Category Archives: Jonah

Becca, Bethany, Jonah, Mom, Nate, Shorty, Tim

Farewell Shorty

March 16, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Last Wednesday my step-grandfather-in-law Shorty Peterson passed away. I include the “step” and “in-law” in front of his name not to indicate a distance, but to illustrate that sometimes titles, whether or correct or not do not indicate what it means to be “family”. Because Shorty and his wife Doris, helped define the word family for me as much as almost anybody I’ve ever known. Hint: It doesn’t have a damn thing to do with sharing DNA.

I’m sharing Shorty’s obituary here so that I know that there is a place I can find it.

Paul “Shorty” Peterson Obituary

Paul “Shorty” Peterson, 97, of Boone and formerly of Boxholm, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Westhaven Community in Boone, Iowa.

A visitation for Shorty will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at Carson-Stapp Funeral Home in Ogden with his memorial service to follow at 2:00 P.M. Rev. Bryan Latchaw will officiate. Burial will follow at Lawn Cemetery in rural Boxholm, Iowa. Graveside Military Rites will be conducted by the Boone Veterans Council. Shorty’s memorial service will be live streamed on the Carson-Stapp Funeral Home Facebook page. For online obituaries and condolences, please visit: www.carsonstappfuneralhome.com

Paul (Shorty) Peterson, son of Alfred and Sigrid (Rydman) Peterson was born on February 23, 1927, in Boxholm, Iowa. He received his education in Harcourt and Boxholm, graduating from Boxholm High School in 1945. Shorty served in the U.S. Army during WWII with the Occupation forces in Italy from June 4, 1945 until his honorable discharge on January 31, 1947.

On August 14, 1949, Shorty married Doris LaVonne Ewing in Dayton. The couple resided and farmed south of Boxholm for over 55 years until moving into Boxholm in 2004. Shorty was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Boxholm. He served on the board of directors and was past president of the Westside Apartments and was past president for Boxholm Development. He was involved with the Boone County ASCS and Farmers COOP. He was also a member of the American Legion Post #63 of Boxholm. Shorty volunteered at the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad as a tour guide, announcer for Thomas the Train, and as Santa on the Santa Express. In 2017, Shorty moved to Westhaven Community in Boone.

In addition to his parents, Shorty was also preceded in death by his loving wife of 65 years, Doris; granddaughter, Olivia; and great grandson, Samuel. He is also preceded in death by his siblings, Clinton, Welden, Fern, and Thelma; parents-in-law, Buryl and Clara; and brothers-in-law, Gayle, Claude, and Harold.

Shorty is survived by his children, Janice and Tim. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Nate, Bethany, and Becca; five great grandchildren, grandson-in-law, Chris and sister-in-law, Marge.

Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.

Thought I would share a few pictures of Shorty:

He was a truly great person and I will miss him!

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Bill, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Evie, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Joe Duff, Jonah, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 423 – VINTAGE

October 23, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

NOTE: – AT THE END OF THE MONTH I WILL BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S THEMES. THE LAST MONDAY IN OCTOBER AND THE 1ST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER ARE WHEN SUGGESTIONS CAN BE MADE. THOSE SUGGESTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THOSE POSTS. NOT VIA EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, TEAMS, PHONE CONVERSATION, SNAPCHAT. ONLY IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OF THOSE 2 POSTS. START THINKING OF THEMES YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR NEXT YEAR.

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Today is Jonah’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday:

Happy birthday Jonah!

I hope it is an amazing birthday!

