“Yes I’ll sit with you and talk, let your eyes relive again.
I know my vintage prayers would be very much the same.
And Magdalena plays the organ, plays it just for you.
Your choral lamp that burns so low, when you are passing through.
And the future you’re giving me holds nothing for a gun.
I’ve no wish to be living sixty years on.”
Flowers.
Marigolds, petunias, daisies, and dahlias… oh my!
About a month ago I finally started buying flowers for my flower pots and urns. I took a few pictures then. But apparently only pictures of a dahlia, some petunias, and a marigold.
I’ve probably spent like $200 on flowers this year. So far. I’m terribly far behind on yardwork, but if I ever get caught up on weeding and brush removal, I plan on starting up a lily patch. I already have plenty of lilies, but I want more. But I have a long way to go to get into that position. I also need to move some hostas around.
Where flowers bloom, so does hope.
-Lady Bird Johnson
Back in early may I bought some geranium hanging flower baskets for my front yard. Here are some pictures I took of the geraniums.
I think hanging geranium flower baskets in my front yard is going to become traditional. I like traditions when it comes to things like planting annuals cause it means I have to make less decisions when I am standing in Salama Greenhouse.
FLOWER has proven to be a pretty popular theme. I’m always not sure how these things will go because I know more than a few people that just absolutely HATE flower photography or as my forthcoming book will be called, flowertography. Not only do they HATE flower pictures, they in particular HATE my flower photography. I don’t know why they don’t have any joy in their lives, but I continue to pray for them.
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 30, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):
+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week
+ Sara Lockner – 1 week (9)
+ Dawn Krause – 2 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 4 weeks
+ Angie DeWaard – 6 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 6 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 8 weeks (2)
+ Becky Parmelee – 8 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 9 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 11 weeks (3)
+ Teresa Kahler – 19 weeks (2)
+ Tamara Peterson – 19 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 19 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 20 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 21 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 22 weeks (2)
+ Bill Wentworth – 23 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 27 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 28 weeks (2)
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 30 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 33 weeks (2)
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:
Lori Backous – 1 week
Suzie Brannen – 1 week
Suzie Brannen
Suzie Brannen
Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
Layla Gorshe – 1 week
Mary Green – 1 week
Monica Jennings – 1 week
Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks
Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
Dawn Krause – 3 weeks
Linda Bennett – 5 weeks
Jesse Howard – 7 weeks
Kim Barker – 9 weeks
Joe Duff – 10 weeks
Logan Kahler – 12 weeks
Logan Kahler
Logan Kahler
Logan Kahler
Logan Kahler
Teresa Kahler – 20 weeks
Teresa Kahler
Teresa Kahler
Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks
Tamara Peterson
Carla Stensland – 20 weeks
Carla Stensland
Carla Stensland
Michelle Haupt – 21 weeks
Micky Augustin – 22 weeks
Andy Sharp – 23 weeks
Andy Sharp
Bill Wentworth – 24 weeks
Cathie Morton – 28 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen – 29 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen
Shannon Bardole-Foley – 31 weeks
Kio Dettman – 34 weeks
Kio Dettman
Kio Dettman
Christopher D. Bennett – 453 weeks
41 submissions. Which I think is a record. But what actually gets me excited is 26 participants! Which I think is also a record. I’ll have to check the log book.
It is indeed a new record. Eclipsing the previous record of 25 participants set a month back by #INSTAGOOD.
A major milestone this week was reached by Joe Duff, who reached the double digit club.
Also, for the first time, at least I’m pretty sure, I received submissions from a hospital bed. I mean that isn’t all great news, but it certainly shows a level of commitment.
However, it wasn’t all good news. 2 streaks did snap. Becky’s 8 week streak is a goner. Angie’s 6 week streak did not super spread all the way to Los Angeles.
Here are the current top streaks:
9. Teresa Kahler – 20 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 20 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 21 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 22 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 23 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 24 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 28 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 29 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 31 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 34 weeks
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:
CHILDREN! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
But what is a CHILDREN picture? Simply put, a CHILDREN picture is any picture that includes a CHILDren or CHILDREN or anything that deals with CHILDREN. This could be a very easy theme for some people. Some people can’t throw a rock in their house with out hitting a CHILD(REN). Which isn’t to say that I endorse throwing rocks at CHILDREN. It is just a saying. Some people might not have such easy access to a CHILD(REN) or even know a CHILD(REN). No worries! That is where the “anything that deals with CHILDREN comes into play. Notice how the theme reveal image doesn’t have any CHILDREN in it, but instead is a picture of a playground, which CHILD(REN) of all ages use.
While considering possible subjects for you submission, meditate on the following quote:
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.
-Stacie Tauscher
I look forward to seeing your interpretations!
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 your idea of CHILDREN in this place that some definitely reveals my hidden child next Monday.
