SkyHawk's Stuff

Times, they are a'changin''!

2008-09-04T06:39:00.004-04:00

As the political scene heats up nationally, so are the opportunities to "shoot" sports events. Thank goodness! July and August are "dry" months each year for sports photography. Right now, I've got high school and college football, college soccer, high school fast pitch softball and high school volleyball to cover. It may sound overwhelming, but it's not! I'm having fun!

The dock diving season with the dawgs seems to be winding down. Nancy will be going with a friend and both Sally and Spud to compete in the Southern Championships held by Ultimate Air Dogs in Sand Destin, Florida, later this month.

Then, Nancy, Sally, Spud and I will journey to Milwaukee to compete in the DockDog Nationals. Neither of us have ever been to Wisconsin, and we're excited about the trip! We'll be on the road for 3 or 4 days. Sally and Spud are packing their bags right now!

Team Fire & Ice

2008-04-18T17:19:00.002-04:00

Dock Diving in Louisburg & Chantilly

2008-04-04T09:09:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we loaded up Sally & Spud and headed north for a couple of dock diving events, the first of which was the Super Retriever Series event in Louisburg, NC. We got in very late on Friday night and were up very early Saturday morning to check in for the event. It was cold, windy and raining. Miserable weather! But, I don't think the dawgs minded the weather. They patiently waited in the truck for their turn to jump. Of course, Spud didn't jump. He was the head cheerleader while Sally did the jumping.

Sally kind of went crazy and wasn't paying attention. She turned in probably her worst competition effort yet jumping only 12 feet. She finished 5th, not enough to qualify for the finals.

So, in the rain we packed up the dawgs and all the wet equipement and headed north for Chantilly, VA where Sally would compete in the Super Pet Expo there on Sunday. Sally did much better in that event, placing 2nd in the Junior Division. A very long weekend, but a lot of fun!

2008-04-03T10:55:00.001-04:00

It's amazing that we were able to get both Sally (L) and Spud (R) to sit side by side long enough for a picture! Spud is 11 months old, now, and is learning stuff quickly. He's a very smart dawg, but not quite as smart as his "big sister", Sally! Spud has yet to jump from a dock into the water after a bumper. He's liking swimming more and more, and we expect him to start jumping any day, now! A little background on Spud: We contacted the Sally's breeder and told her that we may be looking for another dog, but not a puppy. Maybe a rescue. She said right off that she had just the dog for us. She had brought Spud down from Michigan to train as a "show dog", but because the way his tail cured, she thought his chances of success as a show dog were very limited. She told us that Spud needed a job. So, that's how we came by our Spuddy Buddy. He's really made a place for himself in our family. Sally and Spud share a mutual love.

2008-04-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

Sally is getting to be quite the competitor in dock diving events! She just finished 5th in Louisburg, NC and 2nd place in competition in Chantilly, VA. Nancy & Sally will travel to Punta Gorda, FL at the end of this month for an event in the Red Fish Cup.

The Cruise

2008-04-02T17:23:00.005-04:00

My Dad took Nancy & me on a cruise to the Western Caribbean in September of 2007. We made stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and a couple of other tropical places. The trip was more for my Dad than anyone. It was a very busy time for Nancy and me, but Daddy needed to go somewhere. I have to say that we had a great time. The food was great and the service on the ship was great. I was still recovering from the hip surgery, but I managed to do most everything that Nancy and Daddy wanted to do, except for the long walks in the ports. I had to keep those at a minimum. Daddy had a great time trying to beat the slot machines in the casino, and Nancy was a hit in the piano bar. Because of my hip condition, I spent most evenings in our cabin watching TV and catching up on sleep. We were glad to get home...

It's Over!

2007-07-23T09:38:00.000-04:00

I've been home from the hospital for a week, now, after undergoing my third hip replacement surgery. This one has been a bit more complicated because of the required bone grafts. I'm on the way for a doctor's appointment this morning. He'll x-ray my new hip and maybe take the stitches out of the surgical wound.

Things are definitely going uphill, now. I think I turned the corner yesterday in my journey back to pain-free physical activity. Scarlett and Sally have taken very good care of me. Sally has been staying out of the way. Scarlett, bless her heart, has had all of the household chores placed on her shoulders while trying to care for a rather immobile husband.

Scarlett heads for New York this week to visit with our daughter. They'll be enjoying a Broadway show while she's there. My dad will be coming up to "babysit" with me while Scarlett is out of town for a day or two.

I'm on my way back! I'm trying to find the way for me to go back to work at the office the latter part of this week.