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VINTAGE! Many people are into old stuff. But are enough people into it enough to make it a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 216, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Lori Backous – 1 week
2-Pepper Duncan – 1 week
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
4-Susanna Funk – 1 week
5-Derrick Gorshe – 1 week
6-Evie Gorshe – 1 week
7-Layla Gorshe – 1 week
8-Mary Green – 1 week
9-Sara Lockner – 1 week
10-Amy Peterson – 1 week
11-Alexis Stensland – 1 week
12-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks
13-Elainie Hernandez – 3 weeks
14-Scott Degeneffe – 8 weeks
15-Sabas Hernandez – 9 weeks
16-Willy McAlpine – 9 weeks
17-Mike Vest – 15 weeks
18-Sheri Fakhouri – 18 weeks
19-Monica Jennings – 19 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 19 weeks
21-Nathanial Brown – 20 weeks
22-Jesse Howard – 20 weeks
23-Tamara Peterson – 23 weeks
24-Mindi Terrell – 35 weeks
25-Brandon Kahler – 59 weeks
26-Linda Bennett – 64 weeks
27-Sarah Toot – 65 weeks
28-Angie DeWaard – 69 weeks
29-Dawn Krause – 73 weeks
30-Kim Barker – 79 weeks
31-Joe Duff – 80 weeks
32-Teresa Kahler – 91 weeks
33-Carla Stensland – 91 weeks
34-Micky Augustin – 93 weeks
35-Andy Sharp – 94 weeks
36-Bill Wentworth – 95 weeks
37-Cathie Morton – 99 weeks
38-Elizabeth Nordeen – 100 weeks
39-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 102 weeks
40-Kio Dettman – 104 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 96 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Riviera Maya Mexico) – 103 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Cathie Morton (Disney Springs, Florida) – 100 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 65 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Adam Gordon (Vicksburg, Mississippi)- 1 week

Adam Gordon (Vicksburg, Mississippi)

Teresa Kahler (Boone County, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone County, Iowa)

Sheri Fakhouri (Tybee Island, Georgia) – 19 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Tybee Island, Georgia)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Boone County, Iowa) – 21 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 80 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 101 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Don Williams Park – Boone County, Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 81 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 105 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 66 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Micky Augustin (Iowa)- 94 weeks

Elainie Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mary Green (Riverside Bible Camp – Story City, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mary Green (Riverside Bible Camp – Story City, Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Spain) – 10 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 95 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Don Williams Park – Boone County, Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 20 weeks

Logan Kahler (Clive, Iowa)

Evie Gorshe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Harrison Gorshe (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Jesse Howard (Center Grove Orchard – Cambridge, Iowa) – 21 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 20 weeks

Mike Vest (Noel, Missouri) – 16 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 9 weeks

36 participants! That is a great week! And with Adam’s submissions from Mississippi, there is another stated added to the Photography 139 submission map!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Mexico
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Alto del Perdon – Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ St. John pied de port, France
+ Vienna, Austria
+ Munich, Germany
+ Rome, Italy
+ Cannes, France
+ Koper, Slovenia

There were a few milestones this week and 1 major one! Cathie joins the Triple Digit Club! WooHoo! Sabas and Willy joined the Double Digit Club! WooHoo! Plus the first every submission from Adam. I don’t know that it will continue, but maybe it will. You never know.

But it wasn’t all good times. A ton of streaks and wannabe streaks bit the dust. Lori, Pepper, Funk, Derrick, Layla, and Amy couldn’t make it 2 weeks in a row. Suzie’s 2 week streak is also history.

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM – SUGGESTED BY ANDY SHARP

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM! What a great them for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM image? It is simply a picture that deals with your FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM. It doesn’t have to be of the team in action. A picture of article of clothing or the stadium they play in or any form of memorabilia. While I wouldn’t make a rule against, I would suggest doing more than just taking a picture of them playing on the television. Find something else that represents the team. It doesn’t have to be a professional or college sports team. Maybe your Tuesday night bowling team is your favorite team. Or maybe that Little League team you played for when you were 9 was your favorite team. Maybe the rec league basketball team is your favorite team. Maybe your son’s middle school soccer team is your favorite team.

I know many of you don’t even like sports. In that case, just take out the word “sports” and capture a picture that suggests your favorite team.

When considering a way to capture your FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM, meditate on the following quote and I have not doubt you will capture a great image:

I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.
-Earl Warren

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM in this place that is a Cyclones fan site next Monday.

