Category Archives: Logan

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WPC – WEEK 470 – MUSIC

September 16, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

MUSIC! A great theme! But did enough people hear it to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out! Am I silently judging anybody’s taste in MUSIC? You don’t have to scroll down. I am. I definitely in.

On a sad note, I learned today that my favorite record store and the place where I get many of the records for my NEW-TO-ME-VINYL FRIDAY stories on Snapchat closed down recently. Wax Xtatic in Marshalltown was awesome! And now it is gone. So I’ll be looking for a new independent record store to frequent. I’m open to suggestions.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, September 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Mary Green – 1 week (MI, IA, IN, IL, PR)
2-Elainie Hernandez – 1 week (IA)
*3-Deb Powers – 2 weeks (MT, IA)
4-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
5-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks (IA, MD)
*6-Amy Peterson – 3 weeks (IA)
7-Monica Jennings – 5 weeks (IA)
8-Sara Lockner – 6 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
9-Willy McAlpine – 9 weeks (IA)
10-Deanna McClain – 13 weeks (IA, MN)
11-Mike Vest – 16 weeks (IA, MO, OK, AR, KS)
12-Adam Gordon – 26 weeks (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN)
13-Lowell Davis – 36 weeks (IA, MO)
14-Michelle Haupt – 36 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI)
*15-Brandon Kahler – 37 weeks (IA, MN)
16-Scott Degeneffe – 55 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL, MN, WI)
*17-Sheri Fakhouri – 65 weeks (IA, NE)
18-Logan Kahler – 65 weeks (IA, MN, MO)
19-Nathanial Brown – 67 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL, IL, KS)
20-Tamara Peterson – 78 weeks (IA, MN)
21-Mindi Terrell – 82 weeks (IA)
22-Linda Bennett – 111 weeks (KS, IA, MI)
23-Sarah Toot – 112 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC)
24-Angie DeWaard – 116 weeks (IA, IL, SCT, ENG)
25-Dawn Krause – 120 weeks (IA, IL)
26-Kim Barker – 126 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
27-Joe Duff – 127 weeks (TX, NY)
*28-Teresa Kahler – 138 weeks (IA, NE)
29-Carla Stensland – 138 weeks (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO)
30-Micky Augustin – 140 weeks (IA, IL, FL, AK)
*31-Andy Sharp – 141 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL, MN, WI)
32-Bill Wentworth – 142 weeks (NE, MO, FL)
33-Cathie Morton – 146 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
34-Elizabeth Nordeen – 147 weeks (IA, OH)
35-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 149 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
36-Kio Dettman – 151 weeks (IA)

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:

36 states!

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.

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:

Micky Augustin (Iowa)- 141 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Farmer’s Market – Bentonville, Arkansas) – 150 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Outside of Jane, Missouri)

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 127 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone Theater – Boone, Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 4 weeks suzi

Nathanial Brown (Albert Lea, Minnesota) – 68 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Pierce, Nebraska)

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 152 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 117 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 56 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 128 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 66 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Adam Gordon (Iowa) – 27 weeks

Mary Green (Michigan) – 2 weeks

Mary Green (Michigan)

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

Jesse Howard (Homecoming – Boone, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 38 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa) – 139 weeks

Dawn Krause (Fraser, Iowa) – 121 weeks

Sara Lockner (Pork Tornados – Adventureland – Altoona, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 14 weeks

Cathie Morton (Des Moines, Iowa) – 147 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 148 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 79 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Debb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Boone First United Methodist Church – Boone, Iowa) – 142 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 1 week

Carla Stensland (Springbrook State Park – Guthrie Center, Iowa) – 139 weeks

Carla Stensland (Springbrook State Park – Guthrie Center, Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 113 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 83 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 143 weeks

37 participants! That is a pretty solid week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Iowa (34)
+ Kansas (1)
+ Michigan (2)
+ Minnesota (1)
+ Missouri (1)
+ Nebraska (2)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Texas (1)

