Category Archives: Family

Boone FUMC, Holidays, Jodie Cue, Kio, Mom, Night, Street Photography, Teresa

That’s Life

December 5, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

If you’re not in the parade, you watch the parade. That’s life.
-Mike Ditka

Last Thursday was the annual lighted parade in Boone. I’m sure it has a proper name, but I don’t know what it is.

As a member of the Outreach Committee, I was part of the team that put together the “float” for the lighted parade. Unfortunately, we didn’t garner very many volunteers and I had to call a couple people last minuted just to borderline half fill our “people carrier”.

Although most people would not consider it a failure, I sorta do. That is okay. We learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. That means at the 2019 lighted parade, we will be back with a vengeance!

Here are some pictures from the event:

Santa was infatuated with my beard. He really wanted me to join the Santa union or something. Told me I could make $100 an hour as a “real beard Santa”. Maybe sometime, but I’m not ready for the Santa gig yet.

Basketball, Iowa State, Johnathan, Kim, Mom, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 168 – COMMUNICATION

December 3, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

Looks like another rough week for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Only a few people were able to communicate the theme COMMUNICATION. Might be time to look into retiring THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions!

Tamara Peterson

Kim Barker

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole-Foley

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:

FAMILY!

FAMILY! What a great theme! Unless your FAMILY sucks, then you have more problems that dealing with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

So what is a FAMILY picture? A FAMILY picture is any picture that involves a FAMILY. Now some people have a really strict DNA based definition of a family because they weren’t hugged enough as a child. Don’t feel constrained by somebody else’s definition of a FAMILY.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very familial Monday.

Animals, Flowers, Jay, Jeff Daniel, Macro, Mom, State Fair, Teresa, Yin

08-19-08

November 24, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures in the folder called 08-19-08 are from a trip to the Iowa State Fair.

Here are a few of them:

There are many more pictures than this from my 2008 trip to the Iowa State Fair. You can check them out by clicking on the link below:

2008 – Iowa State Fair

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” blog to their original glory:

State Fair Flowers

State Fair Olla Podrida

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve Jen and Derrick’s wedding.

9 Emotions Project, Alexis, Anders, Andy, Animals, Baby Got Rack, Baier, Bethany, Black & White, Boone FUMC, Brandon, Carla, Colleen, Derrick, Elainie, Flat Earth Joe, Iowa State, Jay, Jesse, Johnathan, Jorge, Laura, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Nader, Naima, Nate, Nora, Russell, Sara, Shannon, State Fair, Tenderloining, Teresa, Tim, Willy

Blessings – 2018

November 22, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! It is the time of year where we are supposed to count our blessings.

I thought I would share a few of my current blessings:

I am blessed with a great family!

I have plenty of friends that share my love for the Cyclones!

I have a job I don’t hate going to, where I work with several people I don’t want to punch in the face.

I have an amazing church family!

I have an amazing friends family!

I’m blessed to share my life with Naima!

This is really just a handful of the blessings in my life! But I’m already getting this out late, so I’ll cut if off here. I’ll just end with a passage from a Rob Bell NOOMA video that really spoke to me:

“So the verse in First Timothy, it says command those that are rich to not put their hope in wealth… and then it goes on and it continues… and it says, but to put their hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

That phrase, a God that richly provides us with everything. All that we have is a gift.

Food. It is a gift.

Clothes. Gift.

Roof. Gift.

That breath you just took. It’s a gift.

Now there are some that will say: No, you don’t understand. I’ve worked for what I have. I deserve it. It is mine. But like it says in the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 8: You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the Lord your God, because it is God that gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

I thank God for the embarrassment of riches in my life!

Animals, Naima

A Man’s Best Friend is his Dog…

November 21, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

I spent a lot of time out at Dickcissel Park with Naima this year. I think it has become her favorite place to go, when she leaves the house.

The only thing I can say is that she has yet to accept that a trip there is a substitute for our (near) daily walk. She thinks she deserves both.

Here are some pictures from one of our trips there in August.

There are plenty more pictures of Naima still in the hopper. Don’t worry about not getting your Naima fix!

Animals, Becky, Black & White, Cathie, Micky, Naima, Railroad, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 166 – PETS

November 20, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

Heads up that next week we will be back on our normal schedule of Monday WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE drops into the foreseeable future.

PETS did get a few people revved up and taking pictures. Although not as many as I would’ve thought. Some of you people don’t love your PETS nearly enough. You need to get on that.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about loving PETS. You came here to see the submissions:

Cathie Raley

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Teresa Kahler

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Becky Parmelee

Micky Augustin

? PLACE

? PLACE! What a great theme! But what is a ? PLACE theme. Take the question mark out and replace it with where you are from or where you are at. So it could be a BOONE PLACE or an IOWA PLACE for me, since I’m not planning on traveling anywhere this week. The idea is basically taken from the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon that has categories like Iowa Place, US Place, or International Place. The idea for this category is to take a picture of a PLACE in you area. A PLACE that is well known or famous. At least to the people in your area.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very well placed Monday.

Animals, Jesse, Michelle, Naima, Photo Journal, Politics, Self-Portrait, WPC - Reminder

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 70-71

November 16, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

As the 2018 political season wound down, I found it to be a perfect time to tackle Page 70 and then subsequently Page 71 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 70 – Take a picture of something you hate.

