Cool happenings on a HOT weekend

As I've posted in another post in this here blog, it's almost impossible to make a bad image at Barber Motorsports Park. You have to try real hard........or have an occasional brain fart. Sometimes it seems that I do both. I had my moments this weekend at the GRAND AM ROLEX Sportcar Series PORSCHE 250 Presented By Bradley Arant at the Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama. (how's that for a title?)

I managed to pull it all together after blowing a shutter very early Saturday morning, and for some reason I didn't have my back-up camera with me. I didn't panic too much, had a friend there shooting his first motorsports event with me, so I figured I had Saturday covered.

I eased around the rest of the morning not doing too much and staying out of trouble. I got bored just sitting around, and thought I would give Skip a call just to 'shoot the shit'. I was telling him about some of the cool shots I was capturing, and other things going on here. Lots of good news from Barber, then we talked about of SEC football schedule. Then I told him the bad news about my shutter. I thought he would be here shooting, but when I talked to him, he reminded me his daughter was in a softball tournament in Panama City Beach, Florida, and he was on I-65 north pulling into Birmingham. He was about 30 minutes away, and driving within 2 or 3 miles of the track, and would loan me his new 40D to complete shooting the race.

What a life saver......not the candy kind, but the HERO kind. Skip buddy, I owe you a big 'un!!!!!

So here are a few of the images from both of our cameras with just a little commentary.


Cheever Racing driver Tom Kimber-Smith prepares for the start.


John Pew, driver for the Michael Shank Racing Team, has his game face on as he gives me a thumbs up.


This classy lady read her book on pit road all race long. This don't appear to be her first rodeo.


You would have to be a numb bum or drink too much rum bum......


This ROLEX / Koni official played traffic cop all weekend long. At this point he told me it was a slow weekend. He had not written any speeding tickets.


You don't see this at a NASCAR event.......


Office work stinks, I'd rather be outside, unless there's paperwork to do. do.


Cool hairdo......something like I would do.


Baby, it's hot, but not that hot. But I did see in the Chip Ganassi pit where the pitroad temp was 102 degrees. So maybe it was that hot.


You just have to keep hydrated. And occasionally empty the trash.


I caught these lovely lady's from Zoom Motorsports getting ready to party.


Patrick Dempsey (or Dr. McDreamy from the TV show Grays Anatomy)was here and driving on Sunday for the winning team on Saturday.


Remember the traffic cop?


And the winner is.......Chip Ganassi Racing. The crew chief low fives crew members.


Remember the girls with champagne?


What would victory lane be without champagne?


Boys will be boys....right? Notice winning driver Scott Pruitt in the background?


Everyone gets a good soaking, but why can't Scott open his champagne bottle?


Did Scott wait until just the right moment, like he does in so many race? Is this his new podium stra-tee-ger-ry? Or is this just his way of getting revenge for the soaking?


The 01 TELMEX Lexus Riley from the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Team driven by Scott Pruitt and Memo Rojas.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little posting. I had a blast shooting it. I just hope the editors at the publication I was shooting for are happy with what I sent them. I haven't heard from them yet, so maybe they are.

'till later, dudes and dudettes...........

Gettysburg or bust.........

Some time ago, maybe late winter or very early spring, my little bro asked me if I wanted to go with with him and his friends to the reenactment at Gettysburg for the 145th anniversary of the great battle during the War Between the States.

I enjoy going to these events. It gives us 'quality time' together, which we don't get enough of lately. I enjoy taking part in his hobby and hanging with his friends. Even though its relaxing, to some extent, it's still very tiring for me (in my advanced years). We usually stay up late and then at 6am sharp, the bugler plays reveille and the fife and drum corps begin. You can't sleep through all that racket, so you might as well get up.

The only difference with this reenactment, it was 750 miles away. And we were going to make the drive in one day. One long day. Four of us in his Chevy pick-up. It would require us to stop every few hours to stretch our legs and backs. Lots of stops.

