Kyle and his running buddies have moved on from Ocho Rios to Negril for the second half of their Jamaican vacation. Judging from the phone in his hand, I suspect Kyle took this photo with his drone. It was not all beach lounging and sun for Kyle today. He had to initiate a large wire transfer of the binding deposit to accompany the Purchase and Sale Agreement for the Somer House, which the kids are buying jointly. All signatures have been secured, and the deal is set to close on April 15th.
For months now, the Sudbury River has been frozen, making many new activities possible for both humans and critters. We have observed snowshoers, cross-country skiers, dog walkers, and bicyclists (you read that correctly) wending their way up and down, over and back. The depth of the snow covering prevented the one activity you would expect on a frozen river: ice skating. We have also sighted deer, coyotes, and foxes crossing the frozen expanse to explore new territories on the opposite bank.
Today, as the temperature reached 75°F, the ice has started to melt in a pattern that maps out the natural springs below. If the weather forecast holds, the river will have fully thawed by the end of the week and, absent a cold snap, will remain that way until next winter.
Kyle and his running buddies look to be enjoying their vacation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I believe they plan to move on to Negril later in the week. I find myself wondering if they are actually doing any running or if this is more of a lounging on the beach type of holiday.
Jeanine and I did our own little run this evening, to Logan Airport. This was at Kyle’s request to search for a set of keys that apparently fell out of an unzipped pocket of his backpack. Fortunately, they are on a fob with an AirTag, so he was able to share the location with us. Regretably, we were unable to retrieve them despite assistance from a very helpful TSA agent who searched for them beyond the security perimeter. Although it appears that the keys are outside the building, the map has not been updated to reflect the new boundaries of the recently renovated Terminal E, which now includes the tagged location. Hopefully, the keys will be located by airport cleaners and will be waiting for Kyle in the Lost & Found when he returns.
Last night, Jeanine and I attended the inaugural “Brighter Together” parade and community celebration in downtown Concord. Over three hundred town residents turned up to participate. Brighter Together aims to create an annual winter tradition that lifts spirits, strengthens community bonds, and celebrates people of all ages, local businesses, and cultural organizations. Photographing by lantern light was a bit of a challenge, but enjoyable nonetheless.
For Christmas, Maya gifted Jeanine an all-day metalworking class where students learned to shape metal into art using anticlastic forming, which involves manipulating the metal to create saddle-like, ruffled and organic forms. The mother-daughter activity produced several earrings, in both copper and silver, as well as components for a wind chime.
Kyle departed Boston this morning, destined for a week in Jamaica. He is traveling there with three friends from his running club to soak up the sun and enjoy a bit of snorkeling. It has become his routine to vacation in the tropics to break up our frigid New England winters.
Jeanine joined her good friend Stefanie for high tea at the Lexington Vintage Tea and Cake Company. The smile on her face tells the whole story. It should be noted that none of the leftovers made their way back to our home. Admittedly, I do not know what half these things are, but I am damn sure I would have discovered a tasty morsel or two in the lot.
UPDATE: After reading my post, Jeanine informs me that there was nothing left to bring home. Still, I believe a search of typical hiding spots in the kitchen is warranted.
The water pipes at Kyle’s house have been prone to freezing during severe cold spells, of which we had a fair share this winter. To combat the problem, we opened up the wall behind the pictured kitchen cabinet so that the pipes could be heated from the living space side. Today, Kyle added a vented valence to the top of the cabinet, which allows warm air from the kitchen to circulate past the pipes. Air enters from an opening in the wall behind the base cabinets and flows up and out of the openings in the new valence. Phase two of our plan includes adding insulation on the outside of the foundation wall but this work will have to wait for more temperate weather.
This morning, while Jeanine and Kyle were enjoying coffee in the great room, they were treated to a brief visit by an American Mink or River Otter (there is an ongoing debate within the family) who peered in the window at them. I was in my office and missed the encounter, but later pulled up video from one of our security cameras and caught some of the action. The furry creature can be seen entering the frame in the lower left corner (make sure that your viewing window does not crop the bottom of the video). Sixteen seconds later, it makes its way along the picture window on the lower right side of the frame, looks inside to check things out, and then turns around and departs. Please reach out to us if you have a strong opinion as to the identity of our visitor.
In addition to our critter sighting, the scene outside was just magical this morning. Last night’s snowfall left the tree branches frosted, and the bright morning sun quickly turned it into rain.
When a total lunar eclipse occurs during sunrise, a rare celestial phenomenon called a selenelion (or “impossible sunrise”) takes place. During this event, you can see both the totally eclipsed “blood moon” and the rising sun simultaneously on opposite horizons. Of course, you also need clear skies. Early this morning, we enjoyed perfect viewing conditions, though a bit uncomfortable at 10° outside. Photographically speaking, the event is less interesting than a regular lunar eclipse because the rising sun makes it impossible to expose for the “blood moon.” I chose to take a photo shortly before the full eclipse and while it was still dark enough to barely see the outline of the moon. Once the moon was fully in the Earth’s shadow, it completely disappeared from view. It was still above the horizon but simply too dim to be seen in the morning light. This was to the dismay of the 50 or so people gathered at a popular high ground observation point, who did not know this would be the case. Yesterday, the local news made a big deal of this rare event, featuring lovely photos of a blood moon, but failed to mention that in our part of the country, this scene would not be visible. Dozens of people were still driving up as I departed, knowing the show was over.
Ten years ago this month, I spent several weeks traveling through Southeast Asia. While in India, I visited the Taj Mahal and was somewhat disappointed to find it undergoing routine cleaning with scaffolding on three of the four minarets. This was after sprinting to reach the reflecting pool ahead of all others (full story here).
Fast forward a decade, and I was able to remove the distractions with a simple command and artificial intelligence to create the image below. I find this both exciting and disappointing. The fact is that I could now prompt the software to place a picture of me in the scene without ever setting foot in India.
With my upcoming trip to Bolivia on the horizon and all the activity related to the Somerville house purchase, I thought it best to file our taxes early this year. Thankfully, that task is now behind me. While I was taking care of business, Kyle and Mario ran 10 miles with Kyle’s running club, and Jeanine, Maya, and Brooke went for a long hike in Concord. Later, the entire crew met at the new Somerville house, Nicolai and Jeanine for the first time, to look the place over.
Joining us this morning for an extended brunch were more cousins—John, Rachel, and her boyfriend Rob. Jeanine and Maya teamed up to make a perfect batch of popovers, while Brooke prepared a fruit salad that could feed a small army. In between catching up on everybody’s news, we engaged in a raucous game of Hues and Cues.
My nephew, Mario, and his new bride, Brooke, are staying with us for two nights. Mario has business in the Seaport District starting on Monday, and they will stay at a hotel in the area starting on Sunday. Kyle, Nico, and Maya joined us for dinner and a sleepover to spend time with their cousin. Jeanine was pleased to see her new sofa-bed pressed into service with high marks for comfort.
Jeanine and I enjoyed a morning walk around the neighborhood, where we encountered four-foot-high snowbanks and igloos big enough for an adult. It would be safe to say that we have had more than our fair share of snow this winter, but you will find no complaints here. One of the things I love most about living in New England is that we get all four seasons in their full glory.
