'Back from Boston...'

We're 'Back from Boston'....and we had a 'Blast' over the 4th of July!





Fifteen travel-ography.com travelers celebrated the 4th of July in historic and beautiful Boston.

'Cheers'...Fenway Park...'Boston Pops' in the band shell on the banks of the Charles River...a lively Cruise in the bay...walking the Freedom Trail on the 4th...Unbelievable Fireworks...Cape Cod...the JFK Library...Shopping...and much more...WE HAD A BLAST !!!



It was a great group of adventurous travelers, doing exciting things, and I can't wait to see how the books and DVD videos turn out.

Until then, I'll share a few photographs of our trip.

Enjoy !







Steve
travel-ography.com

.......More Parks.

These are two of my favorite ball parks....but for completely different reasons. I'll add a story about each park when time allows. For now, it's bedtime. (I have no idea why everything is underlined tonight.

Steve

'Coming up for Air....'

Hi.

I know it's been a while since our last post and, while being busy is not a great excuse, we have been very busy.

Besides handling the usual rush as another school year comes to a close, I've lost my head and accepted jobs as a public speaker, serving as a motivational speaker to all the area educators a couple months ago and now, I'm preparing to deliver the Commencement Address at an area High School Graduation.

If that isn't enough, I've also resurrected a career I closed over 25 years ago, as I signed on to broadcast baseball games this spring for the local (KXPO) radio station. I'm a little rusty....but it sure has been fun. And, I can use my great seat at the ballgames to capture some nice action shots, while describing the action over the airwaves.







It's a pretty good 'gig' if you like baseball.

Enough said. Here are a few more ballparks Linda and I have traveled to and photographed these past couple of years.



Safeco Field in Seattle. An engineering marvel, as on those rainy Seattle days a roof slides over the top of the park ensuring the fans that the game will go on. The night we were there it was a beautiful Northwest evening.



What can you say about Yankee Stadium that hasn't already been said a thousand times. You could sense the history of the place as soon as you entered. We even saw a 'grand slam' on this sunny afternoon.



Miller Park in Milwaukee is another park where you are guaranteed a game because of the ability to close the roof. It was another nice night when we were there so it stayed open. We even tailgated with the locals. The 'sausage race' was a definite highlight!



We saw US Cellular Field the season the White Sox were to win the World Series. We could sense the excitement in the air!

As for travel-ography.com. We'll be in Boston with a great group of travelers over the 4th of July....and....we still have some seats available for our trip down to Minneapolis to see Beth Moore Living Proof Live on July 18th and 19th. Just call us at 701-352-1810 if you'd like to join us for this wonderful event.

Steve

Boston over the 4th...

We have a great group going to Boston for a few days over the 4th of July. Plans have been finalized and details are being taken care of. We'll walk the Freedom Trail...see 'Old Ironsides' in the harbor...celebrate our nation's independence with half a million others while listening to the Boston Pops concert along the Charles River....travel to Cape Cod...see the Kennedy Center....tour Fenway Park...and much more.

travel-ography.com in Boston will be a blast.

This would be as good a time as any to share my ball park photograph I took when Linda and I were in Fenway Park.



Fenway Park in Boston


It's the only park that I couldn't take a photograph from behind home plate because all the seats back there were enclosed and very exclusive. So....we captured this park from the outfield. Still a pretty cool shot.

The night we were there, the Red Sox played the Atlanta Braves in what proved to be an exciting contest. We saw Rafael Furcal break his leg sliding into 2nd base....a home run sail over the 'green monster'....and a fan get escorted out of the stadium for trying to climb 'Pesky's Pole'.

Oh, by the way, the game even went extra innings....how's that for excitement.




Turner Field in Atlanta.

Might as well show you the shot I took of Turner Field in Atlanta, since we were talking about the Braves. This was another beautiful ball park...but what we remember most was the circus like atmosphere all around the field. There were bands playing and lots of games for both the young and old to engage in. It was like a real southern style family reunion. Lot's of fun.

Steve
travel-ography.com

Opening Day......

One of the best days of the year for me has always been 'Opening Day'. And this is that day !

True, there were a couple of games in Japan this past week. And, last night they opened the 'new ball park' in Washington, DC. But today is really what I consider opening day, since most of major league's teams play their first game of the season today or tonight...including my Minnesota Twins.

What a great day ! As they say at the beginning of each season.....'Hope springs eternal.'

I continue to share a series of photographs I have taken over the past couple of years, as Linda and I have been on a quest to capture images of as many major league ball parks as we can.

The 'signature image' that I try to take at each park is the one from behind home plate and as far up as I can get, in order to afford the viewer a beautiful panoramic view of the whole stadium.

