Self Portrait With Saranac Pumkin Ale

This is a self portrait I made with a Nikon D300, 17-55mm f2.8 lens, at my home in Chaumont, N.Y.

It wouldn't be Halloween at my house without Saranac Pumpkin Ale from the Matt Brewing Company in Utica, N.Y. Check out www.sranac.com Happy Hallowee everyone.

Rainbow in Town of Cape Vincent, N.Y.

The morning after Hurricane Sandy and we are in fine shape here in Chaumont, NY. Our yard was blanketed with a thick layer of leaves yesterday. When we awoke this morning they were mostly gone. The high winds from the storm carried them off somewhere. It appears a great many of them were piled near the neighbors fence and some blew off to the shcool yard. The Better Half and I took a drive to Cape Vincent to check out a our favorite Lake Ontario swimming spot. Then we went into the village where we also checked our favorite St. Lawrence River swimming spot. Then we ate a late breakfast at Aubrey's Restaurant. Driving home it started to rain while the sun was shining and a rainbow appeared. So, we stopped and I took a snap of it. Nikon D300, Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 lens.

Tom Bintz at Honk's Ferry, Lake Ontario

It is a beautiful Indian Summer day here in northern NY. Last year we had a several weeks of good weather nat this time. I was hoping for the same this year. I was hoping to get my driveway sealed, but that requires a couple of rain free days.
I spent yesterday editing a wedding and splitting firewood. Today I am taking care of odds & ends. Put thye wedding pix in the mail. I am teaching guitar at Musicology this afternoon.

The photo presented here is of the artist Tom Bintz at his home on Pillar Point, Lake Ontario. He refers to it as Honk's Ferry. I took this photo in 2007. It is a view from the boat house. The body of water in the background is Black River Bay in Lake Ontario.

Maple Tree In Fall

I was driving to my Mother's house to take her to a doctors appointment when I came upon the Maple tree in Brownville, N.Y. (This was yesterday). I stopped and snapped it with a Nikon D700 and a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 lens.

Why Did President Obama Lie About The Benghazi Attack?

It was a lovely day here in Chaumont, NY today. However, I spent most of it taking care of paper work type of things. I should have have gotten outside to take care of some yard work.

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Here is something I do not understand. Why did President Obama keep publicly blaming the attack on the embassy in Benghazi, Libya as a spontaneous reaction to a video that was anti-Islam after it was clear that it was not the case.? By the time he went before the United Nations and spoke about the video being the cause of the uprising it was allready clear, world wide, that it was not so. It was a terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11. Why did he and his administration continue to say otherwise? What was there to gain from that?  He has recently been criticized for not attending his daily security briefings. Evidently the White House log reveals he has attended only 40% of those briefings. Maybe he missed some important stuff and did not want to get caught with egg on his face. However,  history shows that it is worse to try to cover up something than to just fess up and admit, "Hey, we screwed up." He is only a human being.

Obama is a gifted speaker and can deliver a sales pitch like no other. But, after he closes the sale he does not deliver the goods. That is my impression. Four years ago he ran against Sen. John McCain. It was no contest. McCain was a lackluster, uninspiring candidate. I know many republicans that were impressed by Obama, as was I, an independent. He sounded good. We went for it and ultimately we were let down. 

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The photo for today is one of my father, Aubrey Guy Walts. It was taken by one of my cousins or aunts. He is playing my guitar at his home in Calcium, NY. My father was a troubled man who took his own life when he was 56 years old. Suicide is not an easy subject to talk about. There is a social stigma attached to it. If anyone close to you has committed suicide please know that you are not alone. Many people, myself included, know how difficult it is to live with. It can take years to come to terms with it. I found the best thing for me was to tell my story about my Dad. It set me free. However, I must tell you that I kept it locked up in my own head for ten years before I finally told my tale. I wish you all of the best.

Wedding In Trumansburg Today

There will be little guitar practice today. Nothing I dislike more than starting the day without guitar practice. I am photographing a wedding today in Trumansburg, N.Y. That's a solid 3 hour drive from here (Chaumont). Normally I would get up at 6:00AM and t5hat would give me an hour or so. But last night I had to photograph 2 football games for the Post-Standard which was quite an ordeal. Consequently I didn't get into bed until almost 1:00AM. I dragged myself out of bed at 7:00 and must be on the road by 8:30. On the plus side, the Sun is rising and blazing and it appears to be a beautiful morning shaping up. The photo I present this morning was snapped by me a week or so ago. They are leaves in a mud puddle that caught my eye as I was walking through a local park.

