Clayton Christmas Parade 2022 Photos

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

Yesterday my Celebrity Brother (Al) and I attended the 2022 Christmas Parade in Clayton, NY.  (Saturday Dec 3rd). We arrived in the village about 4:30. Normally we would pass the time before the parade's 6:00pm start by having a couple of beers at the Coyote Moon Winery's riverside store. But they were closed. Bummer. It seems they have closed for the winter season. It's probably a business move on their part. But the Better Half and I are disappointed. It was nice to go there on a Friday or Saturday night in the middle of January or February. It was cozy. The staff was friendly. Generally a small number of patrons in there. Sometimes a musician would be playing. 

Santa Clause in this years Clayton Christmas Parade.

As for the parade it wasn't as impressive as normal. There were fewer participants. No school marching bands. Fewer businesses. A Much smaller crowd turned out. The weather was somewhat harsh with a strong wind chilling things. In fact the ind has been strong for quite a few days. The snow from the recent record breaking storm has melted away. Warm temps and lots of rain helped erase the snow in the region. In fact the day's high temperature reached 50 degrees.

Anyhow, here are a few more photos I snapped:

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

This years Clayton Christmas Parade celebrated the village's 150th birthday.

On another note, I inadvertently brought the wrong camera with me. It was a Nikon D300 that I hadn't used in quite a while and I had trouble remembering how to use it and the flash unit. I wanted to use the Nikon D7000. Anyway, the flash contacts on the camera were dirty (I think), and I had difficulty with the flash synching and working properly. Every photo I snapped was a challenge. Consequently the whole shoot suffered, but I had a few usable pix. 

I Shovel Lake Effect Snow for 5 Days November 2022 (photos)

The first big snow storm for the 2022-2023 winter season started during the night of on November 17, 2022. I spent a good portion of Friday the 18th shoveling snow at our house in Chaumont.

418 Clay St, Watertown, NY, snowed in.

418 Clay St, Watertown, NY, snowed in.

Woke up Saturday morning, the 19th, to another 10 - 12 inches in Chaumont. I spent the morning shoveling that here in Chaumont. From there I went our Clay St apartment house in Watertown. There was close to four feet of snow there. Clay Street had not been plowed. I parked a block away and walked to our house and proceeded to shovel the sidewalk. I also dug out some of our tenant's car that was buried in the driveway. 

418 Clay St, Watertown, NY, snowed in.

418 Clay St, Watertown, NY, snowed in.

On Sunday the 20th I went back to Clay Street to check on things. The city had plowed the street. Not perfectly, but enough to drive on it. On this day I touched up the sidewalk and chopped through the snow and ice at the end of the driveway so our tenant would be able to get out in her car.

Monday the 21st I went to Clay to assess things. Did some minor snow removal. The balcony roof however was bothering me. Very heavy load of snow on it. No way to get to it without mu 32 foot ladder.

Shoveling lake effect snow at 418 Clay St, Watertown, NY.

 

  418 Clay St, Watertown, NY, snowed in.

Tuesday the 22nd my Celebrity Brother Al assisted me with loading the ladder on. the roof of my 2011 Kia Sedona van and followed me to Clay St. I shoveled the roof and he worked at removing the roof snow that fell on the sidewalk. It was much warmer, close to 40 degrees. I was sweating as if I were mowing the lawn in August. The sweat got in my eyes, soaked my shirt. The roof has a shallow pitch, but stressful being up there where slipping and falling off is a real threat. I exercise great caution in these situations. I kneel in the snow and push it off the edge where possible. Anyhow, we loaded the ladder at 10:00am and I was back home with it by 2:30pm, the job completed. 

  418 Clay St, Watertown, NY, snowed in.

  Lake effect snow removal at 418 Clay St, Watertown, NY.

 Lake effect snow removal at 418 Clay St, Watertown, NY.

 Lake effect snow removal at 418 Clay St, Watertown, NY.

 Lake effect snow removal at 418 Clay St, Watertown, NY.

 Lake effect snow removal at 418 Clay St, Watertown, NY.

Lake Effect Snow November 2022 photos

Lake effect snow at our house in Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

I snapped these photos Friday morning (November  18, 2022). We woke up to a blanket of lake effect snow. At our house in Chaumont, NY we had about 8 inches. Temperature hovered around 30-31 degrees. The snow was heavy and wet. I spent q couple of hours shoveling the driveway, steps etc. I found it very pleasant being in the fresh air and the mild temperature. I pace myself and get some good exercise. It sure beats going to the gym, which I NEVER do.

Lake effect snow at our house in Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

Lake effect snow at our house in Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

Lake effect snow at our house in Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

Lake effect snow at our house in Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

Lake effect snow at our house in Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

Lake effect snow at our house in Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

My neighbor helping clear snow from our driveway, Chaumont, NY, November 2022.

Halloween 2022 at Our House in Chaumont, NY

Me with a Saranac Pumpkin Ale awaiting the witching hour in Chaumont, NY.

Yesterday was Halloween. It was a warm day, temps around 57-60 degrees, overcast. The afternoon started some light rain. By 4:30 the rain stopped. First trick or treaters arrived at 5:00, 2 pre-school kids accompanied by their mother. The rain started up at 8:00 and the last of our 124 trick or treaters arrived. The Better Half's daughter H & her husband D and their two sones J & N came over. We had some excellentfood. A roast corn dip, a buffalo chcken dip, croghan bologna, oilive bread, and apizza from Valee Peetza. For beer we had the usual Labatt Blue and Saranac Pumpkin Ale. The Better Half was still suffering from a diverticulitis attack. Overall it was a very nice evening, accentd by about perfect weather.

Halloween at our house on Washington St., Chaumont, NY

Street Music, LL Bean Pop Up Shop, Downtown Watertown (Photos)

Me playing outside Holy Smokes Barbecue, Watertown, NY 

The weather here in the North Country was spectacular for this late in October. Sunny, breezy, 70 degrees. I had a small outdoor guitar gig in downtown Watertown today. The LL Bean company opened a pop up shop for the weekend. Other downtown merchants set up outdoor booths and there was live street music. I played a one hour set outside the Holy Smokes Barbecue.  I love the reflection in the window behind me in the above photo. 

Outdoor shopping at LL Bean popup shop, Watertown, NY

It was great weather and a festive atmosphere Saturday, Oct 22, in Watertown, NY

It was great weather and a festive atmosphere Saturday, Oct 22, in Watertown, NY

It was great weather and a festive atmosphere Saturday, Oct 22, in Watertown, NY

It was great weather and a festive atmosphere Saturday, Oct 22, in Watertown, NY

It was great weather and a festive atmosphere Saturday, Oct 22, in Watertown, NY

The LL Bean boot truck in Watertown, NY Saturday, Oct 22, 2022

Macro Photos: Rain Drops Leaf

Rain drops on a leaf, Chaumont, NY Sonny a6000 Camera, Minolta 50mm f2.8 lens.

It rained overnight here in Chaumont, NY leaving some nice raindrops on the leaves in our yard. I can't help myself but to try photographing them. I used a Sony a6000 camera with a Minolta 50mm f2.8 lens. Hand held. The photo presented heroes number 52 out of 68 total.

The sun is out today. A guy from Bartlett's heating, Adams, is in the basement cleaning & tuning our oil burning furnace. 

Later I'm going to Fibinacci Art Gallery in Watertown for an event from 5-7:00

Our furnace cleaning and tune up came tp $206. 28

Bill for oil furnace cleaning and tune up. 

Painting Porch Floor & Price of Gas

 

Gas price at Valero in Watertown on Monday, October 10, 2022

The price of gas on Monday, October 10th at the Valero station on Arsenal St, Watertown, was $3.29 a gallon for the 87 octane. The other fuels were, obviously, more expensive. This Valero station, by the way, is the lowest price for gas in this region. In our village of Chaumont it is $3.85 / gallon. Ridiculous.

Price of home heating oil that we ordered the same day was $4.29 a gallon. These prices are outrageous. 

Otherwise it was another beautiful fall day here with sun and high temp of 67 in Chaumont. I spent about three hours sanding and painting half of the front porch floor of our Clay St. apartment house. Wise to do it while the apartment is vacant. I am hoping for one more nice day or too sometime soon so I can paint the other half. When I got back home to Chaumont I mowed the lawn. This evening we watched Survivor on CBS.

Porch floor at apartment #1, Clay St. after sanding & cleaning it prior to painting.

The porch floor after one coat of Valspar paint. I'm hoping for another nice day to apply a 2nd coat before the snow flies. 

Flowers Doing Well, No Frost Here Yet

  

Flowers purchased back in the Spring are still doing nicely here in October. I snapped this shot this morning.

All of the flowers and plants we bought in Spring are still doing well in October. Very often by now we have had a frost that kills them off. It was a lovely day here in Northern NY, sunny and some gentle wind. I spent the bulk of my day at our Clay St. apartment house in Watertown. Cleaning a vacant unit. It will be ready for rent soon. About all I have left to do is replace the bedroom carpet. I have thoroughly cleaned the kitchen, appliances, and bathroom. I have been there a total of three days, about 5 hours each. 

Halloween Decorations 2022

 

Jack o lantern string lights adorn the front porch of our hame in Chaumont, NY 

Yesterday we put up some Halloween decorations at our home in Chaumont, NY, mostly on the front porch. It was a really nice day for it, over 60 degrees, sunny. 

Window covering, Halloween 2022, Chaumont, NY

Fall themed scarecrow art was created by The Better Half. 

Halloween string lights on our front porch, 2022

Halloween string lights on our front porch, 2022

Halloween string lights on our front porch, 2022

Backyard Wildlife - A Chickadee on My Hand

Lately I have been trying to coax chickadees to take sunflower seed from my hand. I patiently stand by the bird feeder, seed in hand, and wait. Today I finally got a usable photograph of one of the birds. Other attempts resulted in blurry or out of focus images. I also have had a Nuthatch and a Goldfinch land on my hand and take seed. While this goes on a Cardinal, Blue Jay, and some sort of woodpecker have been watching the chickadees while perched 5 or 6 feet away. It will be interesting to see if they become bold enough to land on my hand. 

A Chickadee picking sunflower seeds from my hand.  photo copyright Gary Walts 2022

On anther note, the weather was very pleasant today, breezy, sunny, temperature in low 60's. I have been painting a section of the house exterior today. Great working weather. There is a frost warning for tonight.