Category Archives: Teresa

Animals, Flowers, Lensbaby, Macro, Mom, Teresa

Painted Without Instruction – 2021

September 7, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

This Saturday from 8-12 we are going to have the final sale at my Mom’s house. There is still lots of glassware and collectibles for sale. A few tools. Many decorations. Maybe some furniture. Some other stuff will be added this week as well I’m sure. The address is 111 South Benton Street. The sale is in the garage and in the garage only. The garage is on the alley. The alley is a dead end, so don’t come down the alley and try to park. I’ll let you know if any of the details change.

+++++++

On the Saturday of Pufferbilly Days, Teresa and I went out to Rinehart’s for breakfast. At that time their sunflower patch was in its final throes. We still drove out there and I took a few pictures of it. Here are some of those pictures:

I wish I would have cracked out Rodan139, but it being Pufferbilly Days, there were some time constraints. I did crack out the Lensbaby Velvet 85. Any time I get to crack that out in a flower patch is a great day.

Andy, Bill, Carla, Drone, Elizabeth, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Panorama, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 312 – ‘SCAPE

September 6, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

Despite it being Labor Day, there was still a decent, but not overwhelming number of submissions for ‘SCAPE.

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

Andy Sharp

Teresa Kahler

Kim Barker

Elizabeth Nordeen

Jesse Howard

Carla Stensland

Jesse Howard

Bill Wentworth

Kio Dettman

Christopher D. Bennett

Kio Dettman

Lori Backous

Tamara Peterson

Lori Backous

Micky Augustin

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:

JUNK

JUNK! What a great theme for Week 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a JUNK photo. JUNK isn’t necessarily garbage, but it could be. JUNK is defined as things that are useless or of little value. But that doesn’t mean JUNK has no value. Just like the theme reveal image, I bet everybody reading these words has a JUNK drawer. Off the top of my head, I have at least 9 of them and several JUNK bins. So go out and find something that has been set aside because it has little value and give it some value by turning it into art.

And don’t forget that some food is considered JUNK as well. And of course, there are other definitions for the word JUNK. Some more safe for work than others.

When you thinking about creating your JUNK image, think about this quote:

Buy, buy says the sign in the show window;
Why why, says the junk in the yard.
– Paul McCartney

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.

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of JUNK in this place that is little more than the place I leave much of my psychological junk next Monday.

Andy, Brandon, Carla, Contests, Elainie, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Kio, Layla, Logan, Mom, Pufferbilly Days, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, State Fair, Teresa, Town Sign Project

Selfie Project – August 2021

September 1, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

Yesterday I completed yet another successful month of THE SELFIE PROJECT. I was surprised how packed a month it was. When I looked back at some of the images, I thought, “that happened in August? It feels like such a long time ago!”

Here are my favorites from August:

August 1, 2021

August 3, 2021

August 4, 2021

August 5, 2021

August 7, 2021

August 8, 2021

August 11, 2021

August 12, 2021

August 13, 2021

August 15, 2021

August 17, 2021

August 19, 2021

August 22, 2021

August 24, 2021

August 27, 2021

August 28, 2021

August 29, 2021

August 31, 2021

There can only be one Selfie per day, but I’ve decided to start sharing some alternate selfies from the month, that just didn’t make the cut:

If you want to peruse all the THE SELFIE PROJECT images, click on the link below:

Selfie Project – 2021

Hopefully September is another successful month!

Art, History, Road Trip, Teresa, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Pocahontas County

August 31, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back I cruised around Pocahontas County harvesting their town signs. Some of these I harvested on a trip to northwest Iowa with Teresa. The rest I harvested on a solo trip.

