Chris & Beth's short attention span theatre

2010 Fresh Express Classic at Stonebrae

2010-04-19T14:31:00.002-04:00

I love this tournament because I get to visit with my brother Don and his wife Vivian. The downside is that TPC Stonebrae is possibly the hardest walk in golf. The course is built on the side of a mountain and has great views but really tough climbs!

The view of the bay from #1

NFL Hall of Famer and former SF 49er Jerry Rice was the tournament host and competed in the event on a sponsors exemption. He missed the cut, but put in a good effort.There was a concert after play on Friday. Pretty good party band, but really cold outside!
Steve Pate stretches on the second tee.I love the Nationwide Tour tee markers!

Kevin Chappell wins his first event.

And wins a new Audi!

Front Yard Landscaping

2010-04-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

After an exceptionally cold winter, we decided to replace a few things we lost and add a new palm tree to the front yard.

Not a DIY sized tree!

Building up the mound.

We extended the flower bed around the yard and added pavers.

The new bed around the tree with a pave wall.

2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational

2010-03-29T14:04:00.000-04:00

The 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational had some weather issues forcing a Monday finish. I had to leave on Sunday since I had another shoot on Monday in GA. Ernie Els would go on to win.

Ernie lines up a putt on Sunday
A view of the 18th green.

An old-school leaderboard on #15. I really miss these!

Young Rickie Fowler warms up.

A.P. shares a laugh with Robert Gamez. He probably told him he wore the same pants back in the 70's!

A remote view from the TV tower at #16 tee with #18 green in the background.

The King surveys his domain.

New member of the family

2010-03-13T16:19:00.000-05:00

After my trip with Don last year, I gained a new appreciation for BMW motorcycles. Don's bike was flawless on the trip and he seems really happy with it. Beth and I decided to get a new bike that would be comfortable for both of us on longer trips. I was fine on the Harley, but the passenger accommodations left a bit to be desired. I had ridden Don's R1200RT a few times and thought it would be a nice compliment to the Harley. I sold the Ducati since I hardly ever rode it, and found a great deal on a gently used BMW R1200RT.
We picked it up on Friday near Orlando and stopped to visit Katie and
Eric while we were in town.
Here is a studio shot of the Beemer. My pics will follow soon!

"Mr. 59"

2010-03-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Monday after Toshiba, I drove east to Palm Desert for a quick shoot with Al Geiberger, "Mr. 59". Al was the first PGA TOUR professional to card a 59 during an official event in 1977. He has even trademarked the name "Mr. 59" and his cell phone # ends with 5959!

Had a nice 15 minute shoot and then we spent an hour in the
parking lot discussing the "Stack & Tilt" swing method.
I got a nice lesson out of it and I hope to incorporate
some of the concepts into my game.

2010 Toshiba Classic

2010-03-11T14:38:00.007-05:00

My first visit to Newport Beach, CA and the Toshiba Classic.
It's a great Champions Tour event on a classic course.
The players and fans all really seem to enjoy the week.

Players warm up on the range, and the bleachers were packed.Peter Jacobsen jokes on the range.Tom Watson and Fred Couples were paired together in round 1 with Mark O'meara.
What a great group.

Great weather on Friday.Tom signs some autographs after his round.

Sunday was all Fred Couples.

No stress here. I think he's digging the Champions Tour.

Two wins in three starts. Look out!

2010 Bike Week in Daytona (Sort of)

2010-03-02T11:30:00.003-05:00

Being that I lived in Daytona for about 8 years, Bike Week isn't that big a deal for for me anymore. I've "been there, done that" plenty of times. It can still be fun, but it's not a "must do" event anymore. I was off for the first weekend of Bike Week and we decided to visit our friends Jim & Brooke. We haven't seen them in a while, so we packed up Shelby and headed south.
It was pouring rain, so I left the bike home this time.

It also turned out that a band that I did some photography for in the 80's had reformed
and was playing a weeklong stand in South Daytona for Bike Week.
I spent many a night watching these guys perforn at the Pier when I worked there and also at the other clubs I frequented. They were one of the strongest bands around and It's great that they are still playing. The weather was crap and there weren't many people there,
but we had a great time nonetheless!

Beth and I bust out the Bike Week "uniform" of leather jackets.Jim & Brooke chillin'.

Jim messing around with my camera. Back button focus Jim!

We also caught up with some old friends from my Pier days. Kelsey has been living up north for a while, but decided to move back to FL. For some reason, she thought the idea of poprocks shots (yes poprocks!) was a good one.
She and Tami (keyboard players wife) set the tone for the afternoon.
"Poprock face". Beth is amused but wasn't even going there.

No fog machine... How about bubbles? No it wasn't her name!
Kelsey grabs some pics.

I played around with some HDR conversions using Topaz software.

Before we went home, we stopped by the Daytona Speedway to check out the 2010 motorcycles at the manufacturer displays. No BMW's, but some nice hardware!
I'm thinking a sport-tourer would make nice company for the Harley!
The 2010 Kawasaki Concours 14

Yamaha FJR 1300

LA to Pebble Beach

2010-02-20T09:59:00.004-05:00

From Hawaii, it's home for a week or so then back out to CA for the west coast swing.
I usually cover the Northern Trust Open at Riviera CC.
It's a great old course and usually gets a strong field.
Phil signs some autographs after his round.
The weather turned ugly on Friday and we got lots of rain.
There were still some die-hard fans hanging in there!The weather cleared up for the weekend and the crowds grew.The 10th hole at Riviera is never short on drama!Ernie Els on the 11th tee.My buddy Jason H.watches his player Tim Wilkinson warm up at dawn.Steve Stricker was the man to beat on Sunday.And no one caught him!
From LA, I decided to avoid the airlines and dive up to Monterey via the PCH.
What a great stretch of road. I just wish I was on a motorcycle instead of in a Dodge!

Seal beach at San Simeon.Cute couple.Diggin' it.I had to pull over about 10 times for photos.
OK, back to work!

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am is a special event that can be fun and exhausting at the same time. Everyone plays in foursomes made up of 2-man teams. Each team has one TOUR pro and one amateur or celebrity. The golf can sometimes take a back seat to the celebrities and the fans don't mind at all. With rounds that can last upwards of 5+ hours on three different golf courses, hopefully something entertaining is going on!

The celebrity shootout is the first big event of the week. Here we see pro surfing legend
Kelly Slater show his touch around the greens.Huey Lewis and Andy Garcia watch as Tom Brady tees off.

Round one took me to the new course in the rotation, Monterey Peninsula Golf Club.
Its a great track and the players all seemed to like it.
Corey Pavin and Pat Perez wait to tee off.

John Daly has to hit over some deer which were not too concerned.

Apparently I didn't scare them either!

Actor Chris O'Donnel waiting to hit. Nice pose!

Ryo Ishikawa, the hot new star from Japan stands out in his green on the green.

U.S. soccer star Brandi Chastain celebrates a big putt on #18.
She kept her shirt on this time.

Always good to see David Duval in the field.

I got a chance to do an early flight on the MetLife airship "Snoopy II" on Saturday.
If you've never seen it up close, the gondola is pretty tight.

Just me and the pilot and an awesome day for flying!

You can see the rack of television gear that takes up most of the space.Obligatory self-portrait with the Peanuts gang.We flew over downtown Monterey on the way to the course.There were a few clouds, but overall the view was spectacular.

Looking down on #7

#6 green, #7 and #8 tee.

Looking south.

Pushing the blimp off the mooring post.

I jumped out and the TV camera operator hopped in.
Off they went to cover the round from above.

Back to the course, and a couple of young-guns. Rickie Fowler and Ryo Ishikawa.

Tom Brady tosses a football to his caddie on #18

George Lopez works the crowd.

Looking over to the 7th hole from #17.

There was a huge swell in the area and big waves were crashing
behind the players on the 7th green.A big crowd at the 18th green.

When the dust settled, it was Dustin Johnson holding the trophy
with Clint Eastwood on Sunday

2010 Sony Open & Mitsubishi Championship

2010-02-01T13:16:00.006-05:00

My first event of the year was the Sony open in Honolulu. It's a great way to start the season each year! Beth didn't make the trip this time since she is saving vacation days for Italy. It wasn't as much fun w/o her, but I survived!

John Daly makes his 2010 debut in style.
Davis Love III hits from a bunker on #17
Sony captured some of the action with 3D cameras.
Sunset outside the media center. Tough office that week!
Daly gets his tropical look on.
Ryan Palmer gets the "W".
Trophy shot #1 in the books.

Monday after the Sony, I hiked Diamond head creater in Honolulu. It's a modified mule path that climbs up the inside of the volcanic crater.

The path starts out easy enough.Then you see this...
Then gets steeper and steeper and ends up at this staircase!
The view is worth the hike.

From Diamond Head it was around the island to the north shore.
The surf was up and warnings were all along the beach.
The famed Waimea Bay was cranking.
Guns loaded!
Timing is everything when paddling out.
Crowded lineup.
That might hurt.
Caught inside and going over the falls!
Celebrating a good ride.
Lunch at Shark Cove shrimp shack.
Surfboard art.

Back to Waikiki in time for the sunset.

Tuesday after Sony, I flew over to the Big Island for the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Last year, Beth and I were fortunate enough to stay at the Four Seasons which was pretty sweet. This year I was back up at Waikoloa village at the Hilton which we renamed the "Walkalotta" because it's a long hike to get to your room!

