Rob tries lobster for the first time

We took Rob to the Trenton Lobster Pound to give him (and me) lobster for the very first time.

When you walk in you have to pick out your lobster.

Here's mine. Sorry, buddy.

It's a good thing Christie was there to do the dirty work and teach Rob and I how to eat a lobster. We thank you!

Popovers at Jordan Pond

Things you have to do in Acadia National Park: Go to the Jordan Pond House Restaurant and have their popovers. Seriously. Go. Eat. Enjoy.

This is Jordan Pond. In the distance are the Bubble Rocks. I believe there is quite a different nickname out there, but I will refer to them as the Bubble Rocks.

This was our view of Jordan Pond from our table at the restaurant. Eating tasty popovers and looking at this.... it's a rough life, but somebody's got to do it!

Sunset on Cadillac Mountain

The same day we got up early to see the sunrise, we decided we should return for the sunset. Instead of packing large vats of coffee, it seemed more appropriate to pack a wine and cheese picnic. Rob, who was always left behind on our past trips to Acadia National Park, also got to come along.

So from what I can gather, the predominant color in the sunrise pictures was pink. Sunset was predominantly orange. At least today, anyway!

Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain

Everyone says seeing the sun rise from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia is amazing. Christie and I dragged ourselves out of bed at 4:00 am to make sure we got up there for the 4:58am sunrise. We got to the top of the mountain at about 4:30am and this was what we saw:

(that's the town of Bar Harbor, still sleeping peacefully)

Christie smushed the sun, once it came up. I smushed it too but I'm making a dorky face.

Schoodic Peninsula

We took a ferry to Schoodic Peninsula, across the water from Bar Harbor. There's actually a part of Acadia National Park that's on the Peninsula.

Taken from the boat.

A Maine Christmas tree. It's decorated with lobster trap markers.

Lobstah traps! They're everywhere! I guess that's why lobster is so popular up here, eh?

This was taken at Schoodic Point. Look at that spray!

These were taken while climbing Blueberry Hill. It was a terrifying climb up and down and, though I'm proud we all made it alive and with no twisted ankles, it's not something I'll ever do again -- unless I gain the power of levitation. Yeah. If I learn to levitate, maybe I'd do it again.

The view from atop Blueberry Hill. That's Cadillac Mountain out there. That vertical scar? From an earthquake two years ago. Yes! An earthquake in Maine! Wicked strange, no?

Welcome to Maine. Somebody pulled the alahm.

On our way to Bar Harbor, Maine we spent the night in the Motel 6 in Tewksbury, MA. It's never a good thing when you're sleeping in a Motel 6 and the fire alarm goes off. Come to think of it, it's never a good thing when you're sleeping anywhere and the fire alarm goes off. Anyway, after stumbling out of our room and trying to find a place where the noise wasn't so loud, the fire people came to check things out. As one fireman told a hotel guest, "Somebody pulled the alahm." Welcome to the Boston area.

Rob is enjoying our rental house, which has a piano. He plays while we unpack.

This is just 2 blocks from the house. Welcome to Bar Harbor. (Bah Habbah)

These were all taken at Acadia National Park. It was atrociously ugly, can't you tell?

The cobble beach. As in the things they use to make cobblestone roads.

Rob kicks off summer vacation

Rob is used to his usual pool party to signify the official start of summer. He met a lot of interesting people this year in high school, and he's ready to just relax with some of his old friends.

Rob and some of his ladies by the pool, relaxing with some good wine.

Stephanie and Felicia get to talk to Rob next.

JOBA! Joba, how's the Joba Joba-ing? JOBA!

Rob continues to make the rounds. He's not shy!

"Rob Lowe, how the heck are you?"

Kelli and Rob show Rob how to do the FUMPA! toast.

Denise and Rob are enjoying the start of summer.

Christie and Amanda are looking forward to spending time with Rob in Maine, no doubt.

I realize as I'm typing that I really stink at making witty and exciting captions for all the photos. Sorry, guys. Here's Heather and Rob.

