At this time of the year, I leave for the office well before sunrise.  This morning I was running late which afforded me the chance to catch a rather colorful sunrise.

With a beautiful day in the forecast, Jeanine and I decided to make a day tour of western Massachusetts and southern Vermont where foliage reports indicated we would find peak fall color.  Our first stop was the Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams.  Named for its natural bridge of white marble, unique in North America, the park also offers woodland walks with views of a dam made of white marble, and a picturesque old marble quarry.  The bedrock marble from which the natural bridge was created is estimated to be some 550 million years old. Water from glacial runoff began carving the arch after the last Ice Age, 13,000 years ago.

After enjoying lunch at the Freight Yard, we continued to the 93-foot-high, lighthouse-like Massachusetts Veterans War Memorial Tower at the summit of 3,491-foot tall Mount Greylock, the highest point in the state.

We continued to Bennington and Brattleboro, Vermont before completing our 11-hour road trip.  Despite reports to the contrary, we did not find the foliage to be at peak color.  I suspect another few days or a week before that will be the case.

Not the best photograph, as it was taken through the windshield of my car.  Fortunately for the subject, I spotted him crossing the road in time to avoid a car versus snapping turtle situation. Not so fortunate for me were the blaring horns of the angry motorists stopped behind me unaware of the reason for my standstill.

I spent 11 hours driving around New Hampshire today in search of dramatic fall color. Unfortunately the remnants of Hurricane Michael covered the state in clouds for most of the day.  Even so, I managed a few shots that I am very happy with.  I visited Lake Winnipesaukee for the first time and then made my way over to Franconia Notch. 

Some photos just speak for themselves. 

This photo was taken on a visit to the Old North Bridge last week. I was too busy at work today to find time for a photo. Jeanine called my attention to the nice light on the tall grass.  She has gotten quite good at spotting interesting light and is becoming a very good photographer in her own right.  The same cannot be said for my abilities as a cook despite my frequent close proximity to her while preparing food.

Following on the heels of our e-scooter demo unit, my team completed are first fully integrated shared e-bike today. Both demo units were created to demonstrate functionality and performance rather than being optimized for appearance. Prospective customers will be able to ride these vehicles as part of their evaluation process. Final units will be tailored to specific customer requirements and design parameters.

As part of Superpedestrian’s pivot into the shared electric micro-mobility market we have expanded beyond bicycles and now support electric scooters as well.  The demonstration prototype scooter above was developed by my team in record time and will be revealed to prospective customers starting this week. It is a huge step up from the Bird scooters which can already be found on the streets of Cambridge.  It features much larger wheels and a suspension system for enhanced safety and comfort.  It also sports the largest capacity battery of any scooter in the market today for extended range and superior hill climbing performance.

I re-injured my left hamstring during my soccer match this morning and therefore let my drone do all the work for my photograph of the day.  Operating the controls from the comfort of our deck, I flew all the way to the Sudbury River and back.  Above is the patch of colorful trees and bushes I only recently discovered by virtue of flying the drone.  It is located adjacent to the field behind our house (on the right above) but I had no idea it was there for the last 15 years.  The lesson I take away is that finding beauty is a matter of perspective. Below is an image of Mattison Field.  Both are best viewed at full resolution on a large screen.

Twenty eight years ago on an equally splendid fall day, Jeanine and I were married in a wooded setting not too dissimilar from that of our afternoon outing in the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge.  Jeanine’s beauty and my love for her have only grown with the passage of time.  It is hard to imagine that so many years have passed in what seems like the blink of an eye.  If we remain healthy, we may have only reached the halfway point in our marriage.

While walking through the refuge we encountered little in the way of wildlife but a veritable treasure trove of mushrooms.

Every autumn I spend countless hours driving around New England in search of photogenic fall foliage.  Last week I discovered the most vibrant scene I have ever witnessed.  Today, I finally had a sunny day and some time to photograph it.  Now for the unbelievable part of the story.  This field of small trees and bushes is located adjacent to the field behind our house.  It is literally a stone’s throw from our backyard.  How is it possible this went unnoticed by me for 15 years?  The area is surrounded on all sides by larger trees which when viewed from the ground are only moderately interesting at this time of year.  I have tried to enter this field during the summer months but it is invariably water logged and so thick with brambles that you cannot traverse it.  If not for my drone, I would have never found this gem.  Expect future photographs depicting its full extent and location relative to our house.

