Chicago Check-in: CUBS WIN, CUBS WIN!

 A quick update before the first of 3 or 4 meetings today. This is going to be a very eventful RA with lots of rowdy debate on some pretty interesting topics. We had an NEA Board meeting at the Palmer House ballroom yesterday:

 If that meeting is any indication - its going to be a raucous RA. The highlight of yesterday was, of course, Wrigley Field:

 I've now been to both of the remaining shrines of baseball...and I must admit that the atmosphere at Fenway is MUCH more intense. Wrigley is a beautiful park - and really built to watch a game, there are no bad seats at all. And as far as hot dogs go, Fenway can't touch a Chicago dog:

 They also have the 7th inning singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", led by Kelsey Grammer last night.

 But Fenway is just louder, and the fans are into the game more. After the game I went to Buddy Guy's Legends to see some real Chicago blues:

Jimmy Johnson was the headliner, but the guy in the above pic played an incredible guitar. So in a span of about 5 hours I did the best Chicago has to offer: Wrigley Field and great blues.
~MET

1st Morning in the Windy City - Getting to Know the Neighborhood

 One of the best parts of traveling is exploring the immediate vacinity of where you will be spending the next several days. The picture above is from my hotel. In the distance you can see the ferris wheel at Navy Pier, which is where this morning I decided to take a long walk to that very spot. Chicago is an awesome city, with some great public artwork. I LOVED this one, which was nice reminder of the real reason I am here:
 Navy Pier was dead, but it was a very nice morning and a great place to walk.

 Its one of those places to see at night.

 You fans of Saturday Night Live in the 70's might remember this place:

 "Cheeseborger, cheeseborger, cheeseborger, no fries...chips." Here is the skyline looking back from the pier:

 Lake Michigan is...well...great. My first peek at a Great Lake was not a disappointment in the least. You have to love a city that has a statue of Bob Newhart as Bob Hartley:

 I've got an NEA Board meeting in a little while - then on to Wrigley in my jacket and tie to see the Cubs tonight. Much more as the week moves on.
~MET

Ma & Dad Visit the Grandpup

 Baxter loves my mom...unfortunately he tends to forget that she may not want to play that rough. My parents came out to visit before I take off on Tuesday and we had really good beef skewers:

 We listened to the Nats, talked about family stuff, and played with Bax:

As soon as they left to go home the dog almost immediately fell asleep. Fun times.
~MET

Two Big Political Developments

 Last night New York became the 6th state to enact marriage equality. This is significant for two reasons: its the largest state to do so thus far, and their senate is controlled by the Republican Party. Its a huge step in the process toward all Americans enjoying equal rights.

While I'm at the NEA-RA in Chicago Vice President Joe Biden will speak to the Assembly. Many of you may remember that I backed him both times he tried to get the Democratic nomination (1988, 2008), and I wrote on this blog weeks before the announcement that then Senator Obama should choose Biden as his running mate. It will be great to see him speak live. I hope the Maine delegation has seats toward the front of the hall.
~MET

Me, Owen, & Baxter on the Loose

 M-S, Kori, and Alex will be in Montreal for a few days - so its just me and the boys here at home. We are planning some manly stuff. Lots of grilling:

 We'll watch the Lonesome Dove marathon this weekend:

 And - of course - lots of Nats baseball:

Ma and Dad will be out for supper tomorrow...so I did get some vegetables. I'm looking forward to some bonding time with the pets.
~MET

FINALLY!

In honor of the beginning of summer - the classic opening from Meatballs.

Monthly Meal ~ Father's Day

 After a couple of months off for a variety of reasons, we are back on the "Monthly Meal" schedule. This month Dad got to choose in honor of Father's Day - and to no one's surprise he asked for a good cheeseburger.

