Baby Got Rack, Logan, Melissa, Scottie D., State Fair, Street Photography

Baby Got Rack Jr. Goes to the State Fair

September 10, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

This Sundays food adventure is a little different. Finally getting around to sharing pictures of Scott’s progeny Austin competing at the Iowa State Fair barbecue contest. I’ve went for a free trip to the State Fair and to photo-document Austin’s day. It is always interesting watching a Youth competition to see how much the parents do and how much the youth do. It was definitely all over the spectrum. A The booth to our west was the Story City FFA that were competing as a project. There was 4 or so of them and they did everything themselves. The booth next to them was a dad and his two kids. Both of his kids competed. I’m not sure I saw either of those kids lift a single finger the entire time. It showed when the judges showed up and they couldn’t answer any of their questions. Straight to the north of us was a young lady that did everything herself. Even (I found out later watching the Iowa State Fair Show on Iowa Public Television) raising the pig that the pork chops came from. To her east was a dad who entered the adult Turkey category and his kid. Another kid that I didn’t see do a whole lot. Then to their south and our east was a mother-son combination. I think he did a good portion of the work himself, but his mom was always present.

How much did Scottie D. do? He did some coaching and some meat cutting. But that was about it. When the judges were in the booth, Austin was completely on his own.

Here are some pictures from a great day:

Baby Got Rack Jr. 2023 - Iowa State Fair

Austin had a good time, but he did not place. The young lady that grew her own pig and also had people dressed in an inflatable pig got 2nd place. The young man to the east of us that worked with his mom won Youth and Showmanship. I didn’t get any pictures of them because they did a half Iowa State and half Iowa booth for a family divided theme and you know my camera can’t take pictures of Iowa Hawkeye stuff.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve another barbecue contest. This one in Guthrie Center.

Nature

More of A Foggy Morn on the Trail

September 9, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A couple weeks back I shared a collection of pictures I took on the Hight Trestle Trail back in January. Here is a second collection of those images.

Winter is a big time overrated time to visit the High Trestle Trail. It is cold, but you usually get the trail to yourself. There are no bikers. And the weather is often interesting. Depending on what days I get/take off for Christmas I frequently go during the holidays in the morning and enjoy the sereneness of the river valley. At times you can feel like you are the only person in the world.

There is one more collection of these pictures left to share.

Art, Road Trip, Street Photography, Teresa

Color the Wind – Three

September 8, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Time for another collection of pictures I took when I went to the Color the Wind Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa back in February. I’ve never been much of a kite guy, but seeing some of these kites make me wish I was a kite guy. But I don’t want to start spending thousands on a hobby. At least not this hobby.

There is one final collection of images from this sweet festival left to share!

Flowers

Sugartooth

September 7, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

He wasn’t really known for breaking the rules
When he arrived in the second year of my high school
He wasn’t so much of a twist of fate
As a short turn up from a Southern state
He was born with a sweet tooth he couldn’t beat
Always trying to find himself something sweet
All that he found was a trouble and me
Or maybe trouble just found him

It was hard to hide that his heart had scars
He would stay up late talking to the stars
People tried to blame him for making bad choices
When he was only listening to the voices
And searching for some kind of deeper truth
Between the lines and the Bible and living proof
There’s no point now to judge him in vain
If you haven’t been there, you don’t know the pain

His life became more than he could take
He found a bad habit he couldn’t break
Nothing could tame him and nothing could hold him
He only took the pills when the doctor told him

Looking to help for the something sweet
To make his life feel less incomplete
What in the hell are you gonna do
When the world has made its mind up about you?

