An unusually long day at work today with no time for photography so I decided to look back one decade to see what was happening then. Jeanine and I were on a weekend getaway to Columbus, Ohio with baby Maya.

Jeanine and members of her book group were featured in the Concord Journal which came out today. Although I was very happy for her, I was equally disappointed that we did not make the Police Log for our weekend call which resulted in the arrest of a drunk driver.

When our kids have friends over to the house they can rest assured that their mother will whip something up for them to eat. In this case, Jeanine prepares brownies for Kyle and his buddies and their girlfriends. I love this about her and hope the children appreciate how lucky they are to have a mom who makes their home so welcoming.

Before his friends arrived, I had an engaging hour long discussion with Kyle on a broad range of subjects. Not so much a father-son chat but rather a great conversation between two adults. We discussed everything from current events (WikiLeaks, nuclear proliferation) to running a business (his experience with Yard Dogs, his new business concepts, my education and which parts apply to my job today) to attributes of a life well lived (remaining healthy, making the world a better place, the relative importance of money) to his emerging interests (computer programming, psychology, game theory). I will long remember this chat and hope he will as well. I look forward to our next one.

Wrestling practice for Nicolai started this week and I thought I would humor him with this photo of one of my first matches. The head and arm throw was my signature move and you can see that I began practicing it at a very early age on my marginally cooperative brother.

A buff is a stretchy lightweight fabric in the shape of a cylinder that can be converted into a hat, neck warmer, bandanna, sun shade, balaclava, or Bennie cap. It is part of my adventure travel kit and has been to the tops of mountains, the bottom of caves, inside slot canyons, free falling through the atmosphere, white water rafting, sea kayaking, rappelling down waterfalls, and chasing wildlife through the backcountry. Of all the places this buff has been, however, it has never looked as good as it does on Miss Maya’s noggin where she placed it this morning after fashioning a cap out of it.

Kyle’s friend Adam spent part of the afternoon here. He is an exceptionally talented pianist and treated us to a brief recital. Nicolai in recent months has been spending close to an hour a day on the piano working on a few songs and compositions. It has been nice to have the house full of music at this time of the year.

Before leaving for home we made a brief visit to the waterfront and the Salem Maritime National Historical Site just in time to catch golden light at the Derby Wharf. Docked here is the Friendship of Salem, a replica of a 1797 East Indiaman that made 15 voyages during her career to Batvia, India, China, South America, the Caribbean, England, Germany, the Mediterranian, and Russia before she was captured as a prize of war by the British in September 1812.

Photography of the Forbidden City exhibit was not permitted but this restriction did not apply to the permanent collections which include a very eclectic combination of maritime and oceanic art, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Korean, American, African, and native American art. Pictured here is a scale model of the Queen Elizabeth, a wedding gown sculpture created from sea shells, and three wooden figureheads from 18th and 19th century seagoing vessels.

Jeanine and I visited the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem this afternoon for a rare cultural enrichment date without the kids. The museum is featuring The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City. On public display for the first time ever are the contents of the Qianlong Emperor’s (r.1736-1796) private retreat, the Qianlong Garden (also known as the Tranquility and Longevity Palace Garden) which lies deep within the immense imperial complex. In his time, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. A connoisseur, scholar and devout Buddhist, he created a luxurious garden compound to serve throughout his retirement as a secluded place of contemplation, repose and entertainment.

At 4:30 AM Jeanine and I were jolted from sleep by the sounds of tires screeching under heavy acceleration. The driver of this vehicle had swerved off the road and run over a large rock which became lodged underneath his right rear wheel. We watched for several minutes as he tried to extricate his car and then called the police when it became apparent he was drunk. A total of three Concord Police cruisers arrived on the scene within minutes. The driver was taken away in one car, a second gave pursuit to a car that passed the scene without slowing down, and the third waited until a wrecker arrived to lift the vehicle off the rock and then towed it away. Quite a bit of commotion in our otherwise very sleepy neighborhood.

Kyle creates the ultimate Thanksgiving dinner sandwich. Construction details (from the bottom up): 1 slice of sourdough bread, a layer of mashed potatoes spread evenly and covered in gravy, 6 slices of turkey breast covered in gravy, 1 layer of stuffing topped with cranberry sauce and gravy, 1 slice of sourdough bread. The two minutes it took to grab my camera and snap this photo placed me in grave jeopardy as I was standing between Kyle and his first bite into his masterpiece.

With much to be thankful for this year the immediate family gathered for a casual celebration of the holiday. My mother had planned to join us but was not feeling up to the travel. Jeanine prepared a spectacular meal which we will enjoy in the form of leftovers many times over. Maya made her first cheese cake from scratch which was simply wonderful.

I extended an invitation to Thanksgiving orphans (those spending the holiday alone) at iRobot to join our family this year but did not get any takers.  I hope this was because they were all spending the day surrounded by loved ones.

Gold and maroon spirit day at the Peabody Middle School has Maya all made up for the occasion.

While Nico and I were in Telluride for the Mountainfilm Festival last Memorial Day, we were interviewed by Outside Television prior to the screening of Nico’s Challenge.  Today I discovered that interview for the first time and have embedded it here.

UPDATE: The video server is now behind a paywall.