The Flamingo Motel

April 20, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Back on August 10th of last year, after spending a chunk of the day at the Iowa State Fair with Gorshe family I made a trek over to Marshalltown to buy a lawnmower. I had given up on my lawnmower. You basically had to jam a stick into the choke to keep it running. The lawnmower had been a nightmare for years with all sorts of problems. I decided to give an battery powered mower a shot. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on it because I wasn’t sure I would like it, so I found a moderately priced model. But the only place that had it in stock in central Iowa was the Marshalltown Menard’s. So after returning to Ames I bid the Gorshes farewell and lit out for Marshalltown.

However, this isn’t a review of my battery powered lawnmower. This is a chance for me to share pictures I took of the Flamingo Motel, which is near the Marshalltown Menard’s.

Have a looksie:

But you must be thinking, “Sure it has a sweet statue in sign, but is The Flamingo Motel any good?”

Well on Google reviews, it has an average rating of 2.7 out of 5 stars. Here are some of the reviews:

We paid for a non-smoking room and was put in a smoking room that was filthy. We did get an upgrade to a better room but not until the next day and only between 11 and 2. Was given a comp for fifty bucks that no one knew how to give it to us. A employee came to our room at 2am to spray our room for smells with out us knowing they were comming.

++++++

The rooms are all ground floor which is nice, but they are not cleaned until you leave. And don’t even think of asking for a trash can!

+++++++

This place is a joke. The beds sag. They sag very noticably. You can actually see what looks like a gaping hole under the blanket in the middle of one of the beds. They advertise HBO on their sign but do not have HBO in reality. The manager is hard to track down and only answers his phone if he feels like it. He appears to be a wanna-be gangsta type and though I didnt have any probs with him, I could sense his overall dismissive attitude.The bathroom smells like smoke in a non smoking room. There is soap scum CAKED ON to the soap holder part of the shower. Along with all kinds of built up and crusted grime of all sorts on the shower floor. In a word this place sucks.

+++++++

My husband made reservations to stay here for the week a week in advance. He arrives and there is no body at the desk, just some phone to use. The person on the other end says “Rooms are all full” and hung up. No explanation but he found out somewhere else they did not acknowledge his reservation and booked his room out to someone else for a higher price because there was an event in the area.
What an unprofessional crap hole.

+++++++

Stay Away!!! Tweaker Heaven!!! Weekly Rate was $150 for a single king… I swear my room/belongings were moved around more than once… DO NOT TAKE YOUR KIDS OR FAMILY HERE!!!

+++++++

I would give negative stars if I could..my room key stopped working and they had the open light on for the office with no one there.. I called the number on the door 5+ times.. I had to work in the morning with my belongings for work in that room.. When they finally showed up after I called the cops, they made the rude remark that I should of got another room for the matter I paid for that room and my belongs were in that room..turn your open light off if you aren’t going to have a 24/7 staff

+++++++

Good pricing and staff leaves u alone

+++++++

Dirty but affordable.

++++++

I Travel constantly for work, tower climbing to be exact. This honestly, in all the states I’ve been to has to be the MOST uncleanly hotel of all time. Over charging for rooms with bed bugs, dirty floors, carpets, bedsheets not to mention pillows! Garbage left behind by other guests and pee stains all over. The cover for the bed had numerous stains on it including blood and bodily fluids . Utterly disgusting. After moving rooms twice, all the crew members agreed that this was the worst hotel they had ever stayed at. After one comment about bed bugs they quickly flaunted an obvious printed paper that read, accepted/inspected by health department, in which looked like a 4th grader looked up and copied to a blank piece of paper. I don’t have much to say but don’t ever stay here if you care about your well being. So many more things to be said but if you can’t get the picture refer to my photos listed. Just gross. (Yelp Review)

++++++

My crew and I pretty much live on the road. The rooms are nasty, there was bed bugs, stains on the bedding. The shower was a step down from prison commodities. Five of us, all found bed bugs in our room. We confronted the front desk and demanded our money back and went to the laundromat immediately to kill any bugs that may have got into our laundry. Do not stay here, if you have any self respect (Yelp Review)

Quite frankly, these people just sound soft to me.