There are few things in the world I hate more than the “stick-to” narrative. This belief that everybody has a right to express their political opinion, except for artists and athletes. Since I happen to be both (Monstars, represent!), it is something that hits home.

When a plumber or a line cook expresses a political opinion, nobody is out there saying, “Stick to plumbing” or “Stick to cooking”.

But whenever an athlete or an actor expresses a political opinion you hear a chorus of “Hey pal, stick to sports, just stick to sports.”

Which is weird because athletes like Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali (to name just a couple) have been instrumental in leading social change.

Even stranger still is the people who come down on artists. It is the job of the artist to say some thing. That is the point of art. It isn’t always political, but sometimes, that is going to be political. Banksy is probably the greatest political artist of our times. It would be tragic if he was silent.

By the way, thanks to Michelle for making my “Stick to Photography” sign!

Page 70 leads to Page 71 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 71 – Email me the picture and I’ll email you a picture of something I hate.

Page 71 asked you to send your hate picture to the author of A PHOTO JOURNAL, and then he would email you back a picture of something he hates. The author of A PHOTO JOURNAL is Henry Carroll. This is what he emailed me back.

Not sure what page we will check in with next time we check in with THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT. It’ll be a surprise to all of us!

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A reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is PETS:

PETS

A PETS image is any photo of a PET(S) or anything related to a PET(S).

Happy photo harvesting!

Animals, Naima, Nature, Underwater

Naima Underwater Test

November 14, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Naima likes to walk in water. Naima doesn’t swim, unless forced. She doesn’t enjoy it. But she loves tromping around in water.

I decided to try to grab a picture of her tromping around in water, from underwater.

It didn’t work out that well because the place we go so she can run around off her leash, has a muddy bottom. But here are some pictures from the test. This was back in May at Dickcissel Park.

You can actually see Naima in this picture.

The water around here has gotten pretty cold, so underwater photography is probably done for 2018. However, I have plans for purchasing a camera for next year that is going to be for underwater photography and slow motion photography. It is low on the priority list:

~~1. Pay off car.~~
2. Bank fraud refund.
3. New rear brakes.
4. Big 12 Championship Game Trip ????
5. Remaining Self-Directed Training Budget – $355.20
6. 2019 Calendars ????
7. Iowa State Bowl Trip ????
8. Subscribe to Des Moines Register
9. Hope to not get screwed over by the GOP Tax Scam.
10. DJI Mavic Pro 2
11. Sony RX0
12. Sony Alpah a7II

Although 11 and 12 can be switched around, depending on whether or not I come across a deal. And obviously, there are lots of question marks on the big board. But this is how I plan on blowing tons of money in the near to nearish future.

Angie, Animals, Cathie, Jesse, Michelle, Micky, Naima, Nature, Panorama, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 165 – LANDSCAPE

November 12, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Before we get too involved in the week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, I want to take a little bit of time to toot my own horn. Today at 9:36 AM, I made the final payment on the Camry. Today, that baby is mine! I don’t have the pink slip in my hand yet, but that is only a matter of time! Below is the moment I clicked “Pay”:

(Photo Cred to Michelle)

Now, right after I determine how much money I might potentially spend on going to the Big 12 Championship Game, then right after I figure out if I’m going to make calendars again this year, then right after I get the rear brakes replaced, then right after I figure out how much I might potentially spend on an Iowa State Bowl Game, then after I figure out how the GOP Tax Scam effected my tax return, I can begin drone shopping in earnest. I hope to have one purchased by February. You know. When it is too cold to use it!

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LANDSCAPE, at least in my humble opinion, can be a tough nut for some people to crack, during the time of year when everything is dying and the land is barren. Despite that fact, a few people out there were able to come up with a LANDSCAPE photo.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions!

Cathie Raley

Jesse Howard

Micky Augustin

Tamara Peterson

Angie DeWaard

Cathie Raley

Christopher D. Bennett

PETS

PETS! What a great theme! But what is a PETS photo? A PETS photo is any photo that involves PETS or byproducts of PETS! If you don’t have a PET(S) or feel you don’t have access to a PET(S), then Naima can be booked. Her sitting fee is 2 milk bones and 5 minutes of head scratching.

The submissions for PETS will be published next Tuesday and not next Monday. Don’t panic. I still look forward to your interpretations.

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

+++++++

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very petted Monday.

Animals, Black & White, Naima

Naima & Tempe

November 8, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

Last weekend I went down to Topeka with Becca and Bethany to see Nate and Laura’s triplets.

Bethany left her dog Tempe with Naima for the weekend. Part of my dog-sitting crew, Jay and Willy, got quite the kick out of Naima and Tempe’s antics. This reminded me that I hadn’t published the pictures of Naima and Tempe from when Tempe stayed with me in May.

I shall correct that now:

When we got back to Boone, Bethany kinda called me out about how I talk about bringing back the birthday party every year and then I don’t do it. Therefore, 2019 might be the year to actually do something. Maybe I just find these days that I enjoy the company of animals and things more than people these days. So I guess if I bring back the party next year, I have decided that I like people again. Possibly.