Halloween Hike

Its been a long time since I've been in the mood for a hike, but today I couldn't wait to load up the backpack. I went to Mt. Battie and it could not have been a better day for a Halloween scene. The peak was in a cloud and very windy and misty, and with the castle-like tower at the top:

It was quite spooky. Its really a shame that I wasn't dismembered by a serial killer. There were no views - in fact in the first picture a great view of the ocean should be right behind me. However, the woods were beautiful on the way up:

Coming down I ran into a hiker with these two perfect Halloween pugs:

Tell me this isn't the face of pure evil:

It was a fun morning out in the Maine woods.

~MET

Wow - Maine is Out in Front Next Tuesday

I haven't been impressed by our governor a lot during the last 8 years...but watch this interview. In this case he is a brave politician. If for this discussion only - I am glad I voted for him twice.

~MET

Take Three Minutes...

...and watch this great father, Vietnam vet, and Catholic from Maine. He was testifying at the open hearings when the marriage equality law was being debated in committee. He makes me proud to be from Maine. Get out the vote! Bring your friends and neighbors! NO on One!

~MET

My Million Dollar Idea

I have this pipe dream. I would love to open an Italian restaurant in a major city like DC, NY, or Chicago. I don't know a lot about food, except that I like to eat good food. You know that a favorite hobby that my wife and I share is eating in good restaurants. Anyway - I would love to own a place that has a first class Italian chef, a great atmosphere, located in downtown, with the world's best martinis. My job would be to mix and mingle, make suggestions after sampling the fare, and having fun. The million dollar idea rests in the name of my place:
Frank's & Dean's

How perfect is that?? Sounds like franks and beans...two of the greatest Italian-Americans of all time...and, again, just fun. The place would be full of pictures of them, and the background music would be their songs all the time. Ok - anybody want to be a silent partner? I'll run the place, you'll just have to front me 100% of the start-up costs and share in 50% of the profits. Come on...the name guarantees success! If the moon hits your eye..."

~MET

A Beautiful Day

Today was most likely the last time I'll golf this year - and it was an absolutely gorgeous fall day. We played at Wilson Lake Country Club just outside of Farmington, and the views, the air, and the company could not have been better. Starting on the left in the above picture is Aaron - a native Australian who I just met today, Jon - the best golfer I know, and Fab - who is well known to Random Digressions readers. We had a great time. Some action pics:

I like playing with Jon:

He shot a 33 on the front nine and most likely did about the same on the back. Everything he does seems so effortless.
The course was in good shape and afforded some lovely vistas:

I'd love to have several more days like this one before the snow flies.

~MET

My New Hero

Yolande Dumont is the woman from Lewiston who is being featured in the latest "No on One" ads running on television. While the bigots who want the marriage equality law overturned want us to focus on lies about teaching gay in school and run ads with out of state "families", we have a life-long catholic here who just wants whats right for her son and grandchild. Take a look:

What a cutie! The world needs more people like this mom and my mom. Lets all get on the right side of history. NO ON ONE.
~MET

A Very Sweet Short Film

Enjoy! It has both animation and real action.

~MET

25th Anniversary Post ~ Is It Really That Different?

Time for another post to celebrate my 25 years in the classroom. Today I am looking at the changes that have taken place in education - and specifically in my craft - over the last quarter-century. I have included the first five that jumped into my mind as I look back at the fall of 1985 and compare it to today. I don't have a picture to represent the first one, but its simple: attendance! When I first started teaching we all had to keep the dreaded register. It was an official state record of student attendance for your homeroom THAT COULD NOT HAVE ANY MISTAKES!! Those young teachers reading this should feel very lucky. If you forget to go online today to take attendance someone might talk to you about it...back then it was much more important. The register had special codes for missing school or being tardy, and it was done in pencil in these little boxes - God, it sucked. The secretaries would check it at the end of each quarter to be sure it was accurate before it was sent off to the state. I only had to do it for 2 years, or 8 ranking periods. I was 0-8 for accuracy. Thank goodness I listened to my parents and made friends with the custodians and secretaries, because they "fudged" my reports every time. I feel great that I don't have to do that anymore.
Big change number two is the way we make copies...of anything. This was the machine I first used:
A hand-crank purple master mimeograph. No scanning, no Xerox, no fun. One time at Lawrence the machine started to leak the fluid all over the table - I took my master off the drum and ran. MUCH easier now.
Number three:

How we deliver our lesson to students. I have not had a piece of chalk in my hands for years. Today its powerpoint, webpages, podcasts, open threads, etc,etc,etc. I haven't even had a white board in my room for a decade. I try hard to keep up with all the changes - mostly because it makes my job more efficient.