Animals, Jesse, Nader, State Fair, Still Life, Street Photography

Iowa State Fair – Day 4 – Alpha

April 19, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Time to start sharing the images from my last trip to the Iowa State Fair. This trip was on the last day of the Fair and I went with Jesse and Nader to pick up my pictures from the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. It was scorching hot on this day. Just brutal. And my experience on this day was one of those times that just kind of drilled into me that I need to get healthier. Drop a few lbs and just get in better shape in general. I’m hoping to stay on my positive general trajectory and this year at the Fair, I definitely will feel a difference. More at the end of the day.

This first collection is heavy on that most cutest of animals… the pig!

Many more pictures from this steaming hot day at the Fair left to share!

Animals, Flowers, Macro, Nature

She Believes In Me

April 18, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

While she lays sleeping
I stay out late at night and play my songs
And sometimes all the nights can be so long
And it’s good when I finally make it home, all alone
While she lays dreaming

I try to get undressed without the light
And quietly she says, “How was your night?”
And I come to her and say
“It was all right, ” and I hold her tight

And she believes in me
I’ll never know just what she sees in me
I told her someday if she was my girl
I could change the world
With my little songs, I was wrong

But she has faith in me
And so I go on trying faithfully
And who knows maybe on some special night
If my song is right
I will find a way
Find a way

While she lays waiting
I stumble to the kitchen for a bite
Then I see my old guitar in the night
Just waiting for me like a secret friend
And there’s no end while she lays crying

I fumble with a melody or two
And I’m torn between the things that I should do
And she says to wake her up when I am through
God, her love is true

And she believes in me
I’ll never know just what she sees in me
I told her someday if she was my girl
I could change the world
With my little songs, I was wrong
But she has faith in me

And so I go on trying faithfully
And who knows maybe on some special night
If my song is right
I will find a way
While she waits
While she waits
For me
-Written by Steve Gibb
-Performed by Kenny Rogers

Just another great love song from Kenny Rogers. The line “I could change the world, with my little songs… I was wrong” always kills me. Especially when it goes on to “But she has faith in me”.

But Thursdays are for flowers. This flowertography collection took place at the Iowa Arboretum.

I actually joined the Iowa Arboretum last year. So, go ahead and feel jealous. I would go on about how my membership there gets me free admission into all sorts of gardens and arboretums all across Iowa and the United States, but I can feel that you are already turning green with envy!

Next week’s flowertography session will return to the confines of my yard.

Candid Portrait, Still Life, Street Photography, Teresa

Des Moines Farmer’s Market I

April 17, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

People often talk about how the Iowa State Fair is a great place for people watching. That is correct. All fairs and town festivals are great for such activities. But an underrated place for people watching is a good old fashioned farmer’s market. Like the Iowa State Fair it is also a great place to get great food. Walk in with a big old wad of cash and walk out with an empty wallet. I love a good Farmer’s Market from Rinehart’s Drive-Thru Farmer’s Market by Fraser to the Des Moines Farmer’s Market. The downtown Des Moines Farmer’s Market is maybe… maybe my favorite place in the world (or at least central Iowa) to do a little bit of street photography.

One day last summer I went down there with Teresa and did just that.

This year I plan on making multiple trips to the Des Moines Farmer’s Market AND I’ve talked for years about going to the Farmer’s Market in Valley Junction. This is the year I make that happen!

Still more pictures to share from this trip!

Basketball, Bill, Iowa State, Jesse, Road Trip, Still Life

Iowa State 67 Washington State 56

April 16, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

The Iowa State Men earned their way to play their first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Omaha by being a #2 seed. They won their first round game over Otz’s first ever team South Dakota State. This setup a 2nd Round matchup with Washington State. Jesse and I picked up tickets for a cheap $250 a piece and headed to Omaha to watch the Cyclones play.