They found him lying on his bed
With a gun in his hand and a quiet head
His broken heart, now, is finally gone
But I know that he had to hurt for too long

To think he had fought it all on his own
Just to lose the battle and die alone
After so many years of feeling the loss
He finally made his way back home

And I heard they put what was left in a box
And took it to a place called Jesus Rock
And scattered him all over jagged mound
As a symbol to all that the piece had been found
But not for a sign is left behind
With a hand stuck reaching back in time
To a place in which you can never unwind
I hope he found something so sweet

He wanted to be a better man
But life kicked him down like an old tin can
He would give you the shirt on his back
If not for a sugartooth
-Brandi Carlile

This song is about a friend of Brandi’s or Brandi’s brothers that fought a long battle with drug addiction that finally succumbs to it and passes away. It is about both the person’s struggle with drug addiction and the way the world treats those suffering from drug addiction.

I bring this up because I want to point out something about last week’s Brandi song “Fulton County Jane Doe”. That song tells the story of a woman whose body was found in the woods of Fulton County Georgia in 1999. To this day she still hasn’t been identified. When Brandi read the story she was moved to pen that song as a tribute to her and all other forgotten victims of similar circumstances.

But Thursday’s are for flowers and this Thursday I’m going to share the second to last collection of tulip pictures from Pella:

Next Thursday I will share the final collection of Tulip pictures I took in Pella this year. It feels a little sad that the prime flowertography season has passed and soon it will be completely over. But I will always have plenty of flowertography pictures to share.

Baseball/Softball, Christianity, History, Movies, Road Trip, Still Life

Dubuque County Aux. – Vol. 4

September 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time for the final collection of auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Dubuque County.

The first few images in the collection are from the New Melleray Abbey. It is a monastery of Trappist Monks that supports themselves by making coffins. Yes. Coffins.

Here is some information about them from their website (newmelleray.org):

New Melleray is a community of Roman Catholic monks. We belong to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists. Disciples of Jesus Christ, we join countless men and women who throughout fifteen hundred years have discovered the Rule of Saint Benedict to offer a challenging and effective way of living the Gospel. Our communal way of monastic life in the Cistercian tradition serves our desire to be wholly oriented to the experience of the living God.

Located southwest of Dubuque, Iowa, New Melleray was founded in 1849 by monks of our Order from Mount Melleray Abbey, Ireland. Like all monasteries, New Melleray Abbey is a school of charity. The monastery is a place where we learn to love God, to love ourselves, and to love each other. Together with its fertile farmland and rugged woodlands our monastery provides us with solitude and precious silence.

Through our guest house and other forms of monastic hospitality, we are happy to offer to our brothers and sisters who follow other paths, a place where they may find acceptance, peace, and prayer. Click on “Visit Us” for various ways to share in our way of life as a long-term guest living within the community.

With Trappist Caskets we support ourselves and supply employment to local men and women by making and selling simple wooden caskets and burial urns of exceptional quality.

I do want to go back and check it out when I have more time, so if you are interested in such a road trip, let me know. I don’t think I’ll get many takers on that one.

Here are the pictures:

New Melleray Abbey

Field of Dreams

A hot dog stuck in her throat…

They were serious. They had a guard watching people.

Seriously? They can’t bury those power lines?

That is the corn guard. In the background is the lights of the Major League stadium where the Cubs and Reds played and the White Sox and Yankees the year before that.

The corn guard actually did try to rustle me out of the corn.

This might make me a bad Iowan, but I actually don’t love the movie FIELD OF DREAMS. That being said, the field from the movie still being around is pretty sweet and it is definitely worth a visit. Bring a ball and a glove and “play catch”. Only psychos “have a catch”.

Would you believe that there are only 2 counties worth of auxiliary images left to share? Well, believe it because it is true. Next up is Scott County.

Drone, History, Railroad

Rodan139: Kate Shelley Museum

September 5, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I recently took Rodan139 down for a quick flight around the grounds of the Kate Shelley Museum. I should really take Rodan139 every day while it is still illegal to fly. Rodan139 is a DJI Mavic Pro2. On September 16, it will be illegal to fly the guy without adding a Remote ID Module. Now there is a rumor out there that the Remote ID module might get postponed. I’m hoping this happens because the Remote ID Module is not module. The average price of them is around $250. Which isn’t a terrible price to keep Rodan139 in the sky, but the other side of the coin is that many of them are on backorder. Even if I wanted to get one, I don’t know than I could.

