STOP 5: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Miller Park is the Brewers' new(ish) home located just beyond downtown Milwaukee off the freeway. It's surrounded by lovely freeway, and that's about it. Oh, and parking lots too.

The parking lots are more than just concrete slabs for Brewers fans, however - they're party zones! Tailgating is allowed and even encouraged, alcohol and all, and we felt like the odd men out because we parked and immediately walked to the stadium instead of setting up lawn chairs portable awnings and grilling up some burgers.



The park has one of those new-fangled retractable roofs - this one opens and closes like a fan - it was open on Monday. The ballpark feels larger than some and is rather industrial in appearance. It seems to fit the city though.















The view from our seats. The Brewers were playing our Washington Nationals andbeat our team 6-1.











Even though we were cheering for the Nats, the Brewers fans gave us a friendly hard time and even took a pic of us by the field.










Next Stop: Cleveland, OH

STOP 4: Chicago, Illinois

This is the famous Wrigley Field Entrance.



As we approached the stadium there was this huge throng of people lined up. And when I say huge, I mean about 60 people wide and 500 people deep. This we soon realized was the bleacher ticket holders. Wow. Those seats are first come first served.







Robert and I at the edge of the over hang.















When we walked up the ramp into the stadium area, we were littlerally breathless. The field is such an amazing place. I will try to describe to you what seems so difficult to portray with simple words. The feel of this stadium is what I have always imagined the stadiums that the original Baseball legends played in. When I used to watch "In A League of Their Own" I always got this nostalgic feeling, and this was that same feeling. Wrigley, being the second oldest stadium in both the National and American leagues, I knew I was feeling that way for a reason. The greatest baseball players of all time had played in this park at one time or another.






This was the view from our seats. Really cool.
























Robert caught this photo, we both think it is a great shot, so we added it.










The Cubs won their game. The Cubs fans were on their feet more in this game than I have seen people on their feet at a concert. I have never experienced such a dynamic crowed. At the end of the they sang this great song. EVERYONE stayed and sang.








Wrigley field is an experience all its own. You can not manufacture in your mind what it is like to actually watch a game in this stadium. Even if you are not a lover of baseball, I highly reccommend that you make it to a game in Wrigley field before it is too late for you, or the field itself.



Next Stop: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

STOP 3: Detroit, Michigan

We arrived at Comerica Park. As we approached the gate this is what we saw. Pretty amazing.
















In the outfield there were these fountains that would go off every once in a while. I couldn't really figure out the rhyme or reason to it. However, it was still pretty cool.
















As we entered the stadium we it began to downpour. It rained, drizzled and everything in between up and until game time. They did delay the game about an hour, but once it started the sky cleared and gave us a beautiful sunset.





















Not only did be get a beautiful sunset, but a rainbow strategically placed above the outfield scoreboard. Look carefully, it is there.














Here are the four of us. Yeah Us! You may ask why we are wearing the team hats for a team we don't follow. Well, we collect hats from all of the stadiums we've been to - 1. to keep track for our selves, and 2. as a memento.


AND - Here is a little piece of joy for our niece Hannah....


P.S cock your head toward your left shoulder for best viewing.




Best fireworks I have ever seen.

Next Stop: Chicago, IL

STOP 2: Toronto, Ontario

Woke Up in Niagara Falls, Ontario:
















Dave and Diane had the opportunity to see their grandchildren this morning in Niagara Falls. It was so much fun to finally meet Amanda (their mother) and the kids. All four of them are so sweet. What a treat it was to meet them.

Toronto, ON:
















Robert did a lot of research before we went on this trip about each of the teams and the stadiums. Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play is both a ball park and a football stadium. He found in his research that Rogers Stadium has the highest seats in both the National and America Leagues. So, naturally, we had to go up to those seats and try them out. Just so we can say we had. (Man, there were a lot of stairs)

















However, this is where we actually got to sit to watch the game. Robert got us some spectacular seats. Behind us is the official Toronto Blue Jays' Tractor.






















Twenty Years ago the Blue Jays were the first baseball team to build their ball park with a retractable roof. When we went into the stadium the roof was closed due to a threat of rain. I was delighted when they started to open the roof just before game time.
















As they started to open the roof we discovered that we had not only awesome seats for the game, but the best view in the house. This is the CN Tower from our seats. At night it lights up from top to bottom with the colors consistently changing (eerily similar to Niagara Falls at night time).


Next Stop: Detroit, MI

STOP 1: Niagara Falls, Ontario

This is my first time at the Falls andI have to say I'm more impressed than I thought I'd be - they're incredible.

Little did we know until we opened the door to our hotel room how fantastic our view would be:



Mom Hagerty, sister Erin, and nephew Ben joined us for Niagara, as did niece Hannah:


Double Rainbow:


Next stop - Toronto.

An Engaging Weekend

I shot engagement photos for my coworker this weekend and am pretty proud of the results. Thought I'd share. Be sure to click on the photos to make them full screen.

-Robert

This one is best full-screen:

Happenings 'round Here - Road Trip Details

I wish I could say there have been great and wonderful things happening in my life these past weeks, but I can't. However, though that may be encouragement for the rest of you to stop reading immediately and go do something better with your time, I must admit it is refreshing to say that our lives have been boring.

The months of April, May, and June were fairly tumultuous for the Martin Family of DC. Thus, a calm uneventful month such as July brought with it great rejoicing for both Robert and I. But, because I know there are people who like to know what is happening in our lives I will try to muster up some things that might cause those few and proud survivors to be entertained.

First, as I sit here writing this blog entry, Robert walks in the room and announces that I would be so proud of him. He proceeds to tell me that he has just uploaded some of his photos that he took on Friday to our blog. So, that is the first entertaining tidbit. Both of us, who rarely blog at all, decided to start entries at the exact same time. well, I thought it was funny.

All of July Robert has been serving on a DC Grand Jury. He has to finish next week after five weeks of hearing indictment cases. It has been interesting because he can't really tell me anything about them - I hope when he is done and back to work I don't forget to start asking him how is day was again.

Robert has started to put together the photos that we are going to be hanging in our stairway leading up to our upstairs. I am really excited because he has picked some of my favorite photos. I really love how the photos turned out. He has found this great printer who has done a wonderful job with his photos. We are also very excited because in the late fall/early winter Robert is going to do a joint showing of his photos. We had a friend who did a show of her work this Spring. Her show went excellently, and I could see the look in Robert's eyes as he walked through there. He is very excited to do this show with her.

Robert and I are gearing up for our road trip coming up. We are traveling to 6 cities, seeing 5-6 baseball games, in 8 days. Here is our itinerary...
Drive to Buffalo to pick up my boss and his wife, drive to Niagara Falls spend the night.

Then drive to Toronto on the 8^{th - see a Blue Jays Game}

Drive to Detroit on the 9^th watch the Tigers game and then drive to Kalamazoo, MI that evening

Drive to Chicago on the 10^th and stay through the 12^th. Watch a Cubs game, and then have a day to either site see or get tickets day of for the White Sox. On the 11th we will be driving to Milwakee to catch a Brewers game and then back to Chicago.

Drive to Cleveland August 13^th - catch an Indians game. Stay the night in Cleveland and then drive back to DC.

2,033 mi – about 1 day 10 hours

That is going to be a fun trip, now all we have to do is rest up for the trip. :)

So, I can't think of much else to share - but one thing I do recommend is the TV Series, Prison Break. Very Good! - (Thank You Corey)