Here are some facts about Pocahontas County:

+ Population is 7,078. It is the 93rd most populous county. Behind Ida County and ahead of Wayne County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Pocahontas.
+ Formed in 1851.
+ Named for the Powhatan “Princess” Matoax. Pocahontas was a childhood nickname and she kept her real name hidden from the colonists that held her hostage. The truth of her story is pretty widely misrepresented by Disney… to say the least.
+ Home of a giant (and terrible) statue of Matoax (Pocahontas).
+ Home to a sweet sculpture of the greatest mascot in all the lands, Cy.
+ Home of Palmer’s boys basketball team (now consolidated) that won 103 straight games in the 1980s.
+ Major highways are: IA-3, IA-4, IA-7, IA-10, and IA-15.
+ Adjacent counties are: Palo Alto, Humboldt, Webster, Calhoun, and Buena Vista.
+ Population peaked in 1940 at 16,266.

The Pocahontas County courthouse is similar to the one in Boone.

The Pocahontas County Courthouse located in Pocahontas, Iowa.

The Pocahontas County Freedom Rock is located in Rolfe, Iowa:

The Pocahontas County Freedom Rock is right across the street from a sweet sculpture of Cy, so it probably doesn’t get as much attention as the rest of the Freedom Rocks in Iowa.

With Pocahontas County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

34 counties completed. 34.3% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Pocahontas County (population from 2020 Census):

Pocahontas
WELCOME TO POCAHONTAS
“THE PRINCESS CITY”
Population: 1,867 (+78)

Laurens, Iowa
LAURENS
Population: 1,264 (+6)

Fonda, Iowa
FONDA
HOME TOWN WITH A HEART
Population: 636 (+5)

Rolfe, Iowa
ESTABLISHED 1863
WELCOME TO Rolfe
Population: 509 (-75)

Gilmore City, Iowa (Humboldt County)
IOWA’S LIMESTONE CAPITAL
GILMORE CITY WELCOMES YOU
Population: 487 (-17)

Palmer, Iowa
PALMER
Population: 138 (-27)

Havelock, Iowa
HAVELOCK
EST. 1881
Population: 130 (-8)

Varina, Iowa
A LITTLE TOWN WITH A BIG HEART
Population: 68 (-3)

Plover, Iowa
PLOVER
EST. 1882
Population: 50 (-27)

I think the town with the worst town sign in Pocahontas County is pretty obvious. It is Fonda. They allegedly used to have a pretty cool town sign, but it is either gone now or in the process of being replaced, cause I combed (with Teresa) pretty much every inch of that town and didn’t find it.

I think it is a two horse race for the best town sign in Pocahontas County. Pocahontas and Rolfe have nice signs, but it really comes down to Plover and Havelock. I’m going to give it to Plover because the backwards “1”s in Havelock’s sign makes me think it is a clue to some kind of New World Order/Masonic Temple conspiracy that might be going down in that town. I actually think Plover’s alternate town sign is even better than their main town sign.

Plover – Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Here are the alternate town signs of Pocahontas County:

Pocahontas – Alternate

Plover – Alternate

Laurens – Alternate

Havelock – Alternate

Varina – Alternate

Something I find interesting about Pocahontas County is that a couple of the towns are references to things in Matoax’s life. Rolfe (assumptions here) is named after John Rolfe the Englishman that Matoax would marry after she was baptized and changed her name to Rebecca. Varina is named after Varina (another assumption) the farm where Matoax and John Rolfe lived. If you are a fan of the musical HAMILTON (and we probably aren’t friends if you aren’t), Laurens is named after Hamilton’s close friend and critic of slavery John Laurens. And Plover is named for a bird. And Fonda is named because the post office in the day was too incompetent to tell the difference between Manson and Marvin.

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the dusty trail with THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Cerro Gordo County.

Andy, Cathie, Kio, Micky, Shannon, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 311 – PEOPLE

August 30, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

It doesn’t look like PEOPLE was a very popular theme. I mean, you PEOPLE must think that other PEOPLE suck. Which I guess is the smart bet.

