Victory Players / Whippy Dip / Fenway
I had fun last week photographing a new musical ensemble that is sponsored by the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts. The Victory Players are (from left to right) Han Chen, Giovanni Perez, Elly Toyoda, Robert Rocheteau, Eric Schultz, YuMi Bae, and Conductor Tian Ng.
The top photograph was made at the Victory Theatre in Holyoke, which is about to be restored to its former glory, but currently has an abandoned feel to it. The photo with the piano was shot on the Mount Holyoke College campus and in spite of looking totally staged, was really quite spontaneous. Robert Rocheteau was taking selfies and it just sort of fell together for me.
I also did individual shots of each of the musicians. There is something about this photograph of Robert Rocheteau that really grabs me. He has fabulous hair.
On Friday night I went to a performance of the ensemble in Holyoke and stopped on the way home at Cindy’s in Granby for an ice cream. I made it just before closing. My friend Alex always referred to every summer roadside stand as a “Whippy Dip”, and this one is a classic.
To end the week, my friend Lisa and I went to a Red Sox / White Sox game on Saturday. She had gotten amazing seats for us and the weather was perfect for a 4:05 start. I took this from our seats just after a J.D. Martinez home run, and I think he was still rounding the bases as I fired the shutter. The (Red) Sox won 4-2.
Opening Day
I will often go to Fenway without a ticket in the hope that something will pop up (no pun intended). When I got to the park I was amazed to see the line for the “day of game” tickets was quite short so I queued up and snagged a cheap (for the Sox) ticket out in the right field grandstand.
It is always special to walk into Fenway, especially on opening day.
The NESN sideline reporter was ready for the cold, but it warmed up nicely. By the 4th inning I took off my jacket, down vest, and wool sweater.
I am including this shot for Peter Carroll. Look closely and you will notice that the “camera” on the tripod for this guy’s live feed is an iPhone! Amazing.
The Sox were playing the Pirates, and I am including this shot for my son Peter. We joke a lot about the 1970s Pirates hats, and this gentleman was totally decked out, including his Willie Stargell jersey. He wasn’t so happy at the end of the day, as the Sox won 5-3.
I ended up sitting in the second row of right field box 88, and had a really enjoyable time with the usher in that section, Bobby the Brick. It was a blast to watch him work the game; keeping people moving, and bantering with the crowd. He would randomly ask folks what the score was, how many runners were on base, etc, just to make sure we were all paying attention. He is a totally great guy who grew up in the North End and loves his job.
I always like to look around between innings. My seat was just under the retired numbers of famous Red Sox players. Love that blue sky.
This was the first time I had taken the Commuter Rail to the park. There is a new stop just steps from Fenway and it was great. I love trains.
Recently
Sometimes I get a bit frustrated when I don’t post here as soon as I have some interesting (to me) photographs. / We were up in Maine for Thanksgiving at my brother and sister-in-law’s house. They live near to Higgins Beach in Scarborough, ME and on Thursday the ocean was really kickin’. I went for three separate walks to the beach the next day and each one was interesting in its own way. The surf was up (especially by East Coast standards) and at one point there were at least 40 surfers out.
On the morning walk I noticed that tons of sea creatures were washed way up on the beach, including this guy. Very alive and, I hope, happy to be put back into the ocean. Would have made a nice little lunch though.
On our way home on Saturday, I finally stopped to take a shot of this structure on Route 1 in Scarborough. I liked the light, and it is nice to see how helpful the owners are in identifying just what this thing is.
Further (farther?) down Route 1 is Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery and since Peter was with us it seemed a nice time to stop in for a bite. As usual, amazing fried clams.
Next stop was in Boston for our annual walk around the outside of Fenway Park. So sweet to have the 2013 World Series banner hanging.
And I have always liked this statue, especially Dom DiMaggio’s specs. / We ended the Boston leg of the trip with a stop at the Blue Ribbon. For Peter, this day was a triple play; clams, Fenway, and Blue Ribbon. He was a very happy boy.
And finally, there is this. Image-wise it is kind of an orphan here, but I love the floating cone in the middle. I spotted this on a walk with Pete yesterday afternoon. / I take him to the train in New Haven tomorrow, and as usual, it will be difficult to say goodbye. Cris and I have had so much fun being with him for the past few weeks.
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).
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.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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