This is the lobby "terminal" where you get a boat or train to your room. Seriously!This is one of the boats that cruises around the resort.

The view from my room over the dolphin pool.

The lagoon off the main lobby.One of the many sculptures on the grounds.Curious Koi by the sushi restaurant.Or maybe just hungry!
At the tournament a new trophy was unveiled. I took it out to the 18th tee and shot it with my favorite tee marker on tour!Fred Couples made his Champions Tour debut and played great finishing second.While 2009 Champion Bernhard Langer struggled.Tom Watson got the win. Tom and his wife Hilary celebrate!

Best of 2009

2009-12-01T16:48:00.002-05:00

Each year PGATOUR.COM asks us to compile our "Top 10" photos of the year for the site's annual wrapup.
It's not easy going through thousands of frames to find the 10 best. I think I found some nice examples that cover the gamut of what I do. Click the image below to go the the gallery.

Bonaire Vacation!

2009-08-01T16:55:00.000-04:00

Only Two weeks after my knee surgery, Beth and I traveled to Bonaire for another dive vacation. It's been a couple of years since our last visit, and we were very excited to return. A week of "hydro-therapy" was just what I needed!
Arrival at Flamingo Airport.Our awesome condo "Den Laman"The view from the patio.

Ruins by the condo.
Our dive pier below the condo at Bari Reef.
Beth goes for a snorkel.
The Sand Dollar condos next door.
Fashion shoot at the Sand Dollar.
Curious local.
Who knew they liked duck!?
Our "dive boat" for the week!
All the dive site are marked with these yellow rocks.

"Duck dive".
Hungry turtle!
This angel was huge!
Beth poses by the old slave huts.
The Willemstoren lighthouse at the southern tip of the island

Salt piles waiting to be loaded on container ships for export.

Dinner?

Another great dive site in the Washington Slagbaai national park

The windward side of the island. No shore diving here!

What I did during my summer vacation.

2009-07-31T15:00:00.004-04:00

Here is a quick recap of my coast-to-coast motorcycle trip with my brother Don. We traveled from the Pacific to the Atlantic in just over two weeks. We traveled over 4400 miles and had a great time. As you might imagine, I took a few photos. I decided to post a few here, but there were so many great shots and some good stories to go with them that I've decided to create a new blog just for the trip. I'll narrate a bit more and show more of the places we visited.

Until then, here is a taste of our adventure.

July 3rd - Ocean Beach, CA. Lots of fog, but we had to record our start at the Pacific!

July 4th, Day 1 - Piedmont, CA to Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Tioga Pass in Yosemite.

Great spot for lunch.

Don enjoys the view.

Mono Lake.

Day one's destination, Mammoth Lakes.

Day 2 - Mammoth to Vegas.
Dropping into the desert.

Death Valley is just over the ridge to my right. We passed a sign for a town called "Mercury".
Think it was hot?

Day 2 ended with us in Vegas and $2.75 up. Who says
the house always wins!

Day 3 - Las Vegas to Grand Canyon.
I awoke to raisins and sheep.

Don with his old Peace Corps buddy Ron who hosted us in Las Vegas.

The Hoover dam.

Standing on a corner in Kingman Arizona... OK, not quite Winslow, but as close as we would get!

No caption needed.

Day three's destination, The Grand Canyon.

We took a walk on the south rim to watch the sunset.

Awe inspiring.

The campsite at Grand Canyon. (Yes, Don had his own tent out of the picture!)
This was home for two nights.

Day 5 - A quick ride through Monument Valley on the way to Mesa Verde Colorado

This flag looked so vivid against the blue sky.Don patiently waits as I shoot about 100 photos.

Our route took us by the "Four Corners" monument where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet.Obligatory tourist photo. "Look, I'm in 4 states at once!"

We set up camp in Mesa Verde then took a ride through the park.
Finally getting back to a little elevation.Some cliff dwellings. Looks comfy.

Day 6 was a short ride to Ouray, CO. This was the morning view from Mesa Verde.
It's hard to concentrate on riding when there is so much beautiful scenery to take in.

Ouray, CO, nestled in the "Alps of the United States".

I walked around Ouray while Don took a long hike. I wished I could have joined him,
but my bad knee was just not up to the challenge.

Day 7 - Ouray to Raton New Mexico.
We stopped for a quick photo at the Continental Divide.

We stopped for the night in Raton, NM. Nothing to see here.

Day 8 - Raton, NM to Sallisaw, OK.
Hottest day of the trip with a bank sign in reading 113 degrees in Seiling, Oklahoma. It was also the longest so far at over 500 miles. I didn't take a single picture that day.

Day 9 - Sallisaw, OK to Jasper, Arkansas.
Here is a cool little roadside bar at the AK/OK border. One door for each state!

We rode down to Hot Springs and walked around the city.
The old bath houses were a nice taste of histoy

Quick cleanup before lunch.
I wish it were COLD water. Too hot outside for a hot bath or shower.

The architecture of these old spas was really something.

After lunch, it was time to head north on route 7 and through the Ozark National Forest.
It turned out to be a really nice scenic ride.
As the shadows grew longer, we decided to stop in the small town of Jasper. Ever wonder what a $40 hotel room in Arkansas looks like? All kidding aside, the room was great and the people of Jasper were friendly and accommodating.

I haven't had a room key like this in years!

Day 10 - Jasper to Memphis, TN.
We got to Memphis with enough time to walk up to Sun Studio

The famous room where artists from Elvis to U2 have recorded.
It's still an active studio to this day!

Of course we ended the evening on Beale Street listening to some authentic blues.

Day 11 - Memphis to Maryville, TN.
You never know what you'll find on the back roads. This was a replica of the "General Lee" from the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show. Sadly, Daisy was nowhere to be found.

Day 12 - Maryville to Greeneville, TN.
We headed south toward the Smoky Mt. National Park and on the way decided to ride "The Dragon", route 129. It is a famous and very curvy stretch of road that lures riders from all over the country. We stopped at Deals Gap for a couple of photos and a cup of coffee.
This is the "Tree of Shame" where riders have built a sort of shrine out of motorcycle parts damaged or lost while crashing on the Dragon.
I want to know the story behind the Big Wheel up there!Day 13 - Johnson City, TN and arrival at the BMW MOA Rally.
We arrived at the fairgrounds after lunch and waited in line to register. It was pretty crowded, but the line moved along pretty well. Once we got on site, we rode around looking for a suitable camping space. Most of the good high ground was already packed, so we rode toward the edge of the fairgrounds and found a nice spot.
Don makes himself at home.

Looked like a record crowd showed up this year!

The view from my suite.Day 14 - Day trip to Virginia.
We woke in the morning to a thunderstorm, but it cleared out in time for breakfast and a day ride up to Virginia. Don wanted to find the "Carter Family Fold". Our GPS units, which had behaved pretty well during the trip, finally lost it... And us. Several times. They tried to take us down narrow dirt roads and kept getting confused. We stopped at a little roadside store for directions and found out we were close.
Don sits outside the store with a flyer advertising a show.

We found it! Pretty cool place.

This is the stage inside. They still have weekly concerts here. This was also the stage where Johnny Cash performed his last show before his death in 2003.We passed this old train car on the way to the Carter place.
I HAD to stop and get some shots. I could have photographed that thing all day!day 15 - Johnson City, TN to Jacksonville, FL.
Time for me to head home. Don would stay on the road a few more days and head to Jax on Wed. I rode a little over 500 miles and made it to the house before a big thunderstorm hit.
When Don arrived, we hopped on the bikes and rode down Beach Blvd to the Atlantic for the official "End of the journey" photo. Caryn met us down there and took some great shots.
Beth grabs a pic with Don's camera.

End of the road. We did it!

Where do we ride next?

Master bathroom remodel

2009-06-28T17:13:00.002-04:00

The last big remodeling job we have is the master bath. No better time to have it done than while I'm on my motorcycle trip!

We started the demolition and have picked out the tile, vanity, granite counter top and other fixtures. Here's the "before" look.Let the demolition begin!

Coast to coast on the Harley!

2009-06-15T16:52:00.001-04:00

I've been planning this trip for some time... Actually since I was a kid and my best friend Bill Neith helped get me hooked on Harley Davidson motorcycles. Easy Rider was the movie that started my desire to ride a motorcycle from coast to coast. Bill and I would talk about it all the time. That was a long time ago and most childhood fantasies never play out in adulthood. I was determined to make this trip happen. Definitely a "bucket list" item!
The freedom and adventure of the road has always fascinated me. I'm fortunate to travel a lot for work, but most of that is via airplane. You miss an awful lot from 35,000 feet up!

Now it seems the trip is finally a reality. My brother Don and I are doing it together and leaving July 3rd from CA and riding over 3500 miles to the east coast and hopefully seeing some great sights along the way. We'll be riding from San Francisco through Yosemite to Mammoth Lakes, down through Death Valley into Vegas, over to the Grand Canyon, over to Colorado and the Rockies, down to Santa Fe NM and over to Arkansas and Tennessee, then finally back to FL.

I packed up the bike for a test run with my luggage before shipping it to CA where I'll fly out and meet Don at his house. Packing is tough because we have to travel light but still be prepared for all kinds of weather. We also plan to camp along the way a few nights, so tents and sleeping bags are part of the package!After figuring out how everything fits on the bike it was time to drop it off at the freight warehouse to be trucked to the west coast.