As always, simply click on the photograph to see a larger view.

Enjoy.

Today, being what I consider the real 'Opening Day', I'll share two of my favorite parks.





PNC Park in Pittsburgh

We were in this beautiful ball park on the 4th of July, 2006. It was truly one of the most comfortable and cozy parks I have seen, with a great view of the Pittsburgh skyline and Clemente Bridge beyond the outfield bleachers.

We enjoyed a dazzling fireworks display following the game and celebrated the 4th with several hundred thousand people on the point of the three rivers in Pittsburgh.




The Metrodome in Minneapolis.

Home of the Twins ! This much maligned stadium has been home to some of my best baseball memories, including two World Series Championships in 1987 and 1991 (Wow...I guess we're due for another one!)

We've driven to Minneapolis and attended at least a couple of games a year with family and friends for many years. One thing is certain....there will be a game, unaffected by weather. The 'purists' have won, however, and a brand new outdoor park is due to open in 2010.

I always enjoyed the 'dome'....especially the volume of noise the faithful could create at critical times in the game. I can't even begin to recall the many great memories we've shared at the Metrodome. It is with some sadness that I'll see it replaced, however, all reports are that the new park is going to be fantastic.


Enjoy 'Opening Day' !

Steve
travel-ography.com

Catching the Stars !

As I continue to share photographs of some of the Major League Baseball Stadiums that Linda and I have seen the past few years, I must mention that both parks that are featured in this post were almost overshadowed by the legendary talent that was on the field the day of the game.





The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

We were immediately impressed with the fact that almost everyone in the crowd was dressed in 'red'. It was almost like walking into a major college football stadium on 'game day'. Obviously they were still enamoured by the success of their '70's teams, dubbed the 'Big Red Machine'.

It was a beautiful afternoon for a ball game in early July, 2006. Especially a game that was to feature two of the games premier players, both certain to be Hall of Famers, based on their storied on-field accomplishments. Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Reds and Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros would face each other three times this day, to the delight of those in attendance. Griffey with the smooth, powerful home run swing....and Clemens with the near 100 mph fastball.

Two of baseball's best, showcased for us on this beautiful July day in Cincinnati. There was even a peaceful river flowing along just beyond the outfield bleachers.....it should have been called 'the Red'.





Petco Park in San Diego.

It happened by accident, sort of.

Our West Coast baseball park swing in the summer of 2007 had been roughly planned for a couple of months when it suddenly became apparent that we might be involved in a bit of baseball history.

We flew into San Francisco, rented a car, and followed the coast all the way down to San Diego. We hadn't really planned it this way but we also followed Barry Bonds in his historic quest to become baseball's all-time home run king. After seeing 'Barry' fail to tie the record of 755 in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, we arrived in San Diego knowing that he needed one to tie and two to break the long standing home run record of Hank Aaron.

Never having been to San Diego before, I had asked Linda to find and book a hotel close to the ball park....thinking it would be exciting to be part of the frenzy surrounding Bond's controversial chase of immortality.

As we faithfully followed our directions and easily navigated downtown San Diego, we arrived at the hotel the evening before the big Giants-Padres game. The Padres were playing the Colorado Rockies on this night and we were listening to the game on the radio, as we pulled up in front of our hotel. Linda went in to register, while I stayed in the car with our luggage.

Suddenly, the radio announcer's voice raised, as one of the Padres had launched a deep fly ball, on it's way to becoming a home run. A mighty, deafening roar, filled the air and I immediately knew this wasn't just coming from the radio. Startled, I looked up and to my suprise, found that I was sitting less than 100 feet from the stadium. Not only could I hear...but I could see the fans cheering wildly. Linda had indeed booked us into a hotel 'close to the ball park' !

Barry Bonds again failed to tie the record the next night, while we were in attendance, so we decided to take a 'day off' from baseball and see the rest of San Diego. That night Bonds launched the historic home run that tied the hallowed record....while we were watching Shamu, the killer whale, at San Diego Sea World.

We made the right choice.


Steve
travel-ography.com

Basketb/......Baseball Season !

The Grafton Spoilers won the North Dakota Class B State Boy's Basketball Tournament 10 days ago. It was the first BB title for Grafton since 1964.....44 years ! Wow !!


I was fortunate to have been asked to photograph the action from the 'front row' (court side) and also to share in the broadcasting of the games over the radio. I was in 'media heaven'.

I'm planning to post a slide show of 'Tournament Action' on this blog in the near future. It'll feature action shots from the games and several shots of the fantastic fans that followed the team. I'm also working on a show that will feature action shots of, not only the Spoiler boys, but several area athletes who just completed tournament play. Everyone should be proud of their accomplishments.

