Game Day

This is a pic from a football game at Winslow that I recently attended. One of my goals this year is to go to one game a week at school. The students really appreciate it, and I feel like I am more of a part of the "school community". We won this one with a big comeback. I've been to a couple of girls' soccer games, one boys' soccer game, and a field hockey game. Its been fun. Since I stopped coaching several years ago, I've fallen out of the daily check of my school's sports teams...its good to be paying attention again.
~MET

You Can Tell A Lot About A Town...

...by what you see for sale by the side of the road. This hand-crafted outhouse is on display just down from our house, and can be yours for $250.00. I wonder if you can purchase something similar outside of Suz and Grant's place on 16th Street in DC? It actually looks pretty well made, but I think its kind of pricey...I mean its not even a two-seater.
M-S and I decided to take a rainy day venture to Morse's farm today, which is about 15 miles from us just over the Waldoboro line:

I've long been a fan of their home-made sauerkraut, but I had no idea what a hidden treasure it really is - there is a store AND restaurant! The store is small, but every square inch is filled with German goodies- most of which you won't find in the grocery store.

Below I am standing in front of the wall of German chocolate:

We had an early lunch in the deli, and I loved how on each table there were two crocks of home-made pickles:

The food was excellent, and you can see they try very hard to keep it authentic. I had the liverwurst sandwich:

It was delicious. We bought some of their mac and cheese and mustard sour pickles to bring home. Now that we have been, I'm sure we'll be back many times. The selection of meats, cheeses, mustards, and tons of other German stuff is amazing. They also have free samples all over the store. Just a great way to spend a couple of hours.

~MET

-

----------

There's No Place Like Hope...

That was the theme for the Cancer Survivors Day that Mom, Dad, and I attended today. It was very well organized, and at times exceptionally moving.

There was an hour long opening ceremony that included songs and speeches. The opening was in a huge tent outside the center:

It was after the program started that I began to realize just how many people are dealing with cancer. There were so many people there that I knew. There were four Wizard of Oz characters who helped move the program along.

The Tin Man was a former student of mine, Rachel Boutin, who is a senior at UNE and has worked at the center for the past two summers:

I also had her brother and sister in class, and they were all great kids. Adrianna Walsh sang two songs, including the reggae version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow - she is a student at Winslow now, and her mom is the nutritionist at the center.

There were amazing stories told by cancer survivors, and the most heart-wrenching was by a woman named Marilia Sardinha. She had me teary eyed for 15 minutes, mostly because her son is in my history class this year, and 4 years ago he lived the awful story his mom was telling when he was only 12 years old. After the opening we went inside and visited dozens of booths and workshops on things like massage, healthy eating, whole food nutrition, reiki, and MANY more. There were all kinds of freebies, displays and fun. Below, Mom is trying acupuncture. She had two needles in her arm, and five in one ear.

They also had a "pet therapy" area. This is Ma and "Boomer":

We also had a lunch and the rain held off so we could eat outside:

It was an excellent afternoon, and we picked up some great information. The best part is that even though this is the place where people go to receive some very tough treatments, its seems like such a happy place. And everyone just cares about everyone else.

~MET

Looks Like 100 Losses This Year

My beloved Nats have 99 losses right now with 5 games to go...it appears as though they will hit the very uncoveted mark of 100 this week. BUT, I still love them, they WILL get better, and...WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!!!
~MET

New Laptop on the Way

Since my MacBook "freebie" from the state died a horrible death, I decided to get my own - and went with a Dell. Apparently I'm a preferred customer, and as a result I got lots of free upgrades. I still have a desktop at home and school - but with the number of meetings I attend, I really need a laptop. It will be nice to be solely a 'PC' guy again. I think it will work out well, and it should be here in about a week.
~MET

Monthly Meal - Tapas

This was one of my favorites. We had ten small courses tonight - and we were stuffed. The menu was as follows:

Tossed Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Potato Leek Soup
Honey Chipotle Sirloin Tips
Above served with Chianti

Corn-Tomato salad
Portobello-Mushroom Soup
Chinese Pork
Above served with Chardonnay

Mixed Olives
Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Mixed Cheeses
Above served with Riesling

Dessert: Tiramisu…Raspberry Tart…Cream Cheese Brownie

Here, M-S is enjoying the corn-tomato salad:
Mom digging into the chicken:

Dad with his THREE small desserts:

It was very fun to plan the menu, do the shopping, and prepare it all. We also had small glasses of different wine with each third of the meal. I was worried that with the small portions we would be begging for more...quite the contrary - we were all filled, and then some. Again - one of my favorites.