Columbus Ohio and the Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Museum

2009-06-06T10:35:00.014-04:00

After a few years of missing this museum, I was determined to make it this time. I flew up to OH for the Memorial tournament on Wed.
This gave a me some time to visit since it's pretty near the airport.
Currently, they have a display called "Motostars" which includes motorcycles and other memorabilia from famous actors and musicians. The highlight of this for me was the display of Neil Peart's BMW R1100GS and his touring drumset from the Rush R30 tour. I'm a big fan of Neil's playing and his love of motorcycle travel. He has written several books about his travels (Ghost Rider, Traveling Music and Roadshow) and updates his website with lots of riding related stories www.neilpeart.net

Oh yeah, there were a lot of other bikes on display too. Below is a replica of the "Captain America" chopper from the movie "Easy Rider". Some vintage racing and touring bikes.

Wayne Rainey's Daytona Superbike.

A beautiful Arlen Ness custom.

An old Indian

A salt flats speed bike.

Some other fun displays.

Fuzion Golf at the TOUR Academy

2009-06-02T16:06:00.004-04:00

The PGA TOUR Academy at Sawgrass is now offering Fuzion Golf.

It's a hi-tech clubfitting lab that uses video and computer and computer animation to analyze your swing and putting stroke.

Caryn and I shot the lab for their marketing collateral. Caryn stands in for a light test.The final edit. Jim did a great Job photoshopping the graphics into the monitors.Then the putting lab. Amber jumps in with Caryn for another light check.Travis works with Kenyatta in the final image.

A1A Studios

2009-05-28T11:08:00.005-04:00

I stopped by the new A1A studios in Jax Beach to shoot some photos for their website. It's a brand new facility and the guys did a great job building it out. Can't wait to get Dial-9 in there!

Here is the main room:The control room and board:The lounge/reception area:Practice room 1:Practice room 2:And a shower for those really long sessions!

TOUR Academy shoot

2009-05-18T16:41:00.003-04:00

I had to shoot some TOUR Academy instructionals for PGA TOUR Partners magazine. Caryn came along to assist and blog the proceedings.

Travis chips on the 16th green.After the Partners shoot, I set up some golf balls on the range for something our design staff needed.Caryn was worn out from all that reflector holding!

National Golf day Washington D.C.

2009-05-13T16:46:00.007-04:00

I made a quick trip to Washington D.C for National Golf Day. As there were a couple of events that I needed to cover, I had some down time. There was a congressional breakfast and a press conference, both the next day. I got in to D.C. early enough so
I checked into the hotel and took a walk down to the mall.

My swanky digs in Georgetown.

Check out these bathrobes! I dropped my bag at the hotel and walked down past the White House.Always some interesting characters around!I walked down the the Washinton Monument.And then over by the Jefferson Memorial.I came back by the WWII Memorial which I hadn't yet seen. Beautiful job.Lots of tributes from families of fallen soldiers.I then walked up by the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. Spring had sprung and lots of baby ducklings wandered around.There were lots of people milling around the Lincoln Memorial making it hard to get clean photos. The light in that place is so pretty, and the statue has such a powerful presence.From there it was back past the Vietnam War Memorial and back to the hotel.The next morning it was off to Capitol Hill and the breakfast.Then a quick Presidents Cup Press Conference at the National Press club with the Commissioner, Fred Couples and Greg Norman. After that, a cab to the airport and home!

09 PLAYERS

2009-05-11T16:45:00.010-04:00

2009 PLAYERS... What a week! Monday was the first annual Nationwide Tour reunion and cookout. They brought in the "Big Truck" and fired up the grill. A bunch of former Nationwide players dropped by to catch up old with friends.Jerry Kelly adds his signature to the banner in the truck.We had a lot of requests as usual. Here is our shot chart for the week!Early in the week we gathered images of tournament preparation.

Caddies gather early near the clubhouse and wait for their pros.A bag of balls on the back range.
Tuesday evening was the player family party at the Ponte Vedra Surf Club. It was a circus theme and even had a performing dog show. Caryn was totally jealous!Climbing a ladder.This dog had a monkey on its back. Maybe too many years in showbiz?Wednesday is the annual caddie contest at #17. Players donate to the Bruce Edwards charity fund and then their caddies take a shot at the island green.Wednesday was also military day and concluded with a tribute to President George Bush (#41). I had a birds-eye view in a TV tower behind the 18th green. Thursday finally arrived and we got to photograph some golf! This is a photoshopped image from the 6th tee, one of my favorite spots.Friday evening was the media party and pig-roast. They had the full pig on a spit. I called Caryn in the media center and told her how "blog-worthy" it looked. She came right out.
I wanted to try a new remote location this year at the foot of the trophy presentation stage. Caryn grabs a shot of me and Stan as I'm rigging it up.Fans gather at the first tee for the final groups on Sunday.You never know who you'll see at the PLAYERS! Beth hangs with Lisa, Evan and Andrea as they taunt me with cold beer.#15 is another of my favorite tee boxes. Henrik Stenson tees off with the lead.
A remote shot at the 18th green as Henrik Stenson wins the 2009 PLAYERS.Rick Dole gets a shot of me waiting for the trophy ceremony.
I usually shoot from the side for a different angle.Halleran looks relieves that it's over. The remote I put on the stage worked out pretty well for the trophy handoff.Sergio congratulates Henrik on the victory.Rick Dole shoots the final trophy shot from the roof as Caryn gives direction.

Pre-PLAYERS shoot

2009-04-30T15:27:00.003-04:00

We are always looking for ways to get good hospitality photos for our marketing dept. It's tough to get good people shots during a tournament, so we set up a few shots at the 17th hole chalet before PLAYERS began. Our designers would Photoshop a crowd in later.Cast group photo.Amber and Caryn find some disgusting bird poop on the railing!Then pose as though it never happened!Anna came to assist since Caryn was supervising and blogging. I ended up using her in the "gallery" too. Thanks!

Savannah and LMLOG

2009-04-27T16:45:00.007-04:00

The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf is one of my favorite tournaments. It's a team competition and different than the regular stroke-play events we have week-to-week.

Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman won in exciting fashion! Golfworld ran this as a spread.

One of my favorite trophies.

A few locals checked out the action.It's a fun week because the players (No pun intended) are really fan-friendly and interact a lot with the galleries.Wynona Judd performed at the Pro-Am awards dinner. She put on a great show and her backing band was great.A side stage view of her teleprompter which displayed song lyrics.The bridge to Hutchinson island is a major landmark to the people of Savannah.Volunteers work the summary board on #18.I set up a remote on the 18th green TV tower. JR supervises and makes sure that he gets my cameras if I fall!The final result.To the victors go the spoils. Congrats Tom and Berhnhard!

Relay for Life

2009-04-18T16:49:00.004-04:00

Beth volunteered to be on the committee of the 2009 "Relay For Life" in Neptune beach. It's a 24 hour walk to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society. We spent most of the day manning the advocacy booth.
The walkers had a nice gallery of spectators.Jimmy Gilbert and Debbie Carpenter make things happen!I saw someone feeding seagulls and had to get a few shots.
Later in the afternoon was the annual "Miss Relay For Life" pageant. Yep, they're guys!Lucky Stiff performs on a very cool portable stage!

West Coast & Stonebrae Classic

2009-04-06T16:44:00.007-04:00

A fun west coast trip for a new Nationwide event, The Stonebrae Classic. The course is pretty close to my brother Don's house, so I set up camp with he and Vivian for the week. I also commandeered Don's BMW 1200RT for a few days. What a nice ride! Best media parking ever!The Big Truck is the "Mothership" of the Nationwide Tour and ops base for every event.The golf course is at the top of a mountain and
very scenic. (But a long hike!)Nationwide Tour CEO Bill Calfee manned the grill during the Pro-Am and cooked his famous pork chop sandwiches. Yum!Thursday brought the fog and a cold wind to the mountain top. Many players were wearing gloves, rainsuits and wool hats.The sun eventually came back out and it was a beautiful weekend.Sunday I got a rare treat, a chance to ride in a zeppelin airship! It's run by Airship Ventures
and is based in the bay area. It usually flies tours over downtown SanFrancisco but we got a special tour over the TPC Stonebrae.
After being driven to a field at the Oakland airport, we wait for the airship to pick us up.
It's larger than a 747 and has seating for 12 plus flight crew.Pretty modern cockpit!A great view of the Oakland sports complex.There was a great panoramic window in the rear to shoot from. Looking back at Oakland.Here's a view of the course. What a fun flight!

Bay Hill

2009-03-30T16:42:00.007-04:00

Another exciting finish at The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill! Tiger wins with a big birdie at the 18th hole. It was almost completely dark and I opted to crank up the iso on the Nikon D3 and take my chances. It's a little noisy, but I fared better than a lot of other shooters. Got a Nike ad out of the sequence!Here's the full frame:Even this scoring volunteer had to watch the drama unfold.

New Dial-9 photo... Again

2009-03-23T10:25:00.000-04:00

We finally got everyone together for a new group photo. Thanks to Beth and Christy for shooting and art-directing and thanks to Andrea for making sure little Greyson didn't run off the bridge!It wouldn't be any fun without some outtakes...

Dirty Gringos at Landshark Cafe

2009-03-21T15:07:00.005-04:00

We caught our friends the Dirty Gringos at the Landshark in Jax Beach. I brought the Nikon D3 to test it out in low light. I shot everything at 6400 iso and it looked great. Oh, and we had a lot of fun too!

New Dial-9 photo

2009-03-20T14:59:00.001-04:00

I was playing around with some Dial-9 photos for our new promo kit. Thanks to Alan Smith for the great shots!

