We are hoping that the River House will be weather tight by the end of the month. At that point, my first priority will be to set up a provisional shop so that I can begin building all of the cabinetry for the house. When we sold our Mattison Drive house, the sale included most of my major woodworking machines (to avoid the hassle and cost of moving and storage). I kept my miter saw, bandsaw and planer and have since replaced my table saw, air compressor, and dust collector. Today, I ordered the pictured drill press which should arrive within 3-5 weeks. All that remains to reestablish my shop is a jointer which I hope to identify and purchase within the next few weeks.
The best security system is one that recognizes and averts a potential threat before it becomes a real one. The River House will be fitted with high resolution (8 mega pixel) cameras at each corner and another integrated with the door bell. These will be hard-wired using POE (power over Ethernet) and have the ability to distinguish between human motion, vehicular motion, and general motion within the filed of view. Each is fitted with infrared illuminators which allow for night vision. The high resolution video streams are constantly recorded to hard disk and an alarm, push notification or e-mail can be sent based on selected trigger criteria. Should an intruder manage to get passed the outside cameras, they will face 36 motion sensors located throughout the inside of the house. I spent several hours testing the cameras and video recorder to make sure everything worked as expected. I found several bonus features and learned how best to program the system.
This lovely arrangement of flowers arrived today. A thoughtful and most appreciated gift from Formlabs where I continue to consult on a monthly basis. We are grateful for the splash of beauty and brightness at an otherwise grey time.
We will remember 2022 as the year of the River House. A life long dream, to build our own home, it has been both a joy and a massive undertaking. We spent a full year living in the old house to experience every season so we could make the most informed design choices. The next 6 months were spent developing our plans and obtaining the necessary permitting for the project. During the last 6 months the actual work of demolition and construction commenced in earnest. With any luck, we hope to be “finished” in the next 6 months.
Jeanine and I tried to recreate a picture taken 2 years ago after we had just moved in. I think we did a good job on matching the clothing. but construction materials made it impossible to position my camera to get the same perspective. Consequently, the new house appears much taller compared to the old one. In fact, it is only slightly taller.
Behold the perfect Zeppole ball. Normally, our family prepares this traditional Italian treat on Christmas Eve. This year that did not happen so we decided to add it to the menu this evening. The kids arrived early afternoon and joined us for dinner. Maya prepared an exquisite mushroom risotto while Jeanine made a delightful salad and collard greens and red bean soup (for prosperity in the new year). I decided to tackle the Zeppole and must say that they came out very well. I used a new technique for cutting the dough which produced less of a ball and more of a tiny pillow shape. A nice bit of innovation with which to start the new year.
Good weather this week has resulted in great progress on the River House project. We are under a roof now, albeit just the sheathing. Still, it is a big milestone and means that work can progress inside even during inclement weather. Much of the building supplies have been moved under cover to protect them from the elements and most of the temporary internal reinforcements have been removed which makes it far easier to visualize the final space.
Before leaving Minnesota on my recent visit, I helped my brother to clear out my mother’s effects from the senior living center where she spent the last few years of her life. Among them was her Certificate of Naturalization, the only document I found which had both her picture and signature. The later is worth close inspection, as it demonstrates both her artistic expression and precise execution, characteristics that were present in every aspect of her life.
In order to finalize plans for electrical and plumbing infrastructure at the River House, I had to select a washer and dryer. We will be using a heat pump style ventless dryer. This type of machine runs off a 120V 15amp circuit compared to our last dryer which used 240V 40amp circuit (roughly five times less electricity). More importantly, the unit does not require an outside vent. Conventional dryers exhaust approximately 200 cubic feet of conditioned air every minute. This is a an additional huge waste of energy, especially during the summer and winter months not to mention an additional penetration through the building envelope. In a matter of a few years, I predict that heat pump ventless dryers will be a requirement for all new homes if not all new appliance sales.
I could not help myself with the title of today’s post even though Boxing Day was actually yesterday. Kyle is taking this week off for vacation and I worked with him this afternoon to box in the HVAC trunk line that feeds conditioned air to the house. We used 3/4″ stock and pocket hole screws to minimize the encroachment into his living space and were both quite pleased with the results. By midday, I was overcome with a severe headache and body aches and opted to return home. I tested negative for Covid and believe I might be suffering from food poisoning based on my other symptoms.
Angela Flerida Calabria, died at her residence in Minnetonka, Minnesota on December 23, 2022, at the age of 94, after succumbing to pneumonia. She was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the daughter of Jose Canelos and Delia Benavides, who immigrated to the United States via Ellis Island when she was a teenager. Angela was bilingual in Spanish and English. She initially worked as a silkscreen artist in New York City and continued that career for over 25 years part-time, while raising four children with her husband of 54 years, Dr. Frank M. Calabria, Ph.D.
Angela met Frank at a dance studio in Brooklyn, NY, where he was an instructor. They were married a year later and traveled through Europe on their honeymoon. The couple moved to Albany, NY in 1956 and to Schenectady in 1966, when Frank became a Professor of Psychology at Union College. The couple was renowned for their dance performances including folk dancing, ballroom dancing, and their favorite, Argentine Tango. Angela and Frank were treasured members of the Capital Region ballroom dance and Albany Tango Society communities.