Becca, Bethany, Billy, Birthdays, Colleen, Dory, J.T., Jonah, Nate, Nora, Still Life, Tenderloining

Salad Shooting: Ames Field Work

May 28, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Colleen’s birthday, so happy birthday Colleen!

I hope it is as magical as you want it to be!

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On the health spectrum, this post is about a food item that couldn’t be more on the opposite end of the “healthy eating” spectrum than a tenderloin if it tried. Not that a tenderloin is the most unhealthy thing you can eat. That is probably cheesy fries. But it is no secret that any fried food is unhealthy. Delicious, but unhealthy.

Now a salad? They are usually pretty healthy. Unless you add unhealthy elements to it, like fried chicken. And then coat it with ranch or Caesar dressing. Or any salad dressing with the word “creamy” in it. However, I think we can all agree that ranch dressing does not belong on salad. It only belongs as a dipping sauce for things like onion rings and fried mushrooms and fried cheese and buffalo wings. Caesar salad doesn’t belong anywhere.

Ames recently had a new salad restaurant open. It is extremely unique. It is drive-thru only. Why? Because they grow all the greens inside the building.

This is what their website (https://www.claytonfarms.com/salads) says:

Welcome to Clayton Farms Salads, a drive-thru restaurant that is all about fresh, healthy, and smart eating. Our greens are grown onsite, ensuring that our salads and smoothies are the freshest in the world. Whether you’re on the go or simply looking for a quick and nutritious meal, we’ve got you covered with our delicious menu options. From bright and colorful salads, to refreshing and energizing smoothies, we’ve got everything you need, to fuel your day the healthiest way. So why wait? Swing through our drive-thru to taste the difference yourself, or to order delivery!

I think it is a brilliant idea! If you can keep up with demand. Despite that, I have a couple friends who loaded up their haterade with extra hate just to make sure they had enough hate for this restaurant. They are actively rooting against Clayton Farms Salads being successful. One has gone so far as to proclaim:

October of 2024, gentlemen. Mark me. “Salad Dreams” or whatever its called will have shuttered by then.

I have marked it on the calendar Jay.

They started with 4 salads and recently added a 5th salad:
+ Garden Salad
+ Caesar Salad
+ Crunch Asian Salad
+ Southwest Salad
+ Mediterranean Salad

To cut to the chase, it is the best salad(s) I’ve ever had in my life. The freshness of the greens is incredible and it makes a huge difference in the taste. I put the experience like this… it must be what it would be like to not be from Iowa, visit Iowa and then stop at a Peaches and Cream corn stand. Pick up some corn and go home and cook it. For them, it would be like eating corn for the first time in their life.

I’m not trying too hard to rely on Plato’s ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE for this example.

So let me put it another way. It is like the difference between cooking with produce you purchased at a big chain grocery store vs with ingredients you bought at a farmer’s market. If you know anybody that works in a grocery store warehouse, ask them about the room they use to ripen bananas. It will blow your mind.

Or one last example…

It was like the first time I got a watermelon in Muscatine County in the height of watermelon season.

That is what my first salad at Clayton Farms Salads was like. It was like I had never had a salad before. (By looking at me, it is possible you think that I’ve never had a salad in my life, but I love vegetables. I also love a good order of cheesy fries too.)

Here are some pictures of my Clayton Farms Salads experiences:

“Our greens are BETTER” is an understatement.

This guy is a member.

Southwest Salad

All the salads come with Salad Girl Dressing which is an organic line of dressings.

Even their forks are compostable.

Caesar Salad

Garden Salad

Farmer’s Punch – also delicious.

