Pups in the Park
I made a run down to DC yesterday to deliver more household stuff for Peter’s apartment. Today we went to see the Nats and were delighted to discover that it was “Pups in the Park” day. And as is obvious, there was sniffing.
This picture shows Gio Gonzalez’s first pitch, which B.J. Upton promptly put into left field for a double. It went downhill for the Nationals from there. The final was 9-0 Braves, but it was a fun game to watch. Peter was especially excited about being able to walk up to the box office and get $20.00 seats an hour before first pitch. Something that hasn’t happened at Fenway for a very long time.
This is my second trip to the park, and the fact that you can see the Capitol as you are exiting from the upper levels is way cool.
Pete also told me that these cherry trees were an important part of the planning of the park. So nice to see them in bloom. It was beautiful here in the District today and a perfect day for baseball.
Something New
This post is a way to jump-start my brain. I have been so preoccupied with Peter that it has been difficult to concentrate on anything else. It feels great to be focusing on photographs again. None of these pictures seem so interesting on their own, but together reflect what’s been going on for the past month.
Above is Tom Schack’s birthday cake from the now infamous “Schackstock” at Snowzies in Sunderland. Bands started playing at 1 pm and things shut down at closing time. His Mom, Dad, and Sister were there as well as lots of his friends.
He is just about the nicest guy in the world, and was really enjoying himself.
This flower starts showing up partway down the drive in early August.
When I was shooting the Tilghman project in August I made sure to visit Miss Pigsley. She lives down the street from Jennifer, has an air conditioner in her shed and will never be bacon. I took this for Peter because we are both huge P.G. Wodehouse fans and any stories with Lord Emsworth feature his obsession with “The Empress”. This pig is magnificent and is very happy to have visitors. She used to drink massive amounts of Kool-Aid until the vet put her on a diet.
On the Sunday morning before Peter Carroll and I left the island, we went to the church to document a service. This gentleman was in the pew in front of me.
I have always liked cattails.
When Cris, Pete, and I went to see the Sox in August, the Olympics were going on and this guy was checking out the US Women’s Soccer action. Technology!
I had a hard time getting the white balance right in this shot. I walk past this box on my way to shoot the suitcases. It always reminds me of this Little Feat song.
Going back to Meadville means more than hot dogs and ice cream but two stops are essential; Eddie’s and Hank’s Frozen Custard.
I have been going to Hank’s since it opened in 1952.
Peter loves it too.
There is only one reason to post this photo. It might be the only time you can see Red Sox pitcher Clayton Mortensen at bat in an American League Park. At this point the Sox were up something like 12-1 and I still can’t figure out why Bobby Valentine had him at the plate. Kind of cool though.
When we were at Pymatuning watching the ducks walk on the fishes backs we met the woman I posted about earlier. She was wearing this shirt which got us talking. I’d like to visit sometime.
It is very rare to be in on an historical moment, but I can say I was there when one of my neighborhood friends coined the term “Rat Lake” for the body of water that appeared after the flood control dam was built.
I usually help Thom Kendall out with the photos on media day for the UMASS football team. The new coach is a really great guy. This picture pretty much tells you most of what you need to know about Charley Molnar.
The Pearl out on the deck.
Cris and I went to Amherst Coffee today. I often take a shot of my cappuccino for some reason.
Never one to hide my emotions, I have been mentioning to just about anyone I talk to about my feelings of having Peter off in DC. So many of you have told me that he will be fine, and I want to thank you all for your support. One of the best bits of encouragement came from Leamuse in France as a comment on my earlier post. “Bon courage et bon chance.” Thank you so much; it really helps.
Pirates v Dodgers
Peter and I had a nice visit to PNC Park last night. We usually sit in the same general area; sections 116 or 117 as the seats are really affordable. I have made a version of this photo on many occasions but it is always a captivating view. A great city and in our opinion the nicest park in the majors. Bucs lost 5-4 to the Dodgers but it was a good game and the fans were totally into it.
Sunday in PA and Ohio
Today, Peter and I drove from Meadville to Cleveland, mostly on Route 322. It was a cool gray morning and 322 is a road that I have ridden on and driven many times. The fields were so green and lush; soy beans and field corn grown mostly on small family farms. I had wanted to stop and photograph on our way to the Indians game, but I felt a bit of pressure to get to the stadium and park with plenty of time to spare. It was a great game for the many Sox fans that made the trip with Boston winning 14-1. Afterwards Peter and I had an amazing meal at Mallorca.