Angela was also a talented artist and sculptor, working in various mediums, including clay, wood, metal, plaster, lead, and fabric. She studied the art of Chinese brush painting with Gu LeFu and sculpture under Robert Blood. Angela was also an accomplished gardener and transformed her Schenectady residence on Wendell Avenue, into an authentic Japanese garden, which was frequently featured in the GE Plot Home and Garden tours. Her residential housing layout sketch was featured in the book “Images of America -Schenectady’s General Electric Realty Plot”. Angela was also an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady where she served on the Women’s Alliance and Wellspring Committees for many years. An avid tennis enthusiast, she played well into her seventies and was known for her tenacity.
Angela relocated to Minnetonka, MN in 2019. There she danced two or three times per week, with the Tango Society of Minnesota, up until weeks before her death. At the age of 93, Angela performed an intricate Argentine tango at the Mall of America for hundreds of fellow dancers and onlookers. Within the Minnesota dance community, she was recognized as a “Tango Treasure.”
Angela was predeceased by her husband, Frank Calabria. She is survived by her elder sister Maruja Coddington and younger brother James Canelos, four children; Carl Calabria, Mark Calabria, Alissa Quinn, and Mayela Harris, and by her nine grandchildren; Kyle, John, Mario, Nicolai, Rory, Rachel, Maya, Sophia, and Rose. She is also beloved by her in-laws Juanita Canelos, Robert Coddington, Jeanine Calabria, Marie Calabria, Stephen Harris, countless cousins, extended family, and friends.
Two memorial ceremonies will be held to honor a beautiful life; the first in Minnetonka, MN and the second at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady, NY with times and dates to be announced. The family would like to express their deep gratitude for the support and care received from Sunrise of Minnetonka, Home Instead of Minnesota, and Park Nicollet Hospice of Minnesota. Donations made in Angela’s honor will be graciously accepted by the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady, 1221 Wendell Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12308, or Albany Tango Society, c/o Kevin Magee, 170 Central Avenue, Troy, NY 12180.
With all that has transpired this month, I have not had time to create our annual holiday card. I thought I would dedicate this post to a virtual version.
This year has been a most eventful one for the Calabria Clan.
Maya graduated from Olin College with a degree in Robotic Engineering and accepted a position at Formlabs as a Test Engineer. She recently injured her shoulder while mountain biking which has put a damper on her main passions; rock climbing and Latin dancing.
Nicolai took a leave of absence from teaching middle school social studies to train for the 2022 Amputee Soccer World Cup with a qualifier tournament in Mexico and the main event in Istanbul. He captained the team to its best-ever finish and scored 8 goals in 7 games. The entire family traveled to Turkey to watch him play.
Kyle was promoted to Senior Data Engineer at hims & hers where he has been working for almost two years. He has been renovating the basement of his home in Medford, a project which included adding air conditioning and switching from natural gas to all-electric appliances.
After 9 years as Executive Director of Open Table, Jeanine decided it was time to try something new. She timed her resignation so she could attend the World Cup with Nico and become more involved with the River House project. She is also about to publish her first book, “A Taste of Stories.”
I am now semi-retired, working in a part-time consulting capacity for a small number of local high-tech companies. The remainder of my time has been fully consumed with the design and construction supervision of our new home on the Sudbury River. I have also been helping Kyle with his renovation project on most Saturdays.
While in Turkey, Jeanine and I traveled to the Cappadocia, Pamukkale, and Selcuk regions where we enjoyed great hiking and the most amazing geological formations and archeological ruins. Jeanine spent time in Belgium with a long-time friend and I enjoyed some downtime in Puerto Vallarta.
We are thankful that everyone is healthy and happy and wish the same for you and yours in the coming year.
I was fortunate to catch a very early flight back to Massachusetts and arrived by noon. Maya and Nicolai picked me up at the airport and we rendezvoused with Jeanine at the River House. The kids have not seen the build recently and there was a lot to take in. We coaxed Jeanine up a ladder to the second floor where she was able to enjoy views from the aviary (her future office) for the first time. Kyle joined us shortly after we returned to the Road House where I shared my experience of the last week and we remembered Angela. It was a cathartic conversation and brought a real sense of closure to me.
In the evening we were joined by our close friend Aliza and her son Winn for Raclette, a Swiss[dish, also popular in the other Alpine countries, based on heating cheese and scraping off the melted part, typically over boiled potatoes. Aliza’s Bouche de Noel and chocolate cream pie made for a delicious finale. Later, Nicolai prepared dough for our traditional Zeppole Balls but the crew crashed before they could be fried and will have to wait until tomorrow.
While I have been in Minnesota, Jeanine has been my eyes and ears on the ground at the River house build site. Each day she sends several photos to apprise me of progress. Today she also filled in for Santa, delivering Christmas presents to all the people working in the cold to bring our dream house to reality. Predicted torrential rains and the holiday will suspend further progress until next Tuesday.
I spent from 7 am to 7 pm with my mother today. She is resting comfortably but is no longer able to eat or drink. I am certain, however, that she can still hear and understand me so I read her the cards and messages that continue to arrive and tell her what all her loved ones are up to. For a change of pace, I also put on one of her Argentine Tango dance mix CDs (at low volume) until a hospice nurse suggested something more soothing. Naturally, I keep her up to speed on the status of the River House build which was always a topic of interest when we spoke by phone in recent months.. It is apparent to me that her time has arrived and my only wish now is that she pass quickly and peacefully. I hope and will try to be at her side when that moment arrives.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