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

+ Arkansas (20.5)
+ Alaska (1)
+ California (3)
+ Colorado (10)
+ Florida (11)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (15)
+ Indiana (6)
+ Iowa (1377)
+ Kansas (52)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (11)
+ Minnesota (13)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (17.5)
+ Montana (4)
+ Nebraska (45)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (17)
+ North Carolina (2)
+ Ohio (5)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (29)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (54)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ West Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (4)
+ Wyoming (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ Canada (2)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Ireland (3)
+ England (2)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Scotland (1)

36 states so far! 1 U.S. Territory! 6 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:

+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL, IL, KS, NE, MN) – 11
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN, WV, PA) – 11
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL, MN, WI) – 9
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC) – 6
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN) – 6
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV, AR, MO) – 5
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI) – 5
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK, KS) – 5
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL, SCT, ENG) – 4
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL, AK) – 4
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN, MO) – 3
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO, FL) – 3
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA, MI) – 3
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
+ Evie Gorshe (IA, IN) – 2
+ Layla Gorshe (IA, OH) -2
+ Deb Powers (MT, IA) – 2

Nathanial has tied Jen for the top spot to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” However Andy and Scott are in striking distance.

The big milestone this week was Willy reaching the Double Digit Streak Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. Elainie couldn’t build on her submission from last week. Her streak is over before it began. Amy’s streak also came to a halting crash after 3 weeks! The humanity!

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:

PARK

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

I look forward to 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 PARK in this place that that is a bit of a respite from the world next Monday.

Alexis, Art, Automobiles, Brandon, Carla, Christianity, Dahlia, Elainie, History, Holidays, Jason, Jesse, Johnathan, Jonah Kahler, K.J., Logan, Music, Olympic Sports, Russ, Sabas, Street Photography, Teresa

Forever A Cyclone State!

September 11, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I need to start today’s post by remembering the victims of the terrorist acts on our country that happened on September 11, 2001. Hard to believe it was 23 years ago. I can still vividly remember almost everything about that morning. I’m sure almost everyone that was alive on that day can do the same thing. I won’t recount my experience. It was much different than most people on that day. Instead I will share this photo of a mural on the wall of the VFW in Valley Junction:

The victims of the day should never be forgotten. The heroes of that day should also never be forgotten.

+++++++

On Saturday, a redshirt-freshman-walk-on-kicker that has only been playing football for a few years, stepped up on the field in Kinnick Stadium and boomed a 54 yard field goal right through the middle of the uprights. A kick that would have been good from 64 yards. That kicks gave the Cyclones a 20-19 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Cyclones second straight win in Kinnick. Their 4th win in the last 6 trips to Kinnick. And in some ways, it provided a little bit of healing for my family. Not a ton, but some.

As many of you know, it was a terrible week last week for my family. That is an understatement. My brother-in-law Russ, the father of Brandon and Logan passed away on Saturday, August 31. Russ’ health was failing, but it still came as a shock and much quicker than I expected. Teresa called me early Saturday morning and gave me the news. God I wish that was the only one of those phone calls I got those few days.

On Monday, September 2, Jesse and I went to Perry to take part in the RVTV festivities that accompany Cy-Hawk Week. I have never went to a town that was hosting RVTV besides when Boone hosted them a few years back. I don’t think I’m saying anything that isn’t common knowledge, but Boone did a pretty poor job as a host.

On the other hand, Perry knocked it out of the park. There were several blocks of activities and vendors.

Jesse and I had stopped and were talking to a painter. She was telling her story about how she had found God and become sober 5 years ago. Then God called her to be a painter. As she was telling us that story my phone rang. It was Jason. I might have normally not answered my phone because of the conversation I was engaged in, but Jason doesn’t call often, so I figured it was important. So I excused myself from the conversation and took the call.

On the other end was Carla not Jason. Which worried me a little bit, but not completely uncommon. Carla sometimes loses her phone. But this wasn’t one of those times. Carla proceeded to tell me that Jason’s only brother Justin had been killed in a car accident.

