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.

They Keys to relaxation.

We decided to keep our vacation simple this year and took a drive to Key Largo. We could bring Shelby and the kayak, and it was air-travel free! The last time we went, a little storm, named Katrina wiped out the fun. This time we had much better weather and a Nice, relaxing week. Of course, Shelby was pretty bored with the 6-hour drive!

We rented the second floor of this house. Great view from the roof deck!

Shelby got her own bed and was quite comfy!

Nice neighborhood!The Atlantic awaits!The fishing was awesome!The waterdog was in heaven!The Keys version of a chauffeur.

The Lorelei, one of our favorite restaurants.

One of the pimped out rides in the parking lot.A day trip to Key West ends with a signature sunset.

A minesweeper in... Omaha?

My father was a military man. He served in the Navy during WWII. He a Lieutenant Commander and the pinnacle of his career was as the captain of a ship known as a "minesweeper". He served/commanded on at least 3 different U.S. minesweepers; the USS Lance, the USS Scrimmage and the USS Admirable.
He didn't talk much about his experiences, but he was very proud of his service to his country.
I have always wanted to see the ships he commanded, but the minesweeper became obsolete after WWII and many of them were traded to China. The most famous British minesweeper became one of the most well-known research vessels in the world. Anyone remember the "Calypso"?
Anyway, I found that there is only one Admirable class minesweeper left in the U.S. It is the USS Hazard, and it is planted in the ground in Omaha, NE! I saw it a few years ago and was really looking forward to a return visit while I was in Omaha for a Nationwide Tour event. I arrived at the park only too see it closed up and the sign below:
The locked up entrance

So Close!But there was hope! I saw a man mowing the grass at the property next door and he told me that the owner of the park had passed away and his family had no interest in the park so it had been closed for about 2 years. He also told me that a tree had recently fallen on the fence near the back of the property...I'm in! I didn't spend too much time as I didn't really want to have to explain anything to the local constable. I did get a few pics and walked around a bit. The ship was locked up, and hadn't had much attention, but she still looked proud!Another lonely war veteranThe birds were making good use of the jet.Prop gardenCan I recycle this?