Biscuits & Gravy

All the way back in early March, the Methodist Men held their annual Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast. This wasn’t the last time that we had a worship service at Boone First United Methodist Church, but had to be pretty close to the last. Maybe one more or two more worship services at most. Everything is such a blur.

Here are a few pictures from the event:


Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast - 2020

I have to admit that we are starting to get pretty low on Methodist Men for a wide variety of reasons. We might have to start making some women honorary members just to have enough people!

Still Laughing – 2020 – Alpha

I wasn’t able to make it up to Pella to deal with the very “delightful” Pellians this year because of the virus, but I did get a few chances to take tulip pictures here and there. But mostly the here and there was my Mom’s flowerbeds.

Here are some tulip pictures:


Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

Still Laughing - 2020

There are more tulip photos out there. Been taking lots and lots of flower pictures lately as I have been stuck by myself, not going anywhere mostly these days.

WPC – WEEK 247 – SIGNS

No problems breaking double digits this week. 36 straight weeks! I didn’t even have to send out reminder text messages this morning. People were all over SIGNS.

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


WEEK 247 - SIGNS - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - ROBYN AUGUSTIN
Robyn Augustin

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 247 - SIGNS - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

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 247 - YELLOW
YELLOW

YELLOW! What a great theme! But what is a YELLOW picture? A YELLOW picture is simply a picture where the subject is YELLOW or YELLOW is a major compositional element of the image.

I look forward to seeing your submissions!

+++++++

HOUSEKEEPING


A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

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.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

OR

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

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.

+++++++

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 yellow Monday!

Senior Sunday – Taylan – Volume 6

A weird thing is happening in Boone tomorrow night. Boone is having a Black Lives Matter event. I have to say that I am pretty shocked. Boone isn’t exactly a bastion of diversity, but is has had an important place in other civil rights fights. Don’t forget that the first ever women’suffrage parade was in Boone.

Any way, even though I am supportive of the movement, I would place myself as kind of doubtful for going tomorrow night. There is still a virus hanging around that has killed over 110,000 Americans so far. Over 2 million Americans have now tested positive.

I might put on one of my face masks and go check it out from a healthy distance. Like a block away. We’ll see.

Here is the information:



Remember, I don’t think it was ever put better than this:



Boone isn’t the only small town in Iowa to hold an event. The following towns (and their population) in District 4 that have held an event:

Spencer 11,031
Orange City 6,107
Grundy Center 2,682
LeMars 9,996
Fort Dodge 24,098
Mason City 27,944
Jefferson 4,4148

and now…

Boone 12,470

Very cool!

(Source: J.D. Scholten)

+++++++

It is time for another round of Senior Sunday pictures with Taylan. Here are some of my favorites from this round of Taylan photos:


Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Taylan Howard

Another Senior Sunday in the books! There are 5 Senior Sundays left on the books!

2009-11-30

The pictures from the folder 2009-11-30 are from when I started a project I called THE PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT. That was a challenge of mine to get out the camera once a week and tackle photo ideas that had been percolating in my brain. I had found I was becoming more idea guy and less photo guy and needed a recalibration. I’m not sure when I stopped, but maybe I should start again.

The first two Personal Photo Projects involved Jill. The first was a foot photograph to go with a hand photograph that I had taken a few months earlier.

The second project was an homage to the darkroom scene from the Audrey Hepburn movie Funny Face. Here is a quick synopsis of the film I lifted from imdb.com:

Fashion photographer Dick Avery, in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore. When the photo session is over the store is left in a shambles, much to salesgirl Jo Stockton’s dismay. Avery stays behind to help her clean up. Later, he examines the photos taken there and sees Jo in the background of one shot. He is intrigued by her unique appearance, as is Maggie Prescott, the editor of a leading fashion magazine. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer.

In the scene Audrey Hepburn is fleeing from the fashion people and hides in a darkroom where Fred Astaire AKA the “handsome photographer” is developing a picture of her.