This is the crown jewel of all of the pictures I took at the party. Steve, ever opposed to posing with Rob, finally got captured in a picture with him. Hee hee... and you kept chiding me for not being more diligent with my blog posts... well here ya go! You and Rob!

Rob and the Ecto Cooler

Rob Lowe has been in the news lately for various reasons. Interestingly enough I'm not actually following the storylines, but I will get periodic updates from my students and other teachers who know of my friendship with the wooden Rob. The ordeal has been hard on Rob, and I wanted to try to cheer him up a bit and get his mind off of the real Rob's troubles.

This is perhaps a little known fact about Rob Lowe, but his favorite drink is Hi-C Ecto Cooler! We at Van Cleef Manor have decided to sacrifice our swimming pool this summer and instead convert it to a giant Ecto Cooler storage system for Rob. He couldn't have been more touched by our gesture! I know in my heart that his spirits were lifted, just knowing how much my housemates and I care for him...

My only concern is this: how long will it take Rob to drink a swimming pool's worth of Ecto Cooler? Perhaps we should refer to it as Ecto Pooler in the future...

(sorry, I had to make that joke at least once...)

40 Days and 40 Nights

This is a special day in the lives of , well, anyone that goes to or works at my school. There are 40 school days remaining in the 2007-2008 school year! 40 days of school... 40 nights of setting my alarm clocks.

Rob, sadly, was not around when Karen and I decided we needed to dye Easter Eggs. Rob was stuck in his cozy cabinet in my classroom at school. But we had some fun in his absence. Here are some pictures.

I colored two of my eggs to look like over-sized eyes. We had quite a romp throughout the house using these eye-props for our enjoyment. Above, you will see me enjoying the Eye Eggs using Karen's new photographic technique, the Skycam.

King Tut also had a romp with the Eye Eggs. King Tut was a silent but very willing participant in our silliness. Go, Tut!

Look closely. She's not playing pool with pool ball things. No, no no! Those are Easter Eggs! Hooray, Easter Eggs!

I must hand it to those Pennsyltucky Dutch. For years and years and years as a child, I dyed eggs using the Paas dye kit. I used to enjoy the Paas dye kit -- especially the sweet vinegar fumes! -- but Karen frowns upon the Paas method because "all you get to do is dunk your egg and that's it." I couldn't argue. But we used (I'm mangling the name here) Dr. Finklebellystein's kit which employed a more hands-on approach to coloring eggs. Instead of the Paas plunk n' dunk, Dr. Finklebellystein's kit is more of a Paint Yer Eggs affair. Much more fun! I'll always use Dr. Finklebellystein's method from now on. I'm converted.

Hey, I'm Giuseppe Franco!

My apologies to Rob Lowe, for this post has absolutely nothing to do with him.

I am a fan of the NY Yankees. I often watch their games on the YES Network. Last year I noticed a commercial that usually airs on the YES Network several times throughout the course of a baseball game for a hair product called Procede. Please, if you have a spare 90 seconds, watch this commercial.


I want to draw your attention to two quotes that have given my roommates and I so much joy last summer and, lucky for us, will continue to provide us joy and laughter for the current baseball season.

1. "I don't own the company. I don't know anything about it!"

Let's talk about this for a moment, shall we? If you were the famed Giuseppe Franco, would you do a tv commercial for a product YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT???

2. "Hey, I'm Giuseppe Franco. I'm not putting my name on the line for something that doesn't work."

I love the reasoning for buying the product... Hey, I'm Giuseppe Franco! Ah! Of course! Sign me up for a few bottles of that Procede treatment! And I love how he's not putting his name on the line for something that doesn't work, but he IS putting his name on the line for a company he knows nothing about. Good work, Giuseppe. You own a salon. You ARE the premier buttcan*. No wonder Procede needed you to sell their product.

*Buttcan is a reference to some long ago high school student who, when filling out the usual forms on the first day of school, filled in "buttcan" for his mother's occupation. When his homeroom teacher questioned him on this, he said that his mom was a beautician. "Beautician, you know... B-U-T... T... C-A-N..."