Go Phils

My son and I attended our first Phillies game of the season yesterday. We had a great time - weather was great, crowd was fun, and the Phils won. I lugged my 300mm lens to the game and from the 13th row behind 3rd base I got a few nice shots.

First for the pre-game entertainment. It was the Phanatic's birthday (free t-shirts for the kids), so to celebrate they held a magic show on the field. It was kind of fun being mystified - and trying to figure out how they did the tricks.





Then the game. The pitcher was Chan Ho Park, and he had a mediocre game. By the fifth inning the Phils were down 4-0, although they were getting a few hits.












We decided to take a mid-game walk around the ballpark to get something to eat, and we found the 2008 World Series trophy on display. Too bad I wasn't thinking and stood right in front of the trophy - at least I didn't completely block it.



Here's the left-field display honoring long-time Phils announcer Harry Kalas.



Later in the game the Phils picked up the action and started scoring. Jimmy Rollins hit a late-inning pinch-hit home run that got the score to 4-3. Nice job J-Rol.



That took us to the bottom of the ninth, down by one run. After Ryan Howard got on base it was Raul Ibanez to save the game, and with a home-run shot to right field the Phils took this game 5-4. What an exciting finish.

Galleries Updated

I've added about 11 new images to the galleries. This includes a few bird photos, and a bunch from my trip to Italy. The newly added photos are on my New Work page.

The following image was taken at Lake Maggiore, on the west side. The distant snow-covered mountains were spectacular - a few weeks later and I think much of this snow will have melted.

Lake Maggiore

Another from Italy, this one taken in the town of Arona on Lake Maggiore. When I first arrived I was treated to a partially fog-covered lake, but the fog quickly began clearing and exposing this ancient castle, which I believe is Fortress Angera Castle. I was also joined by a local fisherman, in a small colorful motorboat. The result is the image below.

Although there was not a lot of color at this time of year, since Spring was really just beginning in this region close to the Alps, the cool mornings frequently produce a lot of interesting and dramatic fog. And there were still not many tourists and other visitors to these small towns, so the pace was really easy.

Impression of Italy

I just had the pleasure of spending a week in Italy on a business trip. Of course I could not pass up the chance to photograph the areas I was visiting, which was Milan and the lakes region, including renowned Lake Como.

It was an incredible week spent with a friendly bunch of colleagues in various companies. Besides the productive meetings we were able to accomplish there were amazing sights, fantastic food, and historic Milan.

It will take a while before I get to process all of my photos, but I've attached one to get you started. I hope to pass along more photos and stories in the days ahead.

The town of Bellagio on Lake Como, taken from Lenno.