I had a meeting in Cambridge this afternoon with a venture capital/startup incubator that is looking for an engineering executive to help out with some of their portfolio companies. It sounds like a very interesting opportunity and one that is compatible with my desire to transition to part-time work only. While I was in the neighborhood, I decided to stop in at Superpedestrian to visit with my old colleagues. The guys have done a tremendous job with the business which has grown from 20 employees to roughly 200 by way of a strategic acquisition. When I left, we had just completed our first electric scooter prototypes. Now the company has some 35,000 deployed around the world. Bravo! On my drive home, my car registered an outside temperature of 103°F while passing the Alewife T Station. Boston reached 97°F, the highest temperature ever measured for this date since records have been kept.

There are two very large trees on our property that are a threat to the house. Earlier this year, we received permission from the Concord Natural Resource Commission to have them removed. To offset their loss, we were asked to plant four bushes from a list of native species. We choose Spartan High Bush Blueberries. Thus far, they seem to be very happy along the river bank and have been undisturbed by the local critters. This cultivar produces berries that are quarter-sized and very delicious. Hopefully, we will get to taste them in a few weeks.

In recent days, the number of geese swimming past the house has increased dramatically. The collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge; when flying or swimming close together, they are called a plump. Fortunately, they seem very content in the river and have not visited our shores, a big relief to us.

Jeanine and I joined Kyle and Nico for a burrito diner in Davis Square this evening. It was our first chance to see Nicolai’s new apartment which overlooks the Somerville Community Path and the Bikeway Community Garden. The short walk to Davis Square takes you past some really fun outdoor sculptures.

Earlier in the day, my soccer team played our last match of the spring season in the Division 1 finals. We battled in the sweltering heat to a 0-0 tie at the end of regulation absent our starting sweeper (badly injured in an accident earlier this week) and our 2nd leading scorer who was not able to play the entire game due to a lingering injury. Unfortunately, our penalty takers were unable to deliver the victory and we had to settle for a second-place finish. I played one of my better games but failed to put two header opportunities on frame among many chances our team had to score. After the loss, no one was in the mood for a team photo but I did get one from the start of the match.

Rarely encountered indoors, I found this Golden Rod Crab Spider on the moulding of the door that leads to our basement. Thinking ahead to Jeanine’s response to my discovery, I relocated it outside to continue my photoshoot. This is one of the few spiders in North America that are capable of actively changing their body color from yellow to white, or vice versa, depending on the flower they are perched on. They do this by transferring a liquid pigmented material to the cuticle. The color change can take anywhere from one to twenty days to complete. I am certain this is a female which are 3 to 4 times larger than males. She will only produce one brood in her lifetime and my hope is that she does so outdoors.

When it comes time to demolish our house, it will be done with a massive excavator, probably in a day or two. Once the above-grade structure has been removed, the excavator will be fitted with a massive jackhammer to break up the 4″ thick foundation before removing it. The water main for our house enters through the foundation in the corner of the basement. To prevent it from being damaged by the heavy equipment, I carefully removed a section of the slab around the pipe so that it is completely free of the structure. I did this with a hammer drill (baby jackhammer) taking a surgical approach to the task. One false move and I could have ruptured the pipe resulting in a very expensive call to the water company. Patience and the right tools allowed me to complete the task in under two hours with not so much as a scratch on the pipe.

I had to drive to Northborough to pick up our revised site plan drawings for delivery to the Concord Natural Resources Commission before tomorrow. On the way back, I decided to detour through the quaint little town of Groton. Once there, I decided to photograph the First Parish UU Church, a local farm, and the Shirdi Sai Temple. My return home may or may not have included a brief stop at Kimbal’s where I may or may not have enjoyed a small cup of Chocolate Almond ice cream.

I took advantage of ideal weather for a late afternoon 4-mile walk and brought my drone with me. Less than 2% of the state’s river miles are designated wild and scenic and today’s photo provides a definition of that label. It has been more than 6 months now that we have been living in our new home and there isn’t a day that goes by when we do not wake up and admire the beauty of the river. We are situated (see the red dot on the map) just south of where the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers meet to form the Concord River. It is possible with two short portages and a small section of class III and IV white water rapids to reach the Merrimac River which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. I should rather like to attempt that journey over a weekend once our house building project is complete.