West Palm

2009-03-05T13:44:00.005-05:00

I drove to West Palm the week of the Honda Classic to shoot some fun stuff.
First was the TOUR Wives Charity Golf tournament. The wives played golf and the players caddied for them. It was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time.
Jeff Maggert and Brad Faxon watch the ladies warm up.
Jonathan Byrd dutifully marks golf balls for his wife
It just not South Florida without seeing Cranes and Byrds at play!
OK, bad pun... SorryThis group did a little wardrobe planning, no?
Best dressed, and "Most Honest".
At about 1 AM I was awakened by the most loudest, most obnoxious noise which had me peeling myself off the ceiling! Fire alarm... Great.
The WPFD showed up to check things out and then cleared us to go back to sleep. yeah right!My next assignment was to shoot a portrait of TOUR Rules Official Brad Fabel.
Brad is known for an incident at THE PLAYERS Championship in 1998 when a seagull picked his ball off the 17th green and then flew off dropping the ball in the water.
Here is the first portrait.I thought the shot was lacking something...My final assignment was to photograph Camilo Villegas. The scheduling was tricky and I finally got him for about 5 minutes after his pro-am round and press conference. I got about 20 frames and fortunately they looked pretty good.

The Big Island of Hawaii

2009-01-27T16:17:00.000-05:00

Tuesday after Sony, we flew over to the Big Island so I could cover the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. This is by far my favorite event of the year. It's a limited field event and it's held at one of the most beautiful resorts in the islands.
This year was to be the best yet, because we were able to stay at the Four Seasons. This made my life much easier because I could work from the room and we were near all the events I had to shoot.
When we checked in, we were taken to our room... Just off the 18th green!I could throw a golf ball to the green from here.Very comfy.We caught up with our friends Michelle and Chad.And enjoyed a gorgeous sunset from the clubhouse .Beth and Lisa up to no good...Wednesday was the first of two Pro-Ams, and I hit the course to gather some frames.
Gary Player was entertaining a group of Japanese photographers with his Sumo wrestler impression.The Mitsubishi logo looked great against the blue sky and green grass.
Bernhard Langer did an interview with the Golf Channel... Love that shirt!The 17th hole has a great lava/shell sign by the ocean.
Lisa and Aaron relax after a long day... Lisa relaxed so hard, she almost fell out of her chair!Another beautiful sunset with my beautiful wife!Aaron plays with his food... This is the money you could save with Maui Jim!What a good-looking group!Nope, no one had any fun...
Oh yeah, there was a golf tournament too. The course is built on an old lava field.Tom Kite hits on the 17th hole while his caddie Sandy Jones looks onBernhard Langer wears an other great shirt.
On his way to the win!Hawaiian dancers entertain at the trophy ceremony. It was a nice way to end our trip.

Diving the U.S.S. Scrimmage

2009-01-20T14:52:00.000-05:00

How do I start this one?... In a pretty strange coincidence, I found one of the Navy ships my dad served aboard. My father was a lieutenant commander during WWII, and was the captain of several Admirable class minesweepers. I was never sure what happened to the three ships he commanded; the U.S.S. Admirable, the U.S.S. Lance and the U.S.S. Scrimmage.
I received an email last year from Ray Boland, a marine biologist who works for N.O.A.A. in Hawaii who said he knew where one of my dad's ships was. He found me through my earlier blog entry about visiting the U.S.S. Hazard minesweeper in Omaha. He told me about an artificial reef off Oahu called the "Mahi" that used to be a Navy minesweeper and it was the Scrimmage. It is a diveable wreck and Ray offered to take us for a visit. We went on Monday after the Sony and were joined by Ray's colleague Hans Van Tilburg who is a maritime heritage coordinator and very knowledegeable of the wreck.
It was a great dive even though the visibility was poor. The wreck is starting to deteriorate and it's not safe to penetrate, but it was still awesome to swim over the decks my dad once walked wearing the mantle of command.

Here is a dive card of the wreck in it's current stateOur dive boat waits at the dock.
Looking back at Oahu.Beth and Ray chat on the way out.Ray gets a shot of me on the deck of the Scrimmage.And over the wheelhouse.Beth swims over the bow.Hans gets a shot of growth on the hull.Ray near the mast.I thought I'd add a few shots from my dad's collection for perspective...
Lieutenant Commander Richard C. CondonThe captain at work.The U.S.S. Admirable - AM 136

Sony Open

2009-01-19T13:29:00.000-05:00

My first tournament of the year was the Sony Open in Hawaii. I arrived in Honolulu after a 10-hour flight from Atlanta and got settled in my room in Waikiki. Beth joined me later in the week.
The view from my room at the end of Waikiki beach.
I walked downstairs to enjoy the sunset at the beach.
The next morning, it was time for work. The sun rises over the course at Waialae at the early groups head out.
After the first round, I met up with our friends Lisa and Brooke who work for Maui Jim Sunglasses. We had dinner with Brooke's parents and Sam Greenwood who was working the tournament for Getty.The girls ordered "Sliders" (Mini cheeseburgers) and apparently they were pretty good.
Friday brought high winds and rain. The job is great, but days like this are a challenge.
Rich Lerner of the Golf Channel does a live spot in a squall outside the clubhouse.
Boo Weekley tries to find some shelter behind his umbrella.
Saturday brought back the sun and a great round from local favorite Tadd Fujikawa. Tadd is 18 years old and still in high school. He shot a 8-under 62 to tie the course record. He had a large gallery and seemed to really enjoy the spotlight.I also took advantage of my new iphone and took a few shots. I used the app "Camera Bag" to do some funky conversions.On Sunday, Tadd and the rest of the field faded and former Masters champion Zach Johnson took the Sony Open title.

"Best Of"

2008-12-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

This year pgatour.com asked me, Stan and Caryn for our 10-best photos from the year for a feature over the holidays. We had to pick the shots, then write a short narrative about each photo. You can see all of the photos and text HERE

Christmas in Orlando

2008-12-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

Christmas is all about the kids, right? We trekked down to Orlando to spend the holiday with the Wiltse's.

Luke is a fast-moving target!

I finally corral him!Luke turns the table on me!Chloe bonds with "Aunt Beth".Christmas eve is all about "some assembly required"!Chloe gets right into the "opening presents" part!Dad is great!Before we left, we got an encore of Halloween. It's just too cute!

Christmas card 2008

2008-12-20T22:33:00.000-05:00

Shelby poses once again for our Christmas card.

Jim & Brooke come to visit.

2008-12-19T21:56:00.000-05:00

Jim and Brooke drove up from Daytona for the Jaguars/Colts game.

First stop... Bud Zone!Jim's a big Dolphins fan, but he had to represent the home team!

We scalped four tix from a player's family member. Pretty decent view!Football and my wife... two great things that go great together!

We took a ride to the beach the next morning and took some fun photos.

Beth had to work, so I posed solo.

Palm Springs

2008-12-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

Beth and I traveled to Palm Springs for Q-School finals over Thanksgiving weekend.

It was her first trip to the desert and I thought she would enjoy the stark landscape.

We stayed at the LaQuinta Resort which is a great historic getaway where many Hollywood stars would come to unwind and escape L.A.

Our "casita"

We took a day trip to Joshua Tree park to do some hiking and rock climbing.We ran into Beth's absolute FAVORITE critter. He was sitting in the road entering the park.

The rocks have a sandpaper-like texture which makes scrambling up a breeze.

I finally caught up to her!

The next adventure was a trip up the Palm Springs Tramway.
It's a 2.5 mile ride up the mountain from the desert floor.

It was chilly and there was a good bit of snow up top.

Looking down on Palm Springs.

Beth enjoys the view.

A taste of winter.

On our last day, we went horseback riding in the desert. A nice contrast to the snowy mountain!

Our guide brings out the transportation.

He led us on a great 2-hour ride.

It ain't a Harley, but it'll get you from here to there!

Nationwide Tour Championship in Dallas

2008-11-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

The Nationwide Tour Championship was in McKinney, TX just north of Dallas. I had to travel on my birthday, but fortunately got to hook up with my buddy Chris Burks who took me out for an evening of music and fun. We had a nice dinner and went to a club he's played a few times to check out some local cover/tribute bands.

Then the work began. I helped Stan cover the weekend at the course and coordinate the big closing ceremony where the top-25 players receive their PGA TOUR card for 2009.

The 25 TOUR cards wait on the first tee as incentive.
Matt Bettencourt wins the tournament
The top-25 finishers pose with their PGA TOUR membership cards.On Saturday the tournament had the local band "Blue Condition" perform on the clubhouse deck. They were really good and the light got really nice toward sunset.
I had some fun with "detail shots".Last light.

Rainy Sonoma

2008-11-05T18:19:00.000-05:00

The Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma is usually one of the highlights of my season. I get to visit my brother in Berkeley and spend a week in wine country. This year was an exception. Beth was unable to make the trip, and it turns out that she was lucky she didn't. It rained cats & dogs from Thurs-Sunday. It was pretty miserable... Nothing stayed dry and we got completely rained out on Sat. We were lucky to finish on Sunday!

The range balls were drowning
Caddies dry out clubs and bags in the cart barn.
Nick Price walks off the second tee in a downpour.

Even the tournament trophy was barely above water!

The Wedding!

2008-10-18T16:04:00.003-04:00

We spent the weekend in Philadelphia to attend Pam and Mark's wedding. The air was crisp and cool. Perfect October weather!
Its the day all little girls dream about! Pam arrives for the big event.

