Category Archives: Willy

That Nurse Came into my Room, She Told Me I’m Sick in the Head

The world wasn’t ready for these alternate FRAMED images for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE yesterday. Hopefully by laying down some groundwork yesterday the world will be able to handle them. I have my doubts…


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That is Willy’s eye behind the brick. The tunnel is located on the most beautiful campus in the world, Iowa State’s.

You’re welcome world!

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 112 – FRAMED

A bit of a rebound in submissions this week for FRAMED. Let’s keep the positive momentum going!

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


WEEK 112 - FRAMED - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

WEEK 112 - FRAMED - STEPHANIE KIM
Stephanie Kim

A solid week of submissions!

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:


WEEK 113 - PARTY
PARTY! (Submitted by Sara Lockner)

PARTY! What a great theme! You don’t need to be going to a PARTY to take a picture of the PARTY theme. PARTY supplies. PARTY invitations. PARTY preparations. PARTY aftermath. They all count. Or you can hang out with me. Cause wherever I’m at, there is a party going down.

Interpret the theme however you see fit and 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. 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

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

**************************************

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 partied out Monday!

Remembered with Nostalgia

Now that I’ve been back to reality for 7 days, probably a good time to go over my vacation.

FRIDAY

Left work at 4 PM or so. Vacation starts.
Had FNSC with Willy. Ate at Colorado Grill.
After Colorado Grill. Started watching a new show, NARCOS.

SATURDAY

Breakfast at Legal Limit with Mom.
Photography for Amber and Steve’s Wedding.


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Not Steve pictured.

SUNDAY

Went to the Lutheran Church in Gilbert with Jesse and Nader to celebrate Nader’s 30th year in the United States.
Ate lunch at the church with some of the people that helped Nader when he got to the country.
Went to Gene’s farm to admire his car collection.


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Sent this picture to Russell of Youth Nazis harassing this old woman.

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Sent this picture to Logan because he sent me a picture trying to make me jealous of his lunch.

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A Studebaker with an El Camino back.

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Naima getting her pills.

Went to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad and Shorty was there working it.


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While this food stand looks awesome, the ice cream isn’t that great.

MONDAY

Loaded up Mom’s car and headed for Mount Rushmore.
Stopped in Sioux Falls for gas, human fuel, and Falls Park. It rained all the way to Sioux Falls.


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Sent this picture to Jorge and Joe to remind them that I wasn’t at work.

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Falls Park

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Mom struggles with the selfie concept.

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Confused by the bridge they built to seemingly just to wreck the view.

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I wonder what this picture would look like with me in it.

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Oh. Like that.

I give Falls Park the thumbs up. I’ll have to go back when I have more time at some point.

Stopped for gas again next to 1880 town.


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Stopped at Wall Drug right before it closed.


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Still don’t have the selfie thing down.

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Free Water.

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Pretty horrible restaurant across the street from Wall Drug.

I’d give Wall Drug the bird. Don’t waste your time. A bunch of touristy garbage with ridiculous hours.

Got to Rapid City and checked into a hotel with free WI-FI and continental breakfast.

TUESDAY

Got up in the morning and ate continental breakfast at the hotel. Had a lengthy conversation with two women from Arizona that came up there for the Buffalo Roundup.
Left for Mount Rushmore.


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Posted on Instagram. #wafflelife

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First view of Mount Rushmore

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View from the parking lot.

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One armed woman took this picture for us.

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Getting better at the selfie game.

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What Mount Rushmore was supposed to look like, but they had to stop because of WWII. Another thing we can blame on Hitler.

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I give Mount Rushmore the thumbs up.

At the base of Mount Rushmore we ran into Brad Dighton. The cousin of a member of my church. He gave us several pro tips for the area. We weren’t able to get to all of them, but maybe next time.

One of his pro tips was take the Iron Mountain Road to Custer State Park.


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All of these tunnels point back to Mount Rushmore. You can’t tell in the picture, but trust me.

I give the Iron Mountain Road the thumbs up.

Custer State Park is a great example of white privilege. I have no clue why a park is named after Custer. His 2 claims to fame are graduating last in his class at West Point and then getting his buttocks handed to him at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Custer Park (like the man) was more hype than pay off. We were told we would see hundreds of buffalo. We saw one. That being said, the feral donkeys and the prairie dogs made up for the lack of buffaloes.


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I give Custer Park a thumbs up, but it didn’t live up to the hype.

After we left Custer, we went to Needles Highway.


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Still working on the selfie game.

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We’re starting to get there.

Needles Highway is a road about the width of McHose Park road, but with a 400 foot drop to your death on one side. It is amazing!

I give Needles Highway a big thumbs up!

After that we went to Hill City to eat lunch/dinner at a place recommended to us by Brad Dighton. That place was closed, so instead we dined at the Hill City Cafe.


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We bought fudge there.

Hill City Cafe wasn’t terrible, but it certainly was not great. Thumb sideways.

