Thursday, July 31, 2008

Greener Pastures

I've struggled with how to write this particular post. I've played with witty opening lines, earnest heartfelt beginnings, and nothing seems right, so I'm just going to come right out and say it.

Trey has played his last baseball game in Georgetown County.

For Trey, it's a good thing, because he's moving on to bigger and better things at USC Lancaster. For me and Richie, it's bittersweet, because while we're happy for him, we're going to miss driving just a few miles to see him play. On July 24th and 25th, Trey played in Goose Creek and Waccamaw.

I'm not a great photographer, and I'm even less proficient with action shots. But, I think these are the pictures that best represent Trey's last couple of nights as a Georgetown player.


Wow--just can't get more patriotic than that, can you? The American Flag, baseball, and Trey's is wearing red, white and blue. This was taken when Georgetown Post 114 were taking infield at Goose Creek, and I love the way the diamond in the fence framed Trey's stance. This is a boy (um, young man) that takes his game seriously.

This is the shot that excited Richie. Trey's taking a big swing that led to a double. Normally, when something like that happens, I'm jumping and screaming, but since I was trying to get a picture, I just had to let my heart pound. I have to agree, though, this is a good picture, even if it is a bit blurry. Trey looks like he should be on the cover of Sports Illustrated with that swing!

Now this is my favorite shot. This is right after he scored his double, and he's waiting to run to third. Now, I don't really know anything about baseball, but I hear people talking, and they say that not only is an excellent first baseman, he's also an incredibly smart base runner. There's so much to the strategy of baseball that I don't understand. Look at the joy on his face! That's a handsome young man, right there. And just to think, we knew him when.

Trey enjoying some camaraderie with his fellow ballplayers. The team constantly talks to each other on the field and the opposing team when they play. Gosh, but he looks sharp in that shot. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that he's going to be 19 in September. I still think of him as that little 8-year old I met when Richie and I had first started dating. This picture reminds me that those days are long gone.

I love taking shots of Trey batting. He looks so in control, so...ready. This was taken at Waccamaw, at Post 114's last home game. I've never seen anyone as dedicated to baseball as Trey. He lives and breathes the game, and it fill my heart up to see him do great things on the field, because we all know how great it is to watch your kids excel at something they love.

Running to first base. God help the player that gets in his way! Trey charges the plate with incredible authority, and has no qualms about mowing someone over if they get in his way. The ruthlessness of the game is so exciting!

I don't always understand baseball, but I do love watching Trey play the game he loves. He's fascinating on the field, and his footwork is amazing. He makes it look very easy, but he puts lots of hard work into making it look easy. Richie and I will miss watching him play locally, but we also can't wait to watch him play his first college game, either!

Toodles!

3 comments:

Kim Eckhardt said...

Josie, those pictures are just awesome. I love, love, love the one where Trey is framed with the fence.

I put up a sequence of shots that I took of one of his at-bats on my blog. You can enlarge the picture and right click and save them. If they don't come large enough, let me know and I'll email the files. They're big files though.

Lynn said...

Josie, I am officially calling you the blog queen. Your way with words and now the photography skills, I love to pull up just to see what is happening.

Josie Thames said...

Kim: Thank you for the pictures--I'm definitely going to keep them. The fence picture I took is our favorite around here, too.

Lynn: You're making me blush! I'm nowhere near where I wish I was with photography. I just kind of point and click. But, I'm just trying to do the best with what God gave me.