Category Archives: Baseball/Softball

The Windy City: Day 2A

Day 2 in Chicago was the first day where I actually had to work. Kim was setting up things at the convention center in the morning and let us know when to head over to do our thing. Tony, Lowell, and I got breakfast at the hotel and then walked around the neighborhood a little bit. We scouted out the location of Garrett’s Popcorn and then looked for a mailbox that was closer than the one I had found the night before.


Chicago, Illinois
I wish more things in Iowa were covered with stickers.

Chicago, Illinois
There was supposed to be a mailbox in this building but it was closed.

Chicago, Illinois
I’ll do my best sidewalk sticker.

Chicago, Illinois
Here’s the best part. In the convention center there was a mailbox. Problem solved.

Chicago, Illinois
The Computer Mine Booth. Kim got a guy fired for smoking a joint while putting our booth together. Narc.

Chicago, Illinois
And that made us popular with the rest of the union guys.

Chicago, Illinois
Computer Mine Booth, reverse angle.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Hooking the HDMI cables up to these monitors and then getting these monitors mounted, what dreams are made of… I meant nightmares.

Chicago, Illinois
Tony’s thinking pose.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Home the next several days.

Chicago, Illinois
The reception desk.

Chicago, Illinois
The closet. Where union guys go to change pants and miners go to hide from customers.

Chicago, Illinois
The snack selection. Tony, Lowell, and I crushed those Slim Jims. Not sure anybody else got any.

Chicago, Illinois
Hello Kim!

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Only slightly smelled like pot.

Chicago, Illinois
After we were done, we headed outside to catch an Uber.

Chicago, Illinois
It took us about 15 minutes to get to the convention center on the shuttle in the morning.

Chicago, Illinois
It took over 30 minutes to get back to the hotel.

Chicago, Illinois
Which sucked because we were going to a Cubs game that night and we were in a time crunch.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Our Uber ride back to the hotel.

Chicago, Illinois
The ride from the hotel to Wrigley Field was about 45 minutes. We got there 30 minutes after the game was supposed to start.

Chicago, Illinois
Which ended up being okay, because the game started an hour late.

Still plenty more pictures from Day 2 to share. Most of them from Wrigley Field.

+++++++

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


WEEK 403 - TEXTURE
TEXTURE

TEXTURE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! Also, this theme was suggested by Sarah Toot.

But what in Wes Wallace is a TEXTURE image? Well, let’s start with the definition of TEXTURE: the structure, feel, and appearance of something (as a fabric) the smooth texture of silk. wood with a rough texture. In photography that means: the visual depiction of variations in the color, shape, and depth of an object’s surface. What you are trying to do here is to convey the feel of the surface of an object through photography.

This is not the first time that TEXTURE has been a theme. Here are some past submissions for TEXTURE that might get your creative juices going:


WEEK 17 - TEXTURE - ANGIE DEWAARD 1
Angie DeWaard – Week 17

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland – Week 227

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - SARAH KARBER
Sarah Karber – Week 227

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson – Week 227

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett – Week 227

Happy photo harvesting!

WPC – WEEK 393 – COMPETITION

EDITOR’S NOTE: MY WORK SCHEDULE HAS TEMPORARILY CHANGED DUE TO EXTREME SHORT STAFFING AT THE COMPUTER MINE. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE PUBLISHING OF THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE POST MIGHT GET MOVED BACK AT LEAST 30 MINUTES UNTIL THE STAFFING SHORTAGE HAS PASSED. WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

It is the last Monday of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

What skill level photographer can participate?

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is open to photographers of all skill levels. From award winning photographers to professionals to the highly ranked amateurs to those that are just beginning to those who don’t even know how to focus a camera. All skill levels are encouraged and welcome. You can’t be too bad and you can’t be too good! Everyone has room to learn and be challenged!

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 5 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
No.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that start to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.

