer for my team. Click on the article for a readable view.

 
It was a wonderful Father’s day which started with a soccer match. My right thigh remains very injured and I was very fortunate when our opponents elected to forfeit the match. The rain had rendered their home field in Needham almost unplayable. We decided to play a friendly match anyway and this allowed me almost 90 minutes of game time during which I only exerted myself at 50% capacity allowing me to get a cardio workout and to stay in shape for the play offs which begin next week. When I returned from the game, drenched to the bone, the family was waiting with a delicious pancake breakfast. Later in the day I added detailing stripes to the kayak in advance of the final varnish coat. It was a difficult Father’s Day for Jeanine, having just lost her dad, but she and Maya took some measure of comfort in unpacking some of the heirlooms that she had returned from Indiana with. Maya models the Easter helmet (bonnet) that Jeanine wore as a child.

 
Kyle enlists the help of his sister to insert his earring. Something seems very backwards about these roles.

 
Energy and eye brows restored.

 
Maya was rather exhuasted and relaxed while enjoying an eye brow massage by her father.

 
This evening we attended a surprise party for a friend of the family with Maya and Kyle. The trampoline is a natural magnet for the Calabria children and Kyle spent no time before trying to launch himself into low altitude orbit.

 
Nico extends to win this ball and turns to serve a nice pass up the touchline. The team played with no subs and often a man short while a player would sit out for water and rest. Nico played the entire game and was quite exhuasted when the game ended.

 
Next up was Nicolai, shown here executing a perfect chest trap. His team scored an impressive 5-1 win and also celebrated with an end of season party after the game.

 
This morning Jeanine and I both looked on as Maya completed her last game of the season. She has truly become a very talented defender and is every bit as good as either of her brothers at this age (quite possibly better). Here she runs through a defender to clear the ball. Maya’s team was clearly the stronger club but a fluke goal and some bad luck left the score 1-0 in favor of their opponents. After the game Maya joined the squad for a pool party and it was the perfect antidote for the blistering heat.

 
This evening Jeanine and I joined a group of friends for Tapas and ballroom dancing. I was fairly confident I would not be able to dance with my injured thigh, but it turns out you can do a pretty mean Salsa without using much upper leg strength.

 
Last night I practiced under the lights on the new CCHS turf field. The Over 50 team scrimmaged the Over 40 team and we absolutely held our own. The fact that we had a couple teenagers playing on our side evened things out. The field plays just like grass and is really luxurious to play on. My practice ended abruptly when the goalie took me out as I was dribbling past him. His knee went into the top of my right thigh and I can honestly say it was one of the most painful injuries I have ever experienced. I went home immediately (using my left foot to work the pedals)and iced it down. Fortunately it is just a muscle bruise or tear and this morning I was able to walk again. The blood has begun pooling in my ankle and I suspect it is going to look even worse this evening. The good news is that I feel like I will not miss the playoffs and with any luck may even be ready to play this Sunday.

 
Although my new commute has less nature, there are still some pretty interesting things along the way. I believe this building is part of the MIT campus.

 
My Avid commute was filled with natural beauty. My Sonos commute is more urban but also produces some interesting photo opportunities. I shot this through my windshield while driving home this evening.

 
We enjoyed fresh lettuce grown by Maya for dinner. The elevated garden she used to grow it in was a gift from her grandfather, Larry, who passed away a week ago and who was a passionate gardener. Larry was a frequent visitor to this blog and I believe he is still tuning in. This post is for you.

 
The ribbon cutting ceremony featured local dignitaries and the citizens who helped drive the project to completion.

 
Kyle finds a way to stay cool in the swealtering heat.

 
In the afternoon we attended the opening celebration for Concord’s new, multi-million dollar, state of the art, turf fields. Members of our community worked relentlessly for nearly a decade to make this dream a reality. Later in the evening, Nicolai’s team became the first in the community to compete at the new venue. After an undefeated season, his team of 7th graders fell to the the Concord 8th grade team. Nico scored a beautiful header in the second half but it was not enough to overcome the first half deficit.

 
At 9am it was already 90 degrees and the sun was beating down like a blast furnace. Not ideal conditions for strenuous athletics. Maya participated in the PanAm Challenge (fund raiser for cancer research) completing the 10-mile children’s course. My soccer team played to a 5-1 win securing a first place finish in our division, promotion next season, and a birth in the playoffs. After the game we enjoyed a cook out at grill master Mike Monk’s house. I forgot how good a properly cooked burger tastes.

 
Jeanine returned this evening after a week in Indianapolis. After greeting the kids and the dog she made a bee line to the gardens. Fortunately we have had a good bit of rain and everything was thriving. Working with her sister and several friends, Jeanine was able to settle many of her father’s affairs and to ready his home for sale. In no small part due to the generosity of neighbors and friends who have been providing a constant supply of prepared food, I have managed to keep all the children and the dog alive. I am very happy that Jeanine was able to see her father before he died and that she was able to grieve with her sisters. That said, all of us are very happy to have her home.

 
Nicolai and I went to see Maya play this morning. Her team had a come from behind 3-2 victory. It was oppressively hot and Maya was quite pleased with an after game ice cream treat courtesy of her coach.