~MET

I Told You It Could Happen!

I've been saying it for months, and now the groundswell is taking hold! Go here for the breaking news: http://www.news3online.com/index.php?code=53W21OS78Tgc52qAh9p5

Thanks to new campaign manager Jared Goldsmith for getting this story on the airwaves.

I'll be putting a team together soon to choose a running mate.

~MET

"...Ahh, I'm Blessed With Work..."

Sorry I haven't written in a few days. One of my favorite characters from all of film is Carroll O'Connor's portrayal of the grandfather in Return to Me. I think it was his last film. If you ever see it, remember that he is the kind of old man that I want to be. Anyway - one of his lines is that he is"blessed with work." That's how I'm feeling right now. I have meetings every night, and I've been very busy with my teaching - but it ALL feels great! As I get older I am becoming ever more aware that I am truly one of the lucky ones...I love what I do - and all the roles that I play. Even the stressful parts are rewarding. My wish for my children, aside from good health, is that when you are 45 you can make the same claim. Its a wonderful feeling.
Hoping to check in more regularly,
~MET

We Can't Get Enough of the Outdoors

Living in the country this time of year is the best. No bugs, not muggy, and everything is beautiful. Last night we enjoyed a fire, and discussed upcoming meetings, conferences, and weekend plans. It was very nice. M-S has planted the herbs that Jared gave her:

She is especially excited about the oregano. She is a fantastic cook, and likes to use fresh ingredients. For example, we had fresh basil in the rice/shrimp dish last night. Burt also loves this time of year, and gets VERY excited in the mornings for his walk. This morning I snapped a shot of one of the 2 goats that a neighbor has added to the farm:

They are both very cute - and make a lot of noise when we pass by. Kind of a lazy rainy day today, but whenever the weather is nice this fall we'll be outside. Mom is in DC this week, so Dad is coming out for dinner tonight. I think he's bringing Murph, so we'll take some pictures of the dogs playing...and Owen plotting to kill them.

~MET

Fall Golf & HD

Fab & I played a course today for the first time - Cedar Springs in Albion. Its a 9 holer that has perhaps the worst greens in America. Still, we had a great time and it did have a nice bar to enjoy a beer after 18 holes. The picture is from the tee box on the 5th hole. When I got home M-S informed me that she had purchased a couple of things for the house. An electric fireplace for the living room, and a flat screen HD TV to sit on top of it. The fireplace is being shipped, but the TV is here now. Its very nice, but we have to get a different cable box to actually enjoy the HD...which we'll do on Monday. Tonight we're going to have a fire in the back yard, which we haven't done for a while. I love this time of year!
~MET

I Need to Get Away!!!!!!!!

The picture is from Hancock Campground in New Hampshire. I have to be honest...I could NOT sleep last night. The Palin interview bothered me that much. I am SOOOO looking forward to getting back in the woods in mid-October. Cold nights, long walks, snow, good meals...etc. I need to center myself again. I am more involved than the average American. . I am on EVERY committee, I am a delegate to state and national assembly's, I work on campaigns, I advocate for educators at the local, state, and national level...but I see the republicans fooling the base once again. Open your eyes......see them. We can be much more!!! I need to get to the woods.
~MET

OH...MY...GOD!

