Foggy Mt. Battie

 This seemed like a good morning to stretch my legs a bit, so I hiked up through the woods to the top of Mt. Battie. There were no views, but the opportunity to hike in shorts in late December was too good to pass up.

I stopped at the Sweet Grass Winery in Union on the way home and picked up a couple of bottles of wine for M-S. We have both been busy getting the house out of holiday mode for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I'll begin to prep for fishing and head to Jackman on Saturday. I'm thinking about going to Bean's at 2am sometime this week too. Good times.
~MET

Taking Advantage of Local Artists

 This Christmas I was able to get some great gifts from some very talented friends. The photograph above was a gift to M-S and I from artist Linda Phillips. I love the photo because its a close-up of a blue trail marker on a birch tree. I bought one of her pieces for my mom. Here is Linda with the one I bought:

 Its a picture of an old door on a logging camp up-country. Its really nice and I think my mother likes it a lot. A fellow Winslow teacher named Rod Record took up knitting a few years ago and has become a true artisan. He made this one for M-S in 10 DAYS!

 It is tremendous and M-S looks great in it.

Finally, I purchased the CSA from a local Whitefield farm for my wife. Beginning in June she will get a load of fresh veggies each week right through October. Its good to have gifted friends.
~MET

God Bless Us, Everyone! A Fantastic Christmas Day.

 Another fine Christmas celebration with family at home. M-S did all the food prep today and it was awesome.

 Stockings:

 Baxter seemed to like all of his presents - and kicked the poo out of Santa:

 M-S's traditional egg bake gets better every year:

 Ma and her "Maeve" shirt:

 M-S made a great lentil/curry soup AND "Christmas shepherd's pie"...soooo good.

 Ma got a little tired of Jim and I playing paparazzi:

Jim made an outstanding cheesecake. As always, I'm stuffed and very happy. Now I'm going to enjoy some time off and get ready for ice fishing!
~MET

Christmas Eve

 Its been a very busy day. We went for a cold walk and then spent the day wrapping presents and cooking. This evening we went to my parent's where Jim was making dinner:

 Chris and Sarah were there too to join in the merry making. My parents' tree:

 The dinner was very good - the mac and cheese was wicked cheesy.

M-S is still wrapping tonight as I watch Ken Burns' baseball documentary with Baxter. I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow.
~MET

Beans = Good!

 Ma & Dad out for baked beans tonight. Not a lot more needs to be said.

Just good.
~MET

Fantastic Art & Fantastic Company

 After my flight today I met up with M-S and Linda for drinks, dinner, and to see Linda's artwork on display at Dock Fore in Portland. Its a funky pub that is exhibiting some of her paintings and photos:

 Linda is very talented and has a unique style. I especially like her photography.

 We ate at a different pub that had a million beers and really good food. I had a few flights from the "meat & cheese"bar.

Man...between brunch and dinner, I ate well today.
~MET

Southern Brunch in DC

 I met up this morning with Sarah, Jim, Jean, Suz, and Mauve for brunch at Eatonville, on 14th St. in DC. It was a FANTASTIC southern style brunch. Go here to see the menu: http://eatonvillerestaurant.com/index-1.html#brunch

 Of course, Maeve was the star attraction. She is so calm and so happy. Every time I see her she seems a little cuter. Here she is posing for Jim while Jean tries to see the menu:

 My food was exceptional:

 I had black-eyed peas stew, deep-fried poached eggs, a biscuit, and hash. Everything comes with a little bit of southern greens, which I love.

 Suzanne has a "frontpack" baby-carrier thing:

I'm really glad I've started to take an afternoon flight home from DC so I can see the family or the city without thinking about work. Now its on to Portland for an art show and dinner with M-S.
~MET

Quick Meeting in DC

 I'm off to the capital and the 16th St. headquarters for an NEA Board meeting, but I'll only be there for two nights rather than four. The Board experimented with a virtual meeting last night, and it went ok, but its really not at all the same. Its a good way to disseminate information, but its not a good format for any kind of meaningful discussion. I will be getting there tonight just in time to attend a reception for the screening of this film:

Like American Teacher, this movie attempts to put a more accurate spin on what teachers do. The "Mitchell 20" are a group of teachers who reformed an inner-city elementary school without the aid of administrators, charters, billionaires, or especially - politicians.
I also hope to see siblings, nieces, or daughters on Sunday morning if any are around. Sunday evening M-S and I are going to Linda Phillips' art show in Portland, which should be a hoot. More on that and the time in DC to come.
~MET

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez...

 One of my favorite parts of teaching Government & Law is taking students through simulations. I try to make them as "real" as possible. We just finished the unit on the Supreme Court, so it was moot court time. They have to research precedent cases and act as advocates or justices. It went well, and I think they got a lot out of it. Here are a few pictures:

~MET