November 21, 2014 Photo (325/365): "Frosted"
"Frost is the greatest artist in our clime - he paints in nature and describes in rime.” - Thomas Hood
A masterpiece on my windshield.
Frosted
French Friday: Beaujolais Nouveau
Hier, le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé.
On the third Thursday of November each year, the French celebrate the release of the latest Beaujolais Nouveau vintage with fireworks, music, and festivals. Under French law, the wine is released at 12:01 a.m., just weeks after the grapes have been harvested. The Gamay grapes that compose the Beaujolais Nouveau are handpicked in the Beaujolais province of eastern France along the Saône river, just south of Burgundy. The varietal originated about a century ago as an inexpensive and festive drink to celebrate the end of the harvest season. The wine is easy drinkable due to carbonic maceration or whole-berry fermentation. This technique preserves the freshness of the fruit without extracting bitter tannins from the grape skins. The fruity, cherry-red wine is best served chilled and goes well with our American Thanksgiving menus. Although young wines are not my favorite, I do enjoy observing the tradition and comparing each year's vintage. According to the Business Insider, this year's Beaujolais Nouveau is "a rude wine -- very young and spirited." Have you tasted it yet?
Forty
November 20, 2014 (324/365): Happy 40th Birthday to Eric!
« Quarante, c'est l'âge de la jeunesse... » | "Forty is the age of youth..." ~ Victor Hugo
Car
November 19, 2014 Photo (323/365): "Beemer"
Tomorrow is Eric's 40th birthday, but I got a present too!
Cold
November 18, 2014 Photo (322/365): "Winter Coat"
It's so cold already that even the magnolia is wearing her winter coat!
Summit
November 17, 2014 Photo (321/365): "Midwest Summit"
"Never stop learning because life never stops teaching!"
Today was a great day of learning for me and the others who attended the Midwest Summit featuring Google for Education. Tickets for the Summit sold out in four hours back in September, and it's no wonder: So many Google rock stars are sharing their amazing ideas! I'm excited to see many of my GTA MTV cohort again, and I'm so honored to be a part of this formidable group! The day started with a very engaging keynote by Mark Garrison inviting educators to think about what they will Start, Stop, and Share to promote change and innovation personally and in our schools. Today, I shared ideas for building a Personal Learning Network (PLN) -- It's a PLN! and tomorrow I will engage educators in a 2-hour workshop to build Google Sites: Google Sites Make & Take. In between presentations, I'm learning so much about Google extensions, add-ons, formulas in Sheets... If you would like to learn along with us today and tomorrow, session resources are available here and follow #mwgs on Twitter.