Douglas Witmer
Thursday, October 30, 2008
personal baseball history : the phils win it all!
It's a GREAT day to be a Phils fan! Here's Salena waving a rally towel from the final game at the old Veteran's Stadium. After the victory, Salena and I headed down to the corner of our block where everybody was out banging on kettles, shooting off fireworks, cheering, high-five-ing, and banging on the sides of passing cars.
Labels: baseball, children, Phillies, salena
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Monday, April 14, 2008
house band
...after spending time on Saturday listening to a variety of music to determine which "rocked" and which didn't. (Girls with low-slung guitars definitely rock.)
Labels: children
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Friday, March 28, 2008
sktchbk : cage match
More of Juan looking over my shoulder...me looking over Juan's shoulder...
Labels: children, children's art, drawing, juan, sketchbooks
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Sunday, February 24, 2008
serpent emergency
Salena saw this on the side of an ambulance and said: "that means if a snake is sick those guys will always take it to the hospital."
Labels: children, miscellany, salena
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
the other pumpkin
This guy hasn't gotten much air time here. Ruben's adoption was finalized yesterday!
Labels: children, miscellany, ruben
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Sunday, September 30, 2007
where were you when the Phils took the division?
We were at home, watching the Phils win on TV! But I just have to republish this terrific photo from earlier this year.
Labels: baseball, children, Phillies
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Friday, September 28, 2007
the team to beat
In the National League East, Phillies' shortstop Jimmy Rollins' predictions are becoming prophetic. He said the Phillies would be the team to beat! He didn't predict that he would also deserve to be the league MVP. At the time of this writing the Phils have just finished off the Nationals with an impressive 6-0 win, while the Mets can't seem to catch the Marlins, down 7-4 in the 7th. This would give the Phillies sole possesssion of first place with only two games left to play.
In the parking lot behind our house, it's "old Phillies" against "new Phillies" nightly. New Phillies remain undefeated this season. Old No. 32 just can't seem to get anybody out, while new No. 6 tacks on hit after hit after home run.
Labels: baseball, children, juan, Phillies, salena
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Friday, September 21, 2007
master and student
[click to enlarge each]
Juan (aka "kindergarten boy") was in the zone the other day. Of late he has been working more figuratively--people with faces, sunshines, houses, etc. But here's a group that seems to focus on line and color (note, too, that a few of these incorporate his name, a la Robert Ryman). Juan has a distinct skill compared to other children for keeping his color clear and relatively unmixed (could it be the brush washing lessons I give him?)
The question is, in regard to color, who is influencing whom?
Labels: children, children's art, drawing, juan, sketchbooks
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
file under : personal baseball history
Last night I celebrated my birthday two days early, taking my 8-month-old son Ruben to the ballpark. The Phillies opened an important 4-game series with the New York Mets...this could decide the fate of the season for them. The weather was perfect, and I realized if I was going to be able to catch any of the games the only night that would work would be last night. So we headed down to the ball park early (as you can see in this phone camera picture the Mets are still taking batting practice), got a nice seat (easy since I only needed one), and had time to get Ruben a Phils cap and a nice big chunk of soft pretzel before the game started. I wore my 1980s maroon wool cap. Typically this season I've been wearing my Phils road jersey with current red cap (like Ruben's). I wanted to try something different so as not to jinx the game.
We sat on the outfield porch, just above left field. It's a good vantage point, particularly to be able to see the outfielders work. Any New York/Philadelphia game brings out intense rivalry. And the Phillies are still relatively close in second place behind the Mets. The atmosphere in the ballpark was playoff-like, and heavily populated by Mets fans, who were all around us.
