Today I started my road trip in Littleton, NH and followed the Connecticut River from north to south crossing between Vermont and New Hampshire a dozen times and eventually into Massachusetts. The weather could not have been more gorgeous and the foliage was pretty good. By the time I reached Turners Falls I found the town celebrating The Great Falls Festival where I paused for diner and live music. In total I covered 275 miles and feel like I got my last big gulp of autumn in New England.
I had to leave work early to make a 3pm dentist appointment in Lexington. I was expecting to have one restoration done but left the office with a pair. I decided to head west and north with my camping gear so I could get an early start on fall foliage photography. Tomorrow is forecasted to be ideal conditions. Pictured here as the sun was setting is the French King Bridge over the Connecticut River.
Today’s entry is courtesy of Jeanine. She texted me this image with no explanation. Reverse triangulating from the three buildings I recognize (Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and the UN) I am fairly certain she was in Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. Update: Jeanine informs me that she was in Gantry Plaza State Park.
No sooner than she returned from visiting Maya in Seattle, Jeanine is off to NYC for the balance of the week. She will connect with her close friend Monica Frost, from Indianapolis. They are planning to see several broadway hits (Carol King Beautiful, Tina Turner, The Book of Mormon) while sampling the NYC food scene. I dropped her off at the train station on my way into work this morning. When she returns on Sunday, I will pick her up and then drive to the airport where I will embark on a week long visit to Costa Rica. Our work schedules have conspired against us doing a joint vacation this fall.
Followers of this blog are all too familiar with how much I hate my commute. In the Boston area, many companies have Columbus Day off which means that traffic today was extremely light. For this one solitary day I was enjoying life in the fast lane when the reflections of blue flashing lights in my rear view mirror sucked all joy from the moment. The officer who pulled me over said he clocked me at 83mph in a 55mph zone which sounded entirely accurate. I politely provided my license and registration and wondered how much the ticket was going to cost and what it would do to my insurance rates. When the officer returned, he gruffly returned my documents and a warning citation (for 56mph in a 55mph zone as determined by estimation). I will never know exactly what happened, but I got the feeling that there was some type of glitch with the radar gun and he was not able to use the reading. FWIW, at the moment he started chasing me, I was being passed by a car that had to be going 90mph.
Jeanine spent a long weekend visiting Maya in Seattle. The two enjoyed great food, a spa day, and communing with nature. I must admit that I was envious of their time together and wish I had joined Jeanine for the trip. Maya will be coming home for Thanksgiving and I am very much looking forward to seeing her then. She has finalized arrangements for her study abroad program and will spend the balance of the academic year in Amsterdam starting in January after she has completed her internship at Blue Origin.
A perfect day for soccer led to one of my team’s best games of the season. With a 2 goal lead at the 20 minute mark one of our players was red carded for swearing at the referee leaving us a man down for the remaining 70 minutes. The disadvantage forced us to play a much more disciplined and strategic game. We went on to win by a margin of 7-0 and I managed a nice assist. I took further advantage of the beautiful day to venture into western Massachusetts for some fall photography.
Fall foliage this year is as spectacular as any I can remember. I spent the entire day in New Hampshire taking in the glorious scenery and making the best of a mostly cloudy day. Be sure to click on the panoramic view to fully appreciate the beauty of Franconia Notch.
I dropped Jeanine off at the airport early this morning for a flight to Seattle where she will spend several days visiting with Maya. Maya has been interning with Blue Origin for some time now, helping to test sensors used on the outside of their spacecraft. Apparently she has also been doing a little blacksmithing as evidenced by the knife she fashioned from a horse shoe.
Jeanine hosted her book group at the house last night. Invited was Katharine Esty, the author of the book being discussed, Eightysomethings, and a member of her writer’s group. It never ceases to amaze me how good Jeanine is at bringing wonderful people together.
I love this time of year when fall colors are approaching peak intensity. This morning I put the drone up for an aerial view of the landscape surrounding our home. The thumb shaped field at the center-right of the photograph is the field behind our house and the reason we feel so immersed in nature. The colorful rectangular area to the left only became known to me when I started flying my drone; a real lesson in how perspective can change your view of everything. Click on the photo to see more detail.
I arrived at my dentist office at 8am today only to discover that I had cancelled my appointment for this time slot some time back (for reasons that escape me now). Fortunately, there was a cancellation and opening at 9am which left me with an hour to spend in downtown Lexington. After a light breakfast, I walked over to the Lexington Battle Green. It was here, on the morning of April 19, 1775, that “the first blood was spilt in the dispute with Great Britain,” as George Washington wrote in his diary. In this first skirmish, 77 Minutemen (local colonists who had volunteered to be first responders to military and other threats) faced British Regulars. Eight Minutemen lost their lives and 10 were wounded. Two British soldiers were also injured.
