Bud Light??

So..."Beer Summit I" is over, and I guess it was a success. I love hearing from conservatives that Obama gets a pass from the mainstream media. He said something dumb during a press conference (2,354,876 to go to catch Bush), and the press went nuts. True - Fox Noise went overboard, but all the news I saw was pretty ridiculous. Actually, 'W' never had a press conference so this would not have happened - he said all of his dumb stuff when... he...talked. My problem is with the president's choice of beer. Bud Light?!? I understand that you are pandering to the "bubba" vote - but its also important to act presidential. I think a micro-brew from DC would have been more appropriate. How about a Capitol Kolsch from Capital City Brewing Company? Its a German style beer that I have enjoyed in the brewpub next to Union Station. I'm sorry Mr President, but just like your choice for Education Secretary - I have to wonder about this choice. JFK wouldn't have had a Bud.
~MET

Signs That Don't Belong Together

This is why Al Gore invented the internet. To see more go here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/15-billboards-that-dont-belong-next-to-each-other
Have a nice day,
~MET

And Then - The World Stood Still

I went to the new "green" and amazing Hannaford today. You know what? Its really nice. But I think the hype has outdistanced the reality by about 7.43 miles or so. I think the big difference is simply that its really clean. I had to circle the lot twice to find a place to park...come on folks...its a grocery store. The displays are very nice, its easy to get around inside, and they are giving away thousands of reusable bags. All good things, but you would think the Obama kids were stocking shelves. I'm not complaining - its easier for us, it is very well put together, and the competition is forcing Shaws to actually mop their floors...at least in a cursory manner. NOW - when the South China Hannaford opens later this summer - THAT will be news!!!
~MET

I Haven't Watched the Red Sox All Season...

...but I'll be watching tonight. The Red Sox will be retiring Jim Rice's number 14 before the game at Fenway this evening. I am a tried and true Nationals fan now, but my childhood memories of the game belong to the Sox. Jim Rice was a big part of that. That will make 7 Red Sox numbers to be retired (not counting Jackie Robinson's 42), and just to prove I'm getting old - 3 of the 7 are from my days watching them as a kid: Yaz (8), Fisk (27), and now Jim Ed. I loved watching him hit, and he belongs to a special trio of Red Sox left-fielders. Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice played that position in Fenway for their entire careers. Those three took the field in front of the Green Monster from 1939 to 1987. Mike Greenwell took over in '88. My favorite Jim Rice memory is from 1978. I was watching a game at Pete Folsom's house in August. Rice hit a home run at Fenway, and all Sox play-by-play man Ned Martin could say as it sailed into the Boston night was, "Oh....mercy." Congratulations, Jim. Got a few swings left for the Nats?
~MET

Prison, Popham, & Pub

Another fine weekend morning spent with my wife. Since my camping trip was cancelled we decided to take a walk along the beach. On the way there we stopped at the historic jailhouse in Wiscasset:

We have been by many times, but never stopped. It was interesting and depressing. There were three floors of cells with 42 inch walls. Here is one of the hallways:

The cells were very small, had only a bed and a granite block with a hole that was the toilet, and a small window that had no glass, but two sets of iron bars. There was one wood stove in the hall that heated the whole floor. January must have been hell. Here is M-S leaving a cell:

Notice the layers of white wash on the walls. They are letting it peel because they are finding drawings under different layers. Maps of the world, pictures of ships, and other things were drawn by inmates. You could also go through the sheriff's house that was connected. Here is the living room:

It was interesting and I'm glad we stopped. We took a long walk on the beach at Popham:

It was cool and overcast - but it was still busy. We had lunch in Bath at Byrne's Irish Pub:

Its a pretty authentic looking place:

The food was good and the constant Irish music added to the charm. Tomorrow we'll stay around the house and get some work done (lawn, dump-run, etc)

~MET

Gene Kelly is a Dork

I decided not to go camping up north this weekend. Every time I checked the weather report, it got worse. I was really looking forward to it, but setting up in the pouring rain...no fire at night...being wet ALL the time...it just didn't seem worth it. I'll have fun with the pets and M-S instead, and look forward to camping two weeks from now.
~MET

Monthly Meal - YEEEEHAAAAH!!