We met up with Bill at his favorite sports bar before the game and knocked down some tasty chicken wings.

Here are some pictures:

Iowa State struggled a bit early been then pulled away in the 2nd half to win fairly easily.

The arena in Omaha is kind of a dump though. It is lousy enough I’m not even sure I want to claim it as an outpost of Hilton. It is not as nice as Hilton South in Kansas City. The rows are crazy close together, at least for us poors up in steerage. The concourse up in steerage is also incredibly small. A lot of people think the concourse at Hilton proper is too narrow. They should try walking around Hilton West. The scoreboard only shows individual stats for one team and that team on our side, was Washington State. There is a stat board at one end of the arena, but you can’t read all of the stats on it because they have a curtain that covers up about 30 percent of the scoreboard. The arena is so poorly designed that at one point Jesse and I accidentally left the arena and ended up at a high school prom. We had to sweet talk a cop into letting us back into the arena.

All in all it was a great trip, with great friends, watching a great basketball team. I can hardly wait for next season as Iowa State is projected to be a preseason Top 10 next year. It is hard to say how that will ultimately shakes out as there is still a lot of action to go down in the transfer portal. Iowa State still needs to add 2-3 players for next year’s roster. They need 1 more big and 1 more shooter. I was going to do a preview of next season on this post, because I thought Iowa State would have all the hay in the barn from the transfer portal. Unfortunately, John Calipari moving from Kentucky to Arkansas triggered a chain of events that cost Iowa State a transfer from Colorado as the player’s price tag went up to nearly $500,000. Too rich for Iowa State’s blood. So we will wait and see and then do that preview at a later date. Same thing goes for the women.

Adam, Alexis, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Candid Portrait, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Deanna, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Lowell, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Mindi, Nathanial, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Suzie, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 448 – NECESSITY

April 15, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

NECESSITY! A great theme! But did enough people find it necessary to submit a photo to make NECESSITY a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, April 8, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks (IA)
2-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL)
3-Mary Green – 2 weeks (2) (MI, IA, IN)
4-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks (IA)
5-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks (IA)
6-Deanna McClain – 4 weeks (IA)
7-Johnathan Stensland – 4 weeks (IA)
8-Adam Gordon – 6 weeks (2) (IA, MS, MO)
9-Becky Parmelee – 7 weeks (AR, IA, OK)
10-Sara Lockner – 12 weeks (IA)
11-Lowell Davis – 14 weeks (2) (IA)
12-Michelle Haupt – 14 weeks (IA, MO, KS)
13-Alexis Stensland – 14 weeks (2) (IA)
14-Brandon Kahler – 15 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 33 weeks (IA, FL)
16-Mike Vest – 38 weeks (IA, MO)
17-Sheri Fakhouri – 43 weeks (2) (IA, NE)
18-Logan Kahler – 44 weeks (IA, MN)
19-Nathanial Brown – 45 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN)
20-Jesse Howard – 45 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL)
21-Tamara Peterson – 57 weeks (IA, MN)
22-Mindi Terrell – 60 weeks (IA)
23-Linda Bennett – 89 weeks (2) (KS)
24-Sarah Toot – 90 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV)
25-Dawn Krause – 98 weeks (IA)
26-Angie DeWaard – 94 weeks (IA)
27-Kim Barker – 104 weeks (2) (IA, CO)
28-Joe Duff – 105 weeks (2) (TX)
29-Teresa Kahler – 116 weeks (2) (IA, NE)
30-Carla Stensland – 116 weeks (IA, MO)
31-Micky Augustin – 118 weeks (2) (IA, IL)
32-Andy Sharp – 119 weeks (2) (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA)
33-Bill Wentworth – 120 weeks (NE)
34-Cathie Morton – 123 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO)
35-Elizabeth Nordeen – 125 weeks (IA)
36-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 127 weeks (2) (IA, CA)
37-Kio Dettman – 129 weeks (2) (IA)

Here is the list of rules for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM next Monday.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.