Target : PAIN REMOVAL

2007-06-21T08:37:00.000-04:00

In order to begin enjoying a pain-free life style again and getting ready for the upcoming fall sports season, I have to have my hip replacement of 2001 redone. Some complications have arisen that prevent me from being mobile and pain free. I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon today in order to set a time for the surgery. It's the right hip that's giving me pain. The left hip was replaced just last year and is performing well, thank goodness!

The replacement of the right hip has failed due to my body chemistry attacking and destroying the glue used to hold the prosthetic parts in place. I know this is way too much information, but it helps me to write about it.

Feel free to leave comments.

2007-05-29T09:13:00.001-04:00

The Memorial Day holiday weekend has passed by once again. It's Tuesday morning and the workers of the U.S. have gone back to work after enjoying time off with family, friends, cooking outdoors and other stuff.

On Sunday my wife, Nancy, and I loaded up the truck with some food and soft drinks and our Labrador Retriever, Sally, and traveled the short distance to Lake Oconee, near Greensboro, GA. Our intent was to stay on the water for a couple of hours listening to the Braves game, relaxing, and giving Sally, the "retrieving fool" lab, the opportunity to wear her butt out retrieving sticks, splash bombs, tennis balls and other assorted throwables. To say that Sally loves the water and swimming is an understatement. Sally was born to retrieve and play in the water. The weather was great! Not too hot, sunshine and a gentle breeze. We arrived at the marina to board out boat about an hour after leaving home. Things went downhill from there.

We were greeted by one of the Marina's dock hands that our boat battery was dead and that he finally jumped it off to get the boat started. He also hoped that it recharged. We purchased the battery only a few months ago. So, what if the thing won't start the boat after we get to where we're going on the lake, stop the boat, play and swim with Sally? No problem, he explained. We'll come get you. OK, no problem with that. The boat started OK and the volt gauge indicated that the battery was charging. Things are looking OK.

On our way to a good out of the way swimming spot for Sally, Nancy pulled out the cleaning stuff to clean up the seats and other parts of the boat. Sally, of course, was doing her thing on board, getting her sea legs. Before I knew it Sally was hanging half-way out of the front door of the boat, ready to hit the surf as the boat slid across the water at 25 mph. It's a pontoon boat, folks. So, when anything goes out that front door while the boat is moving will be introduced to a sharp propeller blade moving at 1800 rpm. That's not a pleasant thought. I shouted Sally's name, hoping that she would retreat from the door and return to the safety of the deck. She only crouched tighter to begin her dive. The dog is a fearless jumper. Nancy immediately saw the problem and made an Andruw Jones style dive for Sally's tail. She was successful in holding on to Sally by the tail til I could stop the boat and get forward to harness the Fearless Jumper.

I immediately noticed that Nancy was in pain. She had reinjured her knee that's undergone surgery at least twice. After a few minutes she said that she thought that it was going to be OK. I offered to turn around and go back to the marina and call it a day, but Nancy said that it wasn't that bad. So, on we go to Sally's swimming hole.

With an ever growing knot on her knee from the diving save, Nancy got in the water and we did our thing with Sally. All of a sudden, the action in the water stopped abruptly. Uh oh. Nancy still had her cell phone in her pocket. It had been baptized. I was sure that it would not be resurrected. Oh, well. Cell phones come and cell phones go. Insurance was a great thing.

It was only a few minutes later that Nancy told me that it was time to go. Her knee injury was beginning to be painful. She retrieved the Retriever, I pulled up the anchor, and we took off for the return trip to the marina. On arrival, it was evident that Nancy was having a rough time. I managed to dock the boat, tie it up and grabbed a dock hand to help us get our stuff and Nancy back to the truck. This was all accomplished quickly, thank goodness. We were heading home.

By the time we got as far as Greensboro (about 15 miles from the marina) we discovered that we had left Nancy's business check card on board the boat. We called the marina from my cell phone, turned around and headed back to the marina. Sally snoozed comfortably stretched out on the back seat. We got the forgotten check card and headed home again. This time, we thankfully made it without experiencing any further problems. So, here's the epilogue.

We did not have insurance on the cell phone. Nancy went to the doctor. No tissue damage, thank goodness! Just a lot of swelling and soreness which the doctor told her would eventually go away. A little Aleve would fix everything. That, my friends, was our relaxing holiday.

Whiskey, with a Beer Chaser

2007-05-27T08:14:00.000-04:00

I heard from a friend of mine this morning by email. I met this guy back in 2001 at Town & Gown Theatre in Athens, Georgia. He was cast in the classic stage play To Kill A Mockingbird. I joined the cast late into the rehearsal schedule when another cast member dropped out. I had heard stories about this guy and believed all of them. He's one of the most memorable characters I have ever met. His name is Speedy (yep, that's his real name) Arnold. Speedy is seen in this cast photo, kneeling, far right.