This little fellow is a regular visitor at the feeder that Jeanine set up just outside one of our windows. It rained for a good part of the day and I spent most of it indoors working on the house design. When I needed a break, I thought it would be fun to capture some hovering hummingbird photos. The light was terrible and I did not want to set up a strobe out in the rain. The resulting images are very grainy but good enough to remind me how magnificent these little creatures are. When the weather improves, you can expect to find a future post with improved lighting.

Last week I shared some images of dragonflies. Today, on my morning walk, I noticed some lovely damselflies. Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, with bodies that typically range between 1 1/2 inches and 2 inches, while dragonfly bodies are typically longer than 2 inches. Dragonflies have much larger eyes that take up most of the insect’s head. Damselflies also have large eyes, but they are smaller than a dragonfly’s and there is always a space between them. Both dragonflies and damselflies have two sets of wings. When not in flight, a dragonfly’s wings stick straight out, perpendicular to their body like an airplane’s wings. A damselfly’s wings fold back so they are in line with their body, giving them a more sleek, slender appearance at rest. 

At a joint party held at Kyle’s new house, we celebrated Maya’s 22nd birthday (actually yesterday) and Father’s Day. Our family was joined by my nephew John and his girlfriend Quinn (plus new puppy; Miso) and Maya’s roommate Lauren and her boyfriend. Maya flew back from Normal, IL for the weekend. There, she has a summer internship with electric adventure vehicle maker, Rivian. With the newly recognized Juneteenth national holiday, Maya will always be assured of a day off on her birthday going forward. My Father’s Day included a long afternoon nap after playing soccer in the 80+ degree heat of the morning sun. We won 3-0 and will advance to the division finals to be held next Sunday. I had an opportunity to score what would have been a very spectacular goal after making a nice trap at the top of the 18 and beating two defenders. It was a side volley and I got all of it. Unfortunately, the resulting rocket went wide of the left post and I had to settle for imagining what might have been.

I decided to float in the wind this afternoon. I got in my car and headed west with no particular destination in mind. I eventually wound up in Worcester where I photographed the brand new Polar Park baseball stadium and the very old Union Station. The Woosox were in action and I had half a mind to stay for the game. Then I remembered how boring I find baseball. On the other hand, it is a very intimate ballpark and I think it might be fun to take in a game at some point. Most amazing to me about this park was the precision with which the grass is mowed. Close inspection will reveal near-perfect geometry in the mowing lines.

Union Station was built in 1911 and is the western terminus of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail line, with inbound service to Boston, and a station along Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited passenger line which will take you as far a Chicago.

During my wanderings, I came across the unidentified building pictured below. Currently, in a state of disrepair, I would venture to guess it was once a church based on the stained glass windows..

Most of my day was consumed with researching and sizing windows for the new house. Key factors are energy efficiency (U-factor, air leakage, solar gain), long-term durability (aluminum or fiberglass exterior frames, functionality (integrated screens, ease of operation and cleaning), and appearance. Today’s photos captured my interest because of their separation from their respective background.

After spending the morning looking at windows for the new house, I spent the noon hour with my chiropractor for a much need back adjustment. After a nice nap, I took advantage of perfect weather for a nature stroll and some photography which had dragonflies on the menu. I challenged myself to shoot one in mid-flight and got a few images worth sharing. These guys are very fast so it is not such an easy thing to do. They are slowest when coming in for a landing so I set focus on a likely landing site and waited for one to show up.

This evening, the wetlands scientist and civil engineer we hired to presented our Notice of Intent did so in front of the Concord Natural Resource Commission which must approve all development plans for work being done in close proximity to rivers or wetlands. Our plans call for the demolition and reconstruction of our current home on the existing footprint with the addition of an attached garage which will necessitate the relocation of our septic tank and pump chamber. Fortunately, only minor issues were identified and we are optimistic that we will receive final approval for our plan at the next meeting on July 7. The house design has also been shaping up and we are very close to a final concept which now includes integration of the east and west wing basements into a single unified walk-out basement.

Kyle starts his new job with Hims & Hers on Monday and was in need of a new headshot. I was happy to take one for him and I think he will be pleased with the result. I spent the entire afternoon at his house helping him to square away a number of items in need of attention and shopping for essential new homeowner tools (tape measure, utility knife, level, and ladder).