It is the third week of the month and on the third week of the month I like to share a map of all the states where people have submitted from heading into today. Here is that map:

25 States

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks or the rules of the challenge or how to submit. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

WPC - WEEK 448 - NECESSITY - MICKY AUGUSTIN

Micky Augustin (Jasper County, Iowa) – 119 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Chico, California) – 128 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Winnemucca, Nevada)

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 105 weeks

Kim Barker (Ames, Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Near Martinsville, Indiana)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 90 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Suzie Brannen (Clive, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 46 weeks

Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Salt Lake City, Utah) – 34 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Denver, Colorado)

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 95 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 130 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 106 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Miami, Florida) – 3 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 44 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Adam Gordon (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Adam Gordon (Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa)

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 1 week

Jesse Howard (Aruba) – 46 weeks

Jesse Howard (Curacao)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 16 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 45 weeks

Logan Kahler (Ames, Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Boone First United Methodist Church – Boone, Iowa) – 117 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 99 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Johnston, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Willy McAlpine (McHose Park – Boone, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Deanna McClain (Perry, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 124 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 126 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 8 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 58 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 120 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Johnathan Stensland (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa) – 117 weeks

Carla Stensland (Reiman Gardens – Ames, Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa) – 61 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York City, New York) – 91 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 39 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 121 weeks

EDITOR’S NOTE: I never comment on submissions. It is one of the base creeds that I operate under for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. No matter how much I want to comment, I don’t. But there is a picture on here that I really need to comment on. You probably can’t even guess which one it is. I’m not going to comment on Elizabeth’s taste in music (although I do approve) or Baby Face Adam (although it does crack me up) or that there were a few pictures of dogs, but no pictures of cats as a NECESSITY. Interesting. Yes, provocative. What I have to comment on is how extremely jealous I am that Scott got to eat at a Taco Time! I’m like burning with jealousy. I’m not even comfortable with how jealous I am. The real ones know that Taco Time is the truth when it comes to “Mexican” fast food. Every once in awhile you will get somebody from dirty Dodge try to force Taco Tico down your throat. Which is uncomfortable because that isn’t how you eat tacos, you have to chew first and Taco Tico is gross. Taco Time is the ONLY fast food “Mexican” I will eat. I won’t even look Taco Bell in the face. I won’t even spit in the general direction of a Taco John’s. It has been years now since I’ve eaten at Taco Time. Now the axe-throwing place at North Grand Mall does a serviceable knockoff of the Crisp Meat Burrito, but at the end of the day… it is still a knockoff. I know it. They know it. The Crisp Meat Burrito knows it. We are living a lie. I miss Taco Time. Screw you Scott for opening this wound back up!

But while I am deeply, to a disturbing level, passionate about Taco Time, you may have noted Lowell’s picture was taken in a hospital. Leah is in the hospital for a few days, so if you are the praying type, keep them in your prayers and if you aren’t, keep them in your thoughts.

38 participants! The exact same participation rate as last week. Better than falling off… I guess…

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ California (1)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (1)
+ Florida (1)
+ Indiana (1)
+ Iowa (36)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ New York (1)
+ Nevada (1)
+ Texas (2)
+ Utah (1)

Thanks to Scott’s “business” trip we added Utah to the map! WooHoo! Thanks to Jesse’s vacation we also added 2 foreign countries in Aruba and Curacao! WooHoo!

Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):

+ Arkansas (8.5)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (1)
+ California (3)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (5)
+ Florida (5)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (3)
+ Indiana (3)
+ Iowa (515)
+ Kansas (23)
+ Louisiana (2)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (6)
+ Mississippi (1.5)
+ Missouri (10.5)
+ Nebraska (24)
+ Nevada (2)
+ New York (11)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (12)
+ South Dakota (3)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (24)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)

26 states so far! 3 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL) – 8
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA) – 7
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW) – 6
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN) – 5
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO) – 4
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA) – 4
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV) – 4
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO) – 4
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN) – 3
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL) – 2
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Sara Lockner (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO) -2
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2

Jen is now in the lead to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” Jesse and Andy are in striking distance though!