Fidgety kids are great!

The ring-bearer makes a run for it!

Classy (b)ride! The car looks good too.

Formal photo time!

The cake had no chance.

The media frenzy.

Take her for a spin.

...And they lived happily ever after!

Philly

2008-10-17T15:34:00.001-04:00

Beth and I flew up to Philly for my childhood friend Pam's wedding. We got an early start and saw a beautiful sunrise on the way up north.

We had some time to kill, so we drove through Valley Forge for a bit of history.

The National Memorial Arch.

Statue of General Anthony Wayne

George Washington's headquarters.

The Washington Memorial Chapel.

The bell tower at the Chapel.

Lots of old bronze plaques in the lobby of the tower.

We met the happy couple for dinner and finally met Mark.
And showed them how five good years together can look!

Shoot at Jackie's salon

2008-10-12T13:46:00.002-04:00

Beth's long-time friend Jackie asked me to take a few photos for her to submit to an "idea book" publisher for possible use in an upcoming release.
We photographed several of the girls with different hairstyles. I converted a few to B&W for fun.

The two looks of Tera

Joo shows off some bling.Beth gets in the mix too.Then Jackie tells me she needs a guy as well. Guess who the only guy in the building was?

5th Anniversary!

2008-10-11T15:31:00.002-04:00

Five years, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

My favorite wedding photo. Note the bagpiper!

TOUR Championship in Atlanta

2008-09-29T16:58:00.003-04:00

The Playoff finale for the FedExCup! It's a long week of assignments, but there are only 30 guys left in the field, so the golf is fairly easy to cover. Oh yeah, then we had a playoff!

Tuesday night was the Payne Stewart award ceremony. The ballroom looked great, and they even had "live statues" on display. It was funny to see peoples' reaction when they realized the bronze guys were alive!

Davis Love III was the 2008 recipient. A class guy all-around and deserving of the honor.

Several players took part in a panel discussion on Wednesday before the VIP outing. There was just a bit of ribbing going on.

A view of the clubhouse.

On Thursday morning Mr. Errie Ball hit the ceremonial tee shot. At 96 years old, he is the only surviving golfer who played in the inaugural Masters Tournament in 1934.

He striped it right down the middle of the fairway!The FedExCup and tournament trophy were displayed on the first tee.

Caryn gets me in "stealth mode" as Casey Jones watches with mild amusement.

Two can play that game. Right back atcha!

Anthony Kim tones down his belt buckle from the red, white & blue number he wore at the Ryder Cup.

Camilo Villegas obliges me with a great "spiderman pose" with a clean background. It was good karma, he went on to win the tournament.

The club on top of the trophy has never stayed in place. The commissioner tries unsuccessfully to re-install it!

Camilo won the tournament, but Vijay locked up the FedExCup by just showing up and playing all four rounds. If Villegas had not missed the cut at Barclays, he could have been holding both pieces of hardware!

Camping trip to Ginnie Springs!

2008-09-15T11:46:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've been camping! 6 years at least.

Ramsey called me on Friday and said a group was heading down to Ginnie Springs (Near Gainesville) for the weekend and asked if we wanted to go. The timing was perfect since we only had a few chores to do around the house.
Summer is terrible for camping in FL because of the heat, but it was beginning to cool off and we had the 72-degree water of the springs nearby too help us stay cool. I climbed into the attic to dig out the camping gear and make sure it hadn't disintegrated! I pulled out the tent in the living room to make sure i remembered how to put it together.

Bailey was amused by my expletive-ridden battle with the tent!The "compound"Room with a view!It's hard to be stressed out here!
Down the river we go!Ramsey digs in to the "lifeboat"And then dives in for a swim.Flamethrowers... The new barbeque starter!The spring at night... Peaceful and pretty.Morning portrait... Need coffee!Beth in full "chill".

New patio!

2008-09-10T11:35:00.002-04:00

We've been planning to install a new paver patio in the back since we finished renovating the porch into a bonus room. All we had was a small concrete slab which was too small for anything but a grill and a couple of chairs.

Before...
The sand is delivered...
It looked like the house was on fire when they were cutting the pavers!
A small crew cranked it out.They finished it in one day!"After photos" to follow. The spa install is next!

We found this little guy in the window.Frog art!

Dial-9 debut at Wild Wing Cafe.

2008-09-06T11:08:00.001-04:00

After a good bit of lobbying and word-of-mouth, we finally got our first show booked at the new Wild Wing Cafe on the Southside. It's a great new venue with a big stage and in-house PA & lights. It's a great gig for me since all I need to do is bring my drums!
We had a good show and were asked back before we finished the evening. Looks like we'll be playing there pretty regularly in the future.

Shannon gets some face time on camera.
And he doesn't drink on stage... No really, he doesn't!
Once Evan got his guitar rig working, we had a great show!

Pebble Beach

2008-08-31T14:41:00.005-04:00

Covering the First Tee Open at Pebble beach... Summertime in Monterey is supposed to be beautiful. It looked good when I arrived, then the fog moved in.

Then it got so thick, play was suspended for the day.Saturday, it began to clear and you could see the beauty of the Monterey peninsula.Looking down the 10th hole to CarmelHoliday weekend at the beach

A local enjoys the rough.

Speaking of wildlife... Bill Murray entertains the crowd.

Even the volunteers are characters here!

West coast ride

2008-08-27T15:16:00.000-04:00

I flew straight to CA from NJ and spent a couple of days with my brother Don and his family. He recently bought a BMW 1200RT and has been having a great time with it. I rented a Harley (Road King for those who care about the model details) for a day and we went for a great ride. My niece Brenna rode with me and did a fantastic job even though it was her first time on a motorcycle. Maybe we passed the motorcycle bug to the next generation of Condon!

We rode from Berkeley up to Petaluma (Wrong turn somewhere!), and back across to Point Reyes and the lighthouse. From there we crossed Mt Tam via a VERY twisty pass and headed for home. It was hard to return the bike knowing I was headed to Monterey in a rental car for the week!

Maggie is very interested in Brenna's breakfast
Brenna and Don
Me and Brenna (Hey J.S., does that helmet look familiar?)On the way to Point Reyes.Can we import some of these roads to FL?That's a happy guy!The path to the lighthouse was closed... Perhaps it was a good thing!Don enjoys the view.
I saw this wreck on the way up and decided we had to stop and get some pics on the way home.I could have spent a while here!This one's for you Caryn!Don getting impatient to get back on the road .Brenna and I check out the days photos.

Playoffs!

2008-08-25T15:04:00.000-04:00

The 08 PGA TOUR season is nearing the end. The first playoff event is the Barclays. This year it was held at the Ridgewood CC in New Jersey.
Vijay Singh held off Sergio Garcia and Kevin Sutherland in a 2-hole playoff to take the win.

The practice putting green and clubhouse.It's not often you see blimps in a dogfight. (Feel free to make your own Snoopy joke)Big galleries and a great course.

Are you ready for some football?

2008-08-10T14:43:00.001-04:00

It's been a few years since I've covered any NFL games, so I really enjoyed the chance to get back on the sidelines. It was the first pre-season game, so there wasn't too much intensity. I just enjoyed the chance to shoot something other than golf!

Jaxson DeVille leads the team onto the field.Gotta love the flyover!Coach Del Rio gives some last-minute encouragement.Oh yeah... Cheerleaders. Why don't we have them on the TOUR?THE PLAYERS getting some love.Matt Jones makes a grab in the first quarterMojo runnin'!Garrard breaks free for a long gainAnd then takes it in for the TD!Paul Spicer winds up the crowd.

Dial-9 at Fionn MacCool's

2008-07-29T20:29:00.002-04:00

Another great weekend playing one of my favorite venues. Fionn MacCool's Irish pub is a small club at the beach with an awesome crowd. I'm always amazed at how many people cram into this place to party and dance with the band. It was about 100 degrees upstairs where the stage is, but man it was fun! Thanks to Ramsey's wife Christy for the great pics!

Focus!Backing up my man EvanRamsey in the pocket

New singer Shannon fitting right in.

Owning the room.

Road trip to West Virginia

2008-07-17T15:41:00.012-04:00

I decided to avoid the overcrowded summer airways and ride the Harley to West Virginia for the Nationwide Tour Players Cup. I shipped my cameras ahead and made my way north. I spent Tuesday night with my buddy Chick in Charlotte then spent Wednesday taking the long way to Bridgeport on some great back roads. It was a great ride and I saw some really nice sights.

Bluestone lake in Hinton West Virginia.

Bluestone dam.
A Time-lapse video of some of the ride.

The New River Gorge Bridge is the highest bridge in North America at 876 feet from the ground.Time to go to work!The Pete Dye Golf Club is set in the hills and very scenic.The 13th green wraps around a pond.The course was built in 1994 on an old coal strip mine and still has a couple of mine shafts on the property. This one is used as a cart path from the tournament 15th green to 16th tee. You can still access the main shaft from the cart path and it goes deep into the hills.I opted not to explore the flooded tunnels!We had some bad weather on Sunday and a sudden downpour stopped play when it flooded the greens. Rick Price won the tournament and spent some time signing flags for the tournament.After doing his interviews and visiting the volunteer party, Rick signed "Jaws 8" in the operations truck."Jaws" is the nickname for the cooler that lives in the big Nationwide truck. Each week, the tournament champion stops by to sign his name. It's got quite a collection so far !Another cool feature of the ops truck is the collection of flags signed by former Nationwide members who have gone on to win PGA TOUR events. These guys ARE good!