If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough to me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their largest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

+++++++

COMPETITION! A great theme! But did it fire up the competitive juices of a ton of people? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week (3)
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
5-Mindi Terrell – 5 weeks (2)
6-Suzie Brannen – 9 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 9 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 9 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 10 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 10 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 30 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 34 weeks (2)
14-Sarah Toot – 35 weeks (3)
15-Angie DeWaard – 39 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 43 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 48 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 50 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 51 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 61 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 61 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 63 weeks (2)
23-Andy Sharp – 64 weeks (2)
24-Bill Wentworth – 65 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 69 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 70 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 71 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 74 weeks (3)

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:


WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 40 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 66 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 62 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (Texas) – 51 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 75 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 35 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 72 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 21 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 65 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 6 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - WILLY MCALPINE
Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 64 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 71 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE
Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 44 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MONICA JENNINGS
Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 10 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 10 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 62 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Iowa) – 49 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 11 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - BRANDON KAHLER
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 31 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 70 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 36 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

WPC 393 - COMPETITION - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 10 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Iowa) – 11 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 52 weeks

29 participants! That is a great week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

There were no new states added to the map.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 15 miles from my front door. So I didn’t add to the map, yet again.

There were a couple of big milestones this week! Suzie, Monica, and Jesse both reached double digit streaks. Logan reached the One Year Club!

But it wasn’t all sunshine and happiness! Scott, Sara, and Becky couldn’t build on their submissions last week to get to two week streaks!

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 394 - BLUE
BLUE

BLUE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a BLUE image? It is simply an image where the subject or a major compositional element of the image is the color BLUE. That is it! Almost too simple!

While thinking about a possible subject for your submission, meditate on the following quite and I have no doubt that you will come up with a great image:

She had blue skin, And so did he. He kept it hid; And so did she. They searched for blue; Their whole life through, Then passed right by – And never knew.
–Shel Silverstein

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

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. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

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

That is it. Thems the rules!

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 BLUE in this place that hopefully never gives you the blues next Monday.

Hello 2023.

It is the first day of 2023. I’m not really a “resolutions” person. Pastor Adam was on vacation today so we had a substitute seromizer in church this morning. He gave an impassioned, longwinded sermon on resolve. It took more than a bit of my resolve to stay awake during the longest sermon these ears have heard in quite sometime.

But if I were to take the words on resolve to heart, I would say that I’m not without goals. Last year my main goal was to complete THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. I did that.

My main goal in 2023 is to complete Phase 2 of THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT and put the book together. I should be freeing up sometime to work on that buy dropping a couple of photo projects that I did in 2022.

My second goal in 2023 is to begin work and complete my new photo project. Details are still foggy, but it is to create Boone postcard. Not a bunch of Boone postcards. Not even to print up a bunch of one Boone postcard. But to make one big image of one Boone postcard. While the end goal is one image, it will involve taking at least several hundred (probably thousand) images. It will make more sense when I get going on it.

My third goal in 2023 is to keep the positive momentum that was achieved in 2022 in participation rates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I’m not likely to go out and beat the drums looking for participants, but doesn’t mean you guys can’t. Right?

My fourth goal in 2023 is to consider and maybe take action on visiting and photographing every State Park in Iowa.
That seems more straight forward than it actually is because in addition to State Parks there are State Forests and State Preserves and State Recreation Areas. Boone County contains 3 Minor State Forests alone! We will see where this one goes, but we all know I could use the exercise.

I don’t have any goals related to the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. That type of stuff is a considerable amount of luck. So best not to have goals that are out of one’s hands. Maybe my goal should just be to give my best effort.

Hopefully 2023 is a good year for all of us!

+++++++

Time to share the December images for the FatMumSlim Photo A Day Challenge. This is also the final collection of images as I will be dropping this pursuit in 2023. It doesn’t take a lot of time, but it still eats up a fair amount of time. Hopefully time freed up that I can use to pursue some of those 2023 goals.

Here are the December images:


December 1
December 1 – I Love This!

December 2
December 2 – I Bought This!

December 3
December 3 – Starts with T

December 4
December 4 – I Held This

December 5
December 5 – Something Red

December 6
December 6 – Peace

December 7
December 7 – Tree

December 8
December 8 – Looking Up

December 9
December 9 – Small

December 10
December 10 – Out + About

December 11
December 11 – Free Choice

December 12
December 12 – Lights

December 13
December 13 – Something Green

December 14
December 14 – Decoration

December 15
December 15 – A Star

December 16
December 16 – Candy Cane

December 17
December 17 – A Hat

December 18
December 18 – I Made This!

