That's an odd combination. I bet no where else in the WORLD can you find an article talking about Florence, Italy and Coach Don Shula. Consider yourself lucky folks.
This past week I was hired to travel down to Jacksonville, FL to shoot the grand opening of the Sheraton Hotel and their restaurant Shula's 347. The restaurant is the 27th steak-house that former Miami Dolphin's Coach Don Shula owns. I'm not a big sports fan really, but apparently this guys a pretty big deal. I believe he is the most winningest coach in NFL history (correct me if I'm wrong). I know he led the 1972 Dolphin's team through a perfect season (17-0) and won the super bowl. He is a great guy. The opening was very nice, especially the Jacksonville Jaguar cheerleaders. They had a silent auction as well, the main item being a helmet signed by the whole '72 team that went for $3,800.
So, tomorrow Kelly and I leave for Italy. I am so excited I can barely stand it. I can't fully let go yet with excitement because I still have a lot to do at the office, plus a wedding to shoot tonight. I imagine the time will go by very fast though, leaving me standing in the 2-hour security line at the Atlanta airport upon me before I can say ciao.
Our plans are very basic. Eat, walk, shoot pictures, eat, eat gelato, drink wine, drink wine, drink wine. We have a few places we want to go see around the Florence area (all through Tuscany) but mainly plan on just hanging out. We've lived in Florence (during college) so a lot of the "must see" stuff is already checked off the list. We might venture as far as Venice for a day, if we feel like it (I know, tough vacation huh?). The last day we are flying out of Rome and are packing a full day in there, seeing everything we can.
I'm really excited about shooting while over there. I'm bringing a good selection of gear, as well as some film stuff including my favorite black and white film (Ilford 50) and two rolls of Infrared black and white film. I'm pretty pumped about experimenting with that stuff. Anyway, I hope to be able to put together a show of some sort, but we'll see.
That's all I got folks. Stay tuned while I'm away. I might be posting from time to time from Italy via my iPhone, so swing on by for some updates! CIAO CIAO!