The big milestone this week was Kio joining the 2.5 Year Streak Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all fun in the sun and delicious tacos this week. Monica’s streak was blinded by the light and is now just a distant memory!

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:

TIME

TIME! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I’m trying not to explain the themes this year, but sometimes I can’t help myself. ‘m like me at a table filled with Crisp Meat Burritos. Self-control is an issue. But I digress…

If you look closely at the TIME theme reveal image (not that closely) you will see that it is actually 2 separate images put together. On the left is a picture with a “fast” shutter speed that freezes the water. The right side of the image was taken with a “slow” shutter speed that makes the water more of a blur. The idea of the theme TIME is to either freeze TIME in place with a fast shutter speed or show the fluidity of time with a slow shutter speed.

However, I know most people don’t have control over the shutter speed on the camera they use, so as always interpret the theme as you see fit.

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see your idea of TIME in this place that hopefully passes it for a few of you next Monday.

Art, Christianity, FNSC, Jay, Jesse, Nader, Nature, Still Life, Tenderloining

Fisher of Men: Rural Story County Field Work

April 14, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

A few weeks back FNSC made another stop on the Catholic Fish Fry Circuit. This time we went north of Ames on County Line Road and hit up the culinary offerings of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. A church that I have often wondered what it looked like on the inside. This particular Friday Night Supper Club was attended by your Humble Narrator, Jesse, Jay, and Nader.

Here are some pictures:

First things first. This was by far the best value of any of the Catholic fish fries we hit. Mainly because the dessert was included in the price of admission. All of the other ones had an at-will donation for the desserts. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem throwing in a few bucks for a brownie or a piece of pie or cake. But they didn’t want my few extra bucks.

Here is the other thing to note. The real show stopper here wasn’t the fish, which was very good. It wasn’t the baked potato. Or the cole slaw. Or the green beans. It was the corn. This corn clearly didn’t come out of a can or a frozen steamer bag. This corn came from somebody’s farm. AND… IT… WAS… AMAZING!!!! I immediately was longing for a day in the not too distant future where I would be able to stop and buy some Grimes Sweet Corn from the back of a pickup truck in some random gas station. Despite its flaws that are growing by the day, there are parts that are great about living in Iowa. And buying sweet corn out of the back of a pickup truck is one of those great things. Then eating that sweet corn is even better. When I was eating the corn at this fish fry, dang it, if I wasn’t proud of this state again.

I would definitely add Saints Peter and Paul’s Fish Fry to my list of fish fries that I will hit again next year. There are still more fish fries left to share. Wish it was 3. Stupid Friday wasted at On the Waterfront in Ankeny. You don’t understand. We coulda had class. We coulda been contenders. We coulda been somebody, instead of bums. Which is what we are. Next year, there will be no wasted night in Ankeny. This I swear on the graves of many a fried fish. That I have eaten.

The next food adventure I will share will be another stop on the Central Iowa Catholic Fish Fry Tour. Next year we need to get shirts!

But…

How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?

This week my weight went down -3.0 pounds. I am now down 29.5 pounds since starting Noom. I am .1 pounds away from reaching my May 1 goal weight. 25.1 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight*. It is nice to officially be on the side where I’ve lost more weight than I need to lose. That is an accomplishment of some kind.

I’m actually surprised that my weight went down this week. On my eclipse road trip I didn’t eat well and spent a ton of times just sitting in cars. Shoutout to whomever brought the peanut butter bars to the Eclipse Party. I crushed an unhealthy amount of those. Pete’s chili was also delicious! I also ate fast food. Had fried food 3 times. Crushed a carrot cake from an Indiana bakery. A raspberry something or other from “the bakery” in Pella. Ate some candy from a candy store in Chariton. Skipped a day at the gym because it closed due to a bomb threat. But I still kept moving as much as I could.

