The perspective is highly distorted and it has been marred by careless footprints but it is easy to still appreciate the work of the skilled artist who probably worked for days on hands and knees to create this image.

After spending 14 hours in the office I raced over to the Santa Barbara Mission before the sun had set. I was surprised to find the courtyard transformed into a canvas for 100s of chaulk masterpieces. The quality of some of the paintings rivaled works I have seen in fine museums. Without a higher vantage point, none of my photos did justice to the art.


My cousin Heather and her husband Burton celebrate the gradation of their daughter Toni from Wesleyan University. Toni is now off to dance for 6 weeks at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC. She plans to dance and choreograph as much as she can during the next few years and then go on to graduate studies.

While we hold down the fort in Concord, Jeanine attends a celebration for her nephew Luke to commemorate his graduation from North Central High School in Indianapolis. Luke plans to attend the Heron Art School in the fall and his girlfriend Audrey will go on to the Pratt School of Design in New York City.

Playing soccer on crutches can’t be easy but then again, Nico is able to make shots others cannot. Here he rises up to make a perfect pass over the defense and onto the foot of a waiting forward. For what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for with deadly accuracy and thoughtful distribution. After his game we checked in with Maya who was on her way to soccer practice and then left for Lancaster to watch Kyle play in his second match of the day in the State Cup tournament. Twenty five minutes into the trip it was raining so hard that we decided to return to Concord. We were both in the mood for cow (as Nicolai describes his carnivorous craving) and satisfied that craving with a nice dinner at a local pub.

Today the family had a mere 4 soccer games and one soccer practice. Although Nico’s team lost he had a very nice assist and won several headers. I was back on the pitch for the first time in several weeks having nursed my injured knee back into service. I was only able to play at about 85% intensity and am still unable to take a shot with my right leg. Still, I was able to contribute to the team. Even though we lost, I was happy to be back in the game and to have emerged without a relapse.

Kyle played in the first round of the Massachusetts State Cup Soccer Tournament and his team came away with a decisive 6-0 win. Kyle spent several hours doing landscape work before the game so I think it was fortunate the competition was relatively weak. Tomorrow he has two more games to finish the first round and the opponents are some of the top teams in the state.

Maya fends off a larger defender as she carries the ball down the field. Maya made several forceful attacking runs and helped her team to an exciting 2-1 victory. Jeanine left for Indianapolis yesterday where she is celebrating with her sisters the high school graduation of her nephew Luke. I am left alone to run the Calabria taxi service.

Although I miss the natural beauty of my commute route to Avid, my Sonos commute is not without interest. This sculpture, titled On The Bri-n-ck, was designed by students in Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. It was constructed robotically from uniform 2×4 pine wood blocks and glue. The setting does not lend itself to photography but I will return again with an ultra-wide angle lens and see if I can capture an image which better portrays the unique work of art.