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

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Christopher D. Bennett

Kio Dettman

Cathie Raley

Andy Sharp

Teresa Kahler

‘SCAPE

REMINDER: NEXT MONDAY IS LABOR DAY. WHILE THE BANK MAY TAKE A DAY OFF AND THE SCHOOLS MIGHT TAKE THE DAY OFF AND MOST OF THE GOVERNMENT MIGHT TAKE THE DAY OFF AND THE COMPUTER MINE MIGHT TAKE THE DAY OFF… PHOTOGRAPHY 139 DOES NOT TAKE THE DAY OFF. EVERY DAY I’M HUSTLING. PLAN WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO ACCORDINGLY!

‘SCAPE! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a ‘SCAPE picture? Do you mean landscape? Don’t worry, I’m about to feed you baby bird.

Yes, a landscape picture could be a ‘SCAPE picture, but a ‘SCAPE picture isn’t necessarily a landscape picture. The theme reveal picture is a picture of a landscape that I took high up in the Loess Hills on Saturday. However it is the apostrophe before the SCAPE that is key here. You don’t have to limit your possibilities to a landscape. There are other types of ‘SCAPEs. There are citySCAPEs. There are also waterSCAPES and skySCAPEs and even inSCAPEs.

And if you don’t know what a landSCAPE is, it is this:

“all the visible features of an area of countryside or land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.”

While considering your subject for your ‘SCAPE submission, think on this quote by Ansel Adams:

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment.”
-Ansel Adams

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of ‘SCAPE in this place that is little more than your way of how I see the world’s landscape next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Sara, Shannon, State Fair, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 310 – FRIENDS

August 23, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m pretty sure that this is the most popular theme in the history of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. 30 submissions! Wow! I’m glad to see so many people have people they consider FRIENDS or could at least find a group of somebody else’s FRIENDS to photograph or found something that represented a FRIENDShip to them. Or maybe THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is hitting new heights in popularity. Maybe every week there will be nearly 30 submissions. A guy can dream, right?

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

Kim Barker

Micky Augustin

Amy Peterson

Becky Parmelee

Christopher D. Bennett

Bill Wentworth

Tamara Peterson

Amy Peterson

Angie DeWaard

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Michelle Haupt

Andy Sharp

Sara Lockner

Teresa Kahler

Kio Dettman

Carla Stensland

Kio Dettman

Logan Kahler

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Cathie Raley

Jesse Howard

Elizabeth Nordeen

Mike Vest

A great week of submissions!

PEOPLE

PEOPLE! What a great theme! But what is a PEOPLE photo? Fortunately for you, people infest nearly every corner of this planet, so they are easy to find. All you have to do is find some PEOPLE or remnants or proof that PEOPLE were once there. This group of PEOPLE doesn’t have to have any connection. They don’t have to be friends or family. They just have to be homo sapiens. I suppose Neanderthals would work as well.

When you are thinking about the picture you want to make, you can consider this quote and I have no doubt you will make a great PEOPLE photo:

I love mankind… it’s people I can’t stand!!
-Charles M. Schulz

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of PEOPLE in this place that is little more than my ineffective people trap next Monday.

Bill, Cathie, Elizabeth, Flowers, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kio, Linda, Michelle, Micky, Naima, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 308 – TOY

August 9, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

The theme TOY really spoke to a ton of people this week. There were a bunch of submissions and I didn’t even send out any reminder texts this morning because I was dealing with wrapping up the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. My first one as a chair was some mixed and melty, but I’m already flush with ideas (mine and others) on how to make improvements for next year. But I’ll get into a Pufferbilly Days recap at a later date.

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

Kim Barker

Micky Augustin

Teresa Kahler

Elizabeth Nordeen

Jesse Howard

Linda Bennett

Christopher D. Bennett

Bill Wentworth

Joe Duff

Cathie Raley

Kio Dettman

Lori Backous

Kio Dettman

Lori Backous

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Michelle Haupt

Amy Peterson

Tamara Peterson

Amy Peterson

Mike Vest

A great week of submissions!

