Leap Day 2008

Since we only have 7 days left with the cherry picker, Tina & I set out to do some more clubhouse pix. We couldn't get to the location we wanted to shoot from (because the brick pavers were being sealed), so we opted to try some new angles. There weren't many places we could drive our lovable 14,000 pound beast, but we managed to get some nice pix anyway.

After we finished shooting, we looked down & saw we had a visitor. John showed up & wanted a ride.

My usual self-portrait.

John was like a kid in a candy store. He wanted to play with all of the controls. Before I knew it, we soared above the trees.

Tina posed for a flattering fisheye portrait.

When I got bored, I whipped out my Lensbaby.

Yum! World Grill

Tonight my mom, Hank & I went to World Grill on John's recommendation. It was probably the the most delicious dinner I've had since coming to JAX. Owner/Chef Brett Harris is amazing!

The Tiger Eye Tuna was served with Soba Noodles & Ginger Dressing.

The House Salad was very photogenic.

When our entrees arrived, I wouldn't let anyone eat until I shot my blog photos. We had to share all three entrees since we wanted to taste everything.

The Vanilla Red Snapper was incredible. Sauteed red snapper with a Tahitian vanilla bean sauce & potato croquets.

The Breast of Duck with wild rice pancakes & cranberry corn relish was fabulous & one of the Chef's Signature Items.

The Thai Style Pork Tenderloin marinated in a sweet honey garlic sauce with butternut squash risotto was also great (& I hate butternut squash).

Even though we were very full, we managed to squeeze in two desserts ... Creme Brulee and ...

I saved the BEST for last. The Chocolate Lava Cake was to die for!

Here's a review from 2006. I can't wait to go back there.

TOUR Academy Instruction

Chris struggles to get the ladder in place.

After all that, he's too lazy to climb up. ;o)

That's better.

Travis hit four balls off the 17th tee. Three of them landed within a couple of feet of the hole & first one hit the pinflag. He did hit one in the drink, but said it was okay since the ball had Todd's initials on it.

Close-up proof. CRAZY!

Kyle & Travis watch Chris shoot Todd from a low angle.

Driver's Ed

I had to teach Amber & Ward how to drive Genie. They took turns driving around the parking lot by golf course maintenance. Amber is the first person to drive a cherry picker in high heels. Not an easy "feat".

As I was leaving the office, there was a beautiful sunset.

It looked nice reflecting in our door.

Photo Services Girls Gone Wild

This morning I took Deborah & Tina out for a spin. Some of the maintenance guys did double-takes wondering if they really saw 3 girls driving a cherry picker.

Bird's Eye View

Chris, Tina & I started off the morning with a golf cart & a 12' ladder. We needed to scout some holes & the cherry picker is SOOOOO slow.

After lunch, Chris called the Genie dealer. They sent out a technician to take care of a few problems. First he was able to disconnect the annoying beeping noise that happens when you drive forward/backward or move up/down. As if that wasn't huge enough, he showed us how to get out of "creep" mode. Apparently every time you start the engine or move the platform, you have to push a series of buttons to move a little faster. It's a safety feature that they didn't tell us about this until today. Now it's awesome. It feels like we're in an Indy car! Well maybe that's a little exaggerated, but it seems like we've quadrupled our speed. We're probably cruising at 4 mph now ... sweet!

This came out pretty well considering the front of the clubhouse never gets nice light on it at this time of the year.

We posed for blog pix on 17 while waiting for a group to play thru.



The clubhouse looks really nice thru the trees.

This osprey wasn't too happy when when we raised our platform near her nest.

We got stuck in some sand behind 17, even though we had an all terrain lift. Luckily Chris was able to get us out. I don't think I could've called AAA. Genie weighs 14,000 lbs!

Me & My Genie

The weather was beautiful, so the TOUR Academy & range were pretty busy.

Here Genie's control panel. Since I hadn't driven her yet, I took a spin around the parking lot. I practiced some maneuvers by golf course maintenance before I headed out in public.

Everything looks better from up here.

The "new" Dial-9

I went to see Chris' new band at Twisted Sisters. They were awesome.

New Toy

As we soared above the clubhouse ...

we stopped along the way for some blog pix ...

JR documented our first "flight" from ground level.

Tina, Chris & I were sporting our safety harnesses.

Which one doesn't belong?

I had a meeting in the afternoon, so I couldn't go out to shoot. Tina shot this pup taking a dip, just for me.