December 19
December 19 – Joy Is…

December 20
December 20 – Begins with S

December 21
December 21 – On the Floor

December 22
December 22 – A Gift

December 23
December 23 – A Tradition

December 24
December 24 – Someone I Love

December 25
December 25 – My Day

December 26
December 26 – This is Delish

December 27
December 27 – Colourful

December 28
December 28 – A Book

December 29
December 29 – Us

December 30
December 30 – How I Relax

December 31
December 31 – Best Part of 2022

Top 9
Top 9 Most Popular Images

I did enjoy this project and I’m not walking away from it because I didn’t enjoy it. I “met” numerous other people in this community that I will continue to follow, like @bea.photoaday, @sara.fms.photoaday, @outnbout, @gerkgirl, @pink_koffie, and @lostfate13.

But there were other things I didn’t like. Most people used the challenge to curate images, rather than take new images every day. The person that ran the challenge is Australian. That meant that a lot of the prompts were seasonal for Australia, meaning they weren’t seasonal for Iowa. Prompts repeated an awful lot. Not that they wouldn’t after 365 days, but I felt like they repeated more than necessary.

These minor complaints aside, I would consider doing it again in a future year. Just not this year. I’m sure many of you have minor complaints about how I run THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE as well.

Appanoose County Aux – Vol. 1

A few months back I cruised around Appanoose County harvesting their town signs. Found quite a few other things to photograph while I was there. Including, in this collection, a few outhouse pictures. I find the outhouse pictures to be poignant, moving, and funny. But some people might find them disagreeable. But they are not gross. All that being said, you have been warned.


Monroe County - Lovilia
Lovillia

Monroe County - Lovilia

Appanoose County - Moravia
Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia
I’ve also read that this is a myth. More research might be needed.

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia

Appanoose County - Moravia
There are 100 official Freedom Rocks, but there are a few not quite Freedom Rocks out there too.

Appanoose County - Udell
Udell – This bank still has better hours and customer service than my bank.

Appanoose County - Udell

Appanoose County - Unionville
Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville

Appanoose County - Unionville
Heart shaped!

Appanoose County - Unionville

The picture of the Buxton sign is located in Monroe County. Buxton is a fascinating bit of Iowa history. I meant to visit the Buxton ruins once, but I just didn’t trust the road. Some day soon though.

FAT MUM SLIM – AUGUST 2022

Another month done in the Fat Mum Slim Photo A Day Challenge. Think there is some good work in there this week. Having so much going on in August certainly helped. We’ll see how September goes.

Here are the August images:


August 1
August 1 – I AM…

August 2
August 2 – I LOVE THIS COLOUR

August 3
August 3 – I WALKED HERE…

August 4
August 4 – I LIKE TO…

August 5
August 5 – I LIKE THIS TIME OF DAY…

August 6
August 6 – I LOVE…

August 7
August 7 – I MADE THIS…

August 8
August 8 – I WORK HERE…

August 9
August 9 – I HELD THIS…

August 10
August 10 – I WROTE THIS…

August 11
August 11 – I SAW…

August 12
August 12 – I LIKE TO DRINK…

August 13
August 13 – I STOOD HERE…

August 14
August 14 – I DO THIS ON SUNDAYS…

August 15
August 15 – I ONCE…

August 16
August 16 – I NEVER…

August 17
August 17 – I WENT TO…

August 18
August 18 – I READ THIS…

August 19
August 19 – I DID THIS GOOD THING…

August 20
August 20 – I LOVE THIS VIEW…

August 21
August 21 – I DON’T LIKE TO…

August 22
August 22 – ON MONDAYS I…

August 23
August 23 – I SAT HERE…

August 24
August 24 – I LIKE TO EAT…

August 25
August 25 – I HAVE TO…

August 26
August 26 – I WORE THIS…

August 27
August 27 – ON WEEKENDS I…

August 28
August 28 – I WATCHED THIS…

August 29
August 29 – I CAN…

August 30
August 30 – I CAN’T…

August 31
August 31 – I BELIEVE…

Remember you can follow these as they drop on the daily on my dedicated FatMumSlim Instagram account @FMSBENNETT.