When one of my colleagues returned from his honeymoon, he found his desk covered in nuts and bolts and various other hardware. Such pranks are common around the office and it is only a matter of time before I become the target of one.
Jeanine and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary today! As has been the reality in our marriage we spent some of the day together and some of the day apart. Jeanine completed the 25 mile Ride for Food fund raiser while I played soccer this morning (beating Lexington 3-1). We then spent the afternoon and evening together relaxing over a tapas dinner out while discussing plans for our future. In years past, our conversation would have been centered on the kids but now we are more focused on how we plan to spend our remaining work and retirement years. Of all the big life decisions I have ever had to make, asking Jeanine to marry me is the smartest thing I have ever done. She is as smart and loving as she is beautiful and the only reason I have evolved into a half decent man.
With perfect conditions forecasted for the day, I ventured north to Franconia Notch only to find that I was probably a week early for optimal fall color. Even so, any day spent in the mountains is a day well spent. Weather and schedule permitting, I hope to make a return visit when peak color has arrived.
The Head of People Operations at Formlabs reached her 7 year anniversary with the company today. To celebrate, her staff threw her a surprise party which included two of her very favorite things, a petting zoo and a dipping bar (variety of foods that can be dipped). If you had told me when I started my career at Bell Labs some 40 years ago that cuddling of baby animals would one day be a component of work life, I would have thought you were nuts. That said, I think it is a wonderful development.
You don’t see one of these too often. Bound, no doubt, for a car/motorcycle show. I did a quick internet search and believe this to be a 1000cc 2-cylinder bike made circa 1920.
Normally when I sustain a bruise, I have a pretty good idea of how I got it. Not so with this one on my bicep. I have had it since last weekend and cannot think of something that would have caused it. Soccer is the obvious choice but the near perfect circular shape is inconsistent with the kinds that I have experienced in the past. Jeanine thinks I got it while clearing vegetation from around our air conditioners. While doing so, I was stung by a bumble bee, once on the neck and once on the face. I made a rapid exit from the area through thick brush and may have been poked by a branch in the process.
One of the followers of this blog has a keen interest in bridges. Given I was too busy catching up at work for any new photography today, I decided to feature pictures of bridges I took during my recent travels.
This last image is a rather depressing one. It was taken from my plane as I departed Hong Kong. In any other setting the bridge and mountains would have been totally clear. What you see here is the impact of air pollution. For all the strides the Chinese have made, this will be their legacy if they do not take action to protect the environment now.
I received this set of photos from one of our partners in China after my recent visit. Does this person remind you of anyone you know?
When I look back on my life, it is hard to imagine where the 61 years have gone since my birth. With each passing year, it feels like time is accelerating and I feel more compelled to suck every bit of marrow from the bone. As is my habit on my birthday, I like to take stock in how closely I am living to the standard of my Constancy of Purpose credo. This year with letter grades.
Achieve Balance:
Strive for Excellence:
Enjoy Life:
I spent the morning on the soccer pitch; a more perfect fall day you could not ask for. I got about 40 minutes of playing time which was just the right amount and managed one very nice shot on goal that just missed wide. We secured a 6-1 win. I spent the rest of the day with Jeanine and the boys. We watched the Patriots game together, played an epic match of bocce (with Maya observing via FaceTime), and then enjoyed a birthday meal including one of my childhood favorite foods; corn fritters. Kyle, while manning the grill, spotted the coyote pictured above. I managed to get my telephoto lens mounted just in time to capture his purposeful traverse of the field behind our house.
My travel over the last 10 days has taken me around the globe once from west to east. My final stop was in Seoul where I had a 15 hour layover. Rather than try to sleep at the airport, I took a train into the city and rented a micro hotel room (exactly enough space for a bed and bathroom, 10ft x 10ft). Before going to sleep, I walked from my hotelette to the base of Namsan Mountain and then climbed one mile of stairs to reach the base of the Seoul Tower (774ft tall). An elevator took me to the top of the tower which offers a spectacular 360 degree view of the city. My laptop does not have sufficient memory to stitch together the huge panoramic photo I made and it will have to wait till I get back home.
I have visited Hong Kong many times over the years. This time I choose a hotel close to both Kowloon Park and the Xiqu Cultural Center, areas that I have not had a chance to see before. I had a couple of hours to look around before boarding my return flight which heads to Boston by way of Seoul.
The optical modules used in Formlab printers must be fabricated in clean rooms to prevent the introduction of potential contaminants. The outfits above were required before entering to keep dust from our clothing and hair from getting in. Because our lasers are calibrated in this area special safety glasses are also required. After touring the factory and meeting with the management team here I departed for Hong Kong where my flight home departs tomorrow.