After that, we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial.


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Almost there!

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We might’ve regressed on our selfie game.

I’d give Crazy Horse another big thumbs up! My only complaint is that all the information seems to be on the family carving the memorial and hardly anything on Crazy Horse himself. You know, the guy that ripped Custer’s buttocks off and handed them back to him. He took out Custer’s brothers while he was ate it. Crazy Horse was an OG.

Pro Tip: Pay for the $4 bus ride.

After leaving Crazy Horse, went back to Mount Rushmore for the lighting ceremony.


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Sent this picture of Thomas Jefferson ice cream to Russell since Russell hate Thomas Jefferson for being a slave owner and a rapist. True, but he also made a mean ice cream.

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Paid and extra dollar for the Thomas Jefferson ice cream.

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The lighting ceremony kind of drags on for awhile, but the part where they bring veterans on stage and take the flag down is powerful. While waiting (forever) for them to light up the mountain we became single serving friends with Lance Young. A former Iowa State wide receiver that played in the Dan MacCarney era.

After the lighting we went back to Rapid City and crashed.

WEDNESDAY

Got up in the morning and hit the continental breakfast. Hard. Going home day. No time for single serving friends. Ate and hit the road.

Stopped at Badlands National Park.


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This sign was all hype. No snake.

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Still working on it.

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I think we have it. At least we’re in striking distance.

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Taken by a woman who was friendly, but strangely afraid of falling down the side to her death. She has no future as a Photography 139 Assistant!

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“I’ll take one to the side and one of you in the middle.”

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Not afraid of the edge. Pimp.

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Badlands. 2 big thumbs up. They just need to work on their rattlesnake game.

Next stop on the way home was to see the Dignity Sculpture. It looks like the Big Jesus in Sioux City, only less creepy. I don’t have a picture with the cell phone, but when I unleash the camera pictures, there is one there.

The next stop was Mitchell. I was going to avoid the Corn Palace but it just lined up with when we needed gas and human fuel.


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Go home corn. You’re drunk.

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SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER in corn. Well, I can’t hate that.

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Mic Drop! I think we finally nailed it!

Last time I went to the Corn Palace, I gave it the bird. I’m going to upgrade it to just a thumbs down. It is worth seeing, if you don’t waste time going inside.

We stopped at a place called The Hungry Dog for lunch.


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The Hungry Dog was by far the best eating experience of the trip. 6 out of 5 Stars!!! It only seats about 5 people on the inside and after the only employee took our order, made our food, and delivered it; she locked the door and told us she’d be right back. She had to go pick up her kids from school.

I loved every second of my experience!


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On the way out of town we saw this Albert the Bull wannabe. Jason Baier will get that joke.

The last stop of the evening was in Jefferson for gas and human fuel.


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I wish so badly we had this sign when I worked for the evil clown empire. I can’t even count all the times some dirty white trash blew cigarette smoke in my face as soon as I opened the drive-thru window.

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1424.3 miles in 3 days.

Then home for sleep.

THURSDAY

Did not much in the day. Hung up a bunch of pictures in my bedroom. Cleaned out the guest bedroom now that Alexis has moved out.
Picked Derrick up for the Iowa State game.


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I don’t care what anybody says. I love the new Bugle Cyclone secondary logo.

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Well almost everything about that game sucked, except the company.

FRIDAY

I can’t remember next to anything that happened on Friday.
I visited Scottie D. to get a yard sign. He is running for City Council for Ward 5.


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Also had FNSC with Willy. Think it was at Jimmy’s Barbecue.

SATURDAY

Don’t remember much about Saturday either.

Went uptown during YesterBoone to complete another page of the Photo Journal Project.


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Sent this to Micky and offered to buy it in case he got shutout on his hunting trip in Wyoming.

Went out to McHose Park and with Jesse’s assistance completed yet another page of the Photo Journal Project.


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After that, we went to a Gender Reveal Party for one of the members of the Youth Group. It’s a Girl!!
Headed up to Jay’s for Chili Lab. Both Jay and Wily made great chilis and we enjoyed a viewing of KONG ISLAND.

SUNDAY

Got up and went to church at Boone First United Methodist Church.
Then lunch with the family.
Meeting for the Council to Elect Degeneffe.
Then I went to the Freedom Flight Send-off to see Jesse’s Dad.


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Derrick’s dad made an impromptu speech praising military spouses.

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Monica’s mom made a bouquet that they took with them to place on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Then I went home. Sat on my couch and soaked up the last few hours of vacation, before being back at the grind on Monday.

I’ve been back to work one week. Already fantasizing about the next time I dip my toes into the PTO pool.

11-03-07

The pictures in the folder 11-03-07 are from the Iowa State-Kansas State game. Including a couple pictures of a guy whose family owns a restaurant near Manhattan. I think he might have played professionally for a team with a really ugly color scheme.


Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

Iowa State vs. Kansas State

There are many more pictures from that folder. If you want to see them, click on the link below:

2007 – IOWA STATE CYCLONES FOOOTBALL


I will add that this post allowed me to “restore” the post below:

A GREAT SATURDAY


Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve some pictures of one of the world’s worst humans and some experimental photography.

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 103

Man. I’m late on a blog entry. For the first time in a long time. I guess I’ve been really busy lately. Hopefully it won’t happen again.

Before we get into the main content of this here blog entry, I will point out that the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest photos should be on display tonight. I urge you to go down and check out the photos. They will be on display at 8th & Story. In the window of Ensley Photography’s store front.

I have the 6 entries that were picked out by my 6 volunteers up.

My sister Carla also entered 4 pictures. Yet another reason you should go up there and check it out.

They should be on display until Sunday night. For those of you that don’t love me enough, I will release the pictures that were entered during the blog next week.

Thanks again to the volunteers that picked out my entries!

Now that bit of unpleasantness is behind us, let’s look at something else.

Recently I went to a friend’s abode to make an image for THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT. The photo below will be taped to Page 103 in the physical Photo Journal:


Photo Journal - Page 103
Page 103 – Make a portrait of someone without them being in the picture.

I won’t tell you whom this is a portrait of, but if you know me and know my friends, it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out.

I think this is actually a pretty great idea for a photo project. I can think of several friends that I could have done this for as well. Next time we check in on THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT, we will look at Page 105. I’m pretty certain.

Introducing… The Town Sign Project!

Because I don’t have enough photo projects going on I have recently decided to start a new photo project. It is a project that I have started in the past and then quit. n

Maybe I’m like Hollywood and I’m out of ideas, so I just reboot old ideas? Maybe I just never gave this idea its proper attention. Who knows? We’ll see if I make good on it.

This idea is mostly influenced by an old Welcome to Boone sign that I remember from youth. It had a man catching a fish on it. It could also be 100% a false memory. But my dream is to some day make a self-published coffee table book that nobody will buy. Dream big, I say.

Jay, Willy, and Joe were photo assistants at various parts of these photos. Well maybe not Jay. Pretty sure he was asleep in the bacxkseat.

Here are the first few signs I have photographed:


Pilot Mound, Iowa

Dayton, Iowa

Harcourt, Iowa

Boxholm, Iowa

Keystone, Iowa

Newhall, Iowa

Atkins, Iowa

Scotch Grove, Iowa

Stanhope, Iowa

As with many photo projects, it isn’t until I get back and start editing and curating images that I realize what style I think fits my vision for this project. Now that I’ve seen what I think works, I may have to go back and photograph some of these signs again.

I will also add that if you come across an interesting sign, text me a picture. I need my scouts everywhere.

What is interesting to me? I’m sure you’ve picked up on what I like by now. I like decrepit and falling apart. Or I like funny. Or I like original. Classy doesn’t really work for me. I’ve never been on too good of terms with classy.

For example, the nice stone signs on US30 as you enter Boone do nothing for me. The ugly sign on the corner of US30 and South Story Street is better. Although still pretty lame.

You have your assignment. Start lighting up my phone!

Selfie Project – July

It feels like I didn’t get off the couch much in July. I guess we’ll take a look. Here are some of my favorites from the month of July from THE SELFIE PROJECT:


July 1, 2017
July 1

July 2, 2017
July 2

July 4, 2017
July 4

July 5, 2017
July 5

July 8, 2017
July 8

July 9, 2017
July 9

July 11, 2017
July 11

July 12, 2017
July 12

July 14, 2017
July 14

July 15, 2017
July 15

July 18, 2017
July 18

July 19, 2017
July 19

July 20, 2017
July 20

July 22, 2017
July 22

July 24, 2017
July 24

July 26, 2017
July 26

July 27, 2017
July 27

July 29, 2017
July 29

July 30, 2017
July 30

Maybe July wasn’t so bad. But I think August will be even better!

Baby Got Domination

For the second straight year, Baby Got Rack competed at the Boone County Fair barbecue competition. Sponsored by State Farm or Farm Bureau or some insurance company.

Here are a few snaps from the very, very, very hot day:


BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR - Boone County Fair 2017

BGR needs to thank Jesse for bulling it up, Willy for taking some of the photos, and for all of our super fans that came out to support us.

I honestly can’t remember how we did exactly, but I think it went something like this:

Tied for Best Overall for Lamb
Won Lamb
Won Pork
Won Turkey
2nd in Chicken
3rd in Beef

Or something like that.

By winning a category, we clinched a birth at the State Fair barbecue competition. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to contend because some of us have to adult on that day.

However, Baby Got Rack will be back at it during the Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Contest. If it is the same as last year, it will be on the Sunday of Pufferbilly days on the corner of 8th and Story.

So come down on Sunday, September 3. Look at the Photo Contest photos and then come over for some award winning barbecue. You won’t be disappointed!