Anyways, here is hoping that the new rule gets postponed. And here are some pictures of the Kate Shelley Museuum:

Hopefully there is another collection of drone pictures next Tuesday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Animals, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Flowers, Funk, Holidays, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 416 – NATURE

September 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

To all of us who toil on the frontlines in the mines of America, I wish us a happy Labor Day!

If you don’t know why we celebrate Labor Day, it is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers.

What kind of social and economic achievements?

Well… the Computer Mine is not a union shop, but trust me, I’m very pro-union. While they aren’t without their problems and a history of corruption, if it weren’t for unions and labor activists, we wouldn’t have the following:

1. Weekends
2. Paid vacation
3. FMLA
4. Paid sick leave
5. Child labor laws (while we have them)
6. Social Security
7. Minimum wage (even though it is too low)
8. 8 hour work day
9. Overtime pay
10. OSHA
11. Health care (even though tying health care to employment is a profoundly awful idea, but better than what we had before)
12. Collective bargaining (in some states)
13. Breaks (including bathroom and lunch)
14. Wrongful termination laws
15. Age discrimination laws
16. Raises
17. Sexual harassment laws
18. American Disabilities Act
19. Holiday pay (enjoying that right now)
20. Military leave
21. Equal Pay Act (1963 & 2011)
22. Civil rights
23. Workers compensation
24. Unemployment insurance
25. Whistleblower protection
26. The right to strike

While this list is hardly comprehensive, it is just many of the things I’m thankful for on this Labor Day.

+++++++

NATURE! A great theme, but was it people’s nature to get out in the world and take a picture of it? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, August 28, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
3-Evie Gorshe – 1 week
4-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
5-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
6-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks (3)
7-Mary Green – 4 weeks
8-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks
9-Mike Vest – 8 weeks
10-Sheri Fakhouri – 11 weeks
11-Monica Jennings – 12 weeks
12-Logan Kahler – 12 weeks (2)
13-Nathanial Brown – 13 weeks
14-Jesse Howard – 13 weeks
15-Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks
16-Alexis Stensland – 21 weeks (3)
17-Mindi Terrell – 28 weeks (3)
18-Brandon Kahler – 52 weeks
19-Linda Bennett – 57 weeks
20-Sarah Toot – 57 weeks
21-Angie DeWaard – 62 weeks
22-Dawn Krause – 66 weeks (2)
23-Kim Barker – 72 weeks
24-Joe Duff – 73 weeks (2)
25-Teresa Kahler – 84 weeks (2)
26-Carla Stensland – 84 weeks (2)
27-Micky Augustin – 86 weeks
28-Andy Sharp – 87 weeks
29-Bill Wentworth – 88 weeks
30-Cathie Morton – 92 weeks
31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 93 weeks
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 95 weeks
33-Kio Dettman – 97 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:

Lori Backous (Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week

Lori Backous (Boone County, Iowa)

Susanna Funk (Colorado) – 1 week

Amy Peterson (Idaho Falls, Idaho) – 1 week

Amy Peterson (Yellowstone National Park – Wyoming)

Scott Degeneffe (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Cleveland, Ohio) – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Puenta de la Reina, Spain) – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Puenta de la Reina, Spain)

Willy McAlpine (St. John pied de port, France)

Sara Lockner (Johnston, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 12 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Ogden, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Dayton, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Jesse Howard (Grand Junction, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 22 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 29 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Albert Lea, Minnesota) – 53 weeks

Linda Bennett (Sparks, Kansas) – 58 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 59 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Dawn Krause (Dayton, Iowa) – 67 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 73 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 74 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 85 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 85 weeks

Carla Stensland (Deal’s Orchards – Jefferson, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (West Lake Okoboji – Arnold’s Park, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Wyoming) – 87 weeks