Crunchy Asian Salad

Mediterranean Salad

I’d rank the salads like this:

1. Garden Salad – romaine, sunflower microgreens, red onions, green onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, pistachios. and lemony herb dressing.
2. Crunch Asian Salad – romaine, pea microgreens, purple cabbage, edanmae, carrots, green onions, red bell peppers, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, crunchy chow mein noodles, toasted sesame ginger vinaigrette.
3. Mediterranean Salad – butterhead/arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, garbanzo beans, red bell peppers, red onions, sliced almonds, lemony herb dressing.
4. Caesar Salad – romaine, broccoli microgreens, cucumber, parmesan cheese, croutons, lemony Caesar dressing.
5. Southwest Salad – butterhead, radish microgreens, orange & yellow bell pepper, black beans, red onion, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, butternut squash, avocado, pepitas, cilantro, chili limon dressing.

I’m not going to lie, when you add protein to the salad, it isn’t cheap. Each salad runs almost or over $15 after you add chicken. A dollar more if you add steak. At this point, I consider a meal that is under $15 as affordable. If I get a meal for less than $10, I alert the media.

The ultimate verdict is, would I pursue this meal? Yes I would. In fact, since I’m currently working in Ames 5 days a week, I pretty much eat here once a week.

You can find Clayton Farms Salads here:

2435 Grand Avenue
Ames, Iowa

They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM.

The next food adventure will be a road trip double dip.

Art, Becca, Bethany, Billy, Candid Portrait, Colleen, Dory, Event, Fran, J.T., Jim, Jonah, Nate, Nora, Still Life

Triplet + Jonah Birthday Party – 2022

February 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

A few months back I picked up some cakes and Jim and went to the Wolf Lodge near Kansas City for the birthday party of the triplets and Jonah. I didn’t get to spend much time there cause Jim is kind of like Cinderella. He expires after being away from home too long.

I also didn’t get many pictures because we drove 4 hours to catch the last 25 minutes of the party. The rest of the day was spent in the Wolf Lodge water park area and I didn’t take any pictures there.

Here are some of the pictures I took:

Despite its brevity, it was a good trip. I wish I had some pictures of the kids playing in the water park, but I didn’t get any. I wonder what will happen with the birthday parties this year?

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is BOOKS:

BOOKS

BOOKS! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a BOOKS image? Simply put, it is any image where the subject or a major compositional element is a BOOK or BOOKS.

Happy photo harvesting!

Becca, Bethany, Billy, Candid Portrait, Colleen, Dory, Event, J.T., Jonah, Laura, Nate, Nora, Still Life, Tim

Triplet + Jonah Birthday Party

November 14, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back the Triplets and Jonah had a birthday party at the KOA near Adel. I wasn’t able to make the party because it was schedule for the same time as the Iowa State-Oklahoma State football game that I was scheduled to attend. But I did have time to drive down to Adel and hang out for about 90 minutes before I had to head to Ames to witness Iowa State beat a top ten Cowboy team.

Here are some pictures from my hang time:

The Triplets and Jonah Birthday Party - 2021

Having everybody meet up in kind of a central location and spend the weekend was a pretty cool idea I thought. I hope it happens again on a weekend where Iowa State doesn’t have a home game, so I can be around more than 90 minutes. It was also really cold that weekend. I mean not really cold, but it was definitely colder than you would want.

Derrick told me that KOA campsites suck and hate children, but that wasn’t my experience, in the 90 minutes I was there. I would consider staying there on a trip sometime. I didn’t know they rented cabins and tents.

It was the first time I’d seen many of these people since before the pandemic. I hope it doesn’t take so long to see them again. Although I pretty sure I’m going down to Manhattan for Nate’s graduation in about a month.

Billy, Birthdays, Dae Hee, Dory, History, J.T., Jonah, Nate, Photoshop, Postcard, Tim, WPC - Reminder

Postcard Recreation Project – Presbyterian Church

March 5, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

I need to start today by wishing Laura a happy birthday. Happy birthday Laura!

I hope your birthday is as amazing as you want it to be!

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This set of old-timey postcards I recreated for THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT, are of the First Presbyterian Church. Their website has a pretty good “History” section. Here is some of its content:

·The First Presbyterian Church of Montana, Boone County, Iowa was organized with nine members on March 12, 1866

·A church building was erected on the spot where the current Educational Building now stands on March 1, 1868. The cost of the structure was $1,500.