Here are some pictures from the folder:


Psyched Up (Not Out)

Psyched Up (Not Out)

Psyched Up (Not Out)

Psyched Up (Not Out)

Funny Face Homage

Funny Face Homage

Funny Face Homage

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:

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 1
Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 2

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve the Baiers.

Suds, Dickcissel, and Lensbaby Redux

Hey, I screwed up the schedule of posts and 2 posts accidentally posted at the same time yesterday. This one, that I took back down and re-posted and another one with daffodils. It is possible that you didn’t get the post about the daffodils yesterday. If that is the case, click on the link below:

My soul and pocketbook are glad to announce that I have finished THE CANVAS WALL PROJECT. 5 new canvases arrived on Monday and I was able to get them up that night. Here are the 5 final canvases:

Before the Swallow Dares – 2020

There is also an update on Naima and birthday wishes for Jorge in there.

+++++++

My soul and pocketbook are glad to announce that I have finished THE CANVAS WALL PROJECT. 5 new canvases arrived on Monday and I was able to get them up that night. Here are the 5 final canvases:


Canvas No. 73

Canvas No. 74

Canvas No. 75

Canvas No. 76

Canvas No. 77

This is what the wall looks like:


Canvas Wall Finished

Now, I realize that when there is furniture in place, not every picture is visible. That isn’t the important part. The important part is that they are there at all.

On to the next decorating project. Whatever that may be!
+++++++

I don’t consider pictures that were taken in the same calendar year in which we currently exist to be a backlog. However, if I did, this collection of images would be somewhat of a backlog. This clears out all images from January and February that had yet to be edited or curated.

Pictures from a trip to Dickcissel with Naima, some Lensbaby tests, and a picture of the Root Beer Symposium we had during movie night back in January.


Backyard Bird Art

Naima Lensbaby

Naima at Dickcissel

Naima at Dickcissel

Naima at Dickcissel

Naima

Naima

Naima

Root Beer Symposium

Root Beer Symposium

Root Beer Symposium

Michelle Lensbaby Test

Derrick Lensbaby Test

Derrick Lensbaby Test

Winter at Dickcisel.

We haven’t had Movie Night at The Union Street theater since February, so we haven’t been able to crown a root beer champion, but those pictures might give you the slightest indication of how messy my basement is right now. Although I would estimate that the big parts of the basement cleanup are about 30% done.

+++++++

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


WEEK 247 - SIGNS
SIGNS

A SIGNS picture is just that, a picture of a SIGN or multiple SIGNS. Remember, there are more than one kind of SIGN(S).

Happy photo harvesting!

Before the Swallow Dares – 2020

Today is Jorge’s birthday! Happy birthday Jorge!


2016 Birthday Party Invite

Camping World Bowl Road Trip - Day 3

Iowa State vs. Texas Tech

Camping World Bowl Road Trip - Day 5

Thanksgiving - 2017

I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you hoped it would be!

+++++++

Here is a quick update on Naima. Her surgery went well. The mass they removed from under her shoulder was even bigger than expected, but Dr. Stephanie said that everything went well. They don’t think it is cancerous, but they sent it away to get tested anyways.


Naima Post Surgery
She was very excited to leave the vet.

Naima Post Surgery
She was pretty sore.

Naima napped mostly when she got home. But then around 8 PM, the doorbell rang. My neighbor Stan had stopped by to check on Naima. Stan is the guy in the picture with Naima from my submission for FRIENDS for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. She ran (as much as she could) out the front door to greet him and readily chomped down the snacks he had brought for her.

Then Naima refused to back inside the house. She begged for a car ride. She stood by her car door (the back driver’s side door) and refused to budge. This is the only door she will get in. So I opened the door and I helped her into the car.

We made a quick trip down to my Mom’s house. She is used to going down there several times a week. She went in and saw my Mom, Teresa, and Mocha. She drank all of Mocha’s water. Stood around for a bit. Then she was ready to go.

Naima will only go out the front door at my Mom’s house. So we went out the front door. I helped her down the steps. On her way to the car she sniffed out a ground squirrel and chased it up a rain spout.

