I needed to wait till morning for the photograph but I was able to finish the strong back in a little over two hours. I am very pleased with the result. The H beam design I used proved to be very strong. I also took the time to protect the floor under the assembly area which is likely to get covered in epoxy and varnish before the project is done.
This evening I started construction of a wooden kayak. The first step is construction of a strong back (a 14 foot, twelve inch wide table that is ultra flat and very stable). It is the platform on which construction of the kayak takes place. I came up with a design that can be easily broken down into two seven foot sections for later storage. If this project goes well I plan to build another for kayak for Jeanine.
Kyle hanging out with some of his buddies this evening. Seth shaved his head for a big swim meet and now understands why I am always wearing my Nanook of the North hat. Harrison grew a foot since I last saw him.
This evening I finished building a set of sports crutches for Nicolai. I used a conduit bender to form the angle in the aluminum tubes I obtained from eBay. I recycled the handles and cuffs from Nico’s collection of broken crutches (a typical pair lasts him 6 months). My design is custom made for his height and does not require adjustability allowing me to use a single tube rather than three. This allowed me to shave 2 ounces off the weight and eliminate all the adjustment holes which invariably are the failure points. These crutches are also totally quiet compared to the clicking of his current crutches. I may have to add a cow bell to the new ones so we can continue to keep track of Nico. Total cost of materials was $10 compared to $100 for a new set.
I finally had a chance to photograph the award Nico received from Shane’s Inspiration.
I told Maya she was my second favorite date. She was quite thrilled with that standing.
Maya is so light weight that it was no problem to pick her up and dance check-to-cheek for the slow songs. Photo courtesy of my friend Mike Krupa.
This evening I attended the Shamrock Ball with Maya. This very popular father-daughter dance sells out in 24-hours and this year I secured tickets in person rather than risk the mail delay. We had a dinner date prior to the ball and danced until both of us were tuckered out. Maya was beautiful in her Christmas dress and I wore matching colors. It was a very special evening for me and I cherished it knowing that in a couple more years she will be opting to attend dances with her friends. Maya has become quite the little dancer and also led several conga lines.
Both of Jeanine’s sisters are here for the weekend and the whole family went out to watch Nico’s indoor game this evening. Nico had a nice solo goal and two assists to help his team to an 8-6 win.
There must be a wild turkey convention underway because I encountered several different groups along my commute.
This evening I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with a new colleague at the Kendall Hotel in Cambridge. The hotel was converted from an old fire house and is very charming.
Nicolai and Dakota posing together after the ceremony. I had a chance to speak briefly with her and her mother. Fame has done nothing to change this family and it was very nice to meet such genuine and caring people. I dare say this is an evening Nicolai will never forget.
In addition to the beautiful glass award (a picture is sure to follow), Nicolai received a special gift from Alex Van Halen. Knowing that Nicolai was a drummer he provided an inscribed cymbal and drum sticks. It is being shipped to us and I will post a photo as soon as it arrives.
The evening culminates when Dakota Fanning (14 year old veteran of more than 30 film and TV roles) presents the Inspiration Award to Nicolai for his climb of Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the Free Wheelchair Mission. Nicolai accepts the award and delivers a brief but poignant speech (I will try and post video shortly). After his remarks a guest at the Gala donates enough money to take Nicolai over his $100,000 dollar goal. Mother and father were quite proud.
The choir performance was very uplifting and it was clear the kids were having a great time.
Master of Ceremony for the evening was Steve Valentine (plays Nigel on Crossing Jordan). In addition to being quite funny he is a very competent magician and was very entertaining.
Shortly after being seated at our table, Jeanine begins laughing hysterically. One of the service dogs in attendance has secretly taken up lodging underneath our table and has just begun licking her toes.
Nicolai possess with the portrait that will hang at the Shane’s Inspiration headquarters commemorating his award.
Nicolai looked rather debonair and spent most of the evening in the company of Logan who he had met the day before at choir practice.
It is finally time for the Gala which is held in the ballroom with elegant seating for the 600 guests who will attend the fundraiser.
Next we hopped in the car and drove to one of the Shane’s Inspiration playgrounds. The design makes it possible for children with disabilities to play along side with able bodied children. Fifteen such playgrounds have been completed with 80 more in development.
Later, we decided to take a quaint trolley tour of Beverly Hills and passed by many celebrity homes. This whimsical home, used in the movie Hansel and Gretel, was transplanted here from a back lot where filming was done. Talk about living the fairy tale.
Fortified by our morning meal we head out on foot to explore Rodeo Drive which is but steps from our hotel. Our thoughts of actually shopping quickly fade as we price a pair of $1500 sunglasses and a simple blouse for $6000. Shopping here is for people with more money than brains. It was fun to browse none the less.
It takes Jeanine no time to locate an authentic French bakery and Nico could not be more thrilled as he enjoys a chocolate croissant and latte.
This morning Jeanine and I relaxed in the robes and slippers provided by the hotel. Nicolai captures a nice image using the morning fog and Century City as a backdrop.
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There we met Spencer, a boy of indominable spirit. The boys are laughing because Spencer has just exhausted himself by kicking the very heavy boulder beneath him across the parking lot.
Nicolai volunteered to sing, during the Gala, with the Shane’s Inspiration Children’s Choir and we stopped by their new office for the final rehearsal. You could just feel the positive energy and enthusiasm of the volunteers and employees. Nicolai made several new friends and you could tell they were delighted to meet him.
Looking down on the pool area from the balcony of our 11th floor suite.
The hotel is appointed magnificently. Nico, however, was more impressed by the array of Ferraris, Rolls Royces, and Aston Martins that streamed up to the valet parking area.
The morning Jeanine, Nico, and I flew to Los Angeles to attend the Shane’s Inspiration 2008 Gala. We stayed at the world famous Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Nicolai was duly impressed by the celebrity status service we received.
Today we celebrated the career of my Avid colleauge and friend, David Schleifer (black sweater). He was responsible for leading the company into the broadcast markets and will be missed.