Followers of this blog know that I have been following the construction of the buildings that are part of the Mass+Main project in Central Square.  While researching the construction, I came across a live webcam that is documenting the construction, and the images captured will one day be used to form a time-lapse video.  I became curious about the location of the camera and was able to locate it today by reverse engineering the angles and using my drone to find it.

I managed to break another tooth this afternoon while eating pita bread at lunch.  This makes the 3rd or 4th tooth I have broken and if I keep up the pace I will soon have more broken teeth than intact ones.  Fortunately, the break was completely above the gum line and therefore one I can live with provided I have my dentist grind off the sharp edges on the remainder of the tooth.  Eventually, I will need a crown but for now, I will just leave it the way it is.  The reason I break so many teeth is because I grind them together while sleeping.  Time to locate the mouthguard I am supposed to wear at night to prevent such outcomes.

I had to bring my i3 in to have the airbags replaced as part of a factory recall campaign. Apparently, women in the fifth percentile of body size (approximately 5 feet tall and weighing 110 pounds) are slightly more likely to suffer a neck injury during a frontal collision if they’re not wearing their seatbelt. It’s a very small edge case, and it requires a person to not be wearing a seatbelt, but either way, the vehicle is ever so slightly outside of federal regulations hence the recall.  I have been given the X2 pictured above until the service has been completed.  Jeanine has been eyeing it lustfully so I have made a point to hide the keys.

I drove into Boston earlier than usual this morning affording me the time for a nice 5 mile walk before work. I opted to carry my drone rather than my camera with me, pausing a few times for interesting aerial landscapes.  I am glad I took the opportunity because the beautiful autumn morning gave way to a dreary afternoon of grey skies and rain.

Following my big birthday celebration yesterday, it was a little difficult rolling out of bed for an 8AM soccer match. Happily my tweaked hamstring from two weeks ago has healed and I managed to play the entire match without further aggravation, even managing an assist on one of our 4 goals. My team is on a real streak, having won our last 15 matches without surrendering a single goal. With half the season remaining, we are now solidly in first place. I returned home in time to bid farewell to my visiting sister, mother, and sister-in-law and then to spend time teaching my nieces to fly one of my drones. Above is a dronee taken by Sophia before my brother and his family traveled to Olin with Jeanine and I to visit Maya. She gave a tour of the campus leaving all the engineers in the family wishing they could go back to school and her young nieces with a glimpse of what a future in college might look like.

Sixty years ago today I entered the world, the first of four children born to Frank and Angela Calabria in Albany, NY.  A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. I am happy to report that I have few regrets and many blessings to be thankful for.

Jeanine conspired with family and friends to throw me a surprise party to celebrate the milestone. Misdirection took the form of a visit to the Boston Aquarium with my nieces, Sophia and Rose, and brother, Mark. This to lure me down to the waterfront where a classic sailing schooner, manned by a large contingent of my family and friends was waiting wharf side to collect us for a sunset cruise of the Boston Harbor. Our group of ~35 then walked to the North End where we dined at the L’Osteria Italian restaurant.  Between appetizers and the main course, guests were entertained by a game in which they had to answer various trivia questions about the birthday boy. The highlight of the evening for me was hearing the words offered by my children in celebration of their father.  A more wonderful day I could not have hoped for.

This aerial photo of the field behind our yard revealed an entire patch of fall color on the right side of the frame.  As soon as we get some sun, I plan to investigate more thoroughly.  This is a very exciting discovery and I can hardly wait for some decent weather.

I made it to CCHS in time to catch the end of a women’s varsity soccer match today.  I was hoping to put my new sports-oriented camera body through its paces.  I could not be happier with the results.  For the record, CCHS enjoyed a hard-fought 1-0 win.

Today after work I picked up a used Sony a9 camera body. It is the camera of choice for sports photography and will be part of the kit I take to  Mexico for the Amputee World Cup tournament a month from now.  I got a highly discounted price on a very lightly used copy which looks to be in perfect condition. Tomorrow I plan to give it a real workout.  The Concord Carlisle High School women’s soccer team has a late afternoon match at home. 

Raptors are some of the most photogenic birds of all.  This one flew across the road as I was driving by.  I spotted where it landed, pulled over, and got out my telephoto lens.  I approached slowly and was rewarded for my effort with this nicely framed portrait against a dramatic blue sky.  Regrettably, I did not have time to hang around while it hunted.

Since I was nursing my hamstring yesterday, I decided to photograph the match. The image above is one of a sequence showing my teammate, Frank, dribbling around the keeper and several defenders to score a beautiful goal.  The full set of images can be found here.