For a minute or so she danced around the rain spout. Forgetting that she was sore and drugged up. Finally I had to pull her away, otherwise she surely would have knocked the rain spout off the house.

I brought her back home and she followed me around the yard as I watered the flowers. Then she came in and begged to go on a walk. I had to break her heart on this one. Maybe Thursday night she will be ready for a short walk. Maybe Friday night. We’ll see.

After that, she laid down and took it easy the rest of the night.

+++++++

Back in April I took a few pictures of my Mom’s daffodils. My daffodils didn’t bloom this year, but that is okay. Daffodils are not my favorite, but they are okay.


Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Before the Swallow Dares - 2020

Mom Planting - 2020

Mom Planting - 2020

A long time ago, I decided to name pictures of certain flowers all the same name. Daffodils were going to be “Before the Swallow Dares”. I think I’m going to get back to that.

Be True

Today, a little after 8 AM, I dropped Naima off at the vet for surgery. She has a fatty deposit growing under her right shoulder that is getting pretty gigantic. Hopefully by the time this publishes, she will be out of surgery and I’ll be getting the phone call that she is awake and doing well. But I’m sure that call won’t be coming until this afternoon.


Be True

She will have to be fairly inactive for a few days while she recovers, which isn’t something she does all that well.

+++++++

Back in January, when I didn’t know that a horribly mismanaged global pandemic would completely alter our lives, I took some self-portraits while my beard was at its most fierce. The idea was to take a picture to use for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. As of now, the Iowa State Fair is still on, but I would be surprised if it goes off. Minnesota and Wisconsin have already cancelled their fairs.

Iowa is going to make an announcement on June 15 on what they are going to do. I imagine, that it will be to cancel it. However, I think there is a chance that they could still cancel the Fair and still have some of the competitions. I guess we’ll wait and see what is announced on June 15.

Until then, here are some self-portraits I took to potentially enter into the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon:


Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

Be True

If you are interested, this is what the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon sent out on May 15:

To: Iowa State Fair Photography Entrants
From: Iowa State Fair Competitive Events Department
Re: Photography Entry Deadlines and Procedures

In light of the current and ongoing situation regarding the COVID-19 virus, adjustments are being made to this year’s Iowa State Fair
Photography entry process and dates.

• The preferred method of entry will be by mail.
Please do NOT mail before Monday, June 22. Entries by mail must be postmarked by midnight on Friday, July 3. To
enter by mail you must include your entry form, entry fee and photos in the same package. Make sure to wrap your
photos with plenty of packing materials to prevent them from being damaged during shipment. You can use either of
the two shipping addresses below.

Standard Mail: Iowa State Fair, Photography Salon, P.O. Box 57130, Des Moines, IA 50317.

UPS or FedEx: Iowa State Fair, Photography Salon, 3000 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50317

• The date for entering in person at the Iowa State Fair Cultural Center is moved back to July 11 & 12
Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Cultural Center.

To help reduce lines and allow for social distancing the process of dropping of entries will be different. Drop off tables
will be located at the north and west Cultural Center entrances. Photos need to be packaged with your entry form and
entry fee all together in a sack, envelope, etc. Please make sure you have the entry form complete, labels completed
and attached to the upper left-hand corner of each photo, and exact change for payment before you arrive. There will
not be an area available to finish putting entries together.

• To eliminate the handling of cash, we will ONLY be accepting payment by check or credit card.

• Entries will be accepted at the alternative dates and locations. Please refer to the above information to have photos
ready for drop off.

o University Photo – 7128 University Avenue, Windsor Heights, IA 50324
Monday- Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Call 515-223-5462 to confirm hours before delivery
Photos must be delivered by July 3.

o Iowa State Fair Administration Building Entry Department – 3000 East Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317
Monday, July 7 thru Friday July, 10; 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Entrance to the Entry Department is located on the east side of the Administration Building and down the
stairs. (Handicap access is available thru the Administration Building lobby)

• The Photography Salon book will not be available for pre-purchase. We are still determining if we will be able to
print the salon book this year due to the condensed entry calendar or what the alternatives may be.

