a ballboy faints!

Thirty seconds before going live on TV, a ball boy in the middle of the background fainted & caused quite a commotion. So much preparation went into this & they couldn't possibily miss ringing the bell! The NASDAQ Stock Market was opened for trading remotely from the NASDAQ-100 Open. It was the fifth time in NASDAQ history that the prestigious NASDAQ Stock Market, the largest U.S. electronic stock market, was opened for trading away from the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City. This also marks the first time in history that the NASDAQ Stock Market was opened from a Sporting Event.

It sure is nice that there is no upcharge for the leather seats & metallic silver paint on this Mercedes McLaren SLR. It can be yours for a mere $455,750!

The Nexus Hair Salon was located in the Mercedes tent, so Mary got "fluffed".

me & Bud Collins at dinner in the Nasdaq chalet

Bud's "famous" Nasdaq QQQ pants

Nasdaq Drinks

They served special "Nasdaq Blue" drinks to guests in the hospitality chalet.

the dreaded notice

Last night we flew back to South Florida to shoot the last 5 days of the Nasdaq-100 Open. When I got home, I was greeted with the dreaded notice from the property managers telling me I had to pressure clean the driveway & sidewalk...or else! Since I LOVE pressure cleaning, I guess I didn't dread it too much...the timing was just a little bad. The daytime schedule at tennis was lame, so I decided to dive right into the driveway job. I was able to amuse myself by "cleaning" this note into the dirt, only for the purpose of a blog photo.

in the broadcast booth...

Johnny Miller & Dan Hicks share make-up tips & techniques.

THE PLAYERS Championship ... the REAL "March Madness"!!!

Today I got to go up in the NBC crane to shoot some scenics of the 17th green at TPC Sawgrass during the practice round at THE PLAYERS Championship. It was awesome!!! I wish I could have stayed up there all day.
Here I am getting into the harness.

Chris shot this photo of Mary & me from one of the hospitality chalets.

it sure goes HIGH!

the view is GREAT!


Since today was a practice round, the caddies hit off the 17th tee. Closest to the pin wins the jackpot (filled by the TOUR golfers). There were a lot of Ben Franklins in there.

UBS 17th Hole Challenge

UBS set up a miniature exact replica of the 17th hole for spectators to try landing their ball on the island green. It was a 35 yard par 3, complete with water. I missed the green, but came pretty close. My instructors from the PGA TOUR Academy did video analysis of everyone's stroke. They said my attempt was "admirable," but they are very "into" positive reinforcement as a teaching tool.

While shooting the grounds crew preparation of the Stadium Course, I used the macro feature of the Fuji F10. I can't wait for the Fuji F30.

Gary Player, A Global Journey.

Tonight Mary & I went to shoot a tribute dinner for Gary Player at the World Golf Hall of Fame.

the long drive home

Mary & Tally depart PVB.

last day at the beach

PGA TOUR Academy

here is my golf glove marked with a sharpie to help me with my grip.

a day at the spa...sorry Tally, no beach today.

After golf, Mary & I went to the Spa at the Marriott Sawgrass for a deep tissue massage. Mary spotted the "suitmate," the ingenius invention we haven't seen since our trip to The Spa at Norwich Inn. We've been to a ton of really nice spas since then, but none had this gadget. With the SUITMATE® Swimsuit Water Extractor you can remove up to 95% of a suit's water in just 10 seconds. I love it!

chasing seagulls!!!

Just call me "birthday girl"!

Here's one of my GREAT birthday presents from Mary. 2006 is the 75th anniversary of the Airstream. It's a limited edition Wanderlust book with an an engraved limited edition aluminum cover manufactured at the Airstream factory. It's pretty cool!

After my golf lesson, Mary & Tally met me at my office for a quick trip to the beach.

It doesn't get any better than this!!!

The day before my birthday...

We had our monthly TOUR birthday cake at our weekly production meeting.

After work, Mary & Tally picked me up to go to the beach at Mickler's Landing. It was Tally's first time seeing the sand & ocean. She LOVED it!!! She was prancing all over the place & was particularly intrigued by sea foam, even though it made her sneeze.

Even though Tally LOVED the long drive...she was a liitle freaked out being in the apartment. Once she saw the memory foam bed we brought for her, she settled in, slept thru the night, & as usual, didn't want to get up in the morning.

Tally's Excellent Adventure!

Tally decided she'd like nothing more than to spend my birthday week in Ponte Vedra Beach. Here we are in our driveway in Weston.

The 5 1/2 hour drive started with Tally in the backseat.

Mary drove the first shift.

Tally visits her first rest area.

After the first rest stop, Tally insisted on her favorite spot...the front passenger seat, for the rest of the trip. Mary sat in the back, then I took the back seat after the next stop.

Doral

Chris pretends to be a combat photographer, when in fact, he's only shooting golf!