Category Archives: Life

Weekly Photo Challenge – Week 169 – Family

There was somewhat of a rebound for FAMILY and this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. There is still hope!

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

Cathie Raley

Kim Barker
Micky Augustin
Angie DeWaard
Christopher D. Bennett
Tamara Peterson
Michelle Haupt
Andy Sharp
Andy Sharp
Andy Sharp
Becky Parmelee

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:

SPORTS/GAMES

SPORTS/GAMES! What a great theme! But what is a SPORTS/GAMES picture? A SPORTS/GAMES picture is any picture that that involves people that are engaged in SPORTS/GAMES. Or a picture of anything used in SPORTS/GAMES.

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 sporty Monday.

That’s Life

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:


Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

Boone Lighted Parade - 2018

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.

2 Corinthians 9:11

For the last, oh, 15 or so years, my church has hosted a free Thanksgiving dinner.

It is open to anybody and it is 100% free. We don’t ask for an “at will donation”. We don’t put out baskets for donations. It is 100% free.

I went down there for the first shift to take some photographs to submit to the newspaper.

Here are a few pictures from the day:


Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

Boone First United Methodist Church's Free Thanksgiving

You can check out more pictures from the event by clicking on the link below:

Boone First United Methodist Thanksgiving

If you are looking for a church where you can serve and worship and awesome God, I attend Boone First United Methodist Church.

We have 2 worship services on Sundays.

A Traditional Service at 9 AM.
A Contemporary Service at 11 AM.

We also have a variety of Youth Groups on Wednesdays. The night begins with a meal at 6 PM and ends at varying times, depending on the age of the youth.

Come check us out!

08-19-08

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

Here are a few of them:


Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

Iowa State Fair - 2008

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.

Blessings – 2018

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!

Sympathy - Brandon Kahler

NATE - SYMPATHY

SURPRISE - LAURA MILLER

Bethany - Boredom

Elainie - Boredom

Fear - Alexis

Anger - Johnathan

Sadness - Logan

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

Iowa State 30 #6 West Virginia 14

Liberty Bowl Road Trip

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.

Iowa State vs. Texas Tech

Iowa State vs. Texas Tech

I have an amazing church family!

Houston Mission Trip - 2018

Houston Mission Trip - 2018

Houston Mission Trip - 2018

Pufferbilly Days Float - 2018

Critter Sunday - 2018

Easter - 2018 - Boone FUMC

I have an amazing friends family!

Anders - Fear

Shannon with her

Iowa State Fair - 2018

Maquoketa Caves Road Trip

2009 - Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest Nominee

I’m blessed to share my life with Naima!

August 23, 2017

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!

06-11-08

The pictures from the folder 06-11-08 are from a road trip I took with Willy and Jay to Dyersville. The point of the road trip was to see The Field of Dreams. Jay actually suggested this road trip, even though he doesn’t like baseball. I agreed to go, even though I don’t like the movie FIELD OF DREAMS.

Also on the trip, we stopped at the Basilica of Dyersville. I’m not 100% sure of what Basilica is, but I believe it is a really fancy Catholic church where the Pope can hang out if he ever get kicked out of Rome.

Here are some pictures from the road trip:


Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

Field of Dreams Road Trip

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

Field of Dreams

St. Francis Xavier Basilica

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a trip to the Iowa State Fair!

A PHOTO JOURNAL – HENRY CARROLL – PAGE 40

Back at the end of August I had a free Saturday afternoon, so I decided to head out to Big Creek and tackle Page 40 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:


Photo Journal - Page 40
Create a playlist. Now listen to it while out taking pictures.

It was hard for me to determine the exact appropriate length for a playlist, so I sorta cheated on that aspect. I decided to just use the soundtrack from BABY DRIVER. It is, perhaps, the best soundtrack in movie history. Especially with the way it is intertwined into the movie.

If you don’t know the soundtrack, here is a listing:

Disc one

No. Title Artist(s) Length
1. “Bellbottoms” Jon Spencer Blues Explosion 5:17
2. “Harlem Shuffle” Bob & Earl 2:52
3. “Egyptian Reggae” Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers 2:37
4. “Smokey Joe’s La La” Googie Rene 3:02
5. “Let’s Go Away for Awhile” The Beach Boys 2:21
6. “B-A-B-Y” Carla Thomas 2:57
7. “Kashmere” Kashmere Stage Band 4:57
8. “Unsquare Dance” Dave Brubeck 2:00
9. “Neat Neat Neat” The Damned 2:42
10. “Easy” (single version) The Commodores 4:16
11. “Debora” T. Rex 3:19
12. “Debra” Beck 5:43
13. “Bongolia” Incredible Bongo Band 2:15
14. “Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)” The Detroit Emeralds 3:53
15. “Early in the Morning” Alexis Korner 3:01

Disc two

No. Title Artist(s) Length
16. “The Edge” David McCallum 2:54
17. “Nowhere to Run” Martha and the Vandellas 3:02
18. “Tequila” The Button Down Brass 3:32
19. “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby” Sam & Dave 3:16
20. “Every Little Bit Hurts” Brenda Holloway 2:57
21. “Intermission” Blur 2:27
22. “Hocus Pocus” (original single version) Focus 3:18
23. “Radar Love” (1973 single edit) Golden Earring 3:44
24. “Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up” Barry White 4:51
25. “Know How” Young MC 4:02
26. “Brighton Rock” Queen 5:10
27. “Easy” Sky Ferreira 4:28
28. “Baby Driver” Simon & Garfunkel 3:16
29. “Was He Slow?” (credit roll version) Kid Koala featuring Kevin Spacey and Jon Bernthal 1:47
30. “Chase Me” Danger Mouse featuring Run the Jewels and Big Boi 3:27

Only one picture can be physically adhered into the physical A PHOTO JOURNAL, but obviously I took many more when I was out and about tooling around Big Creek. Here are some of the others:


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Page 40 - Reject

I’m not sure which page we will check-in with next time we check-in with THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT. I need to get out there and take some more pages!

