There are four home games left in Spring Training before the team heads up to Tampa for the season opener and then back to Boston for Opening Day at Fenway Park. I have spent almost two months in Fort Myers managing aspects of Fan & Youth Engagement (The Sox Showcase Presented by T-Mobile, Kid Nation, and Team Wally) at jetBlue Park, our Spring Training facility, and I have solidified that I am a cold weather girl through and through.
While I must admit that it has been nice to escape the cold for a bit and not one, but two, snow storms in Boston the past couple months, I miss my city dearly. I am also a big fan of snow, so missing out on playing in it has given me major FOMO.
But, with Spring Training comes new hopes for a new season and being around the team before the season officially starts has put me in a positive mood for 2018. Though I have been here for nearly two months and have been away from home for that long, it's still challenging for me to survive another week. I have always been someone who can adjust on the fly pretty well - heck, I moved up to Boston two days after I graduated high school and did just fine - but for some reason I have had a difficult transition to Florida life. Maybe it's the heat. Probably.
I have had an absurd amount of time by myself with my own thoughts and I didn't realize how much I take my Boston life for granted. I am hardcore homesick and counting down the days until I'm back!
Anyway.
I haven't had the opportunity to photograph all too much during Spring Training, as I spend most of my time in the office, and I am not often near the players. Luckily, I still managed to sneak in a few Polaroids here and there for Project Polaroid.
For my birthday, my godfather got me an Instax Mini, which is much quicker and easier to use that my big Polaroid from the 1980s. I had a lot of fun using it and finding things around jetBlue Park to photograph. This was my second time down in Fort Myers for Spring Training, so I got to spend some more quality time with the ballpark.
I must admit though, nothing will ever beat Fenway.
Left: Tessie, Wally's little sister, during pregame. Right: Wally and manager Alex Cora during the National Anthem.
Left: Ted Williams statue. This statue also sits outside Fenway Park. Right: the Red Seat out behind the bleachers at jetBlue Park, signifying the longest home run ever hit at Fenway (by Ted Williams, 502 feet).
Left: J.D. Martinez makes his Red Sox debut in left field. View from "inside" the Green Monster. At jetBlue Park, scores on the manual scoreboard is actually changed from the outside. Right: "Pesky's Pole" in right field overlooking the park.
Left: view of the park from the Executive Offices. Right: view of the park from atop the Green Monster.