Mitt Romney In Syracuse

MThe days are decidedly shorter here in northern New York. I got up in darkness at 6:00 AM. I am posting today a photo I took of Mitt Romney a couple of years ago when he visited Syracuse, N.Y. to campaign for Ann Marie Buerkle.

Mitt Romney Personal Information:

His full Name is: Willard Mitt Romney

 He was Born: March 12, 1947 and is 65 years old.

His Father: George W. Romney, former Governor of the State of Michigan

 He was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

He is Married to Ann Romney since 1969; they have five children.

Mitt Romney Religion:

Mormon - The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints

Mitt Romney Working Background:

After high school, he spent 30 months in France as a Mormon missionary. After going to both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School simultaneously, he passed the Michigan bar exam, but never worked as an attorney. In 1984, he co-founded Bain Capital a private equity investment firm, one of the largest such firms in the United States.In 1994, he ran for Senator of Massachusetts and lost to Ted Kennedy.
He was President and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In 2002, he was elected Governor of the State of Massachusetts where he eliminated a 1.5 billion deficit.

Some Interesting Facts about Romney:

 Bain Capital, starting with one small office supply store in Massachusetts, turned it into Staples; now over 2,000 stores employing 90,000 people. Bain Capital also worked to perform the same kinds of business miracles again and again, with companies like Domino's, Sealy, Brookstone, Weather Channel, Burger King, Warner Music Group, Dollarama, Home Depot Supply and many others.

 He was an unpaid volunteer campaign worker for his dad's gubernatorial campaign 1 year.

 He was an unpaid intern in his dad's governor's office for eight years. He was an unpaid bishop and state president of his church for ten years.

 He was an unpaid President of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee for three years.

 He took no salary and was the unpaid Governor of Massachusetts for four years. He gave his entire inheritance from his father to charity.

Mitt Romney is one of the wealthiest self-made men in our country but has given more back to its citizens in terms of money, service and time than most men. And in 2011 Mitt Romney gave over $4 million to charity, almost 19% of his income.
... Just for comparison purposes, Obama gave 1% and Joe Biden gave $300 or .0013%.

 I cannot understand why anyone would knock a person for being wealthy. Immigrants from all walks of life have come to this country for the very reason that one can rise from poverty to wealth. Start with nothing and create something and make something of his or her self. People are free to excell or not. What's wrong with that?

Obama Romney Presidential Debate

So last night the Better Half and I watched the first presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney. By all accounts Romney came out on top. The Better Half really likes Obama and she was disappointed in how he handled himself. But it is no wonder. Obama won people over with his articulateness, creating an illusion that he was an intellectual, thoughtful person. But that is because he always uses a teleprompter to read a script. He simply cannot speak extemporaneously. I believe he has not taken his presidency seriously and also has an unrealistic view of himself. The media has praised him to the point he believes he is greater and more effective than he is. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. For having done what? That was a hollow gesture that also fueled his misconception of his greatness. He has been a charade and the debate exposed just how normal and human he is. Take away pre-written material and the teleprompter and there's just a man who is of average eloquence. There are many more trappings that the real Obama is hiding behind and eventually, as more of those trappings fall away, the real man that is our president will surface. That will dismay many people. One cannot carry on such a pretense forever.

The photo presented here is of my grandfather, Guy Walts. It was taken when he was in the Army. He is the man on the left. I have no idea who the other people are. I am most curious as to who the young boy is at lower right. I believe my grandfather was a Corporal in World War I. I must learn more about that.

Burville Cider Mill Waterfalls

I had a meeting with the Powers That Be at the Post-Standard and was offered a job with the new company as a photographer/videographer. It is a part time position, but am relieved that I will still have a paycheck. I'm basically in the same position as I was. Sadly almost 150 of my coleagues were laid off effective January 1, 2013.

I snapped this photo yesterday at the cider mill in Burville, N.Y. Used a Nikon D300, rested it on a railing and used a slow shutter speed to streak the water. Today I changed the front brake pads on the Better Half's 2005 Dodge Caravan. Guitar practice has been quite good recently.