·The town of Montana changed its name to Boone on August 30, 1871.

·1878 was the year of the organization of the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Society.

·A congregational meeting was held to consider the erection of a new church building on February 24, 1879.1879 also marked the beginning of a Christian Education Program.

·The present church building was dedicated on December 28, 1879.It was estimated that the cost was $10,000.

·At a congregational meeting on March 3, 1887, it was decided to build a manse, the cost not to exceed $2,000.

·Hope Chapel was erected at the corner of Sixteenth and Tama Streets in March 1895.The building and lot were sold in 1949.

·In 1906 this congregation was the largest in the Fort Dodge Presbytery with a communicant membership of 321.

·In 1916 the congregation numbered 519, the Sunday School enrollment was 615 and the annual budget was $5,302.The organizations included the Young People’s Society, the Men’s Brotherhood, and 3 women’s societies.

·On November 10, 1935, the present organ was dedicated.

·In 1939, the first Vacation Bible School was conducted for children.

·In 1947, the Women’s Groups voted to reorganize and become an all-inclusive group to be known as the Presbyterian Women’s Organization.

·The current Educational Building was completed in 1954 at a cost of $147,000.Dedication was held on March 27, 1955.

·The Jordan Presbyterian Church merged and was welcomed to the Boone church by action of the Presbytery on September 22, 1964.

I think the Presbyterian Church is the second oldest standing church building in Boone. I think the Marion Methodist Church is older, but I’ll have to get back to you on that.

Here are the postcards:

1st Presbyterian Church – 2229 – Boone – Iowa – Original

1st Presbyterian Church – 2229 – Boone – Iowa – Redux

Presbyterian Church – Boone IA – 938 – Original

Presbyterian Church – Boone IA – 938 – Redux

Presbyterian Church, Boone, Ia – Original

Presbyterian Church, Boone, Ia – Redux

Presbyterian Church – Boone, Iowa – Modern Interpretation

The next time we check in with THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT it will involve a train depot.

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is PLAY:

PLAY

A PLAY image is simply an image where the composition includes either something that is PLAYed or somebody PLAYing. There are all types of things that can be PLAYed. Games to musical instruments to sports to people.

Of course, PLAY has multiple meanings. A PLAY can be words on a piece of paper that tell a story or a PLAY can be acting out those words on a stage. It is more than just humans that PLAY. Animals also PLAY.

Think about the following old proverb when you are considering your PLAY interpretation:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,
All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.

Meditation on these words will no doubt lead to a fascinating PLAY image.

Happy photo harvesting!

Alexis, Anders, Andree, Andy, Baier, Becca, Bethany, Bill, Billy, Brandon, Carla, Colleen, Derrick, Elainie, Flat Earth Joe, Holidays, J.T., Jason, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Johnathan, Jonah, Jorge, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Nader, Naima, Nate, Nora, Scottie D., Shannon, Teresa, Vest, Willy

Blessings 2020

November 26, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Let’s face it. 2020 has been a terrible year. I could spend hours and hours polishing this turd, but a turd is still a turd.

I basically only see 2 other people on a regular basis right now. Willy and I haven’t held a Friday Night Supper Club since March 13. We went to Jimmy’s for their Friday the 13th sale. I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve seen any of my nieces and nephews this year. I’ve been able to hold a couple of Union Street Theater Nights in the reconfigured Union Street Theater, but it isn’t really the same. The masks and the sound of the air purifiers makes conversation a little difficult and food is definitely a missing element. Since March, the only stores I have been inside are the Boone Wal-Mart and Boone Hardware. I go to Hy-Vee every other week. I’ve seen Bethany twice. Nate and Laura once. Becca, not at all. I haven’t seen the Lockners at all. I’ve seen the Gorshes thrice. I run into Willy around town now and again. Jay stops by here and there to work on his homework. I see Jesse now and again. I haven’t met Kalista’s baby. Baier, Russell, Andree? Distant memories. Since I left the Computer Mine with the belief that I would be working from home for a few weeks, the only co-workers of note that I’ve seen in person are Vest, Lowell, Kim, and Elizabeth. I haven’t met Jorge’s twins. My church has had maybe a dozen worship services and those are suspended again. The Mission Trip is cancelled. There will be no Mission Trip next year. Youth Group has been put on hold indefinitely. For the first time since September 18, 2004, they played football games at Jack Trice Stadium and I wasn’t in attendance. The Cyclones Women’s Basketball Season just tipped off. I wasn’t there. I will most likely, not be able to attend any Cyclones Men’s games this year.