MOVEMENT

MOVEMENT! What a great theme! But what is a MOVEMENT photo? Simply put, a MOVEMENT photo is a picture of something that is in motion. There are two different ways to capture movement. Use a quick shutter speed to freeze movement. Use a longer shutter speed to blur motion.

When you are thinking about creating your MOVEMENT image, think on the following quote:

Light in nature creates the movement of colors.
-Robert Delaunay

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of MOVEMENT in this place that is little more than my motions next Monday.

Art, Road Trip, Teresa, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Ida County

August 3, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few Saturdays back I cruised around Ida County with Teresa harvesting their town signs. There aren’t many. Ida County only has 5 towns. Ida County might be best known for the castle buildings in Ida Grove.

Here are some facts about Ida County:

+ Population is 6,901 (2019 estimate) making Ida County the 92 most populous county in Iowa. Below Fremont County and above Pocahontas County.
+ The county seat and largest town is Ida Grove.
+ Ida County was formed on January 15, 1851, but nobody lived there, so there was no government. The county government was formed in 1858 when there were about 40 residents.
+ Named for Ida Smith, the first child of European immigrants born in the region.
+ Major highways ae US-20, US059, IA-3, and IA-175.
+ Adjacent counties are Cherokee, Sac, Crawford, and Woodbury.
+ The population peaked in 1900 at 12,327.

The Ida County Courthouse is a cool old looking courthouse:

The Ida County Courthouse in Ida Grove, Iowa.

The Ida County Freedom Rock is located in Holstein, Iowa:

With Ida County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

30 counties completed. 30.3% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Ida County:

Ida Grove, Iowa
IDA GROVE
OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN
Population: 2,142

Holstein, Iowa
Holstein
WILLKOMMEN FREUNDE
Population: 1,396

Battle Creek, Iowa
WELCOME to BATTLE CREEK
Small in size, Big in HEART
Est. 1865
Population: 713

Galva, Iowa
Galva Welcomes You
the friendly town
Population: 434

Arthur, Iowa
WELCOME TO ARTHUR
EST. 1881
Population: 206

I don’t think that there is a bad town sign in Ida County. So rather than giving away the award for worst town sign in the county, I’ll just say that I found Holstein’s sign to be the most disappointing. It isn’t a bad sign, but with a name like Holstein how do you not have a cow on your sign? If you haven’t figured it out yet, I like signs with animals on them.

I do think the best town sign is pretty much a no-brainer. It is Ida Grove. Their town sign is a castle, with the state slogan, bird and flower on it. At first, I have to confess I wasn’t sure it was “the” town sign. But after examining it and thinking on it, it clearly is the town sign.

Ida Grove – Best in Show – Ida County

A couple towns did have alternate signs:

Ida Grove – Alternate

Holstein – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we check in on THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will visit Butler County.

Cathie, Drone, Elizabeth, Kio, Micky, Nature, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 307 – PATHS

August 2, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

At least a few people were able to figure out what PATHS they are walking for the theme of PATHS.

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

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin

Elizabeth Nordeen

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Kio Dettman

Cathie Raley

Mike Vest

A great week of submissions!

TOY

TOY! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a TOY image? Simply put, a TOY image is a picture of something that you use for recreation. It isn’t used for work. It is used for play. However, what one person might consider a TOY, another person might consider a TOOL. What is considered a TOY might be more personal than one thinks at first glance.

Think on these words when considering your subject for this week’s image:

As men get older, the goys get more expensive.
-Marvin Davis

Heed these words and there is no doubt you will create a most playful TOY images.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of TOY in this place that is little more than my plaything next Monday.

Anders, Art, Boone County Fair, Carla, Contests, Jaxon, Jesse, Kim, Logan, Michelle, Road Trip, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Shannon, State Fair, Teresa, Vest, Work

Selfie Project – July 2021

August 1, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

On Saturday night I completed another successful month of THE SELFIE PROJECT. It probably wasn’t the most exciting month, but I think we did some good work here now and then.

Here are my favorites from July: