Today, we shipped our very first commercial part. It is probably the most significant milestone in the company’s history thus far. We paused to celebrate with cake and ice cream and to commemorate the occasion with an all-company photo. Two of our employees were working from home today but can be seen on the Zoom screen. I love the message on the cake, “The First Part is the Hardest.” Can’t take credit for thinking it up but you have to admire the triple entendre. We thanked everyone for their phenomenal effort over the summer with a gift designed to keep them warm over the approaching winter.

When I negotiated the sale of our home, I included in the deal many of the larger machines in my woodworking shop. Doing so added value to the property and saved a great deal of work on my part to decommission and prepare the equipment for safe moving. It also affords me the opportunity to buy all new equipment that is right-sized for my new shop which is going to be a little smaller than my current one. With the day off from work, I spent it researching table saws and finally placed an order for a Laguna Fusion F2 which will suit my needs nicely. COVID-19 has created shortages of all things related to the construction industry and the saw will not arrive until mid-December. I also narrowed down options for a new dust collector and will probably pull the trigger on that purchase shortly.

A more perfect fall day I have never enjoyed more. It started as most spring and autumn Sundays do for me with a soccer match. We were at home playing Ashland, a team that was talented but not very fit. After thirty minutes, we started to score and just kept on going as they wore down leading to a final result of 7-0. On the way home, I paused for some aerial photography. Pictured above are the Dugan Brook wetlands that border the west side of our neighborhood and provide the backdrop for the Bruce Freeman Tail Trail that traverses the area. Later, Jeanine and I met with new neighbors in Conantum, where are new home is located. They took as for a walk through the neighborhood introducing us to other residents and sharing invaluable information on the homeowners association, renovation, architecture, landscaping, the Sudbury River, and the animals that frequent the area.

Kyle went car shopping this afternoon and was prepared to make a cash down payment. He has decided to do a little more research before pulling the trigger. When he returned home, Nico was waiting to join him for a golf outing. The moment Nico set his eyes on Kyle’s wad of cash he decided it would be fun to throw it up in the air for a photo. I was allowed in on the action and got a nice fan-shot before $20 and $50 bills were floating everywhere.

Between a very busy time at work, preparing to close on the purchase of our new house, and the sale of our current home, there has been very little time for what I enjoy doing most at this time of year. Normally, I would seize any opportunity to get outside to capture the splendor of the autumn foliage. For now, I must settle for easy roadside shots that I encounter on the way to or from the office. Perhaps, between my soccer match and selling off furniture, I will find a few hours to revel in what is shaping up to be the perfect fall weekend.

A violent wind storm last night brought down trees and power lines across the state. After making sure we had not sustained any damage, I headed over to our new house to ensure the same. On the way, I had to turn around and seek a detour to avoid this fallen tree which was blocking the road. Fortunately, the new house was also free of any damage although I did find a woodpecker making a meal of one of the eaves. Whatever stress was induced by the storm was reversed by finalizing the Purchase & Sale Agreement for the sale of our home. Until such a contract is executed, there is very little binding the deal, making all future planning somewhat tenuous. We are very excited about the family that will live here next. They have three children, 6, 4, and 2. Their only daughter is named Maya and my bet is that she will wind up in our Maya’s old bedroom.

Normally, when I use my drone for landscape photography, it is from a rather significant altitude. It is, however, just as useful for taking low angle shots from places it would be hard to get to otherwise, say the middle of a river. I realize the one above appears to be very shallow but it was quite deep on the left side of the photo and I was standing on the left bank.

This afternoon, my team at Digital Alloys completed our first printed part for sale. A monumental milestone, for our tiny startup. This part will actually wind up in our museum. We have a second part right behind it which we hope to finish next week. Once it has been CT scanned (to ensure quality) it will be delivered to our customer. The part is made of H13 tool steel, weighs in at 2.5 pounds, and measures roughly 2.5 inches in each dimension.