All of that being said, 2020 has still been an embarrassment of blessings for me. In a time where the pandemic was horribly mismanaged by an inept and corrupt federal government, causing employment rates to go through the roof and food insecurity and evictions to sweep across the country like a second plague, I have not had to worry about my job. As these pandemic pounds can attest, I haven’t once had to worry about my next meal. I was in a solid enough financial position that when the $1200 dollar stimulus check hit my bank account I wasn’t sure what to do with it. We were supposed to put it where it would do the most good, so I donated some of it to Joe Biden’s campaign.

While the only people I see on a regular basis are Mom and Teresa. I am still blessed with a pretty incredible family:

While I see them rarely, I still have a pretty incredible set of friends:

While we don’t get to worship an awesome God together right now, I still have a pretty incredible church family:

While I continue to work at home, I still talk to and try to stay in contact with my amazing work family:

And while Naima is becoming off the charts spoiled, I’m blessed to have her in my life as well:

I hope to see so much more of all of you in 2021. In fact, I’ve started to compile a list of things that I look forward to doing when this pandemic subsides. It isn’t a glamorous list. But that is a sign of 2020.

Becca, Bethany, Billy, Birthdays, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Colleen, Dory, Event, J.T., Jesse, Jonah, Nate, Nora, Politics

Black Lives Matter – Boone – Three

June 18, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start the day by wishing a very happy birthday to Bethany. So… happy birthday Bethany!!!

I hope your birthday is as amazing as you want it to be!

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I thought this would be the last collection of pictures from the Boone Black Lives Matter event, but I miscalculated how I would break these down into volumes, so there will actually be one more collection of pictures after these pictures. Everybody wins!

Here is my version of what I witnessed at the Black Lives Matter event. I parked at my church’s parking lot because it was a good central location to witness the parade, without getting too close to it. I also had these visions of maybe cracking out the drone, but that never happened.

I walked east on 8th Street to the green space. Along the way, I noticed that a Latina owned business had put up signs to support the Black Lives Matter movement. They were also handing out free snacks and water to protesters.

When I got near the green space, I noticed that a local real estate business that owns a healthy portion of downtown buildings was also outside handing out free water to protesters. They had boarded up all of their buildings a couple days before.

Next to them, Paradox was also handing out free drinks and had placed signs with inspirational quotes on their building. I think the owners may have helped organize the event, because somebody came over to them to complain that nobody could hear the speakers, they offered to bring out a sound system.

The Boone Community Theater was also handing out water to protesters. As was the the Police Department and at least 2 other businesses.

I kept my distance from the protest, but from what I could discern, it started with an 8 minute and 46 second moment of silence to represent how long the police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck when he was killing him.

I think there were a couple of speakers, but I really couldn’t hear them, because of the distance I was keeping because of the virus and a lack of an operating sound system.

There were a few people standing around and observing. It is hard to say if they were just checking it out or are sympathetic to the cause and keeping their distance because of the virus. However, before the march began, I didn’t see anybody I thought was there to agitate.

After the march started, I did notice a couple of people that were there to counter-protest, I guess you would call it. One guy kept circling around the marchers in his truck. He had taped a couple signs to his truck that read “Support the Blue”.

There was a considerably less counter-protester, I guess you would call him, that didn’t really hang around, but drove past the marchers blaring the Berlin song “Take My Breath Away”. I think at some point, he realized how extremely stupid that was, because he didn’t stick around for very long.

