Kentucky Wonder pole beans have sprouted

I snapped this photo of my Kentucky Wonder pole beans sprouting in my garden a few days ago. I used an iPhone to take the picture.  Fresh green beans are my favorite vegatable to grow and eat. Especially the Kentucky Wonder pole beans. They are prolific, they look cool as they grow on lush vines. Last Summer we had so much rain the seeds rotted in the ground before they sprouted.  Once again this year we have had a lot of rain that began just after planting them, BUT, they have sprouted.

On another note, I am sitting in the waiting room at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown as the Better Half gets her gall bladder removed. She entered the operating room at 7:30 AM.

Zinsser Perma White paint

For all of you land lords out there (of which I am one), this paint, Zinsser perma white mildew resistant is excellent. I painted over a glossy Masonite surface in a bathroom with great results. I gave it two coats. Three years later if is holding up strong. I have twice scrubbed down the walls with Fantastic and the paint held up. I now use it regularly between tenants as needed. My lower Franklin St apt came vacant and I painted the floor of the kitchen sink cabinet, and the kitchen drawer bottoms with it. It' got really good stain blocking also.

Guitar playing at the farm market

I played for two hours today at the Watertown farmers market. It went well. Overall I did a good Jo , got a lot of nice compliments. The photo here was taken by Al Roman with mg iPhone.




When I got home I planted green beans in my garden. A week later than I would have liked, but, should harvest some by August.

Still life photo

I was visiting the Clayton. NY artist Greg Lago recently and snapped this still life in his studio. I am always inspired and visually rewarded when I visit him.

This past Saturday, June1rst, I played guitar at Art Rage, a gallery in Syracuse. It was the opening of Mike Greenlar's exhibition of photos from

Snapping Turtle in the Road

Snapping turtle in the road near Wilson's Bay and Dablon Point, Cape Vincent, N.Y. photo by Gary Walts

The Better Half & I took her grandson G for a ride down to Wilson's Bay in Cape Vincent. It is a favorite swimming spot about ten miles from our home. On the way back we encountered a snapping turtle in the middle of the road. A young man was using a stick to try and lure the turtle the rest of the way across. For some reason the creature got 2/3rds across and decided to sit still. A recipe for disaster. Not only could he accidentally get killed by a car, there are those out there that drive over turtles for sport. Sick bastards like  that should be jailed. Anyhow, I took it as a photo op, snapped a couple shots and then the young man in the photo gripped the turtle by the tail and with a quick motion dragged him off the road. Mission accomplished.

Incidentally, it was 93 degrees in Syracuse and 82 at my house in Chaumont which is why we took the drive to the lake.

Trying to lure a snapping turtle out of the road in Cape Vincent, N.Y.  Gary Walts photo

Pineapple upside down cup cakes

Just got done mowing the lawn. My celebrity brother and his son T stopped by. We grilled some Hoffman hot dogs and I made a pot of bar b q beans based on the Dinosaur restaurant recipe. We also enjoyed a couple of Burning River beers, a pale ale from the Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland Ohio.



The Better Half made us some pineapple upside down cup cakes that were fantastic! I snapped a photo of them with the iphone.

Peacock photo taken at Seaway Gardens

After guitar lessons today I went to Seaway Gardens in Watertown to buy some garden plants. While there I snapped this photo of a peacock displaying his plumage. I used an iPhone V to take the photo and filtered it with Instagram.

Lacrosse photos

Just a quick post. Got up this morning to 38 degrees at my home in Chaumont, NY.
Photographed girls lacrosse in Liverpool, NY this evening. Two games. Cold and rainy.

These are a sample from the South Jefferson vs. Marcellus girls game I photographed tonight.

Teaching Guitar, Proms and More

I have a full day today. I am teaching guitar at Musicology in watertown, then it's a birthday party in the afternoon for one of the Better Half's grand kids, then I am photographing two proms in Oswego County for the Syracuse Medfia group, aka The Post-Standard.
Last night I played a 2 hour guitar gig at the Oswego Marine Museum in Oswego, NY. The event was a reception for the museum board members. I played the event last year & they liked me well enough to have me this year. The guitar playing went really well and I got many compliments. I recently have worked up The Doors song Light My Fire as a guitar solo in the style of Jose Feleciano.  I meant to play that and FORGOT!

So I am off to take on the day.

Rudyard Kipling Quote and an orange chamelian?

Here is a great quote I stumbled upon by Rudyard Kipling:

“A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition”    Rudyard Kipling

I spotted this critter in the woods in Tully NY while I was photographing Llamas and hikers for the Syracuse Media Group.   photo by Gary Walts

I was photographing a couple hiking through the wood with their Llamas when I came upon this orange chamelian. Or is it a lizard, or a newt? I really don't know what it is. This is the first time I ever saw one this color. All of the others in this part of the World have been brown to black in color. Usually I only see them when over turning rocks or logs. This gut was sitting just as you see him in the photo. He is very tiny, about 2 inches in length. I did not have a macro lens so what you see here is man extreme crop from the original. Imagine how spectacular it would have been if properly shot with a macro lens.

Today I took my mother to the bank and to the county office building to pay her property taxes. The tax bill was $2,235.00 and change. 

Then I had guitar lessons. 

Then I came home finished editing some wedding photos, burned them to a CD and printed the CD. 

Now I am going to bed.

Flat tire at night

It's 11:00pm and I am sitting on the shoulder of interstate RT 81 at Adams, NY with a flat tire on my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. Waiting for Triple A. The photo is my view from the drivers seat. Snapped it with iPhone V, artsied it up with instagram. Just passing my time.

Dandelion Photograph iPhone 5 Instagram

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I snapped this photograph of Dandelions in the front yard of my home in Chaumont, NY with an iPhone 5. I then used an instagram filter to crop and tone it. I love the iPhone and instagram.

Dandelions in my front yard. Taken with iPhone V and
modified with instagram. Photo by Gary Walts

I photographed 3 jobs today for the Post-Standard / Syracuse Media Group: A man, one Dan Gristwood of Pennellville who spent nine years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Then it was a man named Chol Majok. He was one of the Lost Boys from Sudan who ended up in Syracuse and now works for Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.  Finally, I photographed some lacrosse players at Christian Brothers Academy as they painted their faces with eye black before a game.  Tomorrow I have a couple of guitar lessons, a violin lesson w/ JJ and then I must take care of some yard work at my Franklin St apartment house.