We split up the driving every few hours, also. The trip home was different. Not even close to our trip up there. I drove back home most of the way. We left Gettysburg at 4:08 pm and I finally gave up my drivers seat about 5 minutes until 4.
a.m., that is. My poor old tired bones couldn't take any more. Then I got sleepy. Made it all the way back to Cleveland, Tennessee. I could almost smell home. At least I might have, but none of the passengers in the truck had bathed in at least four days. My sinuses still haven't cleared up.

Anyway, here's the highlights of the trip. Enjoy.


Loading the truck before our long trip.


Early morning on the road.


Sunrise.


We had planned a side trip to Lexington , Virginia on this trip. Lexington is the home of Virginia Military Institute, where Stonewall Jackson was school president, and the VMI artillery (better known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).


Next door to VMI is the campus of Washington and Lee University, Named after George Washington and Robert E. Lee, who were both presidents of this school. The above image is of Lee Chapel. General Robert E. Lee attended services each day here and his office is downstairs. His permament residence is also here. He is entombed in a crypt adjacent to his office, along with members of his immediate family. His horse, Traveler, is buried just outside Lee's office door.


We also made a stop to pay our respects to Stonewall Jackson at the Confederate cemetary.


I wish I had more time to explore the Confederate cemetary. Lot's of history and very peaceful on top of this hill.



The credentials and schedules from our trip.


My bro has this thing about stopping at rest stops along the way. He made the mistake of telling me that his six year old likes to collect all kinds of flyers and brochures from these stops. I will make sure he has a very merry Christmas (some things you should keep to yourself). bwaaaahaaaahaaaahaaaa!!!!!!!

48th Alabama and then some.......

We arrived at the farm in Gettysburg where the reenactment was going to take place about an hour before dark. After pitching our Civil War era tent (remember, everything has to be from that period), unloading the truck and setting up camp, we deserved a long rest. It took us almost 15 hours to make the drive. Of course, we did stop to go site seeing for a couple of hours in Lexington Virginia, and we did stop at every rest stop along the way. You know, my bro shouldn't have let it slip that his six year old son liked to collect brochures and business cards from rest stops they visit. Merry Christmas Seth. Bwaaahaaahaaahaaahaaa!!!!!!!!

OK, now back to the visual stimulation from our camp site and from the reenactment.


This was one of the first observances I made after we got settled in. My new friends from Georgia and Tennessee had pitched their tent directly across from our tent. Just being in a period camp like this is weird enough, with all the period clothing, tents, supplies, and so forth, but when I walked up to this tent, the were discussing Obama running for President, laptop computers and software, and The Dave Matthews Band.
Is that surreal, or what?


We're talking taking period to the extreme. Here, a soldier is writing in his journal about the days activities. They live, eat, and sleep like they were back in 1863.



Every single time the 48th Alabama would line up for inspection before going to the battlefield, it would start raining. And raining. And raining.


And raining. And raining.


It did stop raining at times during each battle and I was beginning to think I was not going to be allowed to shoot. I was told to buy a ticket and shoot from the grandstands. Then I was told to walk back to the barn at the entrance to the campgrounds and get a photographers permit. After being rained on for the quarter mile hike back to the barn, I was told to go to the building where we registered and get a press pass. Huh? Didn't know I needed one of those and it's about a half mile away. In the rain. Luckily, I keep a towel on my monopod, so I covered my 400/2.8 and made the hike to registration. That's where they wanted to see my media credentials before allowing me to get a press pass. Huh? Then the lecture about how the organization is very protective about the image that the Gettysburg Historical Society wants to put out for the public to see. I waited and waited hoping the person assigning press passes would feel sorry for me. Sometimes that works. This time it didn't. I was told if I was caught on the battlefield with a camera, I would be escorted off. Off of where? The battlefield or the site?

Luckily, I have enough experience to know the limits (I think). I made my way along the tree line behind the artillery and got some decent images, but I was too far from the action to make anything decent.

The second day, I changed positions to a grove of trees on the opposite corner of the battlefield. This worked much better, but I was behind the good guys but not quite as far from the action.

Take a look.











And what would a Civil War reenactment be without some beautiful Southern Belles?


Did you ever wonder what they did way back there one hundred and forty-five years ago for fun?
They played frisbee with their hats.