For the sixth year in a row, Jeanine participated in the Three Squares New England Ride for Food. This year she raised $10,250 on the 25-mile ride.  Together her team from Open Table collected $31,500.  She was joined by close friend, Karen Metzold, the wife of my high school wrestling partner. Apparently the ride can be very dangerous so participants must wear really big helmets. Either that or the team from Open Table thought it would be fun to create a headpiece with the organizations new logo on it. My tweaked hamstring is healing nicely but I decided to sit out my match this morning to ensure I will be fully recovered for next weekend when we face one of our toughest opponents.  After today’s 8-0 win we are 4-0 on the season.

Last night on the evening news I saw a story about a local family that created a corn maze honoring Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.  It is hard to explain to those who do not live in the Boston area just how seriously people here take their sports. I’d say these photos make the argument better than I can. Located in Bolton, MA, the Schartner Farm is operated by the 4th generation descendants of Julius Schartner who emigrated from Austria in 1902.  For those who do not keep up with the latest vernacular, G.O.A.T. = “Greatest of all Time.” 

As city halls go, the one in Lowell, MA is quite beautiful. Pictured above with the gold-domed Holy Trinity Church in the background and below with the Tsongas Center in the distance.  I made a brief visit to the city this afternoon for a tour of the historic mills that line the Merrimack River. They were equally interesting but not quite as photogenic.

Construction continues on Mass + Main, a project that will add three buildings and 306 apartments to Cambridge’s Central Square. The taller of those buildings will run to 19 stories and 195 feet, placing it among the highest in Cambridge.  The project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2019.  Soon the building will block the morning sun that falls on the Clover restaurant where I have breakfast most days.  It is a stark reminder that the things we take for granted are rarely permanent.

The remnants of Hurricane Florence have been passing through Massachusetts for the past 36 hours.  Having just reseeded our lawn we are thankful for all the rain.  The ominous skies also contributed to the mood of this image of a bridge over the Sudbury River which I rather like.

Two days ago I secured a reservation for Audi’s first all-electric car, the e-tron, only seconds after preferred customers were allowed to do so. At 12:01 AM this morning, I got my first glimpse of the final design and had a chance to review specifications before entering my order configuration.  I have decided on everything except the color which will probably be one of the two above. I have waited patiently for this day ever since I rejected delivery of a Tesla Model X over 2 years ago.  That saga is recounted here.  The e-tron is a proper all-electric SUV crossover with enough range (~250 miles) to eliminate the need for a traditional gas-powered car, a big increase compared to the 81-mile range of my BMW i3.  While it has been fine for commuting to Boston, I have to trade cars with Jeanine anytime I need to travel further. Delivery is expected within 6 months and possibly sooner given my position at the top of the reservation list.

Today’s photo is courtesy of Kyle who documented his work in the kitchen where he prepared meals for the coming week.  His mother deserves all the credit for teaching her children how to cook and appreciate healthy food.  Sadly, her husband has not benefited from equal measures of instruction and coaching.  It should also be noted that she still accuses him of creating the false impression that he was an accomplished cook during their courtship.  This by virtue of the fact that he owned a mushroom brush and prepared homemade lasagna for one of their early dates.

I do not believe I have ever in my life attended a car show.  As I drove back from my soccer match this morning, I happened on one being held in Concord.  Although classic cars are not exactly my cup of tea, I could not help but admire the beauty of these restored automobiles.  Photographically speaking it was a target-rich environment and I wound up staying for half an hour.  My soccer team managed to come away with a 2-0 win against a very tough Russian team which has moved us into a tie for first place within the division.  My game ended minutes before halftime when I tweaked my left hamstring.  The second half proved to be even more physical than the first and nearly ended in a brawl.  Let’s just say that I am not looking forward to our next match against these guys. 

Kyle returned to Concord yesterday to collect some furniture and other items for his new apartment.  Today, after stocking up on groceries, I drove with him back to the Seaport District but not before making a detour to Olin College so we could visit with Maya.  After dreaming she had fallen from her newly constructed loft sleeping area, I am pleased to report that she has completed construction of a proper railing to prevent any such mishap. She has taken on an exhausting academic load but seems to be very happy with her busy life.  Kyle seems to be settling nicely into his apartment save for a new mattress that is not to his liking.  Once that is replaced, I think he will be very comfortable in his new living quarters.  While driving out of the Seaport District it was hard not to notice the number of young people out and about enjoying themselves in what is one of Boston’s most “happening” areas.