Today I joined Maya’s 2nd grade class for a field trip to historic Lexington Road in downtown Concord. It has been a very long time since I rode a school buss and I was surprised by all the memories that came flooding back. I was also amazed by how little has changed.
I woke up to find Maya eating breakfast on the stairs with her pig. Oddly, this passes for normal behavior at the Calabria house. Today marks three years of continuous posting on my photo blog. What started as an exercise to improve my photography has morphed into a journal of our lives. Although it does take considerable time to keep up, I think it is one of the projects I will look back on with the greatest pride and hopefully be something the kids revisit for many years to come.
Here I am in the process of bonding the deck and hull together (inside joints). I built three suspension cradles so that I could let gravity help me for a change. Fitting a 2 inch wide fiberglass tape to the internal seam over a 16 foot length is no easy task. I attached a brush to a 4 foot stick to allow me to reach into the far ends.
Today I made great progress on the kayak. Here I am using a high intensity lamp to speed the epoxy cure time on the hip plates (this is where the back band attaches). I made a nice little reflector (triangular affair sitting on the bottom of the hull) to focus the heat from above on both plates. In the background you can see two hatch cutouts and one of the two bulkheads.
Today after school Maya and Jeanine went out to make animal track castings. This plaster of paris casting is of a mink. See if you can make out all five toes.
Today is the first day of a one week vacation before I start my new job at Sonos. With any luck I hope to finish my kayak. Pictured here is the hatch opening. I fabricated the gasket channel out of carbon fiber and am extremely pleased with the results. After varnishing I will fit the channel with a 3/8 inch wide closed cell foam gasket.
Mother’s Day begins with breakfast in bed, prepared entirely by Maya featuring scrambled eggs, toast, tea and orange juice. Jeanine has prepared a Mother’s Day Wish List having learned over the years that this is the best way to ensure a happy day. Amazingly this list contains items that seem to fall naturally to each member of the family. Kyle cleaned the Honda and removed the white paint which inexpicably jumped from the garage door trim to the side of the van. He also installed the bicycle computer he had given to his mother on her birthday. Nico organized the tea cabinet and planted Dahlia’s in the garden. Maya cleaned and organized Jeanine’s jewelery and also repaired the mirror in her jewelery box (using her now significant expertise in the preparation and use of epoxy). I installed three jewelery holders in the dressing room and hung a belt holder. I also purchased a trellis for the garden and repaired an outside faucet. Jeanine was treated to a chinese dinner to bring the day to a luxurious finish. I was back in action this morning and scored the only goal in our victory over Needham.
Maya after finishing Blue Danube for her spring piano recital. I rarely take naps, but this afternoon I had a 2hour siesta. I think it is my body’s way of resetting after changing jobs. Come to think of it, I remember taking a nice long nap after leaving Pinnacle to join Avid.
A quick rotation reveals how I feel about saying good bye to Avid and the great folks I have had the privilege of working with there.
Packing all my photos, artwork, and books took longer than I anticipated and I was lucky to squeeze it all into my car. Last to go was the mask which has graced my door since my trip to South Africa.
Today was my last day of work at Avid after nearly a five year run. I was granted early release for good behavior (I had committed to stay through June but the transition has gone smoothly and our big release is on track for a June 6th ship date). While I am very anxious to start at Sonos, it was very hard saying farewell to so many wonderful and talented people. I will always remember Avid fondly and am thankful for the opportunity that brought our family to New England and afforded me such a great environment for professional growth. I was roasted during a Cake for Carl going away party and used the opportunity to project a slide show of the thousand plus photos I had taken of my colleagues over the years. It was a very nice note to end on.
Pictured here is the Concord School of Philosophy located on the grounds of the Orchard House (home of Louisa May Alcott). The school for adults was designed, built and run by her father, the Superintendant of Concord Schools. It is still used today for summer lectures.
Today after work I participated in a walking tour of historic Lexington Road. Next week I will be a volunteer in Maya’s class and will lead a small group of children on the same tour hopefully remembering much of what I learned.
It really feels like spring has arrived. Today was one of those simply glorious days.