Tomorrow our home will be inspected ahead of entering into a Purchase & Sale Agreement that will be binding. After the backyard view, I think I will miss my study the most. Jeanine calls it my cave which is an apt description since I keep the blinds closed and lights off to enhance image viewing on my computer. This is where I process all of my photos, write my blog, manage our finances, and plan my travels. I think it is one of the more elegant rooms in our home. The same was true of our last house, pictured below, with some of the same furniture.

My study in our new house will have a much less formal design but hopefully, retain the same cozy feeling.

Wolfeboro, NH claims to be the oldest summer resort in America. Over the years it became a popular summer colony, particularly for families from Boston and southern New Hampshire.  Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Kurt Vonnegut, Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have all vacationed here. Jeanine and I started our day with a takeout breakfast followed by a leisurely stroll along the town’s rail trail. In the town center, we looked over the local real estate listings and found one for a 55-acre mountain top parcel with commanding views of the area. Imagining our own Castle in the Clouds, we decided to visit the property on a whim. We were never quite able to locate it but did come across Camp Merrowvista, where all of our children came with their elementary school class.

For the remainder of the day, we worked our way north stopping for views of the Pemigewasset River and the covered bridges that span it. Eventually, we reached the Lost River Gorge where we warmed up with a hike on its Eco Trail before jumping on to the Appalachian Trail at Kinsman Notch (pictured below). In all my years of hiking, this was my first time on the AT and it left a very favorable impression. We made the steep hike up to the Cascades where we enjoyed a brief respite before starting back down the mountain and once in our car the journey home.

We are staying on a narrow causeway between Mirror Lake, pictured above at sunrise, and Lake Winnipesaukee. Our plan for the day was to climb Mount Major but we were quickly sidetracked with more immediate opportunities. We stopped briefly at the Abenaki Fire Watch Tower. Originally built in 1929 and standing 80 feet tall it offers a commanding view of Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee Mountains.

Shortly after departing the tower, we happened upon Castle in the Clouds where an antique car show was underway. There I noticed an early Triumph Spitfire, my first car, and had to pose with it for a photo.

Still early for admission to the estate, we hiked the Brook Walk trail taking us past seven waterfalls. The last and most spectacular is the Falls of Song, with a 40-foot vertical plunge.

By noon, we were ready for our tour of the main attraction. After earning his fortune in the shoe industry at the turn of the 20^th century, Tom Plant focused his attention on the Ossipee Mountains in Moultonborough. In 1913-1914, Tom and his wife Olive built a unique and stunning country estate, which they called Lucknow. The property spanned 6,300 acres and featured a 16-room Arts and Crafts mansion, stable and six-car garage, two gatehouses, a greenhouse, a golf course and tennis court, a man-made lake, a boathouse on Lake Winnipesaukee, and miles of carriage and bridle trails. For several years the Plants enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle at Lucknow, with state-of-the-art amenities, beautiful hand-made furnishings, and a large staff to run the estate.

Poor investments and a penchant for overspending left Plant penniless at his death but the residence he left behind stands testament to his ambition and vision. Our final stop for the day was the Grove at Chocorua Lake, an idyllic setting with lovely views in all directions.

On October 6th, Jeanine and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We had planned to take a couple of weeks off for a trip to Greece and Italy. That was before COVID-19. Instead, we left this morning for a long weekend in New Hampshire on Lake Winnipesaukee. We were greeted with the above message and a bottle of Champagne when we arrived at our lodging in Wolfesboro by mid-afternoon. Exhausted by life under COVID, our first priority was a long nap. Later, we dined in style at the recently opened New Woodshed, rebuilt on the site of the original Woodshed which burned to the ground. With very well-spaced tables, acrylic partitions, and a thirty-foot ceiling we felt pretty safe. Table bread is baked in flower pots which made for an interesting photograph. The meal was exceptional and our weekend was off to a very good start.

With the corn crop which grew behind our house this summer now harvested, the farmer who tends the land returned to till the earth in preparation for the next crop. We have no idea what it will be but my guess is grass for hay. Although we are very excited about the views we will have from our new home, we are certainly going to miss the ones we have enjoyed here for the last 17 years. Fortunately, we will be less than a mile away and will be able to look in from time to time.