Kyle works on his juggling skills after dinner. 

We have promised to add a dog to our family if the children can care for a stuffed one for 30 days. The routine requires two 10 minute walks per day, one feeding, and two water bowl refills. If they miss a day, then we reset the 30 day clock. If they are late, then the dog poops inside and they have to clean it up (has happened already). So far they have a week of care under their belts and are showing a lot of resolve. 

I found this crumpled up sketch in the kitchen today. I am fairly certain this is Nico’s work. 

Kyle was also in action and helped his team to a 1-1 tie. Here he splits two defenders on a run which he finishes with a nice shot on goal. Kyle needs to arrive one hour before kick-off. During that time, I usually wander off in search of photographic opportunities. Today I decided to try and get some shots in the Oxbow Wildlife Reserve which is located adjacent to a military base. The Oxbow, like the Rookerie, has no apparent point of entry or place to park. You have to walk in. So, I park the car and walk toward the reserve finding little more that a bird or two along the way. When I return to my car, I find it surrounded by three police cars and twice as many cops with their hands poised to draw their guns. They demand to know what I am doing and threaten to confiscate my camera. They want to see every picture I have taken and then threaten to arrest me when they find a picture of a bluebird sitting on top of a fence. The fence, you see, is part of the military base and photographing any part of a military base is illegal. The fact that there is nothing but nature on the other side of the fence is irrelevant and being in possession of this photo is all the evidence they need to throw you in jail. As I did not wish to miss the start of Kyle’s game and thought a conviction for attacking a military base would do little to enhance my resume I was very contrite and cooperative. 

This morning after church, Jeanine and I went to Great Meadows for a long walk and came across a pair of swans. Before church, I had an 8AM soccer game which ended in a dissapointing 3-0 loss. Despite the poor result, I had one of my better games and got a lot of playing time. 

Later, I got to see Maya playing soccer for the first time this season. She is still small compared to the other kids but she doesn’t let anyone push her around. 

Jeanine hosted her mentees for an afternoon of Swedish pancake making followed by collage construction. I remember the girls as the three Ls, Lisa, Lauren, and eLisabeth, pictured here. 

Maya then took part in the Earth Day Parade carrying a butterfly. 

In celebration of Earth Day, Maya, Jeanine, and I joined the festivities on the Concord River. Several floating, all-natural works of art were released to float down the river. Nature characters educated the children about conversation opportunities. 

Maya is just a wild nature girl like her mother. Despite a propensity for pursuing the most muddy trails, she managed to stay relatively clean. She spotted a baby bunny, one blue heron, and first heard a very unusual bird call that simply demands a return visit to identify the owner. After our bushwacking adventure we went to Applebees for diner. 

Nico has an interesting advantage when navigating through the woods and at water’s edge.. He only needs to find one landing point for his foot and can stick his crutches in the water or mud to maintain balance. He was able to maneuver into positions that neither Maya or I could. He also racked up the largest number of wildlife sightings including a beaver and two blue herrons. 

After work this evening, Jeanine went to a hat party for Kate to celebrate her courage in the face of chemotherapy. Kyle is still on his Washington, DC school field trip which left Maya, Nico and I with a Friday night date. To my surprise the kids were both interested in a nature walk to the Rookerie. 

This morning, Maya’s Spanish class put on a little play and held an open house. I had an early meeting, but was able to stay long enough to see Maya in her pig mask.  

This evening and last night, Nicolai has volunteered with the Concord Carlisle TV (CCTV) station which is broadcasting the Concord Town Meeting. Here he is running the swticher and making the camera and graphic selections that are going out on air in this live production. He is a quick study on the equipment and seems to have enjoyed himself immensely. 

Kyle played his second game of the weekend this afternoon. He scored his team’s first goal with a beautiful flick on of a header with his back to the goalie. The misdirection left the goalie sprawling in the wrong direction. His team went on to win by a score of 5-3. I was also in action and my team played our season opener in Division 1. We played one of the stronger teams in the division and went down by a goal in the first half. We battled back in the second half and had to settle for a tie. 

Just before diner, Jeanine and I went out for a nature walk. We were treated to a groundhog, three bunnies, a red-tail hawk, and this humongous (at least a foot long) pileated woodpecker. 

During half time I was lucky to catch this red-tail hawk circling the pitch. Very strange considering it was an artificial turf field. 

Did I forget to mention the ice cream? 

Maya and Lydia came to the game with me and spent time at the playground, in various trees, devising their own cheerleading routines and generally enjoying the first real day of spring. 

Today both boys had soccer games and both scored goals helping their teams win. Nico scored a very beautiful goal on a powerful full volley. Despite not having any subs on our first really hot day, his team was able to hang on to a 2-0 lead for the win. 

After work I drop Kyle off at soccer practice. On the way home, I discovered a local pond with at least a half dozen swans. As I left, so did they taking off in formation. It was a very beautiful sight and helped end an otherwise challenging work week on a pleasant note. 

Inside the barn, Jeanine looks on admiring Maya’s passion for horses.  

This morning before work, Jeanine and I dropped Maya off for her last day of horse camp. Most of the week, Maya rode a large horse named Charm. Today, she was paired with this tiny little fellow named Pepe. 

On the second leg of my journey home, I was fortunate to catch the Boston skyline backlit by a nice sunset. After a week on the road it is good to be home. 

On my return flight from Boston I was treated to some very interesting vistas. I am tempted to use Google Earth to trace my flight path through Denver so that I can identify this river. 

After three great days with Jeanine it is time to get back to work. Pictured here is Graham, my boss, in front of our trade show booth at the National Association of Broadcasters. Once the show begins, it is three greuling days with no time for photography. 

On the way back to Vegas to return my rental car, I pause to memorialize it. I was greatful it did not leave me stranded at the end of any of the long, isolated dirt roads I explored during my day in the park. 

I could easily spend weeks in this part of the country. My only regret is that schedules on this trip prevented me from taking advantage of golden light during the early morning and dusk hours. None the less, I was treated to a stormy sky and brief showers which added some interest to the sky and created some nice light patterns. 

Away from the lake, there is little water, but the plant life which abounds finds a way to survive and flourish. 

The rock formations here are every bit as fascinating as Zion. The same geological forces at play executed with an entirely different color palette. 

Lake Mead, formed by Hoover Dam is very large and with limitted time, I was unable to hike to high enough ground to get the perspective I was after.