Chris' big birthday weekend!

We kicked off Friday night at Culhane's Irish Pub where Larry and Nycole surprised us with a rare visit to the beach!Burks made the trip back from Texas to help celebrate.

...And immediately takes over the stage with Palmer and his band "Something Distant"

Saturday was the Blue Angels at Jax Beach
Luke was digging it!And then the party continued at Spare Time Tavern where Dial-9 past and present rocked 'til the wee hours!
The guys all signed a drumhead for me.The current lineup in action.I'm feeling it!Then Burks, Larry and Palmer join me for a "Dial-9 rewind"The original Dial-9 groupies!A crazy night for sure! Thanks everyone!

Halloween!

Always a favorite holiday of mine, Halloween gives everyone an excuse to dress up and act like someone else. It's not just for kids! Creative Services lived up to its name this morning as a few of us took advantage of the occasion to have some fun!

I found my inner Ozzy Osbourne!

Wait a minute... John Snowbourne???
Cap'n Rob Sparrow!
Jana "Vamps" for the camera
Newly appointed FEMA Director "Luke Twister"
And within minutes, Rob creates a greeting card from the photos!

Sonoma 07

October marks the end of the official golf season, and the Champions Tour finale is the Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, CA. As most of you know, Beth and I really enjoy good wine so we take advantage of this event to visit some wineries and collect a few new bottles for the cellar (ok, so it's not a cellar, we have a rack and a cooler for the good bottles!). We also got to visit with my brother Don and his family which is a nice treat since we live so far apart.

When we arrived in Sonoma, we were greeted by these large chairs which I assume were built from giant redwood trees?
Nothing like and old, rusty train to distract me...

We started with a trip to Opus One vinyards. Very cool architecture.Beth adds to the elegance
On our way through Napa, we passed this house which had been decorated for Halloween
(I hope!). We had to stop and take a closer look. These people took a lot of time to do this. Very artistic... And a bit creepy! I'm guessing they need lots of candy.

Presidents Cup in Montreal

Presidents Cup... Two words that bring excitement and a little dread. Every two years, the best golfers from the U.S. and International countries outside the U.K. gather for four days of golf and camaraderie. It's a fun week, but absolutely grueling for those of us working the event. Long days and little sleep is the norm. Montreal was great, but I saw little of it outside the golf course and hotel.

Day one of shooting starts with team/caddie photos on the range.
Sam, Scott and Caryn help figure out how much space we'll need.The end result.Next come the opening ceremonies on Wed. A big stage is erected near the clubhouse and players, wives, dignitaries and fans gather to officially begin the games.
We have photographers in various positions and since Stan couldn't be there, I was in "ladder" position down in front. Near the end of the ceremony, our media staff bring a large ladder out and we do the group shot of both teams on stage with the Cup. With this position comes the responsibility of calling "Ladder please" at the appropriate time. It's a Pres Cup tradition that will endure the ages.
The ladder appears with much fanfare.I start my climb...Atop the world!The teams in all their splendor.Former President Bush makes some opening remarks.Sam is stuck in the crowd.Captains Nicklaus and Player speak during the "Taste of Nations" celebration.The dance troupe entertained after dinner. Who knew guys could pole dance too?

Presidents Cup begins

My biggest responsibility for the week was the first tee photos. I photographed the players, officials and observers for each match with the Cup as well as miscellaneous photos of dignitaries and players and wives. Commissioner Finchem showed his photographic prowess as he grabbed my camera to get a shot of me with President Bush (41).

Sam workin' the mojo with the International wives

There were many heated ping-pong (or is it table tennis?) games throughout the week. Whether it was in the team cabin or back at the hotel, there was always someone at the table.
Zach and Woody go at it late into the night.

Lucas shows off his ancient Chinese serve.

I haven't seen Tiger this jubilant on the golf course!

"Guesstures" and other board games were popular during the week as well. The long bus ride back to the hotel was a great time for a quick game of "Scattergories"

After all was said and done, the U.S. team prevailed with a score of 19.5 to 14.5 over the Internationals. After this shot, there was much celebration in the cabin and all the way back to the hotel.