Picture of the Day...Capital Dome...

This was a grab shot I took driving over the railroad tracks in downtown Columbia some months ago...
I'm surprised at the composition of the picture 

The Hummingbirds are back...

 I have always enjoyed my hummingbird feeder...It welcomes those little guys back to my deck every year..

 

This is the female...She's a little more hungry than her spouse...

LA VITA'E BELLA a poem by Uncle Ron

                                                                        LA VITA'E BELLA

                 LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL...

                                        IT CAN MAKE YOU LAUGH

               IT CAN MAKE YOU CRY ...

                                         IT CAN MAKE YOU LUST...

               IT CAN MAKE YOU SIGH.



                                  LIFE KNOWS NO BONDS AS IT GOES ROUND AND ROUND...

           THE FIRST DAY YOU'RE HAPPY...

                                            YOU'VE MET SOMEONE NEW...

                      THE SECOND DAY YOU'RE LAUGHING ...AND SHE'S LAUGHING TOO...

   THE THIRD DAY YOU'VE TRIPPED ON SOME UNKNOWN WIRE....

                              HER LAUGHTER IS STILL AS SHE PUTS OUT THE FIRE...

OH WHERE ARE THE MATCHES?   WHERE IS THE WOOD?

                         "SPEAK TO HER GOD...    I'VE BEEN MISUNDERSTOOD!"



BUT HER LAUGHTER IS GONE...THE ASHES ARE COLD...

                             HIS EYES THAT ONCE SPARKLED...  HAVE NOW GROWN SO OLD.

                IS THERE NO GOD?   IS THERE NO HOPE?

IS THERE NOT SOMEONE ...   WHO CAN HELP OUT THIS DOPE?



                    THE LONE RANGER IS DEAD... AND TONTO...AND SILVER...

SMOKE THE BEAR MIGHT BUT HE CANNOT PLAY WITH MATCHES...

                          SO WHAT IS HE TO DO?        THIS ILL FATED FELLOW?

A CLOWN WITH A BEARD AND A BRAIN FULL OF JELLO?

                          HE COULD SEND HER A FLOWER...  A VERY LARGE ROSE...

A FLOWER SO RED...IT RESEMBLES HIS NOSE.

                                        

                                                                                       ~Uncle Ron~

Is she Amanda Palmer?

Dear Friends 

I shot this video on my cell phone in October of 2012 at the SC State Fair in Columbia, SC...The young lady posing as a statue did a wonderful job...I recently came across a video of Amanda Palmer called "the art of asking"...I was struck by her beauty and the fact that she said her day job was posing as a statue...Amanda is an internationally know artist and song writer...One of her newest songs which she performs brilliantly is called "Bed Story" It is about two people who are in love and they slowly change toward each other as they grow older...

I can't believe this young lady that I video taped at the SC State Fair last October can be her...but it 

sure looks like her...PS...This a horrible video...I don't know what happened to it...

Happy Birthday Robert...

Hey Robert...May 28th is your birthday...

I hope it's a good day for you...

and I hope you will give me a call and let me know how you are doing...

Arnold Palmer Portrait...

Since this is the week of the Masters I thought would tell a little story on myself....

 

Back in 1967 when I was only 31 years old I painted an oil portrait of our favorite pro golfer, Arnold Palmer... My wife Nancy and I were part of Arnie's Army...We followed him from tee to tee and ooooed and aaaahed whenever he came on the screen...Our TV screen...And one day that year I decided to paint a portrait of him and I did...I was working as an illustrator for the S.C. Educational TV at the time...I used the photograph above as my model and it took me only a day or so to finish it....It was a probably 18 x 28 inches in size...After showing it to my friends at work...My friend Jim (an avid golfer)  said he would drive me to August on the first day of the Master's Tournament to see me give it to him...I put it in an inexpensive frame and packaged it up in a cardboard box...Jim had convertible and we put it in his back seat and after work, tooled over to Augusta on Thursday afternoon...the first day of the tournament...

 

Back then they didn't have the security at the course they have today...We found a parking spot and went wondering into this beautiful park with azaleas blooming and Live Oaks flying their Spanish moss...We found the Press tent and went in...

 

A gentleman approached and asked if he could help us...We asked him if we could meet Arnold Palmer...He kind of chuckled and said that Arnie had already left the club and asked us why we wanted to meet him...I explained that I had painted a portrait of him and wanted to present it to him...He said,"I tell you what...just bring it back here and give it to my secretary over there and I will see that he gets it tomorrow morning when he comes back to the club." He gave us his name which I don't remember but we believed him and went back tot the car and got the portrait...When we returned he was nowhere in sight and neither was his secretary...but...There walked in a very distinguished gentleman in a green coat ...We explained to him why we were there and to our surprise he warmly said to us that Arnie was a personal friend of his and if we give him the portrait he would put it in his locker and see that he personally got it...

 

So on the way back home I said to Jim, "What if he opens up the package and likes the portrait and keeps it and Arnie never sees it?" (I was a little naïve back then)

 

Jim answered me and said not to worry that he was coming back to the tournament on Sunday and he would ask Arnie when he was on the practice putting green if he got it...And that's what he did...

 

He said to Arnie," Did you get the oil portrait we left for you?"

Arnie said,"I sure did...did you do it?" 

And Jim said,"No I didn't...My friend Ron Chapiesky did!"

Arnie said," well a friend gave it to me!"...

And Jim asked,"A friend?"...

Arnie said," yes a friend...The president of the First National Bank of New York City"... 

 

 

  

Felix Calhoun Walker II's Obituary

My best friend Felix Calhoun Walker II, 77, passed away Tuesday, February 19, 2013. He is preceded in death by his parents, Felix Calhoun Walker and Neil Parker Walker, and his daughter Stephane Frances Walker. He is survived by his sisters, Mary Claire Johnson and Virginia Anne Bolles; his three children, Kimberly Walker King, Felix Calhoun Walker III, and Marian Walker Kemp; his 10 grandchildren; one great-grandson; and his dearest friend Ron Chapiesky "Uncle Ron". (the children added this)
Felix Calhoun Walker affectionately known to his family as DAP was a modest man who lived to see his grandchildren grow and become loving and caring members of society. He never bragged on himself though he was a very accomplished writer and cartoonist. During the years he worked for the S. C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, he helped design the first significant brochure used by that state. It is still talked about to this day. An avid reader of the New Yorker Magazine he loved combing the

daily newspaper when he was not cooking up some tasty low country stews, chicken per-loos, or fried rainbow trout for his family. He loved animals but especially cats and they loved him. He saw to it that his grandchildren knew their lessons and he bragged on their accomplishments in school or on the playing field. He loved to laugh and tell jokes and he never met a stranger. He will be missed but never forgotten.
There will not be a wake or funeral, for his wishes were to be cremated and his ashes will be spread in South Carolina. Those wishing to send flowers should instead send donations to a charity of their choice in his name.