Here are the prompts for September:

September 1: Something I Saw
September 2: Plastic
September 3: Paper
September 4: Somewhere I Went
September 5: Hobby
September 6: Green + Blue
September 7: Before Bed
September 8: An Emotion
September 9: Opposites
September 10: I Can Hear…
September 11: Paint
September 12: Symmetry
September 13: Tasty
September 14: Odd One Out
September 15: A Food Shop
September 16: 12:34
September 17: Lucky
September 18: Car Park
September 19: What’s on TV
September 20: Texture
September 21: Nature
September 22: Tree Trunk
September 23: Crunchy
September 24: I Can Smell…
September 25: Laneway
September 26: The Moon
September 27: Open Door
September 28: My Culture
September 29: Not My Style
September 30: Sentimental

Should be a good month. I think there are some good prompts in there. The woman who runs this challenge is Australian. There must be some Australian things in here cause I have no clue what a “Car Park” or a “Laneway” is, but I’ll find out.

Osceola County Aux – Vol. 3

Time for the final collection of auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Osceola County. This trip was cut short in Lyon County while harvesting their town signs due to inclement weather. So many of the signs in this collection were taken in Lyon County and a few were taken in Clay County. I believe this is also the trip where I hit a pheasant. People think I hate cats. They are worthless, yes, but I don’t hate them. Pheasants, I hate. They are probably, truly, the only animal in the world I actually hate. Unless you count the failed species known as humans. But I even like some humans. Pheasants, don’t like a single one.


Lyon County - Little Rock
Little Rock

Lyon County - Little Rock

Lyon County - Little Rock

Lyon County - Rock Rapids
Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - Rock Rapids

Lyon County - George
George

Lyon County - George

Lyon County - George

Lyon County - George

Osceola County - Ashton
Ashton

Osceola County - Ashton

Osceola County - Melvin
Melvin – I’ve stared at the mural for a bit. I can’t figure it out.

Osceola County - Melvin

Clay County - Dickens
Dickens

Clay County - Gillet Grove
Gillet Grove

Clay County - Gillet Grove

I love the murals in Rock Rapids. I would rank it as a Top 3 town in Iowa for murals. It is up there with Creston and Le Mars, I haven’t shared the Le Mars murals yet. I went back through Rock Rapids at a later date and photographed their murals again.

In fact, the next time we hit the open road to share some auxiliary images, we will share images from Clay and Lyon County.

CMC – Miami Beach

At 7 AM on my birthday I loaded up on to a plane and flew to Miami Beach for the annual Computer Mine Convention. It is the biggest convention of the year for Computer Mine customers. They don’t come just to see us, but they come to see our competitors or other products that aren’t even related to us. I spent a lot of time under the brutal fluorescent lighting of the Miami Beach Convention Center, but I did get out and about to have a few adventures. I thought I would share some of my cruddy cell phone pictures from the almost 7 days I was gone from home.


Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Our layover was in Atlanta.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
An altitude of -140 feet doesn’t seem ideal.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
A limo driver holding my name up at an airport. I’m a pretty big deal people!

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Santiago was the Man! He also took us back to the airport a week later.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
We stayed at the Plymouth Hotel. I only have 4 things I look for in a hotel. #1. A bed. #2. Free Wi-Fi. #3. Free breakfast. #4. A good shower. It had 2 of the 4. But it did have a swanky retro vibe.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
The closest I got to the ocean. I thought we would be back. I thought wrong.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I was told we would probably see boobs on the beach (by undisclosed person). I’m just bringing this up to cutoff the inevitable question about topless beaches I might get later. There were no uncovered boobs on the beach I saw. Sorry if this disappoints you.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
The owner of this van is killing it. I mean that metaphorically. I don’t think they are a serial killer. But in Florida, you never know.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
First Miami Beach meal at Sultan. Cost about $20. It was delicious.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Lowell and Tony really, really, really hate this thing. I think it is hilarious. Bad art, but hilarious.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Kim’s new hat.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
That was like $16. It is Kim’s drink.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
$10 with free refills. And it was Pepsi! Bingpot!

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
The raw material for nightmares.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
The special wardrobe I bought for the Marlins game. 3 compliments on this outfit from strangers.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Whatever stadium the Marlins play in was okay. Not great, but okay. For a dome.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Seats were first row on the third base side.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
So much amazing neon in Miami Beach.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
This might have been my favorite meal on the trip. Cost was $15.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
If I remember correctly, this is called Mount Miami.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
So many micro cokes in this town. At an Italian restaurant on the Lincoln Mall. It was very fair. Costed about $30. Service was less than fair.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Computer Mine meeting.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
There is a lot going on here.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Guess how much this cost me?