Damn it! When it rains it damn well pours!

I gave Carla my condolences, I think. Poorly tried to explain how terrible all of this was. Thinking about Jason. And Johnathan. And Elainie. And Alexis. And Jason’s parents. And Justin’s wife. They had just been married a few months back. Then I hung up and inserted myself back into the discussion with the Christian artist and the colors she used reflected how much light was in her life compared to when she was abusing.

I went though the rest of the night taking pictures of the events. Eating at The Tin Pig.

The rest of the week kinda flew by. Jason and Carla went to Colorado for Justin’s ceremony. Russ’ visitation was on Friday night. His funeral was on Saturday, before the Cy-Hawk game.

For the funeral, the boys picked 3 different Rush songs to be played. “Tom Sawyer”, “Fly By Night”, and “Spirit of the Radio”. Since Adam is out the church brought in a Pastor from Bagley to do the ceremony. He did a good job and I was most impressed with how he incorporated the lyrics to “Fly By Night” into the service.

Start a new chapter
I find what I’m after
Is changing every day
The change of a season
Is enough of a reason
To want to get away

Quiet and pensive
My thoughts apprehensive
The hours drift away
Leaving my homeland
Playing a lonehand
My life begins today

After the funeral I hosted Brandon, K.J., Logan, Dahlia, Jonah, Johnathan, Elainie, Sabas, Jesse (briefly), and Teresa.

Once Scott, after losing one of his parents, asked me “when is it normal again?”

I told him what I think is as honest as I can be, “It never is normal again. You just have to adjust to what is now the new normal”.

I hope just watching the game and rooting on the Cyclones… All of us screaming at the television as the field goal was in the air… Freaking both Dahlia and Bokeh out… brought a small sense of normal to their worlds. And maybe just a touch of healing.

Here are pictures I took at RVTV in Perry on Labor Day:

After the game was over the family slowly dispersed. Before Brandon left, he stood up and looked at Bokeh and said, “You’ve got big shoes to fill. But you’ll get there.”

Then he said he was going to the cemetery on his way home to tell his Dad that the Cyclones had won.

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

WPC – WEEK 469 – SELF-PORTRAIT

September 9, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

You may recall last week that I gave Micky an extension because he was in a place where he could only communicate via satellite phone. Here is his SQUARE photo:

WPC - WEEK 468 - SQUARE - MICKY AUGUSTIN

Micky Augustin (Chicago, Illinois) – 139 weeks

On the other news from last week’s streaks, Adam’s trending in the right direction. I don’t know if he is back taking photos, but if you keep scrolling, you will find out.

+++++++

SELF-PORTRAIT! A great theme! But were enough people in touch with themselves to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, September 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

*1-Deb Powers – 1 week (MT, IA)
2-Alexis Stensland – 1 week (IA)
3-Jesse Howard – 2 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
4-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks (IA, MD)
*5-Amy Peterson – 2 weeks (IA)
6-Monica Jennings – 4 weeks (IA)
7-Sara Lockner – 5 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
8-Willy McAlpine – 8 weeks (IA)
9-Deanna McClain – 12 weeks (IA, MN)
10-Mike Vest – 16 weeks (IA, MO, OK, AR, KS)
11-Sabas Hernandez – 21 weeks (IA, OH)
12-Lowell Davis – 35 weeks (IA, MO)
13-Michelle Haupt – 35 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI)
14-Brandon Kahler – 36 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 54 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL, MN, WI)
16-Sheri Fakhouri – 64 weeks (IA, NE)
*17-Logan Kahler – 65 weeks (IA, MN, MO)
18-Nathanial Brown – 66 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL, IL, KS)
19-Tamara Peterson – 77 weeks (IA, MN)
20-Mindi Terrell – 81 weeks (IA)
21-Linda Bennett – 110 weeks (KS, IA, MI)
22-Sarah Toot – 111 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC)
23-Angie DeWaard – 115 weeks (IA, IL, SCT, ENG)
24-Dawn Krause – 119 weeks (IA, IL)
25-Kim Barker – 125 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
*26-Joe Duff – 126 weeks (TX, NY)
*27-Teresa Kahler – 137 weeks (IA, NE)
28-Carla Stensland – 137 weeks (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO)
29-Micky Augustin – 139 weeks (IA, IL, FL)
30-Andy Sharp – 140 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL, MN, WI)
31-Bill Wentworth – 141 weeks (NE, MO, FL)
32-Cathie Morton – 145 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
33-Elizabeth Nordeen – 146 weeks (IA, OH)
34-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 148 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
*35-Kio Dettman – 150 weeks (IA)

