Jeanine’s sister, Susan, arrived today. She has come to witness Kyle’s Coming of Age celebration at church on Sunday. 

 The whole idea of an off site meeting is kind of funny. We go to someplace really nice and then spend the entire day inside a room that could easily be down the street. Never the less, this was one of our most productive meetings in some time and everyone left feeling good.

The tab dissolves under the tongue within

 The view out of our conference room window was punctuated by this cute little golf cart bridge over a stream that winds its way through the golf course. We started at 7AM and worked until 9PM. I was so tired that I skipped dinner and went straight to my room. The good news is that we accomplished a great deal and worked through some tough issues.

 
The setting was very nice and the food was good. We started at 8AM and the meetings concluded around 8PM. I left dinner early to make the one hour drive back to Concord to play an indoor soccer game and then returned to Atkinson by about one in the morning. It would have been nice to win our game after all that driving but we got clobbered.

 
Today was the first day of a three day management off site meeting held in Atkinson, NH and my first opportunity to meet Avid’s new CEO. I had to leave very early in the morning to arrive on time. As I drove up to the country club where the meetings were to be held, I stopped to photograph these birch trees in the fog.

I returned home after a 12 hour day in the office and the family had just finished dinner. As I sat down to eat, I first heard Kyle playing the piano (rare these days as he is so focused on the guitar)and shortly after Maya joined him in a duet. I was so pleased the hear this music. I had forgotten how well Kyle plays the piano and I was thrilled to see him playing with Maya who he patiently coached. It totally made up for the long day in the office. 

A friend asked me to photograph this diamond necklace for an upcoming fund raiser. It proved more difficult than I thought and I am still not happy with the results. 

The sunrise this morning was nothing short of spectacluar. 

This evening my boss threw a wonderful holiday party for his staff at the Stone Hedge Inn. Wine tasting was followed by a delightful meal and conversation that lasted until midnight. There was little available light making photography a challenge but I did manage this shot of my colleagues. 

Once we had everyone but Jeanine in the beret it was easy to get her to join in the fun. 

Kyle strikes me as ready to play his guitar on the banks of the Seine. 

I set up the lighting and handed Maya the camera. 

I can see Nico walking down the streets of Paris in search of a chocolate croissant. 

This evening the kids all allowed me to photograph them wearing their French great grandfather’s black beret. I think he would have been thrilled to see his chapeau put to such good use. 

I have two New Year resolutions. One has to do with the dimensions of my waist line. The other can be deduced by those close to me and this photo as a hint. 

The year begins with more snow fall, seen here from the Gutwillig’s home atop Annursnack Hill where we enjoyed a very relaxing (and fattening) New Year’s Day party. Click on the photo for a better view. 

Good night to 2007. 

Maya and Lydia share her iPod on the train ride home. 

My beautiful wife drew my eye more than the parade she was positioned to watch. We also enjoyed fireworks from inside the Finagle a Bagel store which afforded us warmth, food and the entertainment of the conveyor belt bagel slicer. 

First Night features massive backlit ice sculptures standing as iconic monuments to the end of the year.  

Here the entire group enjoys the Stomp style percussion performance of a street musician. 

Over the course of the evening we enjoyed Italian sausages, Philly cheese steaks, Bavarian pretzels, bagels and various warm beverages. Jeanine happily conficasted all my cash for the food purchases. Fortunately, all mass transit was free after 8PM allowing us to return to Concord without funds. 

We walked from the North Station to the Boston Common passing the state house along the way. First night draws 1 million people and we were happy to be on foot without the encumberance of a car. 

We were also joined by David Lishansky, Cray Novick, and Lydia Yoder, friends of Kyle, Nico and Maya rexpectively. 

For New Year’s Eve, we joined the Gutwillig family for a train ride to Boston, where we enjoyed the First Night 2008 celebration. 

We were treated to about 4 inches of snow on the last day of the year. I took a different route into work this morning and was rewarded with this tranquil scene. 

Nala also participated in crash victim rescue, a service which was frequently required. 

Of course, Nala had to escort the girls on every run. 

Maya and Sarinaugh sledding in the backyard. Recent warm temperatures and rain followed by sub-zero nights have left an ice coating on top of a 12 inch base. Perfect conditions for sledding. 

Rose defied all odds making her way into this world and I predict will continue to amaze us all with her strength and determination. 

Welcome my new niece Rose Calabria born on the 28th at noon weighing in at 7 pounds 5.5 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Mark and Marie have now duplicated our parents’ family, 2 boys followed by 2 girls, and made me an uncle for the ninth time. Mario, Rory, and Sophia are reportedly thrilled with their new sister and I have three kids here who all want to know when we are going to Minnesota to meet their new cousin.