On Tuesday I completed another month of the Fat Mum Slim Photo A Day Challenge. It was month of random prompts and I think for the most part, there is some good work mixed in with mediocre work. The kind of thing you get with a Photo A Day Challenge. This month I took pictures in 3 different states. Iowa, Florida, and Minnesota. I’m not sure how many different towns I took pictures in, but for sure it was Boone, Miami, Miami Beach, Des Moines, Ames, Nevada, Alta Vista, and Minneapolis. A few in rural areas as well.
Here are May’s pictures:
May 2 – Good Morning
May 3 – Free Choice
May 4 – Trees
May 5 – Mirrors
May 6 – Leaf
May 7 – View from Here
May 8 – Love
May 9 – A Seat
May 10 – Where I Stood
May 11 – Something Small
May 12 – In Nature – See the turtle?
May 13 – Green
May 14 – Sunshine
May 15 – Upside Down
May 16 – This Season
May 17 – A Shape
May 18 – A Door
May 19 – Creative
May 20 – I Read This…
May 21 – Waves
May 22 – Flying
May 23 – Stairs
May 24 – A Pair
May 25 – Something Warm
May 26 – Pink
May 27 – Lucky
May 28 – Horizon
May 29 – A Car
May 30 – Sky
May 31 – This is Also Me
The plant that is in the picture for May 6 is also the plant in the picture for May 17.
There is only one prompt for the month of June. That is Grateful. The instructions are simply take a photo each day of something you’re grateful for.
This could be a very difficult month or a very easy one. I have a ton of things in my life to be grateful for, so in theory it should be pretty easy. But on the other hand, it is actually coming in to contact with those things (or more directly people) to get the pictures that I want in my head. I’ll at least try to make it happen. Or maybe my Instagram feed will just be filled with 30 pictures of nonsense. It could break either way.
Remember, you can follow along with this project on the daily at the Instagram account I’ve created just for this project at @fmsbennett.
Here’s hoping June goes well and that you are grateful you get to see those pictures.
This is your reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is FLOWER:
FLOWER! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
But what is a FLOWER picture? Simply put, a FLOWER picture is any picture where a FLOWER is a major compositional element of the picture. The FLOWER can be real. The FLOWER can be fake. The FLOWER can be a artistic rendering. There are so many options!
Happy photo harvesting!
Here is the third and final collection of tulip images from Pella I took back at the beginning of May.
A garden I would like to visit in the future is the Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden, but it is only open to the public from 12-2 on Fridays. Seems like a good excuse to leave work early on a Friday.
If you are reading this, I’ve chosen to go on a road trip this morning and don’t have access to a computer to publish all the submissions I received for HISTORY. I will publish those submissions when I get home later tonight.
But just because I’m not around doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get a start on this week’s theme. Which is…
FLOWER! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
But what is a FLOWER picture? Simply put, a FLOWER picture is any picture where a FLOWER is a major compositional element of the picture. The FLOWER can be real. The FLOWER can be fake. The FLOWER can be a artistic rendering. There are so many options!
When thinking on possible subjects for your submission, meditate on the following quote:
Take time to smell the roses.
-Proverb
I look forward to seeing your interpretations!
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 your idea of FLOWER in this place that some people already think has too many flowers next Monday.
It is time once again to share some tulip pictures from a trip I took to Pella back on May 1. This is the second of three collections.
While I wasn’t able to go see the tulips in Orange City this year I do hope to photograph the lilies at the Iowa Arboretum and the roses in State Center and the roses in Gray. Might try to visit the Des Moines Botanical Center as well. I need to find a new flower garden out there. Maybe visit the flower gardens in New Hartford if I’m in that side of the state again.
A couple weeks back I made a trip to Pella to photograph their tulips. I like to make this trip about a week or so before their annual tulip festival. I do this because this way there are usually most of the tulips are blooming or close to blooming, but I usually have them pretty much to myself. It was a bigger risk this year cause of the wicked cold spring we’ve had, but for the most part, it paid off.
Here is the first of 3 collections of Pella tulip pictures I took:
Next year, I want to visit both the tulips of Pella and Orange City. This year, the tulips of Pella will have to be sufficient. Hope you find them sufficient.
Another Thursday collection. Another day to share some flower pictures. Believe it or not, I don’t have many flower pictures from 2021 left. It is still too early to take flower pictures this year. Although in about a week or so I do want to head down to tulip pictures. I like to go down there a week before their tulip festival because most of their tulips are blooming and it isn’t lousy with people.
I was hoping to hit the Orange City Tulip Festival this year, but looks likes I’m going to be in Miami that weekend doing a little computer mining. My flight leaves on my birthday at 6 AM. Looks like I’ll be celebrating my birth at a baseball game that night tentatively. At least I hope so, as I have ordered a baseball cap for the occasion.
Here are those flower pictures:
That is it! The last dedicated flower collection from 2021. Not sure what I will share next Thursday. It is a riddle. Wrapped in a mystery. Inside an enigma.