strong>Here is the list of rules for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO 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.

WPC - WEEK 469 - SELF-PORTRAIT - ADAM GORDON

Adam Gordon (Iowa) – 26 weeks

Amy Peterson (Ames, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Amy Peterson (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Iowa City, Iowa) – 141 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa City, Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Neurology Dept, McFarland Clinic – Ames, Iowa) – 116 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 142 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Salida, Colorado) – 138 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 146 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 120 weeks

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)

Elainie Hernandez (Boone, Iowa)- 1 week

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 147 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 127 weeks

Kim Barker (Cambridge, Iowa) – 126 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) -151 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 111 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Lowell Davis (Muscatine, Iowa) – 36 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 1 week

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Micky Augustin (Above the Arctic Circle, Alaska) – 140 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 82 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 112 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa)- 55 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Deal’s Orchard – Jefferson, Iowa) – 149 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 78 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 138 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Goeppinger Field – Boone, Iowa) – 9 weeks

37 participants! That is a pretty good week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Alaska (1)
+ Colorado (1)
+ Iowa (37)
+ Kansas (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Texas (1)

Thanks to Micky’s travels, we have added Alaska to this year’s submission map!

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

+ Arkansas (19.5)
+ Alaska (1)
+ California (3)
+ Colorado (10)
+ Florida (11)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (15)
+ Indiana (6)
+ Iowa (1343)
+ Kansas (51)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (9)
+ Minnesota (12)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (17.5)
+ Montana (4)
+ Nebraska (43)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (17)
+ North Carolina (2)
+ Ohio (5)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (28)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (53)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ West Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (4)
+ Wyoming (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ Canada (2)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Ireland (3)
+ England (2)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Scotland (1)

36 states so far! 1 U.S. Territory! 6 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, IN, WV, PA) – 11
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL, MN, WI) – 9
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL, IL, KS) – 9
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC) – 6
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI) – 5
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK, KS) – 5
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL, SCT, ENG) – 4
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL, AK) – 4
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN, MO) – 3
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO, FL) – 3
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA, MI) – 3
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
+ Evie Gorshe (IA, IN) – 2
+ Layla Gorshe (IA, OH) -2
+ Deb Powers (MT, IA) – 2

Jen has claimed the top spot to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” However Andy, Scott, and Nathanial are in striking distance. Jesse has fallen out of contention.

There were some big milestones this week. Adam’s streak returned from medical leave and he is now in the Half Year Streak Club! WooHoo! Tamara joined the Year and Half Streak Club! WooHoo! Woo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Alexis couldn’t build on her submission from last week. Her streak was over before it began. Worst of all, Sabas’ streak comes to a crashing halt at 21 weeks. The humanity!

MUSIC

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

I look forward to 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 MUSIC in this place that that thinks of itself as a visual symphony next Monday.

Alexis, Amanda, Brandon, Carla, Dahlia, Elainie, Jason, K.J., Logan, Mom, Russ, Teresa

Russ Kahler

September 4, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

It has been a rough week for my family. On Saturday morning my brother-in-law Russ passed away. I want to share his obituary so it is always in a place where I know I can find it.

Russell Kahler Obituary
Russell Duane Kahler, 63, of Boone, Iowa, passed away at Eastern Star Masonic Home in Boone on Saturday, August 31, 2024. Russel was born on August 14, 1961, in Norfolk, Nebraska, the son of Alan Arnold Kahler and Helen Mae (Wulf) Kahler.

