I'm interested in taking some pictures with my camera facing downwards -
  Imagine a table full of sports equipment that would be photographed
from directly above. I would welcome any recommendations on any
tripods/stands that might be available.

When shooting houses and buildings in the rain, what is the best way to
protect the camera and the photographer?
One thing I can think of is a hat umbrella. But it looks kind of
unprofessional, especially most of these are multi-color toy-like.