Brain Drain

My view, as captured on my i-phone, at the Giants game on July 3, 2008.

I assisted Brad Mangin on a Sports Illustrated assignment recently. It was my job to schlep his gear around the ballpark during a Giants vs Cubs game. He had a 400mm f:2.8, an 800mm f:5.6 and a 70-200mm lens. He also set up a remote camera near home plate with another 70-200mm. He had all the angles covered. I was a pretty good assistant, too. I didn’t bug him with tons of questions. I didn’t cheer on the Giants or heckle the umps. I didn’t ask for any autographs. But I had my i-phone and couldn’t resist taking a few frames toward the end of the game just to rub it in Brad’s face that anybody with a camera phone could do his job. What a great park to shoot in.

"Hurry up and take the picture dad, I've got grapes to eat."

It’s been a pretty good season for grapes at our house this year. The first year the birds ate most of them before we did. The second year the guy that delivered the propane ate them all during one of his stops. So we got smart this year and put some netting over the vines and we also have a new propane delivery guy. Now Jack’s favorite thing is to crawl under the netting and harvest the grapes. Sometimes he’ll go outside and get three grapes and bring them in for Nicky, me and him to enjoy. Other times he fills up an entire bowl. We’ve had a good crop this year thanks to my brother Jim and his son Matthew because they pruined the vines way back last winter. Grape vine apparently like that.