I also spent an early evening exploring the old "Weston State Hospital"
which is also called the "Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum"
I love old spooky places, and this one pretty much tops my list so far. It's about 20 minutes from Bridgeport and I had to run down and check it out.
Weston State hospital operated until the early 1990's when it could no longer be kept up to code. A new hospital was built and this property was eventually auctioned off to a private investor.
I could spend days photographing this place. I will definitely make a return trip .Construction began in the 1850's and it was finally completed after the civil war in 1881.
The main building is a Gothic-Revival, Tudor design using the "Kirkbride Plan".
Even the lobby was creepy. How many people came through these doors and never left?Looking down one of the wings.Your room is ready Mr. Condon!The "facilities".An old steam radiator has seen better days. The hospital was at one time completely self-sufficient with it's own coal mine, farm, dairy, waterworks and cemetery on, get this, its 666 acres! I'm not kidding.This wing was part of the original civil war era building.Lead paint perhaps?An old nurses station. At its peak Weston housed about 2400 patients and only had about 300 staff to care for them. An isolation room for the violent/dangerous patients.No one knows what this room was used for. The brace in the wall was very secure and capable of holding heavy weights. The double-bars on the windows make you wonder...The woodwork was all mahogany and still in good shape.This building was the Tuberculosis ward. It wasn't accessible to go inside, but I can imagine t has some stories to tell.
One last photo before the ride back to Bridgeport. It was gettig dark and the sky was looking ominous. Yep, time to go.

July 4th Marathon!

2008-07-04T11:39:00.007-04:00

We were invited for waffles at Caryn's house. Rob and Anna stopped in to join us for the feast.

Rob was intently working on his waffle design.The overhead viewCaryn captures me at work.So I return the favor...Shelby looks on with an eye on all the food.After brunch, we walked over to Anna & Tyler's house to play with her pup Hank. She offered refreshments and happened to have Beth's favorite! Another cool labelDidn't try this one!Caryn couldn't decide which flavor, so she went with both!

We went out into the back yard where Shelby showed Hank the joys of diving into a cool pond.

They lived up to their breeding by retrieving balls all afternoon.The hard part was getting the balls back. I had to go in after them. Didn't spill a drop of my bloody mary!Shelby once again fell victim to her pedigree and attempted to catch a duck for us. The duck was never in any danger, trust me! One tired pup!Later in the evening, Caryn made some awesome appetizers and we planned to cook some steaks on the grill. There was no way we would eat all that food, so we decided to save the steaks for the next day.Hank helps with the dishesPart 2 was steak the next day!We set up the Canon G9 to record a time-lapse movie of the carnage!

Boston... I mean "Baahston"!

2008-06-24T22:00:00.009-04:00

I love the northeast this time of year. The evenings are still cool and the days are warm. There is always comfort under a shady tree or in a cool breeze!

I'm in Boston working with golf icon Gary Player. I get to follow him over three days and not have to worry about anything other than making good photos of the "Black Knight". Of course, he wore white two of the three days!Saturday after play I decided to head downtown. I was in Concord, so it was fairly easy to get into the city. We don't have much mass transit in Jax, so I decided to brave the "T" which is the subway in Boston. There was a station not too far from my hotel and I headed underground.Since the station was the "end of the line" and it was a weekend, it was pretty quiet on the platform. Plenty of seats!A few more people piled on, but we soon found out that due to bridge construction we would have to get off the train at M.I.T. and head up to city buses which would then take us across the river to the Park St. Station where we would walk back underground to pick up the train again to our final stops... Great! So much for the "convenience" of mass transit, or in this case, Mass. transit. Sorry, bad pun.

Once I got downtown, I walked around the Faneuil Hall area and walked toward the north end. The statue of Samuel Adams made for a cool silhouette.I saw several wedding photographers working in the area. I can't imagine shooting a couple with so many people walking into the frame!I walked down to the waterfront to enjoy the atmosphere and the pretty light.Dinner at Joe's, then back to the "T" to find my way back to Concord.

Ride to the Smokies.

2008-06-17T21:58:00.004-04:00

Ouch! What the hell was that?! Something hit my left hand… Hard! I pulled it back from the handlebar to see if I was bleeding. I wasn’t but the dragonfly that flew into our path was pretty much vaporized. Man, there are a lot of big bugs around here!

Beth, Bryce and I were riding our motorcycles through rural Georgia on our way to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. This was a quick four-day trip with a day for travel each way and a couple of days for riding around and exploring the mountains.
We met up with Bryce just over the Dames Point Bridge and headed north. It took us about ten hours from Jax to our cabin just outside of Sylva, NC. We stopped for breakfast in Waycross (Shoney’s, what else?) and took US-1 and 441 all the way up.
We traveled through the small towns of Alma, Hazelhurst, Dublin, Milledgeville, Commerce and Clayton, GA. Most were your average small towns with a few strip malls and a selection of fine dining establishments like Stuckeys, Dairy Queen, Waffle House, Huddle House and Denny’s. I pass through towns like that and have to wonder what it’s like to live there your entire life and never leave. Marathon indeed!Somewhere around Eatonton we saw a big black cloud ahead and it started to sprinkle. We quickly pulled over and donned our rain suits. Another Harley rider pulled up next to us and put on a light windbreaker and put a bandana around his face. He took off before we finished, but I had to wonder if he’d drown himself with a soaking wet bandana covering his face!
The storm was pretty intense and the rain was really heavy for a bit. My face shield was fogging up and water was running down the back of my neck giving me chills even though the temperature was quite warm. I wasn’t worried about riding in the rain. I was (as always) concerned about other drivers being even less aware of us than usual. Fortunately we rode through the heaviest part of the storm pretty quickly. The rest of the ride was just wet. We had to be alert as we crossed the border and climbed into the hills. Slick roads and motorcycles don’t often mix well!
We arrived at Mountain Brook Cottages (www.mountainbrook.com) sooner than we expected, and got settled in our cabin. Since we skipped lunch, we needed a good dinner. We passed a Mexican restaurant on our way in, and the innkeeper said it was a good choice. We enjoyed a hot meal and stopped by a grocery store to get coffee and a few other supplies (beer) for our stay.
Sunday dawned hazy, but the sun was beginning to warm the tops of the tall oak and Maple trees and soon it was a beautiful June morning. We warmed up the bikes and hit the road.We struck out with no particular destination (Well, breakfast first). One of the housekeeping staff recommended a place just as you get into “Deelsburra” which I quickly interpreted as Dillsboro. She couldn’t remember the name, but she likes the food. It was a Huddle House. We bypassed the Huddle House in search of a little more “local” flavor and found a great café serving a Sunday brunch buffet for about $7. Sold!
After breakfast, we walked around the main drag of Dillsboro and checked out the “Smoky Mountain Railroad” attraction. We decided to skip the $45 train ride and hop on the bikes.
There were some cool old signs on a few of the buildings... I wonder how old this is? The destination of the day was to be the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
On the way, we passed through the town of Cherokee which seemed to be one big Indian-themed tourist trap. Glad we didn’t stay there!
Once we got to the park, we pulled into the visitor center and immediately saw a large Honda Gold Wing touring bike laying on its side with helmets spread out on the ground. Not good! It turns out that the bike was hit by a motorist backing out of an adjacent spot The car took off and the bike owner was left with a damaged bike and a ruined trip. It’s times like this I hope that karma exists and that driver will get their payback soon!
The highest peak in the park is called “Clingmans Dome” and was a nice ride up the mountain. Beth took some nice shots over my shoulder on the way up. The parking area at the top was a beautiful vista looking over the many peaks of the Smokies. We took some photos and then followed the trail to the observation platform at the top. It was a good uphill hike and with the thin air, a lot of people struggled to walk all the way without a break.The view was worth the walk. The observation deck was a circular structure with a winding ramp to the top. Just over 6600 feet above Jacksonville Beach!The clouds came UP to us!On the way down we met a nice couple (Charles and Ginger) and their dog Johannes, who was decked out with his own portable shade tree!After the hike, we rode back down the winding mountain road and stopped at another scenic overlook. We saw an interesting vehicle pull in and we walked over to check it out. It was an enclosed trike made by Thoroughbred Motorsports. It has a 4 cyl. Ford Ranger engine and also heat and AC! It was intriguing, but for over $30 grand, no thanks!After a long day of riding we got back to the cabin and decided to cook out on the grill. We went to the store to get steaks and sides. I also bought some gel inserts for my boots. I haven't done much hiking in them and they definitely needed a bit of cushion! As I put the gels in the boots, I noticed the great detail in the branding.Bryce and I talked earlier about wanting a little “sippin” whiskey for after dinner on the porch. Unfortunately, there were no liquor stores open on Sunday. Our hostess Maqelle came through big time with a bit of homemade “recipe”. Wow, that stuff had the kick of a mule! We talked Maqelle into staying for dinner since we had plenty of food. We got a great history of the area and made a new friend.
Monday was a bit foggy in the morning… Not the weather, our heads! Ok, not really, but we were a bit slow getting out the door.
Today’s destination was Deal’s Gap and the “Dragons Tail”.
We really enjoyed the ride over to Deal's Gap as it was just as mountainous and much less crowded. We stopped for a few photos and Beth found a new bathing suit!The Dragon is a stretch of road that contains 318 turns in 11 miles! It straddles NC and TN and hosts visitors from all over the world. People bring all kinds of motorcycles, cars, trucks and anything else on wheels. It gets pretty crowded and the mix of sportbikes and slower vehicles makes for some nerve-wracking riding. There were several photographers who set up along the road and photograph everyone as they ride through. Here are a couple of pics from www.killboy.com. A group of riders take a break at one end of the Dragon before heading back up.Bryce watches the action on the road.
We spent the whole day on the road, and were ready for some dinner and a good night’s sleep before heading home the next morning. Maqelle was sweet enough to cook dinner for us and we had a great evening sitting on the porch of her old house on the Mountain Brook property. The moon was beautiful as it rose into the evening sky. We also met her cat "Sissy" who had a "different" haircut... Cute!We hit the road early on Tuesday and stopped for breakfast at the City Café in Franklin. After breakfast we strapped on our helmets and aimed our bikes for home. The ride was uneventful but by the time we got to Athens, GA the heat was stifling. No rain and hot sun the whole way home. We stopped for gas and to cool off and Beth spied a Dairy Queen across the street. A cold milkshake was just what we needed!
Back on the road and into the oven. We poured water all over us to help keep cool and we got home just before a huge thunderstorm hit Jax Beach.
It was a great trip and we definitely plan to visit again. There are a lot more mountain roads to explore!
Just under 1200 miles in four days.