Now, with basketball behind us....oh, I know March Madness on the NCAA level is still capturing our attention....but, it's time to think about my favorite sport....baseball.

With the season about to begin at all levels, I thought I would post some of the big league stadium photographs I have taken the past few years to whet our appetite for 'baseball season'.

Linda and I are trying to photograph as many of the major league stadiums as we can. I'll try put a couple of photos up each day. Enjoy !

As always, just click on the photo to enlarge it.



We photographed Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California last summer (2007). It was a beautiful ballpark on a beautiful evening on the West Coast....but it had a 'dark secret'. The morning of the game, as we were getting ready to leave our hotel room, Linda saw a report on the television newscast that county health inspectors had discovered that the stadium had a 'rat infestation' problem. It seems that the concession workers were waiting until the next day to clean up the garbage, with the rats taking advantage of the situation and moving in for a banquet each evening following the game.

Although the news report indicated that the clean up was now required immediately following the game, and the problem had been solved....I noticed Linda sat with her feet up on her chair more than usual that night.




Jacob's Field in Cleveland, in spite of it's eye appeal, was probably the least 'fan friendly' park we have encountered thus far. We photographed this park in the summer of 2006 and found the ushers to be uncooperative and downright unfriendly....and that just never happens to us on this ballpark journey. In fact, one elderly usher chased us all around the outfield stands, which were mostly empty, while I fired off shot after shot while on the run. He never did catch us, but he did somewhat cramp our style, which is trying to capture each stadium from all angles.

We did get to see North Dakota native, Travis Hafner play. He's the most powerful guy on the Indians team...and one of the most powerful players in all of baseball. In fact, I could swear I felt the breeze way up in my seat when he struck out to end the game.

More baseball parks on my next post. It's almost 'Play Ball' time !

Steve
travel-ography.com

.....a few more 'shots'.

I hope these images don't bore the non basketball fans....but going to the ND State Class B Tournament is a pretty big deal and the fans in Grafton are very excited. Here are a few more shots from the recently completed state qualifying action.







Steve

Tournament Time....

The whole town is still talking about the Spoiler Boy's Basketball team that made it to the state tournament with a thrilling 71-68 win over a very persistent Park River team this past Thursday night.

This marks the first time a Grafton boy's team has qualified for state since 1987.....and that was in Class A. The Spoilers are now in Class B.

The 'B' Tournament is a 'blast'...in fact some call it the 'social event of the year in North Dakota'....while I've also heard it referred to as 'Mardi Gras in March'....basketballs and beads.

Here are a few more images from our 'Spoiler BB Art' series. These are action shots captured during the past couple of weeks of tournament play.

As always, just click on the photo to make it larger. Enjoy.












Steve
travel-ography.com

One Round Ball...

'One Round Ball...'



How can 'one round ball' draw so much attention.....be the center of so much emotion and passion.....and create so much team unity and community pride.

Easy.

That 'one round ball' is what is used to determine the victors in North Dakota Class B Basketball games.

We've been spending a great deal of quality time in the gym lately, following the young men and women from this area, as they compete in the end of the season tournaments.

It sure has been fun. And, as a special bonus, our local boy's team won the Region 2 Tournament on Thursday night, thus qualifying for next weekend's State Class 'B' Tournament in Fargo.

All the teams and players represented their communities very well and parents and schools should be proud.

I'll post a few more photographs from a series I've titled 'Spoiler BB Art' in the next couple of days.

As always, just double click on the photograph to see it larger.

Enjoy !

Steve
travel-ography.com

Class of 2008

Boston on the 4th of July !!!!

We're happy to announce travel-ography.com has finalized plans to be in Boston over the 4th of July this summer !

This will be a wonderful trip to probably the best place in the whole world to be on the day our nation celebrates its Independence. We'll walk the Freedom Trail on the 4th of July, join hundreds of boats and thousands of revelers in the Boston Harbor, as we follow along with 'Old Ironsides' when she sails out into the harbor and fires her cannons in a 21 gun salute to our nation, and top off the evening by attending the annual 'Boston Pops Concert' along the Charles River with over a half million other people proud to call this 'our country'.

This travel-ography adventure is set to take place July 2nd through July 6th this summer. We have accommodations in a beautiful hotel right in the heart of the action. Easy walking distance to all of the July 4th events.

We also plan to 'drop in' on the 'Boston Pops' practice on the evening of the 3rd. We have a 'day trip' planned to Cape Cod and we'll also spend some time at the Kennedy Library and Museum. Our hotel is located right in the middle of some of the best shopping in the city (in fact, we're attached to a mall !) and great dining opportunities are all around us. We'll tour legendary Fenway Park, home of the World Champion Boston Red Sox....(and we're even open to extending our trip two extra days, so we can see the Twins play the Red Sox.)