Andy Sharp (Storm Lake, Iowa) – 88 weeks

Andy Sharp (Near Perry, Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 89 weeks

Cathie Morton (Water Works Park – Des Moines, Iowa) – 93 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 94 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Pakwash Lake – between Ear Falls and Red Lake, Ontario, Canada) – 96 weeks

Kio Dettman (Moingona, Iowa) – 98 weeks

Kio Dettman (Moingona, Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 520 weeks

34 participants! That is a pretty great week! Especially for a holiday weekend! There were submissions from all over the place this week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Colorado
+ France
+ Kansas
+ Idaho
+ Iowa
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Ohio
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas
+ Wyoming

Thanks to Amy’s trip, Idaho has been added to this year’s map!

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

36 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 70% of the way there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ St. John pied de port, France

I took my picture about 3 miles from my front door, so I continue not to contribute.

There were no major milestones this week. Unfortunately 3 steaks did bite the dust. Suzie and Evie couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Becky’s streak ended at 2.

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:

SHOES – SUGGESTED BY SARAH TOOT

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

But what exactly is a SHOES photo? Simply put, it is an image where SHOES are the subject OR play a major compositional element.

While thinking about the SHOES to photograph for this week’s theme, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image!

Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.
-Marilyn Monroe

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 SHOES in this place that is mostly written in my bare feet next Monday.

Art, Jesse, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Street Photography, Tenderloining

Food Truckin’: Des Moines Art Festival Field Work

September 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A couple of months back Jesse and I went to the Des Moines Arts Festival. We consumed art, drink, food, and ice cream. If you’ve never been to the Des Moines Art Festival is is a hard recommend for me. UNLESS… you don’t like art or music or food. And if you don’t like art or food or music… what is WRONG with you! Seriously. Get help. Lots of help.

We made a lap around all the food trucks before ultimately deciding on Nina’s Tacos. I got the nachos. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in recent history.

A decent line for Nina’s tacos.

But it moved quickly. The drink lines didn’t move so quickly.

I got the Nachos Birria.

So many layers of delicious.

A closer look at delicious.

1st bite.

Cheese in my beard, not even mad.

No regrets.

We went to Over the Top for a little dessert action.

I went with Black Raspberry. No surprise.

A lot of sexy for one picture. I’m talking about the ice cream.

Sometimes I lay awake at night. I think about all the dead ends I’ve tried to go down. All the broken roads I’ve travelled. All the mistakes that I have made. All the regrets that burden me. Then I think about those nachos and realize that the road I’m on must be alright. Then I fall asleep and dream of birria.

As for the ice cream? You know I have the Ted Lasso policy on ice cream:

Ice cream is the best. It’s kinda like seeing Billy Joel perform live. Never disappoints.

But I should share some pictures of some of the art that I liked at the art festival.

Here are some cruddy cell phone pictures of some amazing art:

If you don’t appreciate the possum sculpture, know that you are Cal from TITANIC. I am Rose from TITANIC in this situation.

The difference between Cal’s taste in art and mine is that I have some.

The possum is amazing and anybody that thinks differently is a fool!

I will have pictures with the real camera to share at some point in the future.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will be a bit different. I will share photos from Scott’s progeny competing in the Iowa State Fair barbecue contest.

Art, Boone Art Center, Railroad, Street Photography

Boone Art Center Gallery Four

September 2, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share a fourth collection of found art from Boone or near Boone that I’m calling THE BOONE ART CENTER PROJECT. Most of these pictures were taken east of Boone or in Boone. One is taken south of Boone.

Maybe my favorite collection yet! Not sure when I will have another set of found art pictures to share again, but I’m sure it won’t be long!

Art, Photoshop, Road Trip, Street Photography, Teresa

Color the Wind – Two

September 1, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time for a second collection of images from the Color the Wind Festival in Clear Lake that I attended with Teresa. Despite the cold it was a pretty amazing experience. There is a fair chance I will go back again this year. See what new crazy and amazing kites people have.