I just watched Sarah Palin's 1st interview on ABC. I don't know where to begin...from her willingness to GO TO WAR with Russia if they invade Georgia again (maybe she thinks its the state!), to her pat answer to the Israel question - the SAME answer 4 times to a complex question, as though she really didn't know what else to say, to how she has OBVIOUSLY NEVER heard of the Bush Doctrine!!!!!!! She is a complete novice when it comes to ANYTHING outside of Alaska. I'm embarrassed.
~MET

Gearing Up For Winter

We got a "shipment" from M-S' parents a few days ago, so our pantry is stocked for winter. They always have an outstanding garden, and we have been enjoying corn and potatoes lately. The top shelf above is homemade pasta sauce, and below there are dozens of jars of jellies and you might be able to make out the many jars of string beans behind them. Ahhh...country livin'.
~MET

Palin on Education

Those who are teachers or fomer educators may want to check out Palin's beliefs regarding public education...yikes. http://www.ontheissues.org/Sarah_Palin.htm#Education
~MET

Camping on the Kennebec

Back a bit early from Solon - but a great time none the less. I packed up at 6pm last night, as the weather reports were calling for heavy rain when I would have been packing this morning. I love camping, and being in the woods...but working in a downpour didn't sound fun. I must say my tent upgrade is a success. You can see how roomy it is:

Plenty of room for M-S and/or the dog for future excursions. I had good weather, a great fire Friday night, and awesome food. I did a lot of fishing Friday and Saturday. No luck in the river, though I did get some strikes. I went north yesterday and spent some time in the West Forks, which brought back MANY memories of my days spent there. I fished some streams, and caught lots of brook trout about this size:

Its such a pretty fish, and even these little ones fight really hard. Luckily there were no wardens around, because I found out later that these streams closed to fishing the last day of August. Oops. There were 4 ducks right around me:

After I fished I went to Moxie Falls, since I hadn't been in years:

I think I'll camp one more time next month. I love being in the woods when the temperature drops below freezing at night. I might go to Franconia Notch - where it might even snow a little during my sleep. Great stuff.

~MET

Heading to the Woods

I'm off to Solon right after school today to camp on the Kennebec and do some fishing. It will be a nice way to end the first real week of school. I'll also be able to fill out my rankbook, and take care of some of the other "beginning of school" rituals. Talk to you soon.
~MET

Palin's Big Speech Tonight

V.S.

I'll watch the speech, and try to keep an open mind...understanding how scripted and rehearsed it will be. But, does all of this seem hilarious? Or is it just me?

John McCain: historically the most likely candidate EVER to die in office.

Palin: Sportscaster, mayor of a town less than half the size of Augusta, governor for 20 months.

Yikes,

~MET

BBQ With the Family...Death of a Mac

Like true Americans we had a family bbq on Labor day. Sarah & Chris were missing, and are being missed, but the food was awesome. We had steak that had been rubbed with cinnamon and chipotle, mashed potatoes, local corn, and M-S made 2 GREAT salads: wilted spinach with bacon, and tomato, basil, and mozzarella:

The whole day was great thanks to the weather. Mowing the lawn was actually enjoyable - nice breeze, not humid, and warm. The bad news of late is that my state-sponsored MacBook died during my first class on Friday. Its in the tech office being looked at...but they think the hard drive is toast. I guess its been happening to these at schools all over. We'll see. To be honest, I don't miss it.

~MET

Cal Ripken, Yaz, and Us

Today M-S and I celebrate our 8th anniversary. Yesterday, after driving the kids to UMaine, the two of us went to Freeport for the afternoon/evening. After staking out our seats for the evening's show, we had a mid-afternoon meal and drink at the very historic Jameson Tavern:

We had a table outside, the weather was extraordinary, and the food was excellent. We shared three appetizers, rather than a full meal. We had steamed clams, calamari, and chips with spinach dip. Awesome. An afternoon of shopping followed, and I finally found a tent that was a perfect upgrade, and within budget. I'll be using it this weekend in Solon. We went to several other places, and had fun picking on each other. The highlight of the night was seeing Keb' Mo'. (the picture is not from last night)

He was fantastic, and there were about 2000 people at the outdoor venue. It was a very nice way to mark our wedding day. M-S is a wonderful wife, my best friend, and life with her is simply a constant adventure. Plus...she's a hottie. Tonight my parents are coming for a bbq - then its back to the classroom tomorrow.

~MET