Birthday Brunch - What Amazing Looks Like at 43

 Tomorrow my wife celebrates her birthday. We decided to go to Damariscotta for brunch and some shopping downtown.

 As usual, we went to a place that we had never been - the Damariscotta River Grill:

 
 We started with a flat bread pizza to share with Gorgonzola cheese, apples, basil, and ham:



 It was REALLY good. Mira-Su had lobster eggs benedict:

 And I had poached eggs on their homemade corned beef hash:

 The atmosphere and food were both outstanding. We sat in the upstairs bar where they also have live music at night. We attempted to work off the huge brunch by walking to the waterfront.

 We also did some shopping and I got another birthday gift for M-S...a nice hat and mitten set for those cold fall and winter mornings walking the dog. I think she looks very nice in them on a beautiful summer day:

We had a wonderful morning - but I always have a great time with my wife. She is funny, warm, caring, brilliant, and keeps me grounded. I am not the easiest man to share a life with - I'm opinionated, sarcastic, a bit of a workaholic, and can be distant at times. But she sees the good in me and I'm a very lucky man. Happy birthday. I love you.
~MET

A Big Meeting Ends - But Still Lots of Work Left This Summer

 I returned from Northport today after four days of meetings of the Maine Education Association Board of Directors. I actually left a little early because Baxter needed to see the vet.

 He has an infection in his ear and will need to take 10 days of medication. I'm sure he'll be back to his old self soon.

I still have a bunch to do this summer:

• Interview teaching candidates
• 3 days of meetings of the WHS Faculty Leadership Team
• 2 meetings of a special MEA committee
• 4 MEA membership meetings around the state
• And...then school will be about to begin

All good stuff.
~MET

MEA Board Retreat - 1

 The real MEA Board work begins today, though we did have a leadership team meeting yesterday afternoon. My cabin is great and very comfortable.

 Point Lookout also has some very nice hiking trails. This morning at 6am I took a 2 mile walk..

 ...to Knight's Pond:

I'll be in meetings all day - then tonight we have a "bonding dinner & bowling" activity. It should be a hoot.
~MET

After a Little Break...

...I'm off to Point Lookout in Northport for a few days of MEA meetings and trainings. Point Lookout is an old MBNA site, and its a great place to have the MEA Board retreat. They have very nice cabins, meeting rooms, fitness trails, etc. We have a lot of important work to do - but I'm sure we'll find some time to have a little fun also. I'll take some pics and try to post during the week.
~MET

50 People Were Allowed on the RA Stage...

...while VP Joe Biden addressed the 9000 delegates. Check out the blurry guy in the top of the picture with the tie. It only took an FBI background check and waiting for several hours to get through security. Great fun - and a true benefit of NEA leadership: hangin' out with the big-timers.
~MET

Pub Food That is Not Really Pub Food

 We met up with Mark & Linda in Gardiner at:

..the Mad Dog. Its a small place with lots of character. The menu obviously changes each night and is limited to a few delicious choices. I opted for two appetizers: gazpacho and awesome muscles. Both were VERY good. The visit with Mark and Linda was the hoot that it always is - and it was very entertaining to hear them talk about their new home in Readfield. If you are looking for a relaxed "pub" atmosphere with food that is a step above pub fare, I suggest a trip to the Mad Dog.
~MET

Free Will

 The new storm door came today - so Baxter can now decide on his own when to go out into the fenced in back yard.

 I think he understands how it works, though he is still a bit intimidated. After practicing for a bit and playing with his ball for a while...

 ...he was kind of pooped. This last picture:

is just another image of grilling at the Thurston Estate. Seasoned green beans and salmon with a dry rub. I love cooking outside.
~MET

Catching Up

 Its been a pretty busy summer - even after the NEA-RA in Chicago. One of the things I've done to do a better job with my health is to join the YMCA in Augusta. I've been every morning at 5am, and my plan is to continue that schedule after school starts and go M-F, and go to work from there. Its great because I swim one day and get on the treadmill the next. So I use different muscles and don't do the same thing everyday.

 I am beginning to do a lot of work to get ready for school in the fall. It will be different in that for the first time in 27 years I won't be teaching a single section of American History. The two courses I'll be teaching are American Government & Law and Psychology. I'm looking forward to it a lot.

