About this blog title

I cannot tell you how many times I have shown up at events with a couple of cameras around my neck, a gadget bag full of odds & ends and a lighting kit and have been asked that question. If it happened once every few years, that would be one thing. But it happens a LOT. It's like getting pulled over by the police and he's standing there with uniform, gun, flashing lights and asking him "Are you a cop?" I would love to come back with a witty reply, such as "No, I am Jesus. Don't you recognize my beard?" However, I cannot be that rude.


Monday, May 21, 2018

Rhodes Greenhouse a camp fire and Moon photo made with Sony a6000

We had a nice day in northern New York. It was sunny and mild. After working on a project in the garage the Better Half nd I took a drive to Rhodes Greenhouses in Henderson, NY. They have an abundance of plants for home and garden. Over the years I have frequented various garden / greenhouse centers in the north country. Rhodes' plants always seem to be superior to me. They are lush and robust. Why they seem better to me than their competitors I can't really say.

Rhodes Greenhouses in Henderson, NY. Their vegetable and flower plants are lush and robust. They have a large selection too. iPhone 6 photo by Gary Walts

From there we went up to visit my mother t the Hospice care facility in Watertown. We spent the evening with  her daughter H's family in Brownville. We sat around a fire in their backyard, drank a couple of beers and had a most pleasant time. 


Video is a slowmotion clip of the campfire.


When we arrived back home about 11:00pm I snapped a quick sot of the moon over our house. I used a Sony a6000 camera with a Minolta 300mm f4 AF lens.

Moon photo shot with Sony a6000 and a Minolta 300mm f4 AF lens.   photo by Gary Walts






Monday, May 14, 2018

Notes from recent visit to my Mother in Hospice Care

My mother has been in Hospice care for a few months now. She is not at home, but being cared for at their facility near Thompson Park in Watertown, NY. My brothers and I never thought she would survive this long. I believe it was September or October when she became a resident. at first my visits to see her were to entertain her and help her escape the monotony of being bed ridden. We would converse and some times play word quiz games. She was able to help feed herself handheld foods such as sandwiches. She could hold onto beverages. Those days are over. She goes days and days without speaking, eating very little, and rarely opening her eyes.

My mother holds a cookie in December 2017. By now she was becoming less able to feed herself. 


A couple days ago she spoke and interacted with me for the first time in about two weeks. She isn't always lucid. On this day her eyes were open. She began speaking to me as if I were a toddler, cooing and baby talking to me. Several times she invited me to sit on her lap.

I ask her what she is thinking about: "Nothing, just enjoying the noise."

"We need to get a group and have a party," she says.

I asked her if she was hungry. "Yes, but I don't know what t have."
I'll go check what is for lunch.

She ate an entire bowl of chili and a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. With her first bite of chili she remarked, "That's good."
Haven't seen or herd anything like that from her in a long time.

" Have you had enough to eat?" I asked her. "More than enough." she says.

Out of the blue, with no context she says, "Two of them are my boys. They are good boys too. Their father was awful nice to them."

After I say goodbye she said, "It was nice spending time with you."

After weeks of basically to interaction with her, this was really something.







Friday, May 11, 2018

Along The River's Edge annual art show, Clayton, NY

For quite a number of years now the Thousand Islands Art Center has a juried art show called Along The River's Edge. I usually submit couple of entries. The following photos are my entries for this year (2018).

This is condensation on the plastic lid of a coffee cup.   iPhone6 photo by Gary Walts

Porch of a house in Cape Vincent NY looking out onto the St. Lawrence River in April. iPhone 6 photo by Gary Walts

I snapped both of these photos with an iPhone 6 and filtered them with Instagram. I find the results nothing short of amazing.