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
We never got to ride in Sexy Uber, but our Uber driver to the Cuban restaurant had 2 Jacquelines on the hook.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Did you guess $122? Then I probably already told you. It would have been more, but Carlos (the creepy waiter) forgot my dessert and Lowell paid for one of my sides.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Inside the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
A German booth a couple aisles down. They had some creepy stuff.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Germans man.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Best outfit in the convention center.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
The drink Derek is holding cost $21.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
A tanned, bronzed god. With aching feet.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Sculpture across the street from the Plymouth.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I literally took this picture because I thought we were never leaving for the Cuban restaurant.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
But we did!

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Restaurant recommended by our doorman.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
These shrimp stuffed plantain appetizers that Tony ordered were maybe my single favorite thing I ate on this trip.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
A Cuban. I was going to try something else, but in the end, I love a good Cuban. I don’t think I have had one since the Cuban fries incident that happened in Indianola. I haven’t forgotten Andy. I’m close to forgiving.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Math. This meal cost $30.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I appreciate good bathroom art. Someday I may even tell you about the outhouse I found in Unionville, Iowa. If you have the guts to take it!

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
One of the side effects of the pandemic is that I forgot that smokers even existed.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Miami Beach from the beach. At night.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Inside the convention center.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
This is the Computer Mine Booth Closet. It is a magical place. It is where the snacks are. It is where you hide from regressive weirdos that don’t think women should have the right to vote and that the wife’s job is to do whatever the man wants them to do… hypothetically speaking. However, to the disappointment of one customer, there is not a port-a-potty in there.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
If you say so.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
If you say so.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Another micro-Coke.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
This pisses me off! You don’t put the Gambler in a corner. You don’t cover him with a ladder.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
This mural was in Sweet Liberty where the sales team hosted a party. Free appetizers and micro-Cokes! The tacos here were one of my favorite things I had on this trip. Cost to me, yeah I already said it, free!

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I ghosted on the party (well Tony saw me leave) to try to hit the Miami Beach Botanical Garden before we lost the sun, cause the closer you are to the equator, the earlier the sun sets in the summer, cause the earth isn’t flat. But by the time I got there it had closed and wasn’t going to open again before I flew out Tuesday morning. The humanity!

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Although that sucked, it did lead to me visiting the Holocaust Memorial which was extremely powerful. Germans man.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
That night I walked to a nearby Walgreens to buy some postcards (hopefully some of you have received them by now) and some ibuprofen. On my way back to the Plymouth I was nearly hit by a cop car stopping at the Abbey Hotel. A few of our staff were staying there. By the time the cop cars stopped showing up, there were 9 cars and a fire rescue truck. I’m not sure what happened, but rumor has it involved a few women fighting over the same man. I hope it was not Jacqueline1 and Jacqueline2 fighting over our Uber driver. The next day the couch in the lobby was covered in plastic and then the day after that it disappeared.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I just don’t see the connection, but I love it the same.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
This empanada I ate at the convention center was by far the worst thing I ate on this trip. With a regular sized coke it was $11.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
A computer mine competitor’s booth.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
After the show, we tore down our booth. Within and hour, all of our crates showed up… except for one. We got them packed up and then we waited for the last crate.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
And waited…

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
While we waited Amy was kind enough to bring us pizza so we didn’t starve…

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
And this thing… which she questioned why I photographed… beyond the obvious reasons… I photographed it to send a picture of it to Elizabeth as she is a noted cheese fiend… it is fresh mozzarella… Elizabeth thought it was gelato… which wasn’t the last time gelato would come into my life that night…