Ruben and I took our seat. A few minutes later a suburban-looking white guy with two sons arrived...all in Mets colors. With them were two other guys. The guy who sat beside us was well-built, had glowing exotic black skin, expensive Lacoste sunglasses, and a vibrant green mesh tank top that you could basically see through. He was clearly with the suburban Mets fans, but I couldn't figure out how someone like him got with folks like them. He sat down and completely filled to overflowing the seat beside us. Ruben was transfixed by this guy and couldn't stop trying to touch his skin and shirt. After a few of my apologies, he replied in a friendly way: "I guess he's never seen a Jamaican before." I said that that was probably true, since he was experiencing a lot of things for the first time. That's when I realized the bright green mesh tank top coordinated with some other black and yellow accessories. Our new Jamaican friend was wearing his national colors. Soon I also realized that this was the Jamaican's first ballgame..Throughout the game we exchanged similarities between baseball and cricket.
The Phils got off to a good start, with their rookie pitcher J.D. Durbin holding down the Mets for 4 scoreless innings, while the Phillies batters mounted a small lead. There was extra excitement in the air as it was the return of the Phillies star second baseman Chase Utley, who had missed the previous four weeks with a broken hand. Utley eventually hit a double and a home run, and had several good defensive plays. Ruben loved it--going 5 2/3 strong innings before becoming inconsolably annoyed with the Mets fans all around us. All the overstimulation had finally gotten the best of him. We left the game with the Phils ahead 3-2, and listened to the game driving home. The Phils eventually built on their lead and crushed the Mets 9-2, sealing the deal with pinch hit 2-run homer by the Japanese infielder Tadahito Iguchi.
[I'm listening to tonight's game as I write this post, and Phillies slugger Ryan Howard has just won the game in the 10th inning with a two run home run, his 35th this season...GO PHILS!]
Labels: baseball, children, Phillies
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Thursday, July 26, 2007
juan snaps : floor
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
juan snaps : chico and bear
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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juan snaps : electric things
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Friday, July 20, 2007
Salena snaps : crocs
Labels: children, children's art, photographs, salena
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Friday, July 13, 2007
Salena snaps : road trip bro
Labels: children, children's art, photographs, salena
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
juan snaps : "car wash"
COMING UP...cameraphone snaps by Salena!
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
juan snaps : "the street"
This one pretty much describes 98 degree Philadelphia today.
Juan has chosen the images for the past several days. Now Salena is jealous and wants some of her photos on the internet...
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Monday, July 09, 2007
juan snaps : "upside down chair"
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Saturday, July 07, 2007
juan snaps : "bridge"
Update: Juan's titles for the photos have be added retroactively to his previous posts.
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Friday, July 06, 2007
juan snaps : "sign"
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Thursday, July 05, 2007
juan snaps : "daddy"
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Monday, July 02, 2007
juan snaps : "hand"
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Saturday, June 30, 2007
juan snaps : "table"
Juan has been enjoying taking control of the camera lately. I think the results are interesting and fun. I'll be posting his photos regularly throughout July.
Labels: children, children's art, juan, photographs
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Monday, June 25, 2007
you think i forgot about the phils?
After a dismal start in April, my Philadelphia Phillies now find themselves in second place, just three games behind the New York Mets in the National League east. Whether they can do better remains to be seen. They have been a frustratingly dramatic and anticlimactic bunch as usual. Four key pitchers are currently on the disabled list. Slugger Ryan Howard is only now starting to perform consistently.
Fortunately, all of this is lost on the two little superfans in the picture. That's the spirit...I'll hang with them.
(Incidentally, Juan now has a least favorite team, the ones who wear the black hats with the logo he describes as "an N mixed with a Y.")
Labels: children, juan, Phillies
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
juan's new work
Here you're up-to-the-minute with Juan's drawing. This one he describes as a rocket and the lines are holding it so it doesn't fall down. Whatever!...I describe it as effing amazing.
I've not been able to document Juan's recent drawing lately with everything else going on. But he's developing from all-over masses of color into these complicated linear activities. They move and intersect, and often more importantly DO NOT intersect. All of the logic is internal, automatic, unmitigated. It's thrilling to watch.
Labels: children, drawing, juan
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