Day 260: TV Picks - Survivor - The Middle

I don't watch a lot of TV, but among the shows I really like are The Middle, The Office, and Survivor. The Middle is particularly well written and truly a family TV show. Sort of a modern Leave It To Beaver. So tonight I have just watched The Middle and taped Survivor. Now the Better Half & I are about to watch Survivor. Me with a nice glass of Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvigon, and she with a Mike's Hard Lemonade. Nice way to finish the day, which for me was rather rough.
So, I just finished watching this evening episode of Survivor. It got REALLY good. Brenda & Sash ( or sach, not sure what) have been very cocky up until now, believing they were in complete control of the game. I for one, have not been very fond of either of them, primarily because of their arrogance. Anyhow, the night went my way. Jane, the oldest member of the tribe won the immunity challenge. She & most of the rest finally realized the power being wielded by Brenda & Sach, and they succeeded in voting out Brenda. Brenda has been my least favorite. Sach, seeing the writing on the wall & realizing that he was no longer in control, actually voted for Brenda to leave. That was smart on his part, however, Brenda is now on the jury and sure to be much upset with Nayonka & Sach for having turned on her. She's liable to not look favorably upon either of them should they make it to the final. Now, as for Naonka: She is a straight forward, no hold bared player. Crude and blunt about winning the game. She will use you and then toss you out when your no longer useful. I have dislike her for the most part, but I must say. I have begun to grow fond of her. She is playing the game for HER. Very much the way Russel played in the previous two seaons. Tonight was one of those pivotal episodes that really make you jump out of your chair. The payoff for some of the slower episodes. Tonight was a GREAT night for Survivor. Loved it. One of the highlights was when the 60 year old jane won the immunity challenge against all of the other, varied players. It was a challenge of physical & mental endurance, and when she won, the Better Half & I each cheered. What a great TV show.

Day 259: Wedding Photos

It was 35 degrees in Chaumont NY this morning at 7:00. It has been twentythree months since my job hours as a staff photographer at the Post-Standard were reduced. That was an alarming time. I can only say the God has been looking out for me. Ever since that day I have had freelance work come my way to compensate for the reduced pay from my job. This month of November has been quite tense for several reasons. One of them is that I have had a vacant apartment for three months so I have had to absorb that reduction on cash flow. A couple of other things on top of that as well as auto insurance and property taxes coming due. Well, I had no freelance jobs on the books, no weddings, no guitar gigs. Nothing for this month. Yikes. So just as i am getting good and worried the phone rings. The man on the other end of the line says he is getting married this Saturday (nOv.20th) and his photographer cancelled. Was there anyway I could photograph his wedding on such short notice? Well, you bet I can. And so, I thank God for this unexpected turn of events. Once again something has come in to help me through the month with meeting my obligations. But next is December. What will that bring?

You can view more of Gary Walts Wedding Photographs at Gary Walts' FaceBook Wedding Album

Day 258: Two Photos Today

So once again I am walking along, going back to my car after photographing a job when I spot this building scene. First of all it was the light. Then it was the shapes and the lines. The play of the shadows. There is a monotone to the color also, almost an absence of color. I think I snapped only one frame. It was a little bit sloppily composed so I had to clean it up with a crop. I suppose this would be considered architectural photography. The lower photo was taken earlier in the day. I used a 400mm lens with a 1.4X converter. This long telephoto compresses the scene, sort of layering together foreground and background.

Day 257: Guitar Problem Solved

Well the new machines arrived a day late. Well, better late than never. As I started to remove the strings I discovered that the problem was not with the machines. It was with the strings. Here's what happened. The last time I changed the strings I inadvertantly wound the 2nd string over the excess of the 3rd string, effectively tying the 3rd string to the 2nd string peg. Thus, as I tried to tune the 3rd string it would wind only so far and stop, being restricted by the 2nd string. It seemed to me that there was something wrong with the tuning peg and / or gear. I should have looked at it much closer before ordering the new machines. In all my years playing and changing strings I have never had this happen. Live and learn.

“There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.”

- Oscar Levant (1906-1972) pianist, composer, comedian.

Day 255: Multiple Exposure

The temperature was around 23 or so degrees in Chaumont NY this morning at 5:30AM. I looked at the thermometer but have forgotten exactly what the temperature was. I can sat there was a fairly heavy frost on the ground na dthe cars in my driveway. We have had clear, Sunny skies the last few days.