I had an opportunity today to visit our main contract manufacturer as well as one of our injection mounded plastic suppliers. During lunch with our factory partners, one of the dishes served was sweet potato wedges covered in warm honey. Ten minutes after it arrived at the table, it became very difficult to pick up a single potato wedge because they all had become stuck together. I inquired if there was some trick to separating them with chopsticks. The answer was no, it was just a very sticky problem that either took fingers or multiple people. This provoked a conversation on chopstick dexterity during which I mentioned that on my last trip to China I had managed to pick up three peanuts at once. To my great surprise and the amusement of all gathered, a bowl of peanuts arrived at the table two minutes later. With the pressure on, I was able to duplicate the feat on my first attempt. Future visitors from Formlabs may be encouraged to challenge my record. For your effort to count, you must produce photographic evidence and an affidavit from a present witness that no cheating occurred.
After a total of 20 hours of elapsed travel time (11h flying, 4h driving, 5h waiting in airports), I arrived at the Aloft hotel in Huanggekeng by mid-afternoon. I have stayed in better and I have stayed in worse. Within a couple of blocks you can find the Guanjingtou Reservoir, the Yitan Holiday World shopping area, some decent restaurants, and the ugly high rise apartments that dominate the landscape of most modern cities in China. It never ceases to amaze me how much China has changed since I first visited some two decades ago.
After a weekend of travel, hiking and photography, it was back to work today. My next stop is China where I will visit two of the factories responsible for manufacturing Formlabs printers. My flight is out of Zagreb through Moscow and on to Hong Kong before finishing the trip into China by car. I will be staying just north and west of Shenzhen.
I left my weekend bungalow just outside Plitvice early enough to give myself about an hour in Zagreb while en route to the airport. The Cathedral of Zagreb is one of the cities most prominent landmarks and as is often my luck, parts of it are under going repairs which detracts from the photo somewhat. Still I could have spent hours there if not for my departure deadline.
While walking around the cathedral I came upon a farmers market the likes of which I have never seen. I regret not having stopped for a while to partake of the luscious fruit but I had little enough time as it was.
I should like to return to Zagreb in the future. It is a beautiful city with a great deal of beauty around every corner.
I spent the better part of the day in Rastoke, a lovely little town built atop the Slunjčica River (enters top right) just before it falls into the Korana River (on the left). Houses and restaurants are nestled on little islands on micro-sized lakes connected by waterfalls, small and large. The sound of babbling waters can be heard everywhere and everything is connected by tiny foot bridges.
The water is so clean that you can see right to the bottom and in photos it is easy to mistake it for the dirt and rocks at the bottom.
While walking around, I wandered into a fairy garden where I found dozens of tiny ones and a trio of big ones in addition to beautiful butterflies.
Usually I only make one posting per day. Today I am making an exception to cover my afternoon excursion into Bosnia Herzegovina. Crossing the border by car could not have been easier. The same cannot be said of the last 7km of my two hour drive to the Una National Park. I think the 1-1/4 lane, two-way dirt road is kept that way to keep visitors to an absolute minimum. The challenging drive was well worth the effort. Pictured above are the Štrbački buk falls which are as pretty as any I have ever seen.
On my drive back to Croatia I stopped for a number of photos. Many buildings are still riddled with bullet damage from the war. I stopped to photograph the remnants of a church that appeared to be destroyed by an artillery shell. At the exact instant I was thinking that thought, a MASSIVE explosion occurred right behind the church. I practically had a heart attack as I dove for cover. When I gathered my wits, I figured out that there was a rock quarry behind the church being mined with explosives.
The town of Bihać is quite lovely with a tamer version of River Una running through it. As the sun was setting, I spotted a beautiful hilltop mosque and stopped there for my last photo of the day. Having skipped breakfast and lunch, food was now my main priority. I had a wonderful black truffle risotto for diner making up for all the depravation of the day.
Yesterday after my last meeting I took a bus from Budapest to Zagreb (4.5h) and then rented a car and drove to Plitvice Lake National Park (2h). I arrived at the bungalow I am renting after midnight and was fortunate the owner was kind enough to wait up for me or I might have spent the night in the car. I was at the park entrance bright and early, well in advance of the hoards that descend here later in the day. Drones are not permitted in the park so I had to do a good bit of hiking to get the shot above. Click to enlarge to fully appreciate these magnificent water falls. By 11am the crowds were intolerable so I set off for Bosnia Herzegovina and a much less popular national park there.
Originally scheduled to arrive Budapest at midnight last night, my flight was delayed and I did not land until 1am. By the time I made it to the apartment room I rented it was 2am and I was asleep by 3am after a 2-mile walk to stretch my legs. I arrived at the Formlabs office here an hour ahead of my first scheduled meeting and used the time for a very quick walk down to the river front for some photos. After meeting the entire team in a series of meetings, we all had lunch together and finished off with an ice cream social. This is something I had promised the team if we achieved a high enough participation rate in a recent employee engagement survey.
Budapest is an absolutely beautiful city and one I hope to visit again (for more than 40m).