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Then after 3 hours… the crate arrived… Not really. Tony walked around the convention center and found our missing crate just sitting there next to a bathroom and brought it back to us. While Tony is definitely a hero, I wonder if his crossing a union line might lead to a hit being put out on him by the Teamsters. I kept my distance from him just in case.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Outside of the convention center. But we weren’t allowed to go in those doors. We had to walk completely around the building to the other side. I know, times are tough.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
A theater near the convention center.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
After getting back to the hotel, I rested briefly and then went to a store to get some touristy stuff. A magnet for my fridge. More postcards to mail out. A couple stickers. One for my 2022 Log Book and the other I’m holding onto until I get new luggage. They also sold some sweet shirts.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I texted a picture of this shirt to Jen and she described it as classy. I agree with her.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Bought one of these for Tony cause they were in clearance and he asked me to pickup anything that said “Tony or Shannon”. Not that Shannon, but Tony’s Shannon. Tony’s Shannon does roller derby, which is badass. Ball is in your court not Tony’s Shannon.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Elizabeth mentioned gelato and gelato came to me. The universe looking out for me.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Sorry Elizabeth, no malts, only shakes.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I ordered Banana Nutella.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I’ve been hacking on the alcohol drinkers on this trip for spending $22 on a drink cause I’m cheap and I don’t drink alcohol. But this shake cost me $14. Hypocrite much? Maybe, but it was delicious. Although frankly more liquidy than an Iowa shake.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I wish I could take this home and put it in my yard.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Jeez lady, cover up, there might be a DeSantis voter in the neighborhood.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
So much great neon in Miami Beach.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Goodbye Miami and the worst airport experience I’ve ever had.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Flying home, well right by home.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
If you are from Boone, you are genetically programmed and morally obligated to take a train any chance you get. The Minneapolis airport.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
I had 5 compliments on this shirt that Teresa made for me.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Saylorville!

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Had to do some tenderloining at Ted’s Coney Island on the way home. $15.

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
Baklava!

On the flight from Miami to Minneapolis I shared by dream of putting one of those take one-replace-one libraries on my front lawn and fill it with banned books to Amy. She worried that in a town like Boone, somebody might burn it down. I’m sure it would be fine. You can say a lot of disparaging things about Boone, but it isn’t a backwards hick town like Ankeny.

If you want to see plenty more cruddy cell phone pictures I took on my trip, click on the link below:

Miami Beach – 2022

Tony asked me how many pictures I took on this trip at one point. It was over 500 cell phone pictures. I also took a far less number of pictures on my real camera. Some of those will be coming any day, week or month from now. Sometime after the Renaissance Fair pictures I’d reckon.

Memory Lane Denouement

Today is a monumental day. It is the last of our Saturday walks down memory lane. With this last collection of images, I was able to fix all the blogs that had missing pictures due to my constant changing of image gallery hosts. The last entry to be fixed was in August of 2011. Unfortunately many entries weren’t able to be fixed completely because I have lost images over the decade and half this website has been in existence. Most of those were pictures that were “archives” images that were scans of old pictures from the film days. The other major missing hole will be pictures from the first two years of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, originally known as THE RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT. It is sad that this collection will never be “complete” again, but we are never actually fully complete, are we? However, when it comes to the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT, there is probably less than 50 images missing. So that isn’t terrible. After all, it isn’t like anybody goes back and looks at my journal entries from 11 years ago.

Here is the last collection of images:


Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

Twins vs. Padres - 2011

WEEK 24 - PEOPLE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 25 - SOOTHING - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 26 - LIGHT PLACEMENT - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 27 - BLACK AND WHITE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 28 - GAMES - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 29 - FRAMING - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 30 - NIGHT - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 32 - NOISE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

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

Minnesota

RWPE Y2 #24 – PEOPLE

RWPE Y2 #25 – SOOTHING

RWPE Y2 #26 – LIGHT PLACEMENT

RWPE Y2 #27 – BLACK & WHITE

RWPE Y2 #28 – GAMES

RWPE Y2 #29 – FRAMING

RWPE Y2 #30 – NIGHT

RWPE Y2 #32 – NOISE

There is no walk down memory lane next Saturday. I’m not sure what next Saturday will even hold. I might start taking Saturdays off. I might start moving the formal portraits to Saturdays and start taking Sundays off. Or I might just start working on the backlog. It is a mystery that only time will solve.

2011-06-04

The pictures in the folder 2011-06-04 were taken of the Challenger Program for the Boone Little League. I did the photography for the event for 3 years and then I believe, they stopped having the event. The Challenger Program was a program where kids that might not ordinarily have the opportunity to play baseball/softball are given that opportunity. It was a great program and I hope that I’m wrong that is doesn’t exist any more. Kids from all over central Iowa came to participate. It was one of my favorite events I’ve ever had the privilege to photograph. It is certain that somewhere a long the way the Boone Little League lost its way. I don’t know that it will every get it back, because unfortunately I don’t know how long the Little League will even continue to exist. However, that is an outsider’s perspective. Maybe it is doing great, it just doesn’t look like it from the cheap seats.


Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

Boone Little League Challenger Program - 2011

And yes, you did see both the Melhaus sisters in these pictures.

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:

CHALLENGER

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve flowers.