 The burger was served on an onion bulkie roll, and complemented with grilled asparagus and mushrooms, corn, potato salad, and cukes:

It was good tasting and good to see my parents back at our table. They both looked great, and are still spry enough to dodge our spastic dog...barely.
~MET

Have Some Fun With This Picture

Click on this picture of Albert Einstein to make it a bit larger and then step back about 15 feet...who do you see now?
~MET

Phones & Flowers

 I finally broke down and got a new phone. More and more people have been texting me while traveling, etc...and with my old flip phone the only thing I could text back was 'ok'. So, it was time. Baxter and I went for a walk at 5am this morning and this time of year there are lots of flowers growing along the country roads. We picked these for M-S:

Its not even 7am and its already been a pretty good day.
~MET

Baxter's Birthday

 Little Baxter turned one today. He has been a great addition to our home and we are lucky to have him. I got him a big meat bone from the butcher, which he will have later tonight. I also got him a small kiddie swimming pool...which he is very afraid of....he runs inside and hides in his kennel.

I took the above pic on our walk this morning. There are lots of nesting turtles out there - be careful!
~MET

Winslow Graduation

 It was a hot sticky night in the Colby Field House for the 109th WHS Commencement - but it was wonderful. We still have the best ceremony around. It was one hour and fifteen minutes, and the definition of classy. I was honored to give the keynote address and I had a blast:

 Jared Goldsmith sang a song for the class right before my speech - and it was awesome! It was both funny and touching. These two are the president and vice-president of the class, Emily and Darren, reacting to my speech:

Emily was the "mistress of ceremonies" and Darren delivered one of the best student speeches I have heard at a graduation. This is a fantastic class, and I hope they enjoyed the evening. Good times.
~MET

Class Night & Chris Visits with Mammie

 Last night I went to the WHS Class Night. It was very, very nice - good food, excited graduates, and LOTS of awards and scholarships.

 Tomorrow is graduation...and its supposed to be VERY hot and humid...awesome. I'm looking forward to it, but not to wearing a suit in that weather. Today Chris came out for supper and then we went to visit with Ma for a bit.

The next several weeks will be very busy - but its a good busy. More tomorrow night after graduation.
~MET

We Missed the Alewives - But it Was Still a Great Day!

 We were hoping to see thousands and thousands of fish and osprey like the big one above diving for them, but we missed it by a couple of days. We started the day by meeting up with Linda and Mark at Slates for a delicious brunch. I had eggs benedict with goat cheese and caramelized onions. It was such a nice day we decided to make the trek to Damariscotta to see if the alewives were still running. They are not. We saw one.

 The fish ladder system is quite interesting, and it must be great to watch them make their way up the series of waterfalls. Next year I'll get there in time and take lots of pictures.

We also had a beer and some oysters here:

 
There was also live music today. Three guys with guitars who played some great covers of Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, etc. The weather was perfect for a ride to the coast...good times with crazy friends...AWESOME food and drink...another great day in Maine.
~MET

Beginning to Say Goodbye

 Today was the last day of classes for seniors - and it was great fun. The group pictured above is the homeroom that I've had for the last four years. They will be graduating next Wednesday, and this morning they snuck in while I was on duty and got my room ready for a little party, complete with hats, snacks, and noise makers:

 They also gave me a very nice card signed by all of them. They're a really nice bunch of kids. The seniors also started marching practice:

I really love this time of year. Monday night is class night, which is always very nice at WHS, and then Wednesday is graduation. I'll write more about that later - we have the BEST graduation of any high school in America...seriously. Its a classy, short, and always touching ceremony. Lots of fun in the days ahead.
~MET

Summer is Getting Closer - Two Goals for This One:

 Its June today! That can only mean that the school year's end is at hand. This summer my goal is to be around home more - when I'm home. In other words, when I'm not traveling for work (which is often) I'll be doing fun stuff with my wife and the pets. When I do venture off on my own it will not be for long periods of time - but instead doing these two activities. I need to fish more, and I will.

But I also LOVE yard sales, and I'm going to try to get to a few each month. I know..."Mr. Excitement." But with all the travel, and some great day trips with M-S, I'm not in need for any more excitement.
~MET