He graduated from Ames High School and then attended DMACC in Ankeny. On March 11, 1989, Russell married Teresa Bennet at the First United Methodist Church in Boone, to this marriage, two children were born, Brandon and Logan Kahler. Teresa and Russell later divorced.

Russell was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Boone. He worked for K-Mart in Ames. He started there the day that it opened and worked there until the day that it closed. Russell also worked for Iowa State University as a security guard for 15 years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alan and Helen Kahler; paternal grandparents, Arnold Kahler and Florence (Rice) Kahler, and maternal grandparents, Herman and Elsie (Tangck) Wulf.

Russell is survived by his sons, Brandon Kahler (KJ Johnson) and Logan Kahler (Amanda Nichols) of Boone; grandchildren: Greyson, Dahlia, and Jonah, all of Boone; brothers: Roger (Karla) Kahler of Ogden, Ron Kahler of Boone, Ryan (Kathy) Kahler of Ottumwa, and Robert Kahler of Cincinnati, OH.

Funeral services will be on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Boone. Visitation with the family present to greet friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2024, at Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home in Boone.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the family to use at their discretion.

Russ was a great guy! Who helped raise two great sons! He was a big Nebraska football fan. Was also a big fan of Cyclone sports. There was a time when he and Jason split my Cyclone football season tickets with me. He was also a baseball fan. He collected postcards of every major league stadium at one time. He was a big fan of classic rock. In particular his love for Rush is well documented. I don’t know how many times he saw Rush in concert, but I alone saw Rush with him twice. He often worked rock concerts back when there were concerts at Hilton. He was into photography and when he worked at K-Mart, the place I always remember him working at was the Photo Department. He developed I don’t know how many rolls of film for me over the years. When he was young Russ was an avid runner. He competed in several marathons. I am going to miss him!

I don’t have a ton of pictures of Russ, but here are a few:

He was and always will remain a member of my family.

Art, Candid Portrait, Dahlia, Holidays, Iowa State, Logan, Night, Still Life

Reiman Gardens Christmas

September 3, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

For the first time last year, I finally went and checked out the Christmas light show at Reiman Gardens. It was definitely worth the price of admission and I took a few photos.

Some more Christmas lights to share in the coming week!

Alexis, Amy, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Deanna, Elizabeth, Holidays, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Linda, Logan, Lowell, Michelle, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 468 – SQUARE

September 2, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Today is Labor Day! The day we don’t work don’t honor the labor movement.

I don’t belong to a Union, but I’m am VERY pro-union. Possibly it is genetic. Here are 36 reasons to be thankful for unions:

1. Weekends
2. All breaks at work, including your lunch breaks
3. Paid Vacation
4. Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
5. Sick Leave
6. Social Security
7. Minimum Wage
8. Civil Rights Act/Title VII (Prohibits Employer Discrimination)
9. 8-Hour Work Day
10. Overtime Pay
11. Child Labor Laws
12. Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)
13. 40-Hour Work Week
14. Worker’s Compensation (Worker’s Comp)
15. Unemployment Insurance
16. Pensions
17. Workplace Safety Standards and Regulations
18. Employer Health Care Insurance
19. Collective Bargaining Rights for Employees
20. Wrongful Termination Laws
21. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
22. Whistleblower Protection Laws
23. Employee Polygraph Protect Act (Prohibits Employer from using a lie detector test on an employee)
24. Veteran’s Employment and Training Services (VETS)
25. Compensation Increases and Evaluations (Raises)
26. Sexual Harassment Laws
27. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
28. Holiday Pay
29. Employer Dental, Life, and Vision Insurance
30. Privacy Rights
31. Pregnancy and Parental Leave
32. Military Leave
33. The Right to Strike
34. Public Education for Children
35. Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011 (Requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work)
36. Laws Ending Sweatshops in the United States

Happy Labor Day!

