November Clouds, San Francisco

Arizona Fall Ball

Billy Parker Field in Surprise, AZ
HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa, AZ
Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, AZ
Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, AZ

Although temperatures hovered in the 90's, it was mellow and comfortable in Arizona. My baseball buddy & I spent a week there, from October 23 - 30, taking in Arizona Fall League baseball. The teams associated with Fall League are the Solar Sox, based in HoHoKam Stadium, Desert Dogs, based in Phoenix Muni, Scorpions based in Scottsdale, Javelinas and Saguaros both based in Peoria and Rafters based in Surprise. Promising minor league players are selected by the major league teams to play in this league. During the week I saw all the teams and all the stadiums. I even saw the China team playing in 2 of the games - they have a lot of work to do to catch up with American players. But I am confident that they will become competitive in the future. The American players themselves weren't totally up to major league snuff - lots of fielding errors and pitcher changes made for a sometimes lengthy game. The balmy weather was perfect for Polaroid image manipulations. I enjoyed sitting in the near-empty stands with the scouts and enjoying the last of baseball for the year.

Bluebirds at Grand Canyon

Walking back to the Grand Canyon train, I looked up to see a tree full of iridescent blue birds. As soon as I pointed my camera, the birds flew away. They didn't go far, though. They alighted in a ditch just ahead of us to bathe and drink the water. Their blue coat was absolutely brilliant in the afternoon sun.

Kachinas

Kachinas from Second Mesa. Back left to right: Fire, Cricket, Joker, Owl. Front left to right: Pot, Hunter.

Weekend at Dillon Beach

Went on an artists' retreat at Dillon Beach. It was a beautiful weekend - warm, breezy and absolutely clear. This child was absolutely delighted by the water, which was cold but quite shallow.