• The Pre-Fair awards ceremony and reception will not be held. Award winners will be able to pick up their prizes
during a ceremony held during the Fair. If not present at the award ceremony prizes will be available during photo pick
up or mailed after the Fair if postage is provided.

• Updated Photography rules and entry forms can be found
here: https://www.iowastatefair.org/participate/competition/how-to-enter/#fine-art-photography

Please share these changes with anyone that may be interested. We appreciate your help in spreading the word.
It is our full intent and hope that the 2020 Iowa State Fair will occur. The environment and recommendations are constantly
changing and we understand additional changes may be necessary. We will continue to monitor and re-evaluate the situation
and make additional adjustments as needed, while continuing to do what is best for our exhibitors. We appreciate your
understanding during these unprecedented times and will do everything we can to make sure the show will go on.

A good weekend project, besides working on the basement, will be picking out some pictures to enter.

A Garden of Love

A couple weeks back, I spent several hours, off an on in my Grandma’s garage going through things that the family was getting rid of. One of the fortunate things about Grandma’s house is that it is staying in the family. Therefore, this isn’t quite the rush to get rid of all of Grandma’s stuff, and unlike the minimalist that is me, Grandma was a hoarder. Not ready to be on the television show level hoarder, but a child of the depression level hoarder.

My Aunt Sheri and her husband Terry had been going through some of the things she accumulated in over 90 years of living and put some of it in her garage for other people to rummage through before it was donated to the DAV.

I didn’t claim a ton of things, but I did get a few items. A couple of squirrel statues for the yard. A dog sculpture. A few glass jugs. But perhaps the most important thing that ended up in my possession was Grandpa’s WWII foot locker.

I don’t have any birthright claim on it, but both my Uncle Butch and Uncle Gary didn’t want it. So it is currently in my possession. Holding up a cherub lamp in the living room that I also gave a new home to.

I don’t plan on being the permanent home for the footlocker. I do have a plan for it, but it will call my living room home for a bit of time any ways.

I don’t have any pictures of these new possessions, but I did meander around Grandma’s yard for a bit while Teresa and Mom were looking around the garage. While I was doing that I took some pictures of some of Grandma’s beautiful flowers. Peonies, daisies, asters, petunias, lupines, and even wretched irises.


A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

A Garden of Love

I’m sure I’ll be over there again to photograph some more of her flowers soon.

WPC – WEEK 246 – FRIENDS

You are probably wondering why this post didn’t come out at 12:01 PM, on the nose. The reason is simple, my website broke overnight. It didn’t exactly break, but it stopped being able to produce new information.

The Photography 139 is build on love, passion, photography, God, and support for all oppressed classes. But it is also built on a MySQL database. Problem is that the data structure for the MySQL database is allegedly limited to 100 MB. However, the Photography 139 database hit 150 MB last night. Apparently I got away with an extra 50 MB of data before I got shut down.

That meant, I had to export the data from the existing database. Create a new database. Import the data into the new database. Then point the website to the new database. All of that might have been pretty simple, except for the import the data part was a disaster. It was tons and tons of reading help forums, trying to find the answer. You picked a fine time to leave me Webmaster Vest!

However, I survived the process and the website seems to be fully functional again. I guess we’ll find out in the next day or so.

And that, is that!

+++++++

This week just barely made it to double digit submissions. Barely. 35 straight weeks and a sigh. I’m sad that so few of you have FRIENDS. I would offer my friendship services, but you know global pandemic that is being horribly mismanaged and the fact that I am the True Lone Wolf.

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


WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 246 - FRIENDS - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

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 247 - SIGNS
SIGNS

SIGNS! What a great theme! An easy theme! While very few of us have friends, everybody has access to SIGNS! A SIGNS photo is simply a photo of a SIGN(S). Any kind of SIGNS.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

+++++++

HOUSEKEEPING


A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

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.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

OR

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

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.

+++++++

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 friendly Monday!