I don't get them very often - but an afternoon without a meeting is truly a pleasure. The rain stopped just in time for me to take the dog for a long walk. He LOVED it.
We listened to the birds and saw several little critters:
We also saw the beginnings of the flora that will be showing itself soon:
Its always wonderful to see new life springing forth on the side of the road. Such a nice way to spend an afternoon.
A chilly but wonderful walk this morning in the Camden Hills. It was about 35 degrees and very windy, but I have decided that I'll be wearing shorts no matter what from now on. One of the great aspects of hiking in the spring is grabbing a drink from the winter run-off:
And because each time I go out the mountains will get bigger, I'll be extending those opportunities. Maiden Cliff provides awesome views.
And I really need to be outside right now in order to clear my head and get things into perspective. Nothing makes that process easier than images like these:
~MET
This afternoon we tried a place in Newcastle - the Publick House.
Its right on Main Street, inside the very old and interesting building that used to be the custom house. It was very busy and had a great atmosphere. The menu has MANY choices of their versions of pub fare. I had bison meatloaf that was wrapped in bacon and smothered in mushroom gravy:
I'm pretty sure it was fat-free. It was delicious. On the way home we drove by St. Patrick's Catholic Church:
We found out today that it is the oldest Catholic church in New England. The road from Whitefield to Newcastle (Rt. 215) is a very pretty drive. It was another fun time with Ma & Dad.
I went to the Sheepscot River and Clary Lake this morning to try out the new rod and reel that my wonderful wife got me for my birthday. It was windy and very cold - but I was fishing. The water is too high and I didn't get a nibble, but I love being out there. How can a view like this be anything but positive:
Its officially spring now...though it feels a lot like winter.
Yesterday was yet another near perfect day. We woke up in DC and took a walk on a gorgeous morning to see the Vietnam and Korean Veterans Memorials:
Then it was back on the bus and on to NYC. As usual, the experience of Times Square and Broadway was an eye-opener for our students. They all looked very classy for our "night on the town."
The show was awesome...I could see it 100 times and not grow tired of it. Next year some of these kids will be going again, so we will change the show for at least a year. Of all the trips I've taken with students I think this week was the best of all time. I am, however, very ready to be home.
There is a panda behind them somewhere. It was 70 degrees with a light breeze. After lunch the students explored the museums of the Smithsonian and I spent most of the time sitting on a bench on the Mall working. Here was my view:
It was absolutely gorgeous...without question my favorite part of the trip. And I did get a lot of work done. Man, I'm tired.
A VERY busy, but very wonderful day. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.
National Cathedral tour was great.
Supreme Court:
US Capitol:
Arlington - JFK grave:
RFK:
I was a little disappointed at the new Teddie grave - its just like Bobby's:
Teachers relaxing at Brookstone:
We ate great meals, saw Shear Madness, and went 100 miles an hour. The students are being AWESOME! The weather was 75 and sunny all day. Too perfect.
We were an hour late for our appointment in Philadelphia for the National Constitution Center, but still had a blast:
Then after checking into the hotel and having dinner we hit the major monuments last night. They are beautiful at night, but its difficult to capture them with my camera. Here are just a few pics:
THE spot on the steps:
The weather is 65-70 degrees and sunny for the week - awesome! We have a VERY busy day today, that ends with Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center. I'll try very hard to post each morning.
...to the 2010 DC & Broadway trip. Early Wednesday morning 48 students, 3 other teachers, and your truly will be heading to the big city. Here is the schedule I gave the students:
This month we brought our show on the road and went to Ma and Dad's. We had lots of fun making different kinds of gourmet pizza. We had different crusts, many cheeses, basil and other herbs, veggies, meats, and even fresh crab meat.
How can you not have fun making pizza:
Here are some of the finished products:
As always, we had a great visit and ate too much. I'm looking for ideas for themes for next month...I'm running out - what do you think?
