Danny

I was thinking that I'd end up with a photograph of a fierce little soccer girl when I went to pick Grace up from practice. But I ended up talking to Danny, the Irish grandfather of one of the girls. He's a transplant from Dublin, but is originally a Tipperary man. I told him my families were from Cork and Galway and he told me the story of his dad taking him to a big hurling match where it was Tipperary against Cork. He was only a lad and could not make sense of the fact that while he was cheering madly for Tipperary, his dad was cheering madly for Cork. His dad was a Cork man, which I guess took some adjustment for him. He said he "kept looking up at him" during the match and being so confused. He tells me that it's like Red Sox-Yankees. I don't know about that. But it was great to hear his stories. Thanks.

Gary

I guess I could have put, "Professor Gizmo" instead of Gary. But most people know him by the more traditional moniker. I didn't even know about his alter ego until I spent a little time poking around on the Inter-tubes. So he's an artist/graphic designer, hands-on guy, who has a son who is great friends with mine and what a fine job he and his wife have done with him.

Keke

Another in a long line of fierce soccer girls. I like to get their pictures after an hour or more of gritty, sweaty practice. Trying to do my best to foster an appreciation of the athletic and assertive side of the young female psyche.

Anna

Another fierce girl soccer player. I love that these girls play so hard and shrug off injuries and are so competitive. That's gotta be good for them. Anna's a real solid player - good skills, steady and reliable. Oh, coach's daughter.

John

He's a great dog-lover. I can't go by his house with my dogs without a visit with John. His daughter is affiliated with some rescue groups and he has adopted the neighbors yellow lab, who visits during the day when they are at work.

Abby

No story here. Just a dog.

Dan

The sign said, "Pick Your Own Apples - Walk through driveway See Dan." We did that. We saw Dan. Now you can see Dan. You wouldn't expect to see Dan where we saw Dan. You'd expect to see Dan in New York (see the hat?). Or perhaps in L.A. Not in West Cranston, or wherever we were. You might have seen Dan before. Maybe you saw Dan on Will and Grace or some other shows on your television in the past few years. Maybe you should see Dan soon and get some apples.

Addy

Wow. A ray of sunshine when she smiles at you. The nicest part of this day was when she walked by me a few minutes before this. She said, "You take nice pictures." I'll take that any day of the week. And if I can return the compliment - "Addy, you play great soccer." Keep it up!

Bill

This is Bill's second go-round with coaching Grace. He also coached John way back four or five years ago. As I mentioned before, BYSA brings in experienced British coaches to work with the players. But there's nothing quite as impassioned and enthusiastic as a good parent coach. The caveat of course is that he or she should have extensive experience with actually playing the game. There's only so much you can do with passion and enthusiasm. And so that works in this case. Bill and Deb are coaching together and we are a lucky group of players/parents as a result.

Jim

It's not beyond me to recycle material. Technically though, it's a new day and a new shoot so it's not really recycling. And the fact is that you would hardly recognize him compared to a month ago. Put a saffron robe on him and he could be monk (so he's been told). Anyway, we had a great time talking photography this morning. He's got some great material from his new project "in the can" and you can all see it ... someday. Don't rush art, man.

Barbara

I have to admit that I didn't take no for an answer when I first asked to make a "quick portrait" of Barbara. And you can see that she was a little reluctant, but I love the honesty in her expression, and I have to laugh when I see it. She's always tolerated me well, and I'm happy to have worked with her on a few projects and things over the years. She's a tireless volunteer and a great mom to her 4 kids who've all turned out great. It was pure happenstance that we bumped into each other on Monday.

Emmett

A blast from the past here. Emmett was a classmate of John's for five years before high school. And I've coached him in Little League. It was many years before he stopped calling me "coach." He's bright, respectful, and diligent. I wouldn't underestimate my influence on his development. All right, he's got good genes and a great family. How's that?

Stephen

Stephen is my brother-in-law's brother. His daughter runs cross-country, as does my son, and so we spent some time catching up on things. The summer is over and we didn't do all the things we should have. We both agreed that we could have spent more time in New Hampshire, swimming and hiking. But you don't always have the time that you want, or need.

Margaret

She's moved back to Barrington, in with her mom, because she accepted a job as a costume designer for a movie filming here this fall. Seems like her life is a little hectic but it'll settle down soon I hope. Her husband is still on Nantucket and her son is with her starting school (and riding the bus, which is where we met). I can't remember the name of the movie, but Providence and Rhode Island have had a few film here in the last few years. A regular Hollywood East.

Barbara

Her daughter is one of Grace's best friends. They live nearby and we see each other at the bus stop and at school events and around the neighborhood. This year, they've moved on to fourth grade in a larger school, and their daily contact is diminished. Being so close, though, they'll remain friends for some time to come is my guess. Barbara juggles motherhood with her career as a math professor. At least I think it's math. Maybe it's chemistry?

Mike

He's the car-man. Detailing, mechanics, brokering, you name it, he does it. We're in the process of selling the wife's car and thought that it could use a good detailing. Mike offers a "mobile" option where he comes to you and I couldn't pass that up. He did a good job. Now, anybody need a 1994 Acura TL with only 66k miles? In great shape!

Ed

Although we stand at the same bus stop most mornings to send our kids on to school, they aren't in the same grade, and don't play together, so Ed and I don't have a lot in common. Until I found out that he was a triathlete (he keeps his hand in it so to speak). I'm entering my third decade of temporary retirement from the sport. Watch for my big comeback.

Sara

I was impressed by her abilities as I was at the doctor's office this morning. She handled the check in at the desk, blood pressure and weigh-in, payments, set up for ancillary services. Crazy good. I hope she's paid well. She's doing 4 jobs at least. Plus she had a real intersting look to her that caught my eye. Neat glasses, hair color. Cool.

Ray

Ray has been working on my cars for almost 10 years now. He runs a clean and organized garage with his wife (office) and daughter (mechanic), and the odd extra mechanic or two. In addition to all that, he's a high mucky-muck in the Masons. Aside from all the secret stuff I don't know about, they do a tremendous amount of charity work.

Tom

There are some people who you wish you'd never met. Tom is one of those. Oh, he's a good guy. Actually, he's fair-minded and friendly and competent and quite professional. But the problem is that I'm going to be paying him thousands of dollars in the next weeks in order to repair the leaking roof. Transplanted from Rhode Island to North Conway, NH, he's livin' the dream.

Kate

Although it is not official policy, through-hikers of the AT can usually find a bed and grub in one of the AMC huts in exchange for a little labor at the end of the day. This might involve food prep or cleaning chores. When hut workers have moved on to other jobs or careers, they are eligible to join the Old Hutman's Association. It's a job relatively few have had - a chance to learn and to serve. Kate served as the mistress of ceremonies at the graduation of the junior naturalists in the hut when we stayed there. It was quite a ceremony.