+++++++

SQUARE! A great theme! But were enough people hip enough to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, August 26, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week (IA, MD)
2-Elainie Hernandez – 1 week (IA)
3-Jesse Howard – 1 week (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
4-Amy Peterson – 1 week (IA)
5-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN, WV, PA)
6-Monica Jennings – 3 weeks (IA)
7-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
8-Willy McAlpine – 7 weeks (IA)
9-Deanna McClain – 11 weeks (IA, MN)
10-Mike Vest – 15 weeks (IA, MO, OK, AR, KS)
*11-Sabas Hernandez – 20 weeks (IA, OH)
*12-Adam Gordon – 25 weeks (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN)
13-Lowell Davis – 34 weeks (IA, MO)
14-Michelle Haupt – 34 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI)
15-Brandon Kahler – 35 weeks (IA, MN)
16-Scott Degeneffe – 53 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL, MN, WI)
17-Sheri Fakhouri – 63 weeks (IA, NE)
18-Logan Kahler – 64 weeks (IA, MN, MO)
19-Nathanial Brown – 65 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL, IL, KS)
20-Tamara Peterson – 76 weeks (IA, MN)
*21-Mindi Terrell – 80 weeks (IA)
*22-Linda Bennett – 109 weeks (KS, IA, MI)
23-Sarah Toot – 110 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC)
24-Angie DeWaard – 114 weeks (IA, IL, SCT, ENG)
25-Dawn Krause – 118 weeks (IA, IL)
26-Kim Barker – 124 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
27-Joe Duff – 125 weeks (TX, NY)
*28-Teresa Kahler – 136 weeks (IA, NE)
*29-Carla Stensland – 136 weeks (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO)
30-Micky Augustin – 138 weeks (IA, IL, FL)
31-Andy Sharp – 139 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL, MN, WI)
32-Bill Wentworth – 140 weeks (NE, MO, FL)
33-Cathie Morton – 144 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
34-Elizabeth Nordeen – 145 weeks (IA, OH)
35-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 147 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
*36-Kio Dettman – 149 weeks (IA)

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

WPC - WEEK 468 - SQUARE - ALEXIS STENSLAND

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 1 week

Suzie Brannen (Perry, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 1 week

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Iowa)- 2 weeks

Amy Peterson (The Grotto of the Redemption – West Bend, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Amy Peterson (The Grotto of the Redemption – West Bend, Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Sara Lockner (Ogden, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Madrid Labor Day Festival – Madrid, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 35 weeks

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 35 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 36 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 65 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 77 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 81 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 110 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Iowa) – 111 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 115 weeks

Dawn Krause (West Des Moines, Iowa) – 119 weeks

Kim Barker (Manchester, Iowa) – 125 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 126 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 137 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa) – 137 weeks

Andy Sharp (Council Bluffs, Iowa) – 140 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 141 weeks

Cathie Morton (Decorah, Iowa) – 145 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 146 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Honey Hollow – Summerset, Iowa) – 148 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 150 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Reiman Music – Ames, Iowa) – 571 weeks

35 participants this week. Not a good week, but not bad considering the holiday.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Iowa (36)
+ Kansas (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Texas (2)

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

+ Arkansas (19.5)
+ California (3)
+ Colorado (9)
+ Florida (11)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (14)
+ Indiana (6)
+ Iowa (1306)
+ Kansas (50)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (9)
+ Minnesota (12)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (17.5)
+ Montana (4)
+ Nebraska (42)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (17)
+ North Carolina (2)
+ Ohio (5)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (27)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (52)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ West Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (4)
+ Wyoming (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ Canada (2)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Ireland (3)
+ England (2)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Scotland (1)

35 states so far! 1 U.S. Territory! 6 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, IN, WV, PA) – 11
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL, MN, WI) – 9
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL, IL, KS) – 9
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC) – 6
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI) – 5
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK, KS) – 5
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL, SCT, ENG) – 4
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN, MO) – 3
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO, FL) – 3
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA, MI) – 3
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
+ Evie Gorshe (IA, IN) – 2
+ Layla Gorshe (IA, OH) -2
+ Deb Powers (MT, IA) – 2

There were no major milestones reached this week.

