Spruce Mountain in the Snow

 M-S and I decided to get some winter air in our lungs, so we strapped on the snowshoes and walked up Spruce Mountain.

 It was a beautiful morning and the views were awesome.

This vacation week has been a train-wreck as far as the weather is concerned, but today its very nice. We'll be spending the rest of the day with Bax and then having dinner with friends.
~MET

A Day Trip to...

 ... a couple of stores we have been meaning to get to.

 Cabela's is pretty amazing as the pictures will show, but I still give Bean's the nod in a head-to-head.

 They do have a bigger fish tank:

 And LOTS of animal specimens:

 They also have what I think is a bigger fishing section than Bean's - but everything else lags behind. I did get a huge wall map of the whole Appalachian Trail that will look great in my office. Trader Joe's was fun, and very inexpensive, but I'm not sure I'd go back for anything in particular. On the way home we stopped in Brunswick for lunch at Little Saigon.

 Egg roll:

 My main course was a noodle soup. Vietnam is all about soup:

 And of course...

... we got Baxter some new toys. M-S has to work for the rest of the week, so it was good to get out and have some fun today. Life is good.
~MET

Visiting With Family & Off to Orlando

   Sarah, Chris, and Lauren are in town so we met up with Tut for some good old American pizza and beer. It was great getting caught up with the latest news from everyone. Tomorrow I head to the airport in the snow (AGAIN) to fly to Orlando for a few days of meetings in my role as a trustee for the MEA Benefits Trust. I'm not really looking forward to the drive, the potential delayed flight, or Florida. I am excited to travel with hard-working friends and to become a more competent guardian of our health insurance. Here's wishing that all of my education professional colleagues have a fantastic winter break.
~MET

Keren Cafe

 Tonight after a bunch of meetings Lois and I went to Adams Morgan to continue talking shop and to try a restaurant that was recommended by a former student of mine. Keren Cafe is all about Eritrean food, and it was awesome. The food was great, but as it turns out the people were better. This is Lemlem:

 She is the owner, and she went WAY out of her way to make us feel welcome. Here are some shots of the food (I can't tell you what any of it is, except for the Eritrean beer):

It was spicy and delicious. We also had a very long and wonderful conversation with the two gentlemen at the table next to us. They were from Egypt and Yemen, and you could not find two people more proud of their homes. They talked about a plethora of topics - it was great. I love trying new foods and talking to interesting people.
~MET

Nothing Better Than a Morning on the Ice

 I went to Flying Pond this morning and caught a bunch of fish - maybe 25 or so. Unfortunately they looked a lot like this:

 I caught bass, yellow perch, and pickerel, but no game fish. I do love a cup of coffee on the ice:

 Some of the perch were decent size, and a couple of the bass were fun to catch.

 This was the biggest one:

The weather was PERFECT. No wind, lots of sunshine, and temps in the mid 30s. It was a great way to usher in the weekend. I stopped in to visit with Dad and tomorrow M-S and I have a very busy day. Life is good.
~MET