I made this photo on Route 81 early this morning. It is another in camera multiple exposure. I say in camera to differentiate from a similar effect one could do with PhotoShop by layering several images and adjusting the opacity of the layers. This was made with a Nikon D300. I set the camera to make 6 exposures. I shot from a moving car with the frame rate set to high speed. So the 6 exposures happen rapidly, each one a fraction of a second after the next. This was something I tried on a whim recently and have continued to experiment with it. Most of the results are disappointing. But some are interesting, as I feel this one is.


The second photo I snapped by accident immediately following the multiple exposure.

Day 253: Where Are My Machines?

It was sunshine and somewhat mild for a November day in Chaumont, NY. The wood stove is in use. Last week on the evening befor I had to play guitar at an event, the button on the third string tuning peg of my guitar stripped. Fortunately I was able to get it tuned to pitch. But that was it. Any changes would mean tuning all the other strings in relation to the G. This Saturday I have an event to play at. So I ordered a set of new Schaller tuning machines from a place in California called Luthier's Mercantile, Inc. I paid for two day shipping. The package should have arrived today but it did not. Fed Ex tracking said it would be delivered by 4:30PM today. Well, that time came and went, it is now almost 8:00. I go back to track the package again and it now says the package is in Oakland, CA. Well that is where it originated from. At 1:00pm today the tracking site said the package was in Memphis Tennessee. Why is it now saying it is back in California? To reitereate: It started out from CA, by this afternoon it was in TN, supposed to be at my door at 4:30, and now this evening it's back in CA. This is most fustrating. I wanted the machines TODAY so as to get them changed and some new strings on and get started on breaking in the new strings as much as possible before Staurday's gig.

Day 252: Garbage Disposal Woes

So I have some rental units. I like to have garbage disposals in them so that all the vermin attracting food scraps can be ground up and washed away. In my latest vacancy I discovered the disposal unit was not working properly. The ex tenant said he never used the thing. Anyway, I removed it, checked it out, discovered it had seized up due to lack of use. Simply put, the rotating thing inside was rusted together. Also, the unit had evidently been leaking & the tenant never informed me of it. Hence, the mounting ring and related hardware were all rusted & difficult to remove. I finally got it apart and got it cleaned up and working. But when I went to reinstall it I could not make it fit or lock into place. Try as I might, no go. These things are simple to install. I have installed half a dozen of them. Just a ring that turns to lock it in place. But it will not mate up. All I can figure is I must have deformed it somehow when I held it in a vice and cleaned the rust off with a wire brush attached to an electric drill. Today I am going to pick up a new one and see what happens.

I picked up a new garbage disposal at Home Cheapo, uh.. I mean Home Depot, it is a 1/2 horsepower Insinkerator Badger model 5-81. The one I removed was an Insinkerator Badger 5-75. They appear to be identical. Only difference I noticed was the way the discharge tube connects to the body of the unit. The new one slipped nicely into place and the mounting ring turned smoothly to lock the thing in place. On closer inspection of the old one I could see how the mounting ring became deformed, probably from over exertion when I removed it, breaking it free of the rust. The old one also showed evidence of internal leakage and rust inside the electrical connection chamber. It's been running well for about seven years. The new one cost $108.00 with the NY State sales tax. So, I would rather ave salvaged the old one and gotten 2 or 3 more years use out of it, but it wasn't really practical.

Need a photographer in Watertown or Syracuse New York? Call me, Gary Walts at 315-649-4174.

Hey, I can install garbage disposals too for a small fee!

Day 251: Self Portrait

Sort of chilly in Chaumont NY this morning. About 25 degrees. A couple of nights ago a tuning key on the G string of my guitar stripped, making it difficult to tune that string. I have a gig I'm playing at the Best Western hotel in Canton this Saturday so I need to replace it soon. I have another guitar but it has no pick up to plug into the sound system. I could use a microphone, but that never really works out too well. So, I ordered some new machines that appear to be identical to the original. With two day shipping from California i hope to have them by Wednesday. I'll change them out, put on fresh strings and I should be good to go.


I was walking through the galleries in downtown Syracuse and spotted my reflection in the mirrored walls. It was the light falling on my face that caugtht my attention. I simply wanted to see what it looked like, so I shot my reflection "from the hip." The lower photo is a detail cropped from the photo at top. After the crop I resized it larger and added the PhotoShop sharpen filter to it a couple of times. I am just experimenting, trying to satisfy my curiosity. Just another reason why I photograph. To see what something looks like photographed.

