Andy, Art, Birthdays, Jaxon, Mom, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Guthrie County

March 3, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 12 Comments

I need to start today by wishing Andy a happy birthday. Happy birthday Andy!

I hope your birthday is as amazing as you want it to be!

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Last weekend I got to get out and harvest more town signs. This time I hit up Guthrie County.

Here are some facts about Guthrie County:

+ Population: 10,954
+ Guthrie Center is the county seat.
+ Stuart is the largest town, but is partially in Adair County
+ he county was formed on January 15, 1851 and named after Captain Edwin B. Guthrie, who had died in the Mexican–American War.

Guthrie County has one of the ugliest courthouses I’ve ever seen. Right up there with Story County:

Guthrie County Courthouse

The Guthrie County Freedom Rock is located in Guthrie Center.

Here is the Guthrie County Photo Map:

Guthrie County Photo Map – Boundaries, not close, I’m sure.

With Guthrie County knocked out, here is the updated Photography 130 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

14 counties completed. 14.1% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the Guthrie County signs:

Stuart, Iowa (Partially in Adair County)
The City of Stuart Welcomes You
Population: 1,648

Guthrie Center, Iowa
Welcome to Guthrie Center
Population: 1,569

Lake Panorama – Census Designated Place
Lake Panorama
Population: 1,309

Coon Rapids, Iowa (Mostly in Carroll County
Coon Rapids – In the Heart of Corn Country
Population: 1,305

Panora, Iowa
Welcome to Panora and Lake Panorama
Population: 1,124

Adair, Iowa (Mostly in Adair County)
Adair Iowa – Home of the Bombers – Welcome to Adair – It’ll make you smile!
Population: 781

Bayard, Iowa
Welcome to Bayard
Population: 471

Casey, Iowa
Welcome to Casey Iowa – Since 1869

Menlo, Iowa
Welcome to Menlo – A Town of Few & Friend of All
Population: 353

Bagley, Iowa
Welcome to Bagley – 1882
Population: 303

Yale, Iowa
Yale – Est. 1882 – Not the Biggest, But the Best – Annual July 4th Celebration

Jamaica, Iowa
Welcome to Jamaica – Est. 1882
Population: 224

I think there is a chance that some people might consider my picks for Guthrie County to be controversial this week. It turns out my Hardin County picks weren’t controversial, but Guthrie is an entirely different county.

Adair and Coon Rapids are not eligible for Guthrie County awards as they are mostly in other counties.

Guthrie County has a pretty good collection of town signs. However, there are a couple stinkers out there. Stuart’s is awful. But Guthrie Center has one of the worst signs I’ve seen so far.

It was a little harder to pick the best sign. I enjoy the roughness of the Bayard sign. I enjoy the tropical feel of the Jamaica sign. I like the festive nature of Yale’s sign. I like the fun of Casey’s sign. However, it Menlo. Menlo clearly has the best sign in Guthrie County!

Menlo – Best in Show – Guthrie County

There are a couple of towns that had alternate signs:

Adair Alternate

Menlo Alternate

The famous White Pole Road runs through Guthrie County. Many of the best signs are on that road.

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Wright County

Here is the updated BENNETT POWER RANKINGS:

#10. Ricketts

#9. Dexter

#8. Menlo

#7. Templeton

#6. Farnhamville

#5. Haverhill

#4. Pilot Mound

#3. Moingona

#2. Coon Rapids

#1. Ackley

The next county we will visit is Audubon County.

Logan, Mom, Naima, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project

Selfie Project – February 2021

March 2, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 7 Comments

Another month of 2021 is in the books. Which means it is time to share my favorite selfies from last month’s SELFIE PROJECT collection. I don’t want to break my arm patting myself on the back, but I am pretty pleased with the February collection. I didn’t get out that much, but I did get a little bit, and unlike January, I was able to incorporate a few other people in my selfies. Not many people, but a couple people are sprinkled in here and there.

Here are my favorites from February:

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 4

February 5

February 7

February 8

February 10

February 12

February 14

February 15

February 16

February 18

February 20

February 21

February 23

February 24

February 26

February 27

February 28

If you want to check out all of the selfies so far this year, click on the link below:

Selfie Project – 2021

Hopefully in March, a couple other people can percolate into my selfies.

Aaron, Carla, Dawn, Elizabeth, Funk, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kio, Macro, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Still Life, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 285 – LINES

March 1, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

74 straight weeks of double digit submission and we did it before I even got out of bed on Monday morning! LINES seemed to be a popular theme! I mean, who doesn’t like LINES?

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

Micky Augustin

Aaron Barnett

Bill Wentworth

Joe Duff
“Lines in the ceiling, floor, and walls. Plus the lines for Covid vaccine. Got mom vaccinated; well organized and looking like they are starting to hit their stride. Lots vaccinated this weekend.”

Michelle Haupt

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Susanna Funk
“The Manitou Incline has 2,000 feet of stairs which are actually lines! And my hamstrings felt every one of them.”

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Tamara Peterson

Kio Dettman

Dawn Krause

Elizabeth Nordeen

Jesse Howard

Monica Henning

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:

PLAY

PLAY! Another great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

A PLAY image is simply an image where the composition includes either something that is PLAYed or somebody PLAYing. There are all types of things that can be PLAYed. Games to musical instruments to sports to people.

Of course, PLAY has multiple meanings. A PLAY can be words on a piece of paper that tell a story or a PLAY can be acting out those words on a stage. It is more than just humans that PLAY. Animals also PLAY.

Think about the following old proverb when you are considering your PLAY interpretation:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,
All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.

Meditation on these words will no doubt lead to a fascinating PLAY image.

Then send me your submission(s) by 11 AM CST next Monday. 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 our idea of PLAY in this place that is little more than a little PLAYed out next Monday.

Photography 139

Monthly Archives: March 2021

Town Sign Project: Guthrie County

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Selfie Project – February 2021

Selfie Project – 2021

WPC – WEEK 285 – LINES