Big change number four:

This above image looks just like the first computer I used as a teacher, the old Apple IIe. We thought we had the world by the tail back then. No internet or any of that stuff...but you could correct a mistake while writing a test just by hitting backspace - WOW!! I seriously remember thinking that was just the bomb. Look at us now!

And finally, number five:

My students today are the most connected, informed, and up to the minute beasts of all time. The problem: I don't know who they are connected to, where the information is coming from, and if the time they are using is worthwhile. Students today are a fast forward version of kids from 25 years ago. In 1985 I was 22 and saw children in front of me in my classroom. Today I am 46 and I see immature adults in kids' bodies trying to figure out where they are in the world. Its a challenge to say the least. But - as I've said before and will again - I love that challenge and can't think of a better way to spend my working day.

~MET

Ein Prosit! ~ A Monthly Meal

Its monthly meal time again for my parents. "Ein Prosit" is the traditional German toast. Four of the months always feature a reoccurring theme: March is always Irish, November is Thanksgiving, December is Christmas - and tonight was Oktoberfest. I change the menu a bit each year, but its always German food in October - and should be when you live so close to:

For a foodophile like me Morse's is like Disneyland. This is just one of the MANY display cases:

Its all home made or imported...and delicious. Today we had Oom-Pah music, blue beads, and Oktoberfest cups. To start we had an outstanding mustard to dip a Morse's pretzel:

The main meal included six bites of different brats, ham, German potato salad, rotekraut (red cabbage salad with apples and bacon), and Morse's famous sauerkraut:

We also had a German style Marzen beer, although Kori had a root beer. After dinner we watched some of the Patriots blow-out. Jim was here to enjoy this meal and he does not seem used to the cooler Maine weather:

To be fair, we do like our house to be a bit on the cooler side. As always, the monthly meal was fun and delicious. I'm already starting to get excited about Thanksgiving!

~MET

A Day at the Flagship University

We had a fantastic time at UMaine's homecoming today. It was the perfect kind of autumn day to enjoy a college campus. Mom, Dad, Jim, and I first stopped and picked up Chris at his apartment:

Chris seems to be having a very good year and seems to love UMaine. Then we all went to meet up with Sarah at her place:

Sarah's apartment is really old and funky, and I think my parents both liked it very much. We also met Sarah's roommate, who seems very nice. We all took a trip down memory lane by having brunch at:

My parents took us to the Gov's back in the 60's - and it hasn't changed much.

We then went to the massive homecoming craft fair at the filed house:

By the time we were done with the craft fair it was halftime of the big football game vs Richmond, and Maine was ahead 14-10! Richmond is the defending national champions, so Mammie, Tut, Chris, and I decided to watch some of the game:

Jim and Sarah walked to the bookstore to enjoy the campus and to get some sweatshirts. By the time we left the game Maine's 14-10 lead was a 38-14 deficit...ouch. The game aside, it was a great day. Chris and Sarah are really in their element right now and seem to be loving college.

~MET

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH!

Sarah will turn 22 tomorrow - but Jim, Ma, Dad, and I are going up to see she and Chris at UMaine's homecoming in the morning and I'll be posting about that tomorrow night...so I wanted to give her a birthday post all her own. Click on the picture to see them better. Happy Birthday. I love you.
~MET

All Politics are Local!

I wasn't looking forward to phone-banking tonight because I have been so busy lately - but it was a blllllasssttt! I spent a couple of hours calling people in Maine to encourage them to vote no on question 4, and I really had a great time. It is all computerized now...you don't have to dial...when someone picks up the phone a name, age, and a gender pop up on the screen and you just follow the script. My list was in the Biddeford area and limited to people who have requested an absentee ballot. So, they have already voted and I tried to get an exit poll - or they were literally looking at their ballot while I was talking to them. I spent much of the time helping people fill out their ballots. I love this country. People were very nice and they liked that I was a teacher. Many asked my advice on other questions, and I felt kind of funny - but they asked. I think I am undefeated with women over 80. My favorite call was to an 83 year old lady named Mary who thanked me for the advice on Question 4 and after filling in that vote asked, "Now deah...what about Question 1...if I want the gays to, you know, I don't care if they, well,...should I vote yes or no if it doesn't matter to me if they...you know." ME: "Mary, if you don't mind if same-sex couples get married you should vote no." MARY: "Oh, Mike, thank you, I was so confused and I didn't know how to ask - you sound as nice as my son." She was an unbelievable cutie. I also had to promise one guy that I would vote yes on any future casino referendums in return for his no on 4 vote. It was like that for the whole time. I have two more days lined up and I'm looking forward to it already.
~MET

