Work has been very intense this week with no time for photography which means I need to dip into the archive. Who do you think this stunning young girl is?

Nicoali works on a construction project for his French class. Students must create miniature buildings of different types. They then organize them to create an entire town which forms the basis for numerous class discussions. Nico is building a patisserie (pastry shop). I wonder if he and Jeanine will bake tiny croissants.

 
Of course if the whole vet thing does not work out she can always fall back to being an engineer.

 
Maya has a special bond with animals and continues to feel she wants to be a vet when she grows up. I for one won’t be surprised if this is what she becomes.

 
Maya reunited with her dog after four days apart.

 
My mother has created a Japanese inspired garden which occupies most of the grounds surrounding their home. I find beauty here even in the months where most green things have long since disappeared. This suspended rock is helping to train the branch from which it hangs into a more earthward posture.

 
Jeanine and I went for a brisk walk on the grounds of Union College, where I studied for my undergraduate degree in electircal engineering. Nott Memorial is the photographic icon of the school and although I have done so many times over the years I could not walk by without capturing another image of this beautiful structure.

 
There is a lot to be thankful for in the Calabria family and we celebrated our good health and happiness with the fruits of our labor. Failure to remember to bring my tripod prevented me from joining the photo. Also absent are my brother Mark and sister Mayela who celebrated with their families in Minnesota and North Carolina respectively.

 
Maya and cousin Rachel produced the dinner rolls which were very tasty and disappeared quite rapidly.

 
The men in the family also seek to be helpful. Here Kyle, Nico, and cousin Johnny contemplate a bowl of raw potatoes believing that enough time spent in this endeavour will produced the creamy smooth mashed version that will grace our table this evening. In truth, the boys were very helpful and did the lion’s share of clean up duty. My only contribution to the meal was the mashing of said potatoes, the mindless, repetitive task being well suited to my culinary talents.

 
It is not to say that the men in the Calabria family do not cook but on Thanksgiving morning the kitchen is the domain of the women. We are a family of food traditions and with each marriage have integrated a new culinary element into our family feast.

 
Despite the fact that my father has spent more time writing (books, poems, essays and short stories) since his retirement from teaching than anything else, there does not exist a single photo of him in the act. That situation has now been rectified and I have a nice series of him at work in his study. We are in Schenectady for the Thanksgiving holiday with my parents and sister Alissa’s family.

 
Today I arrived home to find pies everywhere. Thanksgiving time finds Jeanine in the kitchen usually cooking with friends and always creating food for the soul.

 
This evening after dinner the kids all gathered around the computer and collaborated on a Garage Band musical composition. The result was outstanding. Even better was the interaction and cooperation they demonstrated while creating their master piece. Every once in a while we get the idea that maybe this parenting business is working out.