There is so much to do and see in Boston and the 4th of July is the perfect time to be there.

Cost of the trip is: $895 (per person based on double occupancy)
$795 ( " " " " triple " )
$735 ( " " " " quad " )

This does not include airfare (since some of our traveling companions choose to use frequent flyer miles).

At this time we are able to secure airfare for $600 from Grand Forks or $350 from Minneapolis.

We do have limitations to the number of travelers we can include on this trip, so if you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible. Either call us at 701-352-1810 or email us at stevelarsonstudio@yahoo.com .

We'd love to have you join us, as we celebrate the 4th of July in Boston !

Steve and Linda

PS...Here are a couple more images from our recent travels to Spain.




Above is the beautiful bridge in Logrono, Spain. When the water is calm the view is stunning, as a mirror image really creates a cool effect. Our daughter, Abby, lives only 5 minutes walking distance from this bridge.



Here is our family enjoying a tradition very popular in Spain. Every night about 8-10 pm a group of bars or pubs offer 'tapas' (cool bar food) to their patrons. These range from mini sandwiches to stuffed mushrooms to mini skewers of steak or chicken, etc. They are fabulous ! Abby lives two minutes from this area.


Our family.....wearing off the 'tapas'. We're a pretty excited bunch.

By the way, don't forget the Beth Moore 'Living Proof Live' trip we're offering to the Target Center in Minneapolis. There are still some seats available on the bus and I can assure you this will be a wonderful time. See more details on the previous post on our blog, travel-ography.com


Steve and Linda

Beth Moore Event !

travel-ography.com is pleased to announce our offering of a weekend in Minneapolis to attend the Beth Moore 'Living Proof Live' Event !

This inspirational event will be held Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

We have secured 40 tickets to the event, a beautiful and comfortable motorcoach bus and hotel rooms less than a block away from the Target Center.

Cost of this package is $195 per person (4 in a room)...$205 (3 per room) or $225 (2 per room). $100 deposit needed to hold you a spot.

Please call 701-352-1810 to reserve a place with us for this wonderful event.
(Tickets are going fast..and we haven't even advertised this !)

Steve

Back Again !!!!

Whew !!!!

I thought we were supposed to 'slow down' a bit as we get older. Definitely not the case here.

After spending the last two weeks of December in Spain, coming back to a photography studio needing our 'attention' to catch up, and trying to plan more travel-ography.com adventures, plus preparing a one hour motivational program I'm presenting to more than 200 teachers and administrators on Monday, the 21st of January, time has not been an ally.

I must post some photographs so you can see what a wonderful time we had in the beautiful country of Spain. Our daughter, Abby, is over in Logrono, Spain (the Northern region) teaching English for one year, and we gathered, as a family, to enjoy the country and the holidays.

Spain is so different from America in many ways and we found it so interesting.

Here we are eating 'lomo' (pork, I think) sandwiches on the fly.

It took awhile to develop a taste for some of the food, but believe me, our hosts (Abby and Ben), did not disappoint when they cooked up a fantastic Christmas meal for the family.


Shopping for the ingredients proved very interesting (note the weird mini shopping carts) and there is no way we could have enjoyed such a delicious meal without the knowledge and language help from our hosts.


We 'walked off' all the great food by visiting cathedrals, museums, castles, and lots of other points of interest our 'guides' wanted us to see.




Rob (above) with Spain's beloved 'Don Quixote'.

This proved to be an amazing shot...as I had moved all around this magnificent Cathedral, capturing photographs from several angles, when, unexpectedly, Jesus on the Cross lit up in a beautiful, warm glow....for ten seconds....then returned to darkness. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to capture two exposures of this amazing sight.

The uniquely designed 'Guggenheim Museum' in Bilbao, Spain. One of only five Guggenheim's in the world. It was fabulous.


And we still had some energy...after seeing so much !



These are only twelve of 2,349 photographs Linda and I captured in Spain. I'll share more in future posts. (Don't worry, I won't post all of them!)

Tomorrow we're announcing details of a very exciting adventure we're offering to our travel-ography.com friends. We're going to Minneapolis to see Beth Moore speak and inspire at the Target Center. I've heard her program is wonderful and usually sells out quickly, so we feel fortunate to have secured 40 tickets, a comfortable motorcoach bus, and good hotel rooms, in order that a bunch of us (including you !) can be part of this inspirational event on July 18th and 19th.

More details in tomorrow's post. Until then....goodnight.

Steve and Linda