Long Days This Week

Last night I had meetings until 9pm, got home and remembered I had to create an exam for today. Tonight I am going to the MEA office to join in on the phone bank to defeat Question 4 (TABOR II) on next month's ballot, so I'll be home late again. I'm glad this is a four day week because it feels like I've already been working several days. Tonight is important because if TABOR passes it will be a crushing blow to schools and local services. If people find out how harmful it will be - and that the only state to pass a similar law, Colorado, has put it on hold because it hurt the state - the hope is that Mainers will defeat it...AGAIN. Its my job tonight to convince people that it is a bad idea. Hopefully I can convert some voters.
~MET

Walking Among the Whites

I had a wonderful time in the White Mountains - though I did stay only one night. I came back yesterday afternoon when I heard it was going to get down into the high teens Sunday night. I did everything I wanted to do yesterday then I enjoyed the long ride home. The leaves are beautiful in NH now and everywhere I looked there was lots of color. Sunday morning when I got up it was about 30 degrees. Breakfast in the woods is always a treat:

The highlight of the trip was the walk I took in Franconia Notch State Park to see the Flume: a huge gorge that has a two mile loop path through some of the most gorgeous woods you'll ever see. There were lots of massive glacial boulders:

And a couple of very old covered bridges. This one was built in 1886:

But the Flume itself is amazing. It was discovered in 1808 by a 93 year old woman who was fishing. Its walls are 70-90 feet high and the boardwalk allows you to see all kinds of the plant life and such growing down by the river and on the rocks themselves:

Its an uphill walk to the top of the gorge but there is so much to take in that you hardly notice you are climbing.

Avalanche Falls marks the top of the Flume - a 45 foot waterfall that makes the loudest roaring sound I've ever heard.:

The walk back down takes you by some great views of the river:

And some beautiful views of Mount Liberty:

There was a craft fair in downtown Lincoln that I hit on my way out. Lots to look at but no major purchases. It was a fun trip and a good way to wrap up the camping season. New England has so many natural wonders and I love exploring them.

~MET

The Wilderness is Calling Me

I've decided that Columbus Day (a silly holiday that I really should protest), will be my official end to the camping season. Tomorrow night I will be sitting under the stars next to a New Hampshire river looking at a fire like this one. I think my tent and a campsite might be my favorite place to be. I'll take lots of pictures and write a post on Monday. I'll be spending the weekend reading, thinking about my family, thinking about work, looking at natural wonders, and enjoying some great outdoor meals. When I am in the woods I tend to remember how lucky I am and what a wonderful life I have. Talk to you soon.
~MET

Beer Run

On Saturday I'll be going to the mountains of New Hampshire to enjoy my last camping trip of the year. It will be cold and wonderful, and I'll be in the middle of Franconia Notch. One of the pleasures of going to that part of the world is that they have a great local brewery. I'm at the age now where the only good beer is hand-crafted at a small business. My favorite is pictured above. Coal Porter is made in Bar Harbor, and I can only get it at some of the restaurants that we visit. This weekend I'll be camping off the Kangamangus Highway, and the stores in the area feature the beers from this brewery:

The Woodstock Inn Brewery crafts MANY beers that can be seen here: http://www.woodstockinnbrewery.com/home.php The only one I have really tried is this one:

The Pig's Ear Brown Ale is OUTSTANDING. I think I'll get a sample pack this time because I have the feeling that all of the varieties will be good. What a weekend - natural wonders, outdoor living, beauty all around...and beer. God bless America.

~MET

The Natural

Most of you know that I am a big fan of both baseball and baseball movies. One of the classics stars Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, a gifted player who doesn't get his chance at the big leagues until later in life, but proves to be an amazing middle-aged rookie. I know of another "natural" right here in Maine. My great friend Fab is quite obviously a natural father:

Fab is also getting his shot at the big time later in life and is making the most of it. Every time I've seen him interacting with his son, Rocco, I've marveled at how it seems to come very easy to him. He has a wonderful bond with his boy, and possesses an exemplary demeanor for parenting. Plus, he has a sense of humor that is guaranteed to make children laugh.

Its kind of funny that I write quite often about my two children who are in their 20's and then I see pictures like the ones above of a baby with his father...a man who is only a couple of years younger than me. I'm not going to lie - I wouldn't trade places with Fab, but I'm very happy for he and Cindy, and I know that Rocco is a lucky little boy. After all, his father is the natural.

~MET