Frying Bacon Photo for Walts Family Party

 I was frying bacon this morning for a potato salad when I snapped this photo. It's what caught my eye. 

Frying bacon. It's what caught my eye today. photo copyright Gary Walts 2025

The potato salad I made was for tomorrow's Walts Family & Friends party at brother Ron's place in Natural Bridge. It's become an annual summer event. After the salad I grilled some chicken marinated in Salamida's Spiedie Sauce. Pretty much whole day was spent prepping for the bash. 

I have so much I could be sharing on this blog but I have gotten out of the habit and but by the end of the day I am often too tired to bother. 

A few recent things I want to cover is my brother Al's recent 10 day hospitalization for kidney problems.

The passing of my high school sweetheart and ex wife Vicky Walts. 

Comments abut recent guitar gigs, particularly one last Saturday at Wrights Marina in Oswego, NY. It was for the annual Oswego PaddleFest. I arrived there with all my sound equipment, backup equipment, everything. EXCEPT MY GUITAR! I left it home. NEVER did that before. 

My Teenage Sweetheart and Mother of My Children Dies

Vicky Cornaire and Myself, Gary Walts, at my parents house in Calcium, NY in 1972

This was me in 1972 with my high school sweetheart and the mother of my children. We were young and eventually went our separate ways. During our years together she chiseled away a lot of my rough edges making me a better man. She was kind and loving. She was hardworking, artistic and independent. Vicky Walts passed away Friday afternoon, July 11, 2025. 

Vicky Walts with our first grandchild Stone Walts, December 1999.    photo by Gary Walts

Clay St Oil Tank Filler Tubes Removal

 

Monday May 5, 2025

Oil filler & vent tubes 418 Clay St, Watertown, NY
Removal needed for new siding.

My brother Al & I spent better than 3 hours removing filling tubes on fuel oil heating tanks. The tubes protrude out the back wall of the house which will be getting new siding soon. It would have been quicker to use a Sawzall to cut the pipes, but that could potentially create sparks that might possibly ignite any fumes lingering in the storage tanks. I'm sure the pipe connections have never been undone since the original install. I don't know when that was, but many many years. We used a 4 foot pipe on  pipe wrench too break the fittings free. Due to space constraints we could only give the connections very small turns. Every turn of the wrench required much exertion. All said, it was a long, dirty, sweaty job. 

Disconnecting filler & vent tubes from home heating oil storage
 tanks at Clay St, Watertown

Disconnecting filler & vent tubes from home heating oil storage
 tanks at Clay St, Watertown

Disconnecting filler & vent tubes from home heating oil storage
 tanks at Clay St, Watertown

Disconnecting filler & vent tubes from home heating oil storage
 tanks at Clay St, Watertown

Disconnecting filler & vent tubes from home heating oil storage
 tanks at Clay St, Watertown

Disconnecting filler & vent tubes from home heating oil storage
 tanks at Clay St, Watertown