Goodbye Orange Bowl 1937-2007

I'm in South Florida for Champions Tour Q-School. It was perfect timing to see some old friends & colleagues at the last Hurricane football game before the Orange Bowl is demolished. A lot of former players came out for the occasion. Some I hadn't seen since I was the team photographer over 20 years ago (1981-1985).

Ahhh ... the good old days!

Stretching

I was on the field with David, Carol & Karl pregame.

We watched the game from the press box.



Unfortunately, the Hurricanes last game in the Orange Bowl will go down in the record books as the worst shutout ever in the stadium's history.
VIRGINIA 48, MIAMI 0, UGH!

Reality Check

There was a good series on the perception of being a self-employed photographer on What the Duck this week. Here they are ...

On the Range

It was another beautiful day, so Sandy, Larry & I went to hit some balls on the range. I did pretty well considering I haven't hit a golf ball in over a year.

Sandy relaxes while I try her Odyssey putter.

Afterwards, we had lunch in the clubhouse. I can't wait to back to work so I can relax. It's been an exhausting weekend!

Airshow

Sandy & Larry are in town & staying with me for a few days on their way to Pompano. They drove JR & me to the JAX Sea & Sky Spectacular so we wouldn't have a problem parking. It was a beautiful day with a perfect blue sky.

Everybody loved the heart.


There's a woman standing on top of the wing. She actually climbed up there while the plane was flying. Crazy!


The Blue Angels were very impressive.

We were a bit concerned since the website said you couldn't bring a lens over 6 inches long. I told JR we'd reverse our lens hoods until we got on the beach & nobody would probably bother us. I was wrong. With our hoods reversed, John's was 8 inches & mine was 7 inches. Once we started shooting, we put them on properly (which adds about 3 inches). The cop on the left approached John & said, "excuse me sir ... you're bigger than 6 inches. Lenses over 6 inches are not allowed." I was waiting for him to get a tape measure out of his pocket. He was smiling & sort of cracking up. For a second I thought he knew John, but he said he was just busting on us.

This guy buzzed the fisherman on the pier.

Tonight was Chris' birthday party and Dial-9 reunion jam at Spare Time Tavern in Jax Beach.

Trick or Treat?

I had fun shooting pix at Disney. I was stalking these guys from a distance with my 500mm Fuji point & shoot. I decided to ask them to come to my headshot studio, so I could take some "real" photos. Great pants from LoudMouth Golf! Notice the matching grip!

But ... I missed a lot of fun at the office!

After leaving Disney, I stopped by Alphalam to pick up some prints for my kitchen. Brian arranged to take me to Triangle Reprographics to meet the staff & get a tour of their facility. It was AMAZING! I was like a kid in a candy store. The whole place was very impressive.

The highlight was seeing the Vutek printer in action. It can print up to 16 feet wide on just about any substrate & buying one would set you back close to a million dollars.

I passed this cool graffiti wall on the way out of town.

Animal Kingdom

I'm at Disney to shoot player headshots at the Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart golf tournament. My balcony overlooks the golf course & a beautiful sunrise.

Mary drove up to visit, so we took a quick trip to Animal Kingdom to test our new Fuji s8000fds. This camera is pretty amazing for a point & shoot. The lens equivalent is 27-486mm f/2.8-4.5. The hippos were fun to watch.

This gorilla was lounging around.

I spotted some cool plants on the way out of the park.


What's a trip to Orlando without a visit to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Viet Garden. I shot this salt shaker with the super macro mode on the Fuji s8000fd. You can focus as close as one centimeter. It's crazy sharp!

Pups in the Park

Lucy the mini schnauzer came dressed in a poodle skirt.

Leia is a schnauzer cockapoo mix.

Bruiser & Leia like to partake in extreme sports.

Bob finally makes the big-time ... my blog!

Shattered!

There was quite a commotion when I got to work today. Apparently the gardener mowed over a rock that shot into one of our office doors. It was really cool. You could hear the door crackling for about a half hour. The impact point is on the right.

I could've shot pictures of it all day long. My reflection looks like a mosaic.

This is a view from inside the office. It's a good thing they came to replace it quickly, or I wouldn't have gotten any work done today.

Pumpkin Shoppin'

Hmmm ... which pumpkin should I buy? I'll take the funny-looking one in the middle.

John's Birthday Lunch

We went to Mojo Kitchen for some delicious BBQ.

Mike & Rob pose in a concrete pipe after lunch. JR was too full to pose after eating the Two Meat Combo.

Photographer Extraordinaire, Luminary & a Quick Apple Tart

I'm having a good month. I was profiled in Marsh Views (the official publication of Marsh Landing) ...
PhotographerExtraordinaireCL.pdf


... and called a Luminary!
12 Photography Luminaries Join Think Tank Photo Design Board ...
Doug Murdoch, president and lead designer of Think Tank Photo, announced today that 12 respected and discerning photographers have joined the company’s Design Board. These luminaries have agreed to provide Think Tank Photo’s designers with their carrying solution needs, input about what’s working and what’s not, and detailed information about the challenges they face in carrying a wide variety of complex and often heavy photographic equipment in different settings. Think Tank Photo’s design board is by invitation only and members serve for six months to two years.

Montreal to JAX via Ft Lauderdale

First I had to wait a half hour for the Air Canada cashier to come back from her break so I could pay for my overweight bags. Then it took over an hour to go thru US Customs in Canada. It was brutal! Did I mention I HATE travelling? After I survived, I rewarded myself with an iced triple espresso & a chocolate chip scone.

Since I had to fly back via FLL, I went home for a day to see Tally. She got a shower & haircut ... and so did I. I took this self portrait when we were stopped at a red ligjht.

Here is Holly & Bob's new sign on my Weston house. Somebody please buy it!

Old Montreal

After a full morning catching up on editing & uploading, Mary & I went to check out Old Montreal. We found these contemporary urban frescoes in a waterfront park. They're part of an exhibit called Artegonia 2007, featuring artwork in all different mediums, scattered around the city.

It doesn't get much better than this for me ... two of my favorite things: rust & peeling paint.

Here's Mary being Mary ... making beautiful images of everyday mundane things. We discovered the Vietnamese section of town. I never saw so many Vietnamese restaurants. Yum!

Everybody who walked by this rug store wanted to photograph this watch dog, including me.