Another monthly meal - cowboy grub on the trail! The menu included buffalo, elk, sausage and sweet taters, cowboy corn, and western chili:

The meal was "cowboy spiced", and very hearty. We ate off tin dishware. Here is Dad toasting with his cowboy cup:

After dinner we started with blueberry smash dessert wind from the Sweetgrass Winery:

We also had strawberry-rhubarb pie...not because the cowboys ate it, but because I know its my Dad's favorite:

It was another fun meal to make and eat. The buffalo was a bigger hit than the elk. I won't be posting for a few days, I'm off tomorrow to the woods of northern Maine to camp.

~MET

Just In Case You Forgot My Stance

Seriously...there can only be one reason you are against this...you don't like gay people. You are prejudice. You for some reason want to deny rights that you enjoy to other Americans. It begs the question - why?? Really - why?? These are wonderful families. Period.

~MET

Howdy From Maine

My parents are coming out Thursday for their monthly meal, and this month's theme is Cowboy Grub from the Trail. As I always try to be as authentic as possible, I'm getting the meat from yet ANOTHER local business. (scroll down if you've missed our recent trips down dirt roads) The Rocky Mountain Ranch is in Jefferson, Maine - right next door to us in Whitefield.

Most of these pictures were taken right from my car.

All of the land around here is farm land, but the more successful ventures have a special niche: wine, beer, sauerkraut, etc. This one has meat you normally can't get in these here parts.

The animals have huge areas in which to roam.

And, they are BIG. I think this elk wanted to stomp me.

The menu on Thursday will have both elk and bison, along with some other "long trail recipes." I'm enjoying the planning of this one both as the chef, and as an historian.

~MET

More Maine Talent

M-S and I love visiting local farms, artisans, and artists. Today we went to Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery in Union, Maine. The guy who runs it is a true artist, and its easy to see that he takes great care in what he produces. For $2.50 you can taste everything he has and bring the glass home. Here is the still that he uses to make his gin...he ordered it from Portugal:

Some wine aging:

Distilling tanks:

We ended up buying an apple wine, blueberry wine, blueberry smash dessert wine, and some gin:

Like a lot of these small businesses, its off the beaten path - but worth the trip. He explained a lot of the process to us, gave us crackers and cheese to cleanse the palate, and his farm was beautiful. Check out the web page: http://www.sweetgrasswinery.com/ And check them out some time. Speaking of talented Mainers, we had lunch at Morse's:

The trip to Waldoboro is worth the trip if only to sample the mustards and sauces they have on display in the store.

But we were there for a European lunch:

M-S had cabbage rolls and I had some sausage and kraut. I also had soup, and couldn't finish it all. Both of these farms are within 20 miles of our house - two of several such close-by family businesses.

~MET

A Day for Pictures

Another fun-filled summer day. M-S and I went to the botanical gardens in Boothbay, and I was amazed. Its huge and very well done. The pictures included on this post represent a fraction of the thousands of plants and different kinds of exhibits you can see. If you haven't been, you should give it a try.

There were lots of different rock formations on the many different trails, and lots of sculptures. I especially liked the steel wire animal sculptures:

They were all made to scale and were very life-like, at least they seemed it in some way to me.

We were both very pleased with the whole thing.

I think the big elk was my favorite:

We went to the Boathouse Bistro for lunch to have tapas. We shared a small pitcher of sangria, and found that our friend, Robbie, made the pitchers:

We shared 6 tapas dishes that included oysters, lobster and leek crepes, and tuna spring rolls:

And albondiga meatballs, empanada meat pies, and steak Madagascar:

It was all delicious. After a well deserved nap we had much of the family out for dinner:

Another fine meal, and an opportunity to listen to Sarah, Heather, and Chris trade stories about jobs, school, and the like. It was a fun day, but I'm pooped.

~MET

Riverside Farm Market

M-S and I spent part of the day in Oakland at the Riverside Farm Market. Its amazing how many of these kind of store/restaurants we have in Maine. Good local produce, and great food. (I still think Morse's is my favorite) We had a terrific lunch:

And then wandered around the store for a bit. They have lots of wines:

They also have specialty foods, cheeses, pottery, etc. M-S bought a new butter dish.

It was a nice time, and tomorrow we are going to Boothbay for the day. Summer is a blast.

~MET