There was also a group of high school students that were either sympathetic to the cause, or just being stupid. They didn’t march, but they drove by the marchers blaring the N.W.A. tune, “F*ck Tha Police”. Which wasn’t really all that cool, under the circumstances. Which is rare, because there are very few circumstances where it isn’t cool to drive around blaring N.W.A. Just did it the other day with “Straight Outta Compton”.

The marchers left the green space and marched south on Story Street to Mamie. At Mamie they turned west and marched to Greene Street. At Greene Street, the marched north to 5th Street. At 5th Street they marched west to Carroll Street. At Carroll Street they marched north to 8th Street. From 8th Street, they marched east back to the green space.

When they returned, there was some chanting, but the event seemed to end about 7 PM mostly. It seemed that a few people were still milling around, but I took off, went home. Threw my clothes in the washer and took a shower. Which is what you should do if you are in a large group of people.

Here is the third collection of pictures from the Black Lives Matters event in Boone:

Anna Olson!

For those of you that don’t know Anna Olson, she is a future President of the United States. I hope we don’t have to wait for her to be old enough to be our first female President, but if we do, she will make an excellent first female President. She will also make an excellent second or third female President. I look forward to working in her administration 20 years from now.

There is just one collection of pictures from the Boone Black Lives Matter event left.

Art, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Derrick, Evie, Formal Portrait, Jay, Jen, Jonah, Jorge, Layla, Michelle, Movies, Naima, Nature, Photoshop, Railroad, State Fair, WPC - Reminder

Suds, Dickcissel, and Lensbaby Redux

June 5, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Hey, I screwed up the schedule of posts and 2 posts accidentally posted at the same time yesterday. This one, that I took back down and re-posted and another one with daffodils. It is possible that you didn’t get the post about the daffodils yesterday. If that is the case, click on the link below:

My soul and pocketbook are glad to announce that I have finished THE CANVAS WALL PROJECT. 5 new canvases arrived on Monday and I was able to get them up that night. Here are the 5 final canvases:

Before the Swallow Dares – 2020

There is also an update on Naima and birthday wishes for Jorge in there.

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My soul and pocketbook are glad to announce that I have finished THE CANVAS WALL PROJECT. 5 new canvases arrived on Monday and I was able to get them up that night. Here are the 5 final canvases:

This is what the wall looks like:

Now, I realize that when there is furniture in place, not every picture is visible. That isn’t the important part. The important part is that they are there at all.

On to the next decorating project. Whatever that may be!
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I don’t consider pictures that were taken in the same calendar year in which we currently exist to be a backlog. However, if I did, this collection of images would be somewhat of a backlog. This clears out all images from January and February that had yet to be edited or curated.

Pictures from a trip to Dickcissel with Naima, some Lensbaby tests, and a picture of the Root Beer Symposium we had during movie night back in January.

We haven’t had Movie Night at The Union Street theater since February, so we haven’t been able to crown a root beer champion, but those pictures might give you the slightest indication of how messy my basement is right now. Although I would estimate that the big parts of the basement cleanup are about 30% done.

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This is your reminder that SIGNS is this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme:

SIGNS

A SIGNS picture is just that, a picture of a SIGN or multiple SIGNS. Remember, there are more than one kind of SIGN(S).

Happy photo harvesting!

Alexis, Bethany, Billy, Birthdays, Carla, Colleen, Dory, Elainie, Formal Portrait, J.T., Jason, Johnathan, Jonah, Kanoa, Kupono, Nate, Nora, Sabas

Elainie Homecoming Ch. 10

May 28, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start by wishing my mother-in-law Colleen a happy birthday. Happy birthday Colleen!

I hope your birthday was amazing! All the best people were born in May!

Can you imagine being born in a different month?

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This is the final collection of images that were triggered by Elainie coming home back in September. Most of these pictures were taken on the High Trestle Trail Bridge.