As we were driving back to Meadville I was again taken by the rural beauty of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The roads are in quite good shape and the farms are nicely kept. This shot is facing East on Ohio Route 167 not far from the PA line. There was so little traffic that I just stopped the car in the road to take it.
I stopped to photograph the fields on the way home and found myself thinking about the farmers in the midwest who are suffering through one of the worst droughts in recent history. Not four hundred miles west of here in Indiana the corn is dying for lack of rain. And yet the farmers in this part of the world seem to be in the midst of a bumper crop. I actually thought that if the Indiana farmers saw these fields they might cry.
And finally, our route back to Meadville took us through Linesville, PA. I got the chance to show Peter the famous spillway on Pymatuning Lake where the “ducks walk on the fishes backs”. I know it is really bizarre, but it is something I grew up with and it doesn’t seem that weird. We met a nice woman who is driving across the country visiting places like this. Here’s a link to her blog.
Pennsylvania Welcome Center
Peter and I drove to Meadville today. We’ll go to Cleveland for a ballgame tomorrow and then to Pittsburgh to see the Bucs on Monday evening. / I have always liked this view out the back of the PA welcome center just beyond the New York State border. Grapevines in the foreground and you can just barely see the lake off in the distance.
Fenway at Night
Peter, Cris, and I went to a Red Sox game last night. It was an absolutely perfect night for baseball; temperature in the mid-70s and a constant light breeze from the south. In the bottom of the first, Carl Crawford hit a double off the monster and was then picked off second when he wandered a bit too far from the base. That pretty much sums up the season. It has been a tough year for the club. But still, baseball on a beautiful summer’s evening. Can’t be beat (unlike the Sox who lost 6-3).
Frozen Fenway
This past Saturday I shot the UMASS / Vermont ice hockey game at Fenway Park in Boston. My friend Thom Kendall was covering the action on the ice, and I had the luxury of just wandering around shooting whatever looked interesting. It was great fun to have the run of the place. It was the first official event in this, the 100th year of the park. So much history. / This panorama was taken from the “Green Monster”.
Sox v Yankees
This is my great nephew and godson Crispin Duryee who is an avid Yankee fan.
He and his dad had planned to go see the Sox/Yankees game last night but Burr had a schedule conflict and couldn’t make it. I was more than happy to step in take him, and it was a blast. I hadn’t gone to a ballgame with an eight year old since Peter was little, and it definitely brought back memories.
It was a beautiful night for baseball and the Yanks/Sox rivalry meant for a crowd that was really into the game. Crispin is amazingly knowledgable about the Yankees and was fascinated by all the statistical information displayed on the new jumbotrons. He was a perfect companion at a game; never bored, always in tune with the action and unabashedly rooting for his team. The Sox won 9-4 which made me happy but was surely disappointing for him. We’ll see what happens tonight when Burnett goes up against Lester.
I’ve been on the go alot lately. Sorry for the lack of posts. / Last Wednesday we went to Fenway to see the Sox play Tampa. As often happens, we were only able to get two tickets for the three of us. Instead of messing with the scalpers, I make a small sign and stand on the corner of Yawkey Way and Brookline Avenue and hope for the best. It has always worked in the past, and Wednesday was no exception. Some guy walked past and just handed me this standing room only ticket. It was for the Budweiser Deck in right field and it was a great place to watch the game.
I stayed up here until the fourth and then Cris texted me to say that the seat next to her was still empty. So I moved down was able to sit in the shade with her and Peter in section 10 and see the end of the game from the nice new red seats. Sox lost 4-0 but it was still loads of fun. So thanks to the gentleman who made it all possible.
PNC Park
Peter and I drove to Meadville on Wednesday so that I could be with friends for a few days. Last night we went down the 79 to Pittsburgh to catch a Bucs game. As a family, we go to ballparks whenever we get the chance and we’ve been to PNC Park quite alot. In 2002, Peter and I went to see a game and had almost the exact same seats. I was shooting with my Widelux at that time and made an image that day that I have always loved. When I shifted to digital, I stopped using that camera, but have always missed the format. So now I shoot 2 digital images and stitch them together on the computer. Pretty much the identical result. Feels a bit like cheating, but I’m not too bothered. / This is a beautiful ball park. Situated on the north shore of the river with an amazing view of downtown Pittsburgh, it just can’t be beat (unlike the Pirates who lost 15 – 5). These seats were $27.oo each, which is an incredible bargain. My only complaint is that it is almost impossible to find an Iron City Beer in the place. I had to settle for a 16 oz can of Yuengling which is arguably a better beer, but doesn’t hold the same cachet for me.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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