Of course, I always have lots of work for the WEA, MEA, and NEA. There are membership meetings around the state coming up and the MEA Board of Directors retreat at the end of this month. The retreat will mark the end of my first year as an NEA Director for Maine - and I've loved every minute of it. There will be lots of advocating, lobbying, negotiating, researching, training, and meeting after meeting in the months ahead. I'm also enjoying time with my pets and my wife this summer - trying to focus on them during the rare occasions that I'm home. Life is good.
~MET

Nothing Says "Lazy Friday" Like...

...a delicious Irish brunch. My wife has the day off and we don't have any big plans so I decided to make a big breakfast for our main meal of the day. After an early trip to the 'Y' and a walk with the dog, we enjoyed this menu:

• Scrambled eggs with hot sauce (green for the Irish)
• Potatoes O'Brien
• Sausage with spinach & feta
• Mixed fruit
• Texas toast
• Irish cheese

It was very good - though I am stuffed. I have some chores to do, a little schoolwork to complete, and I'm picking up my brother at the airport later, otherwise its just a slow and easy kind of day. I might play some golf this weekend, check in with my parents, and continue to take things as they come. Ahhhh...the joys of summer.
~MET

I Love This Pan!!

 I love to grill and this "grill-top frying pan" is just awesome. It cooks veggies without oils or butter and they are delicious. Seriously - how good does this look?

Cooking with charcoal is my favorite activity in the summer.
~MET

Another Local Restaurant Adventure

 M-S went here for dinner tonight. Its in downtown Gardiner, and it was very good. The food is very authentic and the portions are huge. Everyone in the place took something home in a box. We started with brucshetta with caramelized onions and kalamatta olives:

 Then we each had a pasta dish. Mine was ziti with olives, hot peppers, and anchovies:

All the dishes are served in pans and the wine in a drinking glasses. We had a very good time and I recommend it if you are looking for great Italian food in central Maine.
~MET

Heading Home in the Morning

Another NEA-RA in the books. I think this may be the best of the four I've attended. We accomplished a lot and I think everyone in the hall is going home ready to fight for the middle class. Below is the other NEA Director from Maine, Grace, at the mike:



Chicago is a great city and I'd love to come back some day soon. Right now I just want to see my beautiful wife, my spastic dog, and my ultra cool cat. I must admit that I absolutely love this work and I look forward to the next challenge.
~MET

Chicago Check-in: The RA Begins

 Two days of a very busy RA are down. Lots and lots of debate, speeches, elections, and some fun mixed in.

 The big event thus far was VP Biden's speech today. He's been a favorite of mine since his presidential attempt in 1988. Each state got to send one delegate to sit on the stage during his talk. I got to be Maine's representative. He did a great job, and it was awesome to be up there behind him.

 We ate at a fusion place tonight (Japanese & Brazilian), but we passed a legendary Chicago pizza place on the way:

I'm very busy and very tired - but a fantastic time this far.
~MET

Chicago Check-in: An Irish Pub, A Big Storm, and a Great Civil Rights Dinner

 A fantastic couple of days of work and inspiration. I'll talk more about the gentleman in the above picture in a few moments. Last night the Maine delegation enjoyed a dinner at an Irish pub called D4. The food was very good, but the excitement was provided by a huge thunderstorm complete with golf ball sized hail.

 Today I had a ton of meetings and lots of work to complete, but I also got to go to the NEA Human & Civil Rights Awards Dinner. I've been to several of these dressy affairs, but this was the best one by far.

 There were lots of very inspirational stories and a fantastic meal. There is always a crowd of about 1000 people. Maine always sends 10. Here is one half of our table:

 And the other half:

 I'm pretty sure I'm finally "seasoned" enough to pull off a bow tie. The highlight of an awesome night was listening to, and then meeting the Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery:

He was Martin Luther King's closest advisor, a founder of SCLC, and an icon of the Civil Rights Movement. You might remember him giving the benediction at President Obama's inauguration. He gave an AMAZING speech tonight - I would love to have a fraction of his energy and insight when I am 92. I love the NEA-RA.
~MET