I'm certainly not a noted critic of stage productions, but I know talent when I see it. Speedy is a natural. He can take any role, wear it intimately as if it was his own skin, and project it in a very believable manner. I had the honor of directing two-one act plays at Town & Gown Theatre in 2003, Laundry & Bourbon and Lone Star. These shows were part of Town & Gown's "Second Stage" productions. They were low budget and an opportunity for budding directors (ME!) to show their stuff. I didn't want my productions to be "second rate". By far the best Second Stage show that I have ever seen was Art, directed by Allen Rowell. One of the stars of this show was Speedy Arnold. He, along with the rest of the cast, was truly professional in their performances. So, when I began casting Lone Star I knew right away who would be perfect for the role of "Roy", the off-center Viet Nam veteran who was struggling to fit in after his return from "Nam".

Speedy was perfect for the role. Speedy WAS Roy. Roy captured the attention and respect of the audience as they hung onto every word, every motion. Directing those two one-acts has been one of the most pleasurable experiences that I've ever had. Laundry & Bourbon (staged first) and Lone Star (the finale) were every bit as good as Art, but only because of the all-star, professional cast featuring my friend, Speedy Arnold.

Speedy is happily married, living and working in Bangkok, Thailand. You can visit Speedy on his site at Speedy Arnold

A big "High Five" to Super Mario!!!

2007-05-24T11:11:00.001-04:00

The first time I met this guy, he was about 3 feet tall, skinny and wore a huge smile on his face! Though we spoke different languages, I was able to share with him a little of my home culture. I taught him how to "high five". With his energy and spirit as a child, I just knew that he would one day be an all-star player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States. Wow! Was I ever wrong!

I take pleasure in introducing you to Mario Balotelli who resides near Milan, Italy. Mario, it seems, has become quite a star, but from the image above, you can see that his stardom lies in the game of soccer ("football" to the world outside the U.S.). Mario is the brother of my Italian son, Giovanni. I first met Mario on a trip to Italy years ago. He had just been adopted by Giovanni's family. I hope that I can visit Giovanni, Mario and the Balotelli family again soon. Mario has posted his own web site. I invite you to visit it. http://www.mariobalotelli.it/ Good Luck, Mario!!! I hope to be on the sidelines one day to capture images of you playing "football"!!

Passing Time & Special Moments..

2007-05-22T08:40:00.000-04:00

After speaking with my Daddy this morning, I thought of my mother, Honey. Talking to Daddy is like talking to Honey. They were one in the same for 60 years. Oh, they had different characteristic personality traits, but at the end of the day, they were one. I've got Daddy trained to check in with me daily, usually with an early morning phone call. He doesn't realize it, but our brief conversation each morning really kick-starts my day.

Honey passed away a little over a year ago, but not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of her and missed her. She loved her two boys, Michael and me, more than she loved life, I believe. There was no sacrifice too great when she thought it would contribute to our upbringing. Of course, Daddy was right along there with her in thought and deed.

I really don't know where this post is going, but it was just some thoughts on my mind. Daddy will be 84 this coming month. I hope we have him for a while longer. He's doing good without Honey around to "advise" him on things. I'm sure most of that is on the outside. On the inside, Daddy misses Honey more than any of us ever could.

Ester Williams, Jr.

2007-05-21T08:41:00.001-04:00

Sally gathered up her goggles and swim fins and went to the lake yesterday with us to spend the afternoon on our boat. She's seen here hiding a tennis ball that she just retreived from the water. She's also seen here retreiving a stick. She had a great time playing in the water, Our son and daugher-in-law went along, bringing their boxer, Heidi, along. They were also baby sitting for a friend's phoo phoo dog. The phoo phoo dog just sat in Kim's (our daughter-in-law) lap and panted all day. At the end of the day we were all whipped puppies! Sally slept the remainder of the day and all night, undoubtedly dreaming of her next aquatic adventure!

Football in the spring! Farewell to high school sports this school year.

2007-05-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

(Top to Bottom) David Firth, QB for the North Oconee Titans, Mettenberger, QB for the Oconee County Warriors.

Yesterday saw the finale of shooting high school sports locally for the 2006-07 school year. Both Oconee County High School and North Oconee High School had their spring games yesterday. It was a beautiful day for football with weather close to being "fall" weather.

Both teams face challenges in their upcoming seasons. Oconee County faces the problem of running a strange offense ("wishbone", I think) that I don't think will run well against the teams that they will face. I predict that their season will end 4-6.