Dominican Republic. Very long story!

2008-05-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

I apologize for the extremely long post... I was writing the text for the blog and it just didn't stop coming! Enjoy.

A walk in the woods is always a tonic for my soul. It takes me back to my childhood in Buck Hill Falls, PA where my mother would take me on long hikes through “Jenkins woods” and teach me about the plants and birds. While the “woods” I was walking through today were more of a rain forest, it was just what I needed after a long and somewhat stressful week. I was in the Dominican Republic covering the Cap Cana Championship, the first Champions Tour tournament held in the country. It was Monday morning and my flight home wasn’t until 3PM. I had some time to kill. I enjoy hiking a great deal, especially when I’m not carrying 40 pounds of camera gear! It was just me and my point & shoot.
The path led from the beach into the trees. There was a sign describing the walk as 45-minute loop through the natural terrain of the Dominican Republic. It was called the “Indigenous Eyes Trail”. I assume it was named for the various fresh water springs or “Lagunas” that dotted the route. When I walked under the forest canopy I noticed a sign hanging from a tree, more of a symbol really. It was a large flower with a small skull in the center of the bloom. Hmm. I wonder what that symbolizes?I walked to the first of the “Lagunas” it had a wooden platform where swimmers could climb in and out of the water. It was only about 9am, but the Caribbean heat was already climbing and there was little breeze in the forest. The water looked really refreshing. This one was called “Laguna Yauya” and had a painted symbol/sign hanging over the water. It was a giant eye. I get it now.
I continued on the trail, which was pretty narrow and had many roots and old rock to navigate. I had to keep my eyes on my next step so I didn’t end up face down in the mud! Of course the problem with looking down is not looking up and missing one of the sentries of the rain forest. Banana spiders! These large arachnids are adept at weaving large webs across branches and sometimes hiking trails. Their bodies can grow to the size of a human thumb, and their webs can be several feet in diameter. Walking into one is not a pleasant experience! I knew I was probably going to see a few, and I was right. Fortunately I was able to see the silk of the webs gleaming in the early morning light and could duck under them. The spiders were nonplused by my passing. There were enough small moths flitting around that probably kept the spiders well fed. I couldn’t help but think about how much my wife Beth hates spiders and probably would have had a bit of a panic attack if she had to duck down under a large web!I stopped to look at each “laguna” and saw a few fish and even some small turtles in one. The water was crystal clear and you could see all the rock formations at the bottom. None were very deep and several had the swim platforms I mentioned before.I allowed my mind to wander and began to think about the days I’d spent here in the Dominican Republic.

