I use my drone almost exclusively for aerial photography. Occasionally, it gets pressed into service for more mundane tasks such as checking the gutters for leaves. A quick flight and sequence of photographs shows me exactly where the leaves are and saves a great deal of unnecessary and dangerous ladder work. Another such use is checking our slate roof for broken or missing tiles.

When I arrived at my desk this morning I found a number of presents waiting for me. Pictured above is the back of a framed canvas photograph of the Form3 printer which is one of three big programs I have been involved with since I started working full-time at Formlabs one year ago. The company makes a big deal of employment anniversaries (call Formiversaries) with increasingly desirable gifts for each year of service. I also received a pair of logo socks and a Cliff Bar (to remind me that my first year stock options are now vested). Of all these things, it is the signatures that I will cherish the most.

Meet the Form 3B (Biocompatible) a version of the Formlabs From 3 designed specifically for the dental industry. Announced today along with the formation of a new Dental Business Unit within the company, this printer supports a variety of biocompatible resins used for printing surgical guides, dentures, orthodontic appliances and crown and bridge models.

Today I announced to my Formlabs colleagues that I have accepted a position with Digital Alloys as their Chief Technical Officer. The metal 3D printing company is an early stage startup with very promising technology. The video below gives an excellent overview of the product, market and company. Located in Burlington, my commute will be cut by two-thirds, addressing my only real issue with Formlabs. As followers of this blog will know, Jeanine and I have been doing much to prepare our home for sale with the intention of moving closer to Boston. The significantly shorter commute to my new job will allow us to stay in Concord, the center of our social and community circles, until we are ready to retire. I will finish the month with Formlabs and start at Digital Alloys on December 2.

Occasionally Jeanine asks me to help out with photography for Open Table. Today’s assignment was for their upcoming annual fundraising campaign. I don’t know if any of the images I captured are going to work but “boy meets kale” and “boy meets chicken” are two of my favorites. In addition to the photos for Open Table, I shot several portraits for the family that was kind enough to model for us. They are Crimean refugees and have made use of Open Table to help get back on their feet.

Earlier in the day the regulation portion of my fall soccer season came to an end. We defeated Lexington summarily by a score of 8-0 bringing Concord United’s undefeated streak to 40 games. I managed 3 assists and to avoid injury despite playing far more minutes than normal. Next week we face Peabody in the post season semi-finals and will do so without one of our top defenders who was red carded during today’s match and one of our top wing midfielders who re-injured his calf muscle during practice earlier this week. Hopefully our opponent is also succumbing to the late season loss of numbers that is quite common in our over-56 age group.

A dense fog could be found covering the land and water everywhere for miles in any direction.

This squirrel thought it would enjoy a banana which was set out to attract local tocanets to a restaurant where I enjoyed lunch while traveling in Costa Rica. The tocanet dealt with the interloper in a very effective, if undignified manner.

I photographed both of these birds in captivity which is less satisfying than doing so in the wild. None the less they are quite beautiful and I thought I would share them.

I encountered this tarantula while walking in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park the week before last. It was slightly larger than my outstretched hand. I would have liked to photograph this fellow at a lower angle but I remembered that they are quite quick and have serious fangs. Their bite is said to be similar to that of a wasp. I thought best not to conduct any experiments.

Too busy at work for new photography so I am posting some of my snake photos from Costa Rica.

Too busy at work for new photography so I am posting some additional frog photos from my recent trip to Costa Rica.

I had an occasion to speak with a colleague last week about our mutual appreciation for the Indianapolis 500. I recalled getting my hands on a press pass one year (2003 to be precise) and the opportunity to photograph the Eddie Cheever Red Bull racing team when they won the pit stop competition that year. Since I did not start my blog until 2005, I thought I would add this entry for future reference.

Back to the present, my soccer team won our match today against a team of Russians by a margin of 5-0. I had one nice shot from distance that I lofted over the goalie who was way too far off his line but it sailed an inch or two over the crossbar. I also managed a nice defensive play that deprived their wing midfielder of a very dangerous shot on our goal.

The Japanese Maple we planted when we first moved to Concord some 16 years ago has grown to be a spectacular addition to our backyard. It is also the last tree to turn color and shed its leaves each year. When I think back on all the improvements we have made to our home, few are as satisfying and important as the trees we have planted. You can renovate a house or find a new one in short order but only time can provide you with the splendor of a magnificent tree.

This brings to mind an old Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

For years, students from the Fenn School have volunteered at Open Table. Today, Jeanine spoke at an assembly about the value of this work and thanking the school and students for their participation. Some parts of her job are not very satisfying and can put a strain on her but speaking to young people about the realities of food insecurity and the importance of the Open Table mission makes up for all of that.