Seems like I should hit my May 1 goal this week. It is ONLY .1 pounds away! But I won’t be surprised if I don’t. Might be a rebound week or a plateau week. Only 1 thing to do, just keep moving.

But weight isn’t the only measure (or even the most important measure) of positive results. I think one of those is I think I’m officially down 1 shirt size. Depending on what company makes the shirt. That is something that is hard for me to judge, cause I don’t really like my clothes touching me too much. But some of my shirts are starting to be too big, even based on my very loose standards for very big. See what I did there?

In the 56 days since I started using FitBit I’ve:

+ Taken 380,541 steps
+ Averaged 12.158 steps a day
+ Walked 316.95 miles
+ Averaged walking 5.66 miles a day

Sometimes I think about going into the Computer Mine an extra day a week, cause it easier for me to get my steps in there, but the if you follow you me on SnapChat you know the main stumbling back against this is Canadian. CANADIANS! But maybe that part of the job is coming to an end. One never knows.

That is all to report for now.

*Ultimate goal weight subject to change.

Baier, Birthdays, Black & White, Faust, Formal Portrait

Ben Baier – Class of 2024

April 13, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Today is Faust’s birthday, so I have to wish him a happy birthday.

Happy birthday Faust!

Hope your day was filled with hockey and grilling out and all the Minnesotan things you can handle!

+++++++

A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of taking some Senior Pictures for Ben. Thought now would be a good time to share some of my favorite images from the photo shoot:

Always a good time getting together with the Baiers!

Elainie, Night, Sabas, State Fair, Street Photography

Iowa State Fair – Day 3 – Zeta

April 12, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

So this is the final collection of images from my third trip to the Iowa State Fair. This might be my favorite collection as while I love taking pictures at any part of the Iowa State Fair, taking pictures at night is maybe my favorite. Although taking pictures before dawn is also pretty great. Even though I went to the Iowa State Fair 4 times last year, this was the only time I was there after the sun went down. That seems like an oversight I should remedy this year. Maybe I’ll take in a concert at the State Fair this year. I do have my eye on one anyways.

I want one of these shirts really bad.

Sabas even asked if he could buy one, but that is strictly against company policy. Boo!!

And you know I only boo for important things! Like turning the lights on.

Never been a fan of poutine.

Although this is the end of the images from my third trip to the Fair, next Friday will begin the collection of images from my final trip to the Fair. Although that collection will be smaller. It was the final day of the Fair and the temperature was close to 100. It wasn’t pleasant, to say the least.

Flowers, Macro, State Fair

Through the Years

April 11, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I can’t remember when you weren’t there
When I didn’t care for anyone but you
I swear, we’ve been through everything there is
Can’t imagine anything we’ve missed
Can’t imagine anything the two of us can’t do

Through the years, you’ve never let me down
You’ve turned my life around
The sweetest days I’ve found, I’ve found with you
Through the year, I’ve never been afraid
I’ve loved the life we’ve made
And I’m so glad I’ve stayed right here with you
Through the years

I can’t remember what I used to do
Who I trusted, whom I listened to before
I swear, you’ve taught me everything I know
Can’t imagine needing someone so
But through the years it seems to me
I need you more and more

Through the years, through all the good and bad
I knew how much we had
I’ve always been so glad to be with you
Through the years, it’s better every day
You’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay, I’ll stay with you
Through the years

Through the years, when everything went wrong
Together we were strong
I know that I belonged right here with you
Through the years, I never had a doubt
We’d always work things out
I’ve learned what love’s about, by loving you
Through the years

Through the years, you’ve never let me down
You’ve turned my life around
The sweetest days I’ve found, I’ve found with you
Through the years, it’s better every day
You’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay, I’ll stay with you
Through the years
-Written by Martin Panzer & Stephen Hartley Dorff
-Performed by Kenny Rogers