It was Wednesday morning and I was in Atlanta airport… Again. Life spent working for the PGA TOUR means travel. Travel means airports, and travel from Jacksonville, FL on Delta means Atlanta Hartsfield airport. It’s one of the busiest in the world, and when things get off schedule, it’s a domino effect that ripples all over the country. Things got off to a good start however. I got my upgrade to first class on both segments. Very rare these days since I only have “silver medallion” status. The next positive event was that our flight to ATL arrived at terminal “E” which is the international terminal. Our flight to Punta Cana leaves from “E”. No hiking or trams this morning!
Another TOUR staffer was on my flight and we stopped at the food court for a quick bite to eat, then we walked to our gate. As we arrive in the gate area we see a few more familiar faces on their way to Cap Cana. The Golf Channel was broadcasting the tournament and we ran into some crew and on-air talent. We talked about where everyone was staying and what we’d heard about the area.
We saw that the plane was at the gate, and expected an on-time departure. Not so fast! An announcement was made that there was a mechanical issue with one of the jet’s engines. They were working on it and we should be boarding shortly.
I tend to be fairly pragmatic, and I am certainly more willing to arrive a little late to my destination than to find out if my seat cushion is really a flotation device! So we wait. A couple more announcements later and about an hour past our scheduled departure time, they finally announce that the plane is not repairable at the gate and will be taken out of service. Groans are audible from the 150 or so passengers at the gate. Another plane was on the way in, and we would be moving a few gates down.
After a little more waiting, the plane arrived. Delta staff did a quick turn-around and we were finally on our way!
Arriving in Punta Cana was reminiscent of trips to Bonaire, another island in the Caribbean where Beth and I enjoy scuba diving vacations. The airport was open-air and very tropical. We were herded into the terminal where we were photographed with costumed Dominican girls (a souvenir photo that we could purchase before our departure) and sent through passport control and immigration. We paid a $10 fee and went to collect our bags. My luggage made it! It’s funny how the little things make you happy.
Outside the terminal, tournament transportation waited with signs to take us to our various accommodations. I was staying at the Punta Cana resort, about ten minutes away and the others were at the host hotel, “The Sanctuary”.
The driver spoke no English and my Spanish was just as good. We smiled and tried some basic small talk, but most of the ride was quiet except for the mariachi music playing on the radio. I realized then that the one thing I forgot on this trip was my Spanish-English phrase book. I bought it several years ago when I traveled to Spain for another event. Oh well! Fortunately a lot of people speak English at the resorts, so I was able to get by.
I checked in and was shuttled to my room in a golf cart. (The first one would only drive in reverse, so the bellman had to push it out of the way and get another. Uh oh!)
We go to a building very close to the lobby and we head for the stairs. (What, no elevators?) I’m on the third floor… Great! We get to the room and it turns out to be a 2-story suite. Sweet! Well, almost. The bottom floor has a bathroom and a “living room” with a day bed, a table with 2 chairs, a small bar and a television. The upstairs is the bedroom and was sparsely furnished with a bed, nightstands, a desk and a couch. There was another bathroom as well. The floors were all marble tile and the bathrooms had been remodeled not too long ago. Unfortunately, hot water would prove to be sporadic at best! Everything was a bit worn and there was a musty smell. I look out the window and see the ocean from my 4th floor vantage point. Wait, where’s the balcony? The building has a bunch of them, but not for me. I would have to settle for pulling a chair up to the window. There was also no internet service in the rooms. OK, they had wifi in the lobby and pool areas. I could check email after dinner.It was getting late in the afternoon, almost 5PM. I wasn’t going to the course at this point so I decided to grab my point & shoot and go for a walk. The weather was not too pretty. It was overcast and very windy. The beach was virtually deserted and the sand was blasting across my legs. It stung a bit, but I had been cooped up all day and needed to get some fresh air. The clouds were moving fast through the sky and patches of azure blue opened up occasionally and complemented the other hues of the ocean. I walked around the resort for a while and took a few pictures. After my walk I went back to the room to grab my laptop and swing by the lobby to check my email. For some unknown reason, my new MacBook Pro didn’t like the network and could not connect. This wasn’t good. I hoped that I could get online from the media center, or there was no way I could transmit photos this week! More stress. By this time I was ready for dinner and some sleep. Tomorrow I would go to the course and begin my work.
Thursday dawned with more wind and clouds. This wasn’t what I saw on the resort website! The sea was angry, and whitecaps were visible all the way to the horizon. I got my gear together and climbed down the 4 flights of stairs to walk to the lobby. There were shuttle busses to take us back and forth to the golf course. These busses became a big part of my stress. There was no set schedule and none of the drivers spoke English. We turned left out of the hotel and quickly left the pavement for a dirt road. This was apparently a shortcut that reduced the trip by half. Approximately 20 minutes later we arrive at Cap Cana and the course. I found the media center and got settled in. Fortunately I was able to get online and check email. I logged onto myspace and found this a bit amusing:Today was supposed to be my day to shoot the tournament setup including signs, bleachers tents etc. It was pretty dreary and the wind was really howling on the course. I felt bad for the poor folks who spent all the money to play in the Pro-Am only to get hammered by the 30mph gusts! There are a handful of holes that run along the ocean, and the surf was pounding against the rocks sending huge plumes of water onto the course and occasionally onto unfortunate golfers!Breakfast in player hospitality was a treat with omelets, fresh fruit, breads, bacon and mashed plantains (I skipped the plantains!). I then walked around gathering photos of various tournament setup and got my bearings on where everything was located. The weather got steadily worse and a few rain showers blew in from the ocean. I ran into Willis, the TOUR meteorologist who said that we could be in for more of the same all week. Great!
I headed back to the hotel around 5PM. The shuttle back from the course was uneventful, but we took a different route than in the morning and although it was still mainly dirt roads, it took a little longer. I gazed out the window at the scenery bouncing by. There was a lot of development going on around the resorts and many new roads were being built to get people around. We passed many small transport trucks that were filled with laborers heading to or from their jobsites. It seems these crowded vehicles were the Dominican version of mass transit. Get on one truck to take you to another truck to go to work/home. There was even a small compound on our route that was apparently some sort of worker’s residence. It was all cinder bock construction with no windows, just openings here and there to let some light and air in. The squat, one-story buildings were painted in a drab seafoam green and had tin roofs. I saw a few men at a sink outside doing their laundry, and once I viewed a few workers gathered around a small open fire cooking something. I can’t imagine what those living conditions are like. Obviously there is a lot of poverty in this nation. The “have-nots” are plenty. It’s hard to see all that and then go to a beautiful resort and not feel a little guilty.
I awoke Friday morning to the sound of a rooster crowing outside and the sun streaming in my window. It was 6:20 AM. By 6:30 the shriek of a powered leaf blower was just outside my building. I was wide-awake now!
We are a bit closer to the equator and it gets light really early. Through the week, I also noticed that the exposure of my photographs needed to be adjusted. Everything was just “brighter” down here. Extra sunscreen was also a must. I’m sure I burned a few more skin cells than usual!
It was still really windy and I could see the ocean was still pretty rough. I’m glad Beth didn’t come with me this year. Any scuba diving or offshore fishing was not going to happen this week At least the sun was out and it was a pleasant day aside from the breeze. I went to the lobby at about 7:30 to catch the shuttle to the course. There were a couple of caddies waiting as well and we all climbed aboard the next “eurovan” out.
When we got to the main road, we went right instead of left. “No, no” we told the driver. “Go left and take the shortcut”. He also spoke no English, but we soon gathered that the other shortcut had been closed for some reason. We went around by the airport and doubled back to Cap Cana. The ride took 30 minutes this time.
I’ve traveled around the Caribbean enough to understand “island time”, and I can almost feel the world slow down when I step off the airplane. These are people who don’t have the sense of urgency that Americans do. Things happen when they happen. If you accept this as the rule and prepare accordingly, you’ll be fine. If you’re a caddie who is running late, bitching at the driver will most certainly not get you there any faster!
At the course, the first round got underway and scores were reflecting the challenging wind. Players were struggling with the firmness of the greens and guessing at club selection. I also had some difficulty holding my long lens steady in the gusts.The beauty of this place is almost immeasurable. The deep-to-light blue hues of the water blending with the sky and its contrasting white clouds is one of my favorite sights. The green shades of the golf course adds a different tint to the natural palette of the land. The coconut palms swayed and rustled in the breeze and he surf continued to pound the coastline. Now I remember why I wanted to come here!The light was still very harsh as the players were in the midday sun. It is always difficult to make good pictures of guys wearing hats in this light. There is always a shadow on their face. Fortunately I can remedy some of that in the computer to make to pictures less contrasty.
Speaking of editing photos. Every day I will transmit a number of photos to our partner Getty Images. The photos are then posted on www.gettyimages.com to be purchased and downloaded by clients such as Sports Illustrated, Golf World, pgatour.com, The Golf Channel and many others. It’s a process that takes some time and a good bit of concentration. I have to dump the files from the compact flash card in my camera, adjust them, caption them and transmit. I need to concentrate so I don’t make any mistakes. That was going to be a challenge this week. The media room was a part of the women’s locker room at the golf club and had hardwood floors. Any sound was amplified. Add to this 50 or so other members of the Dominican media who are very excitable, and you have a din that is almost unbearable. It seemed like there was more socializing than work, and everyone was blissfully unaware that they might be distracting a “gringo” trying to get some work done!
Ok, I’m a guest in their country. I won’t be the ugly American and complain. I reached for my ipod and noise-canceling headphones. Nothing a good dose of rock & roll can’t fix! I posted my pics and hopped on a shuttle back to the hotel. A caddie friend and his wife, who were meeting their player at the host hotel, invited me to dinner. Eager to see something outside of my resort, I accepted. We met in the lobby and even caught a shuttle with no wait!
The Sanctuary hotel is a palatial property at Cap Cana. The players and most of the staff stayed there. Yeah, I was jealous. It is a new hotel and they still had rooms under construction. I was a last-minute add to the event and there were no rooms left here. Maybe next year?
The restaurant was nice and there were six of us at dinner. You could tell they were still working the bugs out. Service was not great and the language barrier was still an issue. Two of our parties steaks had to be sent back and one of them was still not right the second time. For $40.00 a plate, I’d expect it to be done right. At the end, there were extra drinks on the bill and it seemed like they were trying to sneak a few bucks out of the wealthy Americans. I hope I’m wrong…
The ride “home” was a bit exciting. Climbing into a tournament courtesy vehicle, we again found ourselves with a driver who spoke no “Englais”. I have to remember my phrase book next time! The driver tried to take the original short cut, as we were told it was open again. Nope. We drive a mile or so down the dirt road only to find concrete barricades blocking our route. Not only that, but as we passed the barricade, we were flagged down by a “security guard” with a machine gun over his shoulder. Uh oh. I can almost read the headline. “Americans disappear without a trace”. While we were wondering if we were going to be robbed, shot or maybe just expected to pay a bribe, our driver explained to the “guard” that we were guests at the Punta Cana resort and just on our way back. I heard that there is some tension between property owners in the area and relations aren’t too friendly. The guard said the road was closed and we had to go back the way we came. Our driver took the “other” shortcut and we came up to another armed guard. This time he didn’t stop and we made it past with no bullet holes in the courtesy vehicle. I’m pretty glad I didn’t try to drive myself around in a rental car!
Saturday’s round went well and the talk around the tournament was the big “beach party” that evening. It was supposed to be a pretty big celebration and everyone affiliated with the tournament would be there. I was invited and decided to brave the shuttle system and go back to Cap Cana.
The party was at the beach club and they spared no expense. The sandy beach was covered by a giant tent under which a stage, huge dance floor, tables, chairs, couches, bars and food stations were set up. There were lights and decorations everywhere. It was open bar and food was everywhere. The entertainment was a combination of American and Dominican music. The first act was a solo acoustic performance full of Jimmy Buffet, Eagles and of course, Lynyrd Skynyrd? Did I really come all this way to hear this? Ok, he was good but not what I was expecting. The next band was it. I didn’t catch the name but it was a latin band that just pumped the place up. This is more like it! The dance floor was packed with locals who really knew how to move. Yes, these folks can party!I was hanging with a small group of TOUR staff and a few marketing partners. We all enjoyed the people watching, but I think most of us were too intimidated to try to mix it up on the dance floor with the locals!
I was able to catch a ride back to the hotel with a co-worker and we got back to the hotel about 1AM. I heard later that the party was rocking until after 4 in the morning. I’m pretty sure no one who had to work on Sunday stuck it out til the end. That was truly the most extravagant and fun parties I’ve ever attended at a golf tournament.
Fast forward a few hours to Sunday afternoon. The tournament is becoming a blowout with Mark Wiebe holding a four-shot lead over the field at the turn. The light is harsh, Mark is wearing a white shirt (The absolute worst for photography!) and he’s not doing anything! Of course he’s doing things, but nothing particularly photogenic. No fist-pumps, no waves, barely a smile. Helluva golfer, but not much of a showman.
Wiebe goes on to win the tournament with only one small hiccup in his game. The trophy ceremony is a bit chaotic, but I get what I need and head inside to edit and transmit. The media room was plenty boisterous and apparently someone was celebrating a birthday and there was cake and much celebration. Poor Mark Wiebe was trying to do a radio interview by telephone and I can’t imagine he could hear a single question! Where are my headphones again?
I love Sunday evenings after a tournament. The pressure just evaporates and I can relax. The week is over. The job done, and all I have left is to pack and travel home. I enjoy a relaxing dinner, a couple of beers and a short walk under the stars before bed. My flight isn’t until 3PM on Monday so I have plenty of time in the morning to pack and maybe take a hike.
You know, a walk in the woods is just what I needed!

Academy shoot!

2008-03-05T20:51:00.006-05:00

Today was the second of 2 photo shoots we did for the PGA TOUR Academy. The weather and light were both awesome. We found a couple of solid locations and knocked out several setups for PGA TOUR Partners magazine and the Academy handbook. We also had a bit of fun!

Tina shows her stylist skills!Caryn sneaks up on an unsuspecting golf ball.

Is she still awake?
Caryn show her superior cell phone skills while Tina wonders why it's so bright next to the reflector.
It was pretty windy... Check out "Air Levy"!
Yep, really windy!The fashion police!Travis "conducts" the shoot.How I spent most of my day...Todd checks out a sequenceTravis and Caryn look over a putting alignment tool.Now I get my shot...And that's a wrap folks!

The New Dial-9 debuts at Twisted Sisters!

2008-02-10T19:28:00.003-05:00

Dial-9 Version 8.0. Introducing Evan, J.D. and Dan! We had a fun night at Twisted Sisters, and are looking forward to many more killer gigs.
Thanks to Caryn for coming out to document the evening. (I added the B&W conversions).

The shots flowed early and often!

J.D. warms up the crowd.

...Then lets his hair down.

Dan enjoying himself.

And belting out the backups!

Evan shreds one.

We will rock you!