Time to reveal the October image for the 2026 Photography 139 Calendar.
- TECHNICAL DETAILS
- CAMERA: SONY 7RM5
- LENS: Sigma 24-70 f/2.8
- FOCAL LENGTH: 52mm
- APERTURE: f/2.8
- SHUTTER SPEED: 1/2000
- ISO: 100
- DATE TAKEN: August 24, 2025
The subject of the October image was taken of the Cliffs of Moher. The time of day we visited the Cliffs of Moher it was just crazy with people. You couldn’t throw a dead cat without hitting 20 people (Don’t blame me, I’m not the one that coined that term.) It wasn’t a situation rife with nature photography opportunities. I probably had to punch 5 people to get to a place to take this picture. Okay, I really didn’t. But you can imagine what it would have been like if I did. This isn’t my favorite picture taken at the Cliffs of Moher. That is probably a picture of about 15 tourists gathered around a bird taking a picture of it. But that would have been more of a May picture than an October picture. Sometimes, I like to have the October picture have some spooky elements in it or more fall elements, but it isn’t a month that has an important signifier to me. I wanted to have at least 1 picture in calendar from Ireland. The picture from March is from Northern Ireland. This picture was in October for no grander reason than October needed a picture and it needed a home. However, in the back of my mind it could be that the Cliffs of Moher were used as the Cliffs of Insanity in the greatest fantasy movie ever made: THE PRINESS BRIDE. As you wish. Really, maybe the most quotable movie of all-time. Rest in peace Carl Reiner.
Tomorrow I will reveal the November image.
Time for the collection of cruddy cell phone pictures from my 2nd Trip to the Iowa State Fair. This was a trip that was sponsored by the competitive barbecue team Tall & Meaty. I shared the pictures and talked about the Tall & Meaty pictures back on August 31st in the post Tall & Meaty: Iowa State Fair – 2025 if you need a refresher on how that went down.
Last Sunday I shared the food adventure that was the first Best New State Food Fair finalist that I tried, the Chicken Bacon Ranch Eggroll. I already revealed that it was the Best of the 3 Finalist. On this trip I would try another finalist.
Here are the pictures:
Logan being interviewed on the a local morning show.
I held down the fort and kept the fires stoked while Logan, Dustin, and Nathanial went and grabbed us breakfast burritos.
It came from the Beef Cattleman’s place. Dustin thinks.
I can’t put into words how good it was. It was by far the best meal I had at the fair. In what ended up being a disappointing culinary fair this year.
Tall & Meaty better make it back to the fair again this year. Just so I can have this burrito again!
I might have licked the wrapper clean after this picture.
Best New Fair Food Finalist #2: Scotcheroo Shake
If this looks familiar, it is because Evie and Connor had one on my first trip to the Fair.
Full disclosure: I don’t love scotcheroos. They are a very mid dessert.
It wasn’t great. I’d say it was more milk than shake. It was very watery is what I’m trying to lay down here.
And maybe that was because they struggled to keep up with the demand, but I didn’t love it.
Yet this watery mess was still better than the other Best New Fair Food Finalist.
Packed up and ready to hang out at the Fair for a bit.
Another new Fair Food, but not a finalist. A Beef Tenderloin from the Rib Shack.
It was also very underwhelming. It was good enough, but I would not get this again.
This apple inspired dessert from Applishus looked amazing. Probably trounced the Scotcheroo Shake. I should have got one.
And I met Bill Fennelly! We talked about Jada’s golden retriever.
I think I’ve covered the food enough with the captions that went with the pictures. So no need to go into any more detail. Next Sunday food adventure will cover my 3rd and final trip to the Fair. It will include the worst food I had at the Fair in 2025, but also something that was pretty dang tasty!