Les Schwab Bowl: North 32, South 14 Friday, June 26, 2009

Josh Garlington, a recent graduate of Century High School, attempts to catch a touchdown pass for the North squad June 20 in the first quarter of the Les Scwhab Bowl at Hillsboro Stadium. Danny Urness (no. 3) of Thurston broke up the play.

A few images from last week's Les Schwab Bowl, played in Hillsboro for the first time in the 62-year history of Oregon's high school all star football game. The North squad (Portland-area teams) dominated the game, winning 32-14.

This was the first time I've been to Hillsboro Stadium, which is easily seen from Highway 26 when you drive west from Portland (see the satellite view here). It's a pretty nice facility, with the field set up for one or two soccer fields, baseball, and softball, and a covered grandstand that will hold about 7,000 fans. However, there are so many lines on the turf that it's sometimes hard to know which ones you should be looking at.

[left] Jack Lomax handled most of the quarterback duties for North in the game. The Lake Oswego graduate threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in the game, and was selected as the game's MVP.

I have to say that it's nice shooting football in the summertime. Most of the football I shoot is in the fall, and high school games normally start around 7 p.m.—just when the light is fading. Even though last weekend's game didn't start until 7:30 and the weather was mostly overcast, there was plenty of light through the first half to shoot high speed, low(er) ISO action, and it's amazing how well the auto-focus system works when it can actually see what it's doing!

[right] Tony Gonzalez runs for South in the first quarter. The McKay graduate, who will play at Western Oregon University in the fall, rushed for 33 yards in the game. [below, left] Matt Nylen holds onto the ball as he is tackled by John Grill after a catch in the first quarter. The recent graduate of Clackamas High School caught four passes for 29 yards in the North's 32-14 win.

The World comes to Portland Thursday, June 18, 2009

I saw The World today. Literally.

Not the whole thing, mind you, but pretty much all of the outside.

You see, a couple of nights ago, when most people weren't even looking, The World arrived on Portland's doorstep. Or to be more precise, it's moored at Waterfront Park. But it's leaving tonight. You can't keep The World still for very long.

OK, enough of the corny puns, I'm talking about the luxury cruise ship The World, which describes itself as "the world's only private residential community at sea."

This 644-foot Bahamian-registered vessel is unique among cruise ships in that it is owned, condo-style, by its passengers. Since its launch in 2002 it has cruised the seas continuously, visiting ports of call on every continent (well, I don't know if they've visited Antarctica yet, but it's on the itinerary for 2010). After its three-day stop in Portland, the ship will stop in Astoria before heading up the coast to Alaska.

According to Wikipedia, there are 165 (non-crew) living units on decks 6 through 11, carrying a couple hundred residents and their guests. And an equal number of crew.

This is no mere Carnival cruise ship with bunks that would make a submarine look comfortable: most of the units are complete apartments with kitchens, living areas, and up to six bedrooms!

Want to get on board? You're in luck—their largest penthouse suite is for sale: 4,000+sq.ft., bow and port views. 5 dbl en suite bdr, 1 dbl en suite study bdr, 2 lr, 2 dnr, 2 ktn, w/d, 150 ft. veranda. Comfortably fits 12.

How much? Well, as the saying goes, if you have to ask, you can't afford it. But you can rent it for as little as $4706 per night (double occupancy) + $127/night for additional guests. Entertainment, housekeeping and luggage handling are included; meals are not.

Sportsshooter update Wednesday, June 10, 2009

As mentioned in my previous post, I had the opportunity to photograph Memorial Coliseum from the inside last weekend during the Rose Festival. Since it was the home of the Trail Blazers, and still hosts some sporting events (like most Winter Hawks home games), I thought it would be an appropriate topic for my SportsShooter.com page. I posted some of Saturday's pictures along with some earlier exterior photos on the site ... check it out here.

2009 Rose Festival: Crowning the Queen Sunday, June 07, 2009

Grant High School junior Rachel Seeman is escorted from the Memorial Coliseum June 6, moments after being announced as the 2009 Queen of Rosaria.

I spent yesterday morning at Memorial Coliseum photographing the crowning of the 2009 Rose Festival Queen and the Grand Floral Parade. Actually, I was there to photograph the building, but that's what was happening there at the time. More on that later.

Portland's biggest parade starts in the coliseum, and continues from there to downtown. But before the parade gets underway, they have to announce the new queen, so there's a little ceremony (starting at 8:30 a.m.) where the princesses enter the arena, wave to the crowd, answer one question apiece and then await the announcement. It's pretty exciting for them.

Then the parade runs right through the arena before heading off on its route. People pay $15 or $25 apiece to see it in the coliseum, but that gets them a relatively comfortable reserved seat with a good view and the chance to see the parade in climate-controlled comfort, which is a smart idea given the cool drizzly weather that accompanies the "Rose Festival low" pressure system that invariably seems to arrive that weekend.

I didn't stay for the whole parade—too many other things to do yesterday—but it looked like a good show.