If you can imagine a cross between Sumo wrestling and platform diving, then you will immediately recognize the game of King of the Dock. Kyle was dominant but not invincible as each boy in turn was dispatched into the cool water only to come back for another attempt on the King.
Nico arguably has the best volleyball technique of the bunch and made many nice spikes, digs, and blocks throughout the match. He and cousin Rory worked together for several nice bump, set, spike combinations.
Air Mario leaps into the sky for a spike during a competitive game of sand volleyball. The party was held at a local pond which has been the subject of many photos I have taken over the years. One of my teammates has a house here with exclusive rights to use the beach area for parties.
This muscle flexing among the cousins is not a new phenomenon. Here is a photo taken a decade ago featuring the same group plus my sister’s son John. It scares me to think what this group will be up to in another decade. Some may even have little muscle men of their own.
The boys did not require much encouragement to flex for the camera and fortunately for followers of this blog, I was not drawn into this particular activity. A closer inspection of the six packs will require you to enlarge the photo by clicking on it.,
My brother’s family is visiting for the next week although he, unfortunately, is unable to join them. Pictured here are my two sons on the left and my two nephews on the right (nieces and their mother are spending the day with Maya and Jeanine at the Willard Carnival). We are attending an end of the season soccer party for my team. This morning we had our last home game and finished in style with a 4-2 victory. My knee is still not 100% but I was able to provide two nice assists.
The guilty party was this coyote who was hunting in our newly mowed field. Nala’s electric containment fence is the only thing that spared this fellow a skirt with death. What Nala’s breed lacks in social skills it makes up for with raw speed and agility.
Nala alerted us to the presence of an intruder on our property as dusk arrived.
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.
The Sonos Santa Barbara facility bathed in pre dawn light. The building is more expansive than it appears and does not lend itself to a wider angle photo.
I leave for Santa Barbara this afternoon but not without a photo of my favorite daughter. I have been asked to pick up responsibility for our Information Technology Services group in addition to Product Development and am travelling on short notice to meet all the new members of our team.
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.
Maya has become quite proficient and fearless about extracting her own teeth when the time comes. We spent some time examining her molar and it appears that she clenches her teeth at night (like her father) so a night guard is probably in her future.