There were a ton of steaks snapped though. Elainie couldn’t build on her submission from last week. Her streak is over before it began. Jen’s streak is over at 2.

An overly keen observer might have noticed that two frequently contributors did not submit this week.

First, Adam has had a medical situation. I’m temporarily suspending his streak while I wait for him. But without going into details (if you know, you already know) keep Adam and his wife Amanda in your prayers. Keep our church in your prayers as well as we will be without Adam for a while.

Second, Micky is in the middle of Alaska. His only connection to the outside world is a satellite phone. So I’ve given him an extension to get his submission in. You will get to see it later this week.

SELF-PORTRAIT

SELF-PORTRAIT! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

The easiest theme of the 53 this year! You have a self, just have to take a picture of yourself. I guess the challenge is to make it as creative or meaningful as you can.

I look forward to 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 SELF-PORTRAIT in this place that is essentially one next Monday.

Baby Got Rack, Candid Portrait, Contests, Logan, Nathanial, State Fair, Still Life

Tall & Meaty: Iowa State Fair Contest

September 1, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

On the Tuesday at the Iowa State Fair Logan competed in the Iowa State Fair grilling contest. Even though he won the County Fair with this deviled eggs, they had him enter Beef because something… something… something… meat.

I went down to assist him and document the experience.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

Logan did very well at the State Fair. He won the Best Showmanship Award! I’m not sure if he is competing in any more contests this year, but I’ll let you know when I know!

Adam, Amy, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Deanna, Elainie, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Lowell, Michelle, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy

WPC – WEEK 467 – STILL LIFE

August 26, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

NOTE: DON’T FORGET THAT NEXT MONDAY IS LABOR DAY. WHILE THE SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED. THE BANKS ARE CLOSED. GOVERNMENT OFFICES ARE CLOSED. MAYBE WHERE YOU WORK IS CLOSED. BUT THERE ARE NO DAYS OFF FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 139. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. SO PLAN TO GET YOUR SUBMISSION IN BEFORE YOU GET BUSY WITH GRILLING OR VACATIONING OR WHATEVER.

It is the last Monday of the month and on the last Monday of the month I like to revisit our Frequently Asked Questions. Who asks these questions? I mostly ask them of myself. But that isn’t a Frequently Asked Question. These are:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

What skill level photographer can participate?

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is open to photographers of all skill levels. From award winning photographers to professionals to the highly ranked amateurs to those that are just beginning to those who don’t even know how to focus a camera. All skill levels are encouraged and welcome. You can’t be too bad and you can’t be too good! Everyone has room to learn and be challenged!

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 10 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind. These are the people I can think of off the top of my head that I know have won a photography award at some point in their lives: Yours Truly, Jen, Logan, Teresa, Carla, Dawn, Monica, Shannon, Nathanial, Angie, Vest, and I’m sure I’m forgetting about somebody.

Is this a competition?
NO. It is a challenge. There are no winners and losers. Well the people that don’t participate are losers.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 2. If you send me more than 2, I will post the first 2 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that starts to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.

If you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.

If I start to average like 45 participants a week, I will lower the limit to 1.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough for me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme every week. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones. I would say on the average week over 80% of participants seem to have understood the assignment.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Do I have to wait until Monday morning to submit?

Absolutely not! In fact (AND CAN’T EMPATHIZE THIS ENOUGH) I appreciate the submissions that make it to me by Sunday evening. Makes the job of putting this together on Monday morning much easier!

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their widest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point. But don’t tempt me!

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that. In fact, I appreciate you letting me know where a picture was taken. If you don’t let me know, I will assume the picture was taken in the state you live in.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.

