Crane Beach is arguably the most pristine on the North Shore.  Although crowded, the beach extends for miles and it is possible to find unoccupied sections. Today, the family minus Nico (who is en route to Colorado) enjoyed perfect weather for an afternoon outing to the Atlantic Ocean.

When swimmers emerged rapidly and began pointing to the waters just offshore I immediately grabbed my camera.  I observed a fin surfacing from and disappearing into the shallow waters.  The movement of the fin did not seem particularly natural and I was left to wonder if it was not some kind of hoax.  That said, I watched for a good while and could detect no evidence of anything but the obvious that would explain what I saw.  The water temperature alone was enough to limit my entry into the water to ankle depth. The shark sighting only served to reinforce that limit.

 

Nicolai left this morning for Colorado College where he is set to begin his junior year. Posing here with his recently acquired Mazda which he purchased by himself and with his own funds.  It has been great having him back for the summer and we will miss having him around. I am already starting to plan a road trip to the Western states and will be sure to connect with him.  There is a chance that Kyle will join me for part of that adventure and it would be nice for the three of us to do some camping.

At about 3:20 AM this morning Concord was hit by an EF1 tornado (100mph winds).  Damage was extensive but limited to a 400 yard wide by half mile long swath centered on Revolutionary Ridge just above the Wayside on Lexington Road.  Thankfully no one was injured despite significant property damage.  Crews were on the scene working to clear roads and restore services to those impacted by the tornado.  Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito toured the area and received briefings from Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, and Town Manager Chris Whelan.  I happened to be touring at the same time and listened in on the conversation while taking photos of the entourage. Damages are expected to exceed $1M.

1957 – 2016

Today I learned that a former iRobot colleague was killed while on a lunch hour bicycle ride last week.  Mark was a senior electrical engineer who I will remember as being exceptionally friendly and good-hearted as well as extremely competent in his field.  I found this photo of him, taken during an engineering team building event, in my archives and presented it to his widow with two dozen others I had taken of him over the years.  It is impossible to make sense of such a tragic loss or to comprehend the impact on his family.  The only solace I can find is in the knowledge that he died doing something he loved.  Yet another somber reminder to enjoy life to the fullest every day. Mark was born one year before me.

For the first time in my life, I had a chance to watch a great deal of the Olympic Games coverage and really enjoyed the experience.  I especially liked the fact that I could watch the entirety of the freestyle wrestling (both men and women) competition, something that I was never able to do in the past.  Family favorites included soccer, volleyball (indoor and beach), gymnastics, swimming and track and field. The whole family gathered to watch many of the final events and it was wonderful sharing this time together.  With the competition coming to a close today, however,  it was time to turn off the TV and get back to work on some household projects.  As part of our ongoing downsizing effort, I decided to sell a bunch of photo gear that is not getting much use and posted listings for several items including those shown here.

Kyle turned 24 earlier this month but we celebrated as a family today.  It is the first time we have had all three kids (plus Johnny) under our roof at the same time in quite a while.  We are very proud of Kyle who is our first bird to leave the nest.  He is working for a financial startup in Menlo Park, CA where he shares an apartment with two roommates and owns his own car.  Since graduating from Santa Clara University with a degree in Finance and a minor in Computer Science he has completed his Series 7 and Series 24 financial certifications and is now working independently towards a CFA credential. Naturally, Jeanine prepared a small feast for the occasion including a very yummy cake that did not last very long.

Maya wrapped up her 6 week internship at the Brookhaven National Labs today.  Students are required to prepare a poster describing the work they completed over the summer and to present to colleagues, peers, and visiting family members.  Kyle and Nico traveled to Long Island to support their sister and I flew in from Minnesota last night.

I believe Maya found the internship to be extremely worthwhile but was also thrilled to be heading back home and familiar surroundings. Click on the poster below to learn more about the quark gluon plasma that was the subject of Maya’s work.

This week’s Concord Journal featured stories about three Calabria’s.  Nico was covered for his soccer exploits in Costa Rica and Jeanine for her new position as Executive Director of Open Table.  I was included in a story about my soccer team’s visit to Iceland.

The bulk of my time in Minnesota was spent doing projects around the house (installing sliding shelves in the cabinets which line the family den, helping to finish building a window frame, assisting Sophia as she hung a shelf in her bedroom, and putting up a curtain rod to section off the second floor office from the family area).  I did find time between projects to hang out with my nieces and nephews and to enjoy the wonderful food that is part of any Calabria family gathering.  Mark prepared the best steak I have ever tasted.  If he is unable to regain certification as a commercial airline pilot he has a bright future ahead as a chef in a 5-star restaurant.

Mark had a speech therapy appointment this morning and I decided to tag along even as a fire alarm forced us outside for a portion of the session. Mark has trouble with longer or complex words often transposing the middle and beginning syllables.  Over the course of my three day visit it was clear he was making progress.  He often comes up with translations that are absolutely hysterical as evidenced below when he tried to say Osama Bin Laden (Obin Salad Men).  Immediately after his stroke his transpositions were even more extreme; mosquitos = pisculators. Difficulty with many words aside, I had no problem understanding or communicating with Mark.

Today I traveled to Minnesota to visit with my younger brother, Mark, and his family.  Mark recently suffered from a stroke which has left him with some speech, reading and memory deficits. I am hoping to help him out with some home projects and clear him for use of his woodworking equipment.

I took the commuter rail to Porter Square where I was treated to dinner by a former colleague seeking some career guidance. I then grabbed the Red Line to South Station and the Silver Line to Logan. Mark picked me up in Minneapolis and I was pleased to see that his driving skills had not diminished one iota.

Despite a heat advisory for Eastern Massachusetts, my soccer team had two more matches today in the NESO New England Open Soccer Tournament.  We made our way to the finals where the score was 1-1 after regulation time.  Overtime was scoreless and the match went to penalty kicks where we lost and had to settle for a second-place finish.  I was happy to survive the weekend without injury and was pleased with most of my play.  I had two opportunities to score in the finals but was not able to find the back of the net. Fatigue and exhaustion take their toll on accuracy and this was also the case for many of my teammates.

Jeanine and I joined Tom and Karen Metzold for dinner this evening at the Mexican Table in Waltham.  Tom was my high school wrestling partner and we have remained close friends since.  It has been a bit over a year since we last got together and it was great to catch up with each other.  Earlier in the day, I played a pair of soccer matches at the NESO New England Soccer Open.  We won our first match 5-0 and our second 3-1 which put us in great shape for the remainder of the tournament.

Although I am still mourning the loss of the images that were lost when my camera kit was stolen in Costa Rica, I now have replaced all the gear that was taken.  I carry a camera rider on my homeowners’ insurance policy which covered replacement cost for everything.  Keeping all of my receipts and good records helped to speed the process and I have been very pleased by the responsiveness and service I have received from Safety Insurance.  In the future, I will back up my images every night when traveling and be extremely suspicious of anyone offering to “help” me.