North Oconee lost most of last years starting team to graduation, their very first graduating class. From looking at the Titan's schedule it doesn't appear that they will be region competitors. Their season, I predict, will conclude next fall at 6-4.

My #1 Son

2007-05-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

I had a pleasant surprise when I opened Outlook to read my email yesterday morning. After culling through the spam, I noticed a message from someone I have not heard from in over 3 years. His name is Harald (Halle') Nielsen. I first met Halle' in 1985 when I lived in Savannah. Halle', a Swedish citizen, was a high school foreign exchange student. He was only 15 years old.

It seems that Halle' was placed with a family near Albany, Georgia when he first arrived for a high school year in the U.S. His experience with this family, who were pecan farmers, quickly turned into a nightmare. In the family's zeal to make Halle' feel like a member of the family, they went a little too far. He quickly became little more than a slave. While being expected to attend school daily and deal with the trials and tribulations of a visitor speaking a foreign tongue, Halle' was also expected to spend long hours in the afternoons and evenings helping his host father tend to the pecan orchards. This isn't exactly what Halle' signed up for when he elected to spend a year in the U.S. going to school. By the way, none of his "credits" earned in a U.S. high school could be used as credits in his home country, thus putting Halle' a year behind his life-long school friends.

Halle' contacted the organization area representative, the one responsible for placing him with the family; the one responsible for counseling him and helping him have a successful experience. He requested numerous times that he be moved to a different family, but his request went unheard until the requests finally reached as high as the organization's headquarters. Then, things happened quickly. That's where I entered the drama.

In October of 1985, I had been divorced from my first wife for approximately 3 years. One evening while sitting in my easy chair in my Savannah home, I happened to see a public service announcement encouraging people to volunteer to host high school aged foreign exchange students for a school year. It sounded interesting to me, so, I called the contact number listed on the TV screen. With a friendly voice a lady by the name of Lisette DeGroot answered the phone. From that point on my lifestyle as a single male in the prime of life came to an abrupt end.

I told Lisette, an area representative with Educational Foundation for Foreign Study and an actual neighbor of mine, that I was interested in hosting a student. I really had my doubts that any organization would place a student with a single adult male. Lisette explained that she would like to come to my home to interview me and give me more information about hosting. I resisted initially because I really didn't expect things to happen so quickly. But, the process had begun and had already become a runaway train!

The interview was arranged in my home for the next evening. Lisette arrived promptly at the appointed time. She asked me a lot of questions, trying to determine if I would be a fit host parent, a fit SINGLE host parent. I learned later that single male host parents were rare. In fact, they were non-existent! After about an hour of answering a lot of tough questions and an inspection of my home by Lisette, she mentioned that her organization (EF) had an emergency situation where a student needed a new host family. She told me a little about the situation and a little about Halle'. Well, I accepted the challenge to become Halle's new host "family." Great! I would psyche myself up over the next week or so and make mental plans as to how I was going to be the best host father in the world when I had never been a father before! No problem! I discovered quickly that my mental time table wasn't exactly what Lisette had in mind. Halle' would be delivered to my home the next afternoon!

The next morning I made a list of stuff that I had to do before my new "son" arrived. First, there was no furniture in the bedroom that would become his. So, I had to shop for a bedroom suite. Then, I had to go to the grocery store and buy a bunch of food that I thought a 15 year old boy would eat. I really had no idea what to buy, but I think I looked good marching up and down the aisles of the grocery story filling my basket with assorted food items. There seemed to be dozens of details to tend to with only hours remaining before the big moment.

The furniture arrived around 2:00 in the afternoon and Halle' marched through the door with a huge smile on his face at 3:00. My life as a "father" suddenly began!

Our experiences, Halle's and mine, during that year were both pleasant and unpleasant. Most of them were pleasant, thank goodness! There developed such a bond between the two of us that we really thought of ourselves as a natural family. Halle' really became my son! He really claimed me as his Dad (his American Dad)! He still does, in fact. My life was changed for the better with our experience.

I went on to host another 6 foreign exchange students over the next 10 years. It was one of the most gratifying experiences that could have ever come my way.

To sum it up, I heard from my son, Halle', yesterday!

"Pulse"

2007-05-07T15:34:00.000-04:00

The dance concert performed at the Oconee County Civic Center by the Fine Arts Department of North Oconee High School was a tremendous success! It took place on May 3, 2007. The talent displayed far exceeded my expecations, and shooting this event was a pure pleasure.

You can view my captured images of the event on my site, www.skyhawksports.com