Made a very full day with lots of variety. But I paid for it tonight and I'm just finishing up my email from today at 1 AM. I try never to go to sleep with more than a page of email still in my inbox. It's a good discipline but it doesn't allow for much sleep these days.

My day was split between a work workshop and a number of other work. meetings as well as the end of the echo water summit I'm very pleased that the water summit and my day job are intersecting quite well. It will be interesting to see how the summit is summarized but one of the great outcomes from my perspective is Echo's commitment to create an open data resource for water data related to the Lake Champlain basin. This fits in very well with my work concentration right now.

I'm very excited about the prospects of open data for collaboration. There's actually a day of civic hacking is happening this Saturday but I'm just speaking in on the topic of open data more on that as it occurs.

A couple of highlights from today included a good talk from robert Kennedy Junior at the summit. He's an environmental lawyer with a long history of protecting waterways. He was funny, passionate and well-informed. He was quite an inspiration.

We also Had Secretary of State Markowitz teach us the Vermont State song while the state commissioner for water quality did interpretive dance

After work i went to our annual Vt Academy Of science and engineering (vase)spring meeting. We inducted the new member and we saw presentations from schools Woodcott equipment grants. That was so great to see the teachers and students describing their work it really felt like we made a difference.

Then I headed home. On the way Diane called to ask if I wanted to go to tuscanos for friend Jean's birthday. Why not? So we did that

after being out with friends for a while i came back and then spent 3 hours catching up on my email from just this one day. But it was worth it!
More tomorrow

Night all night Sam
– JC

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Spent part of the day today at a water summit at the ECHO center down by the lake. The fun thing was that the topics on discusion, open data and sensor networks are now parts of my day job, the summit brought together about 80 folks from a wide range of interests and professions to imagine lake champlain in 2018.

The opening was by Sen. Pat lehey.. A big supporter of echo, he gave a great talk about growing up with the lake..

Some of the attendees were a little hard to get out of. There shell

I had several other work meetings today that i had to get outside to do.. I. Took advantage of the pier at echo to take my calls out in the water

The evening has now moved on to blender sports.. Max and gabe are trying to see what will and wont blend in Diane's vitamax… The blender equivalent of a chain saw… Heres the result of blending a whole bag of thise wierd peach rings.. Dont try this at home !

Max is heading back early tomorrow.. So im goign to hang out a little more with him,,, so i'll sign off now…

More tomorrow.

Nite all, nite sam

-me

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Today Sam turns 21.. Maybe not here in this world, but 21 years ago today, i was the happiest and proudest new father. It doesnt seem long ago at all. I can completely reconstruct the day in my mind.. He hours leading up to his birth.. And holding him that first time.. I remember carrying him around in one of those baby pouches while talking on work calls.. So Diane could sleep

Sam, you were/ are such A beautiful person.. So funny and smiling.. So curious and so full of life. I cant help but wonder what you'd be like now ? Would you be in college ? Would you be living here ? Would you be traveling ? Who would you be hanging out with ? What would you be interested in ? What kind of mischief would you be making. I know it might be hardto believe , but It makes me smile to think about all those questions. Things we'll never know, i know.

I spent the day thinkignabout sam.. I limited my meetings to the absolute minimum…. Took a good run with diane and the dogs.. Nd just thought most of the day… Nothing important.. But it was good to be alone with my thoughts for a bit…i stopped by the richmond bridge on the way home to toss a samstone in the fast moving water for old times sake

Then around 4 we went to Gabe's lacrocross game. We got home around 7

.. I was jsut starting to cook dinner when. Out of the blue, Max showed up. Hed surprised us by coming up fro sams birthday.

I was so happy to see him.. He's such a good guy.. Words cant describe how much it means to us that he made the trip up here to be with us on his brothers birthday,.the four of us were together to tast our fifth… That was great

The four of us sat down with friend mason and had a proper family dinner with samstones and a candle for sam. We toasted sam with neighbor Jeff's dandelion wine.. Jeff came over for a toast as well. i guess thats what you do when someone you love is turning 21 you drink to their health.. Whatever that means now.

So.. My thoughts ofor the day are mixed.. Im deeply sad… Tough im a little liek that every day.. At the same time im sorrounded by the love of my family and comunnity.. And am deeply thankful for that…

Were all out in the workd and enjoy ing our selves.. And for that too im thankfull..

I do miss you so much my son.. I hope that somehow in all this cosmological strangeness you can still feel our love for you…

Nite all, nite sam, happy birthday my son

-me

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