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


WEEK 165 - LANDSCAPE
LANDSCAPE

A LANDSCAPE photo is a photo of a landscape. It could be a cityscape. It could be a waterscape. But the main subject of the photo is land or water or a city.

Happy photo harvesting.

The Town Sign Project Vol. 8 Auxiliary

This is a collection of pictures I took when I was tooling around Highway 169 taking pictures for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT.

If you recall, some of the towns I went through were Lamoni, Ellston, Tingley, Shannon City, Arispe, Afton, Lorimor, and Winterset.

I also went through a town called Kellerton, but I couldn’t find a sign that said, “Welcome to Kellerton!” So it wasn’t included in THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT.

I have an attraction to the decrepit, the dillapidated, the abandoned. This collection might make some of these towns look worse than they are. Except Shannon City. I couldn’t make that town look worse than it is.


Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
I mostly present this picture because next Monday, this car will be paid off. It is thanking me by needing new rear brakes.

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Kellerton, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Kellerton, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Kellerton has a bunch of these flower pots in its business district.

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
There is a town sign for Beaconsfield in Kellerton, but not for Kellerton.

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
I didn’t actually make it to Beaconsfield, but this isn’t the first town to try to claim ownership of Peggy Whitson.

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Ellston, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
#OuthousesOfInstagram

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Ellston, Iowa Museum

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Ellston, Iowa Museum

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Ellston, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Shannon City, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Shannon City, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
If Shannon City has 1 thing over Beaver, it is that it does have a church.

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Shannon City, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Shannon City, Iowa

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
Big if true!

Town Sign Project - Auxiliary
I actually thought I was going to get stuck on a road in Shannon City, no way I was tempting this road.

I don’t have any more THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT photos in the hopper. I probably will need to get some of those done when I get my brakes done. I will get my brakes done before driving down to Dallas to watch Iowa State play in the Big 12 Championship Game. Hopefully.

08-04-08

The folder 08-04-08 is filled with images of Teresa and I’s trip home from Kentucky.

On the way back we stopped in Springfield, Illinois. Springfield is noted for being home of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. It also home of the Springfield Old Capitol Building where both Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama made their announcements that they were running for President.

Abraham Lincoln, the man who said:

“How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”

and

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

and

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

and

“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.”

and

“Stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.”

and

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Barack Obama, the man who said:

“The cynics may be the loudest voices – but I promise you, they will accomplish the least.”

and

“Where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.”

and

“We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.”

and

“We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.”

It is startling how far the level of political discourse has fallen in just a couple of years. Hopefully in 2020, we will elect somebody to the White House that’s command of the English language is above that of a 4th grader. (Not hyperbole – Studies show that speeches given by the current President hover between a 3rd grade to 7th grade reading level.)

It would also be nice if that person wasn’t a homophobic, a misogynistic, sexist, racist, jingoistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, xenophobe. But I don’t want to get too greedy here. But if I were getting greedy, I would want a President that wasn’t bought and sold by corporate interests. A president that stood up to despotic leaders like Putin, Jong-un, and Bin Salman, instead of carrying water for them. If I was getting super greedy, I would want a President that wasn’t accused of sexually assaulting 22 different women. I know. That is totally a case of he said, she said (Jessica Leeds), she said (Ivana Trump), she said (Kristin Anderson), she said (Jill Harth), she said (Lisa Boyne), she said (Mariah Billado), she said (Victoria Hughes), she said (Temple Taggart), she said (Cathy Heller), she said (Karena Virginia), she said (Tasha Dixon), she said (Bridget Sullivan), she said (Melinda McGillivray), she said (Natasha Stoynoff), she said (Jennifer Murphy), she said (Juliet Huddy), she said (Rachel Crooks), she said (Samantha Holvey), she said (Ninni Laaksonen), she said (Jessica Drake), she said (Summer Zervos), she said (Cassandra Searles).

Here are some pictures from the trip home:


Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

Kentucky Vacation - 2008

We also visited Lincoln’s Tomb. If you are ever in the Springfield area, I definitely recommend visiting both. I wish we would have had more time to visit more Lincoln exhibits in the area!

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

Back to Civilization

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will probably involve Little White Lye Soap. All of you have been stocking up on Little White Lye Soap, haven’t you?

The Town Sign Project Vol. 8

A couple weeks back I went to Kansas City to see the Foo Fighters with Nate.

On the way back to Iowa I meandered up 169 mostly and took a few more pictures for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT.

Here are some photos:


Lamoni, Iowa
Lamoni, Iowa

Ellston, Iowa
Ellston, Iowa

Tingley, Iowa
Tingley, Iowa

Shannon City, Iowa
Shannon City, Iowa

Arispe, Iowa
Arispe, Iowa

Afton, Iowa
Afton, Iowa

Lorimor, Iowa
Lorimor, Iowa

Winterset, Iowa
Winterset, Iowa

Shannon City, Iowa didn’t have a town sign. Shannon City, Iowa is one of the scariest towns I’ve ever visited. It gives Beaver a run for its money for being scary.

I was a little disappointed in Tingley, Iowa’s sign. I thought with an awesome town name like Tingley, they would come out with something better than they did.

I already have a Winterset sign, but I like this one much better than the one from a previous collection.

The Lorimor sign is my favorite from this collection.

I’ll get out and take some pictures for this project again in the near future!