Maya returned to action on the soccer pitch this afternoon. She has been nursing a sprained ankle for the last ten days and it finally felt strong enough to test in competition. Judging from her performance. I would say she has made a full recovery. Unfortunately, her team fell to Acton Boxborough by a score of 2-0.
The crew refinishing our hardwood floors completed the job today. I am often dissatisfied with the work of contractors because they rarely do it as well as I can (simply because I care and I don’t rush). This project was an exception and we are very pleased with the results. Beyond opening the windows and running the AC there is little to be done about the unpleasant smell of the drying finish, however.
While moving Maya’s bed from her room so that the floors could be refinished, I discovered that the central “beam” structure that supports the mattress had developed an enormous crack and was drooping by several inches. It should be noted that such a failure would most likely be caused by a large child jumping on the bed (ah hem, no further comment). This evening I repaired the failed structure and added a pair of sistering beams which should more than triple the strength of the existing one. Pictured here is the glue-up of the final assembly.
Maya composed this chic outfit and did not object when I insisted on taking a photograph. Her ankle is slowly healing but in true Calabria fashion, she is pushing to get back on the soccer pitch prematurely. Being elected co-captain of her team has only added to the pressure to rejoin her teammates.
After 12 years of heavy use we are having the oak hardwood floors on our second floor refinished. We are getting an early start on preparing the house for sale after Maya leaves for college. At that time we are looking forward to moving into a much smaller home and reducing our carbon footprint. Still too many variables to know when and where we will move but giving ourselves a couple of years to get ready will make the transition that much easier. Pictured here is Maya’s bedroom and a close examination will reveal the tired and worn flooring.
We are having our upstairs hardwood floors sanded and refinished starting tomorrow. In preparation, Jeanine and I spent the better part of the afternoon moving furniture and contents out of the three rooms that will be worked on into the two that will not. During this process I found a wooden excavator and flat bed truck with trailer which I made for Kyle and Nicolai respectively when they were wee toddlers. I have built large pieces of furniture which took less time to build than these toys. The excavator has a fully articulating boom and bucket, rotating “house”, and operational tracks, all fabricated from wood. The flat bed truck has rotating wheels and I have witnessed more than one child using it with the trailer attached as a skate board. Both toys have held up remarkably well and it is my sincere wish that they be handed down to my grandchildren one day.
In soccer action this morning my team left Concord at 6:30 am to reach Taunton in time for warmups and an 8 am kick-off. We trailed by a single goal from the early minutes of the game until the last second of the match. In that last second, we scored an equalizer which felt more like the winning goal. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net the referee blew his whistle signaling the end of the game. The tie was good enough to place us atop the league standings.
The rains which fell most of the day were a very welcomed departure from recent record high temperatures. I spent the day indoors designing new parts to print at work. Jeanine and Maya did a little bit of mother-daughter shopping, something they rarely do. On this outing, someone drew on Maya’s face with a black marker of some kind. I attempted to document the results which can be observed at the interface of the eyelashes and eyelids. I think Maya is a stunningly beautiful young woman and in no need of further augmentation.
My socket wrench caddy and power-bit caddy designs/prints earned me a second place finish during our weekly “Part of the Week” party/competition. Although I missed top honors, several colleagues asked if they could get the design files to print these bit and socket holders for their own toolboxes.
I developed a small leak during soccer practice this evening. Jeanine patched me up and I am as good as new. In the future. I will save diving headers for league matches.
An earlier post this week featured the main ingredient in a pie Jeanine baked today. The memoir cookbook she is writing is composed of a series of short stories, each centered around a particular dish. Over the coming months, she will be recreating these recipes so they can be photographed for the book. In order to maintain the integrity of my work, I insist on sampling my subjects to ensure that my photographic interpretation is consistent with the gastronomic essence of the food. It is difficult work, but someone has to do it.
Five minutes into the first game of the soccer season, Maya rolled her ankle and was sidelined for the rest of the game. The injury does not appear to be severe but will probably keep her off the pitch for a week or two. The CCHS girls dominated play against Boston Latin with a 10-0 final score. Maya started the game as a striker, a change from her center midfield assignment last season.
My BMW is not offered with a roof rack or towing hitch option which precludes most available bike carrying systems. The body panels are made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic which contributes to energy efficiency but does not offer any structural strength. For some time now I have been working on a design for a bicycle carrier which does not attach to the body. I fashioned a system that employs two industrial strength suction clamps and some custom brackets I printed at work to secure the bike’s handlebars to the rear window while the seat rests against the rear of the car. Gravity holds the bike in the brackets and a safety strap provides a measure of insurance if something lets go. Followers of this blog may recall that the safety strap prevented a disaster when one of my prototype plywood brackets delaminated during a test drive. The same was true today when one of the suction cups popped off when I hit a big pothole. It has been fun working on this project, but I am officially abandoning this design concept. The leverage provided by the seat as a fulcrum translates every bump in the road into a huge force acting on the suction cups and brackets. I will either come up with a different design approach or use my Audi when I need to transport my bike.
Jeanine requested that I photograph some peaches for her. She plans to use the image in her memoir cookbook which is largely written now. My desire to try different compositions was not as strong as my desire to sample one of my subjects. There are few things sweeter than a perfectly ripe peach. I think I’ll have another.
Jeanine, Maya, and I dined at the Rapscallion Table & Tap Restaurant this evening. It was a fine summer day with just a hint of autumn in the air. Despite the fine weather, I spent the bulk of the day indoors designing parts that I will print at work next week.