Day 250: Blue Ribbon

So I picked up first place in photography in the North Country Art Council's 62nd juried annual fine arts show. The show is hanging in the lobby of the NY State office building in Watertown, NY.

Earlier in the day I played guitar at a fund raising event. Just twenty minutes or so. Played tunes that I should be very secure in playing. And it seemed like I botched up something in every tune. It's frustrating. I somehow must gtet out and play a LOT. I simply have not been making myself rehearse my repertoire. That is probably the biggest weakness regarding thye guitar & I. So, I am off to rehearse some of my repertoire.

Day 249: Busy Saturday

It was 28 degrees at 6:30 AM in Chaumont, NY this morning. Also wet from yesterdays lingering rain.


So today is a rather full day. I have a vacant apartment that I am showing to a prospective tenant at 1:30. At about 3:00 I am going to the North Side Immprovement League in Watertown where I will play guitar at a fund raising benefit. This evening I will be at the NY State Office Building in Watertown for the opening reception of the North Country Arts Council's 62nd annual fine arts show. I have four photographs in the exhibit. The event is 7:00-9:00pm.

Day 247: Wedding Ad / Estudio Brillante

It was warmer this morning, 45 degrees, but with that warmth comes rain. I am still burned out from the past week which was very hectic. So, I am not really enthused with this grey, damp morning.

The photo here is a new ad I created for plugging the wedding business.

Guitar practice was less than ideal this morning. The problem is that it is unfocused. I periodically notice how I reach a plateau, realize I have made progress in improving my guitar playing, but seem to be stuck on that plateau. That is how I have felt the past few days. Stubborn spots in some of the pieces I play do not seem to be improving. Other spots that I felt were mastered are in need of work again. It is this up and down, hill and dale experience. Some days I feel like I am a good player and know what I am doing. Then other days it seems like I can do nothing. I realize that we all have good days and bad days. When it comes to photography I am supremely confident in everything I do or have thrown at me. I am 100% aware of my strengths and weaknesses. But with the guitar, after all these years, I am still in search of that same awareness, that same level of confidence. If I had not let ten or more years go by neglecting my serious practice with the instrument, maybe I would be where I want to be.
I really need a gig, playing somewhere once or twice a week for two or three hours. That would force me to play through my repertoire. I need and desire to learn new pieces to expand my repertoire. However, as i learn new pieces I tend to ignore previously learned pieces. Yousee, one must doi regular practice on one's repertoire to keep it up. So there needs to be a balance betwen working on new and maintaining old. A regular gig would automatically take care of the repertoire maintenance.

There is a great guitar composition by Francisco Tarrega titled Estudio Brillante that I began working on in earnest about three years ago. When I started it, I knew it was a difficult piece, but until I got well into the study of it, I had no idea just how difficult it really is. Today I have the piece memorized and I can pretty much play it with out my hands, fingers, or arms getting fatigued. That was an achievement in itself. I have performed the piece quite a few times too. But, it is still most unsatisfactory. I still have problems with tempo, clarity of notes in some passages, and overall tone and interpretation.

The following two videos show Julian Bream playing the piece. The second shows me playing the piece earlier this year.

Day 245: Election Day & First Frost

It was 25 degrees in Chaumont NY this morning. I made this photo in my backyard. This is the first frost to appear in my yard this year. That's a new record I think. Other places near me have had a frost, but not me.
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Rough day today in some respects. I got to bed late last night (midnight) because I photographed Condoleeza Rice at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. I was dead asleep when at 2:00AM the Better Half roused me to say there was something wrong with the furnace. Well, the problem was really with the programmable thermostat. Befor I went to bed I noticed the display blinking. I began pressing buttons to reset it, realized I couldn't remember how to do it, said the Hell with it & went to bed. My mistake. It began running non-stop, trying to heat the house up toward 80 degrees. Yikes! Anyhow, I straightened it out & went back to bed. And then I lay there awake until 5:00AM. Finally I dozed and got up at 8:00. It was chilly outside. The day went somewhat normally, getting the wood stove going, checked e-mail, and had to go vote. Also, I had to cut some mats for some photographs that will be in a group art exhibition this monbth. The artwork must be delivered tomorrow. So I got that mostly done before I had to head to Ogdensburg, NY to cover the NY State 48th district senate race. That is where I am now at 10:36PM. I am with the republican candidate Patty Ritchie. She is trailing her opponent, Darrel Aubertine by about 1600 votes. I'll be here for awhile. Another long day in the North Country, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.