+++++++

STILL LIFE! A great theme! But did enough people hold still long enough to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, August 19, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Derrick Gorshe – 1 week (OH)
2-Layla Gorshe – 1 week (OH)
*3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN, WV, PA)
*4-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks (IA)
5-Sara Lockner – 3 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
6-Tim Panages – 3 weeks (IA)
7-Willy McAlpine – 6 weeks (IA)
8-Deanna McClain – 10 weeks (IA, MN)
9-Mike Vest – 15 weeks (IA, MO, OK, AR, KS)
10-Sabas Hernandez – 19 weeks (IA, OH)
*11-Adam Gordon – 24 weeks (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI)
12-Lowell Davis – 33 weeks (IA, MO)
13-Michelle Haupt – 33 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI)
14-Brandon Kahler – 34 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 52 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL, MN, WI)
16-Sheri Fakhouri – 62 weeks (IA, NE)
17-Logan Kahler – 63 weeks (IA, MN)
18-Nathanial Brown – 64 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL, IL, KS)
19-Tamara Peterson – 75 weeks (IA, MN)
*20-Mindi Terrell – 79 weeks (IA)
21-Linda Bennett – 108 weeks (KS, IA, MI)
22-Sarah Toot – 109 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC)
23-Angie DeWaard – 113 weeks (IA, IL, SCT, ENG)
24-Dawn Krause – 117 weeks (IA, IL)
25-Kim Barker – 123 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
*26-Joe Duff – 124 weeks (TX, NY)
27-Teresa Kahler – 135 weeks (IA, NE)
28-Carla Stensland – 135 weeks (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO)
29-Micky Augustin – 137 weeks (IA, IL, FL)
30-Andy Sharp – 138 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL, MN, WI)
31-Bill Wentworth – 139 weeks (NE, MO, FL)
32-Cathie Morton – 143 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
33-Elizabeth Nordeen – 144 weeks (IA, OH)
34-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 146 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
*35-Kio Dettman – 148 weeks (IA)

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

WPC - WEEK 467 - STILL LIFE - KIO DETTMAN

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 149 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Rural Rippey, Greene County, Iowa) – 147 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 145 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 144 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 140 weeks

Andy Sharp (Kohl’s – Clinton, Iowa) – 139 weeks

Micky Augustin (Story County, Iowa) – 138 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 136 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Beardshear Hall – Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa) – 136 weeks

Carla Stensland (Beardshear Hall – Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 125 weeks

Kim Barker (Ames, Iowa) – 124 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 118 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Tower of London – London, England) – 114 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 110 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 109 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 80 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 76 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Chicago, Illinois) – 65 weeks

Logan Kahler (Kansas City, Missouri) – 64 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 53 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 35 weeks

Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Adam Gordon (Neeble Road House – Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada) – 25 weeks

Adam Gordon (Wawa, Ontario, Canada)

Sabas Hernandez (Ogden, Iowa) – 20 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Bettendorf, Iowa)

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Elainie Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

Jesse Howard (Des Moines Downtown Farmer’s Market – Des Moines, Iowa) – 1 week

Amy Peterson (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week

Christopher D. Bennett (Downtown Des Moines Farmer’s Market – Des Moines, Iowa)

37 participants this week. A pretty good, but not great week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Canada (2)
+ England (1)
+ Illinois (1)
+ Iowa (35)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Missouri (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ Texas (1)

Thanks to Adam’s travels Canada was added to the list of foreign countries people have submitted from this year!

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

+ Arkansas (19.5)
+ California (3)
+ Colorado (9)
+ Florida (11)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (14)
+ Indiana (6)
+ Iowa (1271)
+ Kansas (49)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (9)
+ Minnesota (12)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (17.5)
+ Montana (4)
+ Nebraska (41)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (17)
+ North Carolina (2)
+ Ohio (5)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (25)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (50)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ West Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (4)
+ Wyoming (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ Canada (2)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Ireland (3)
+ England (2)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Scotland (1)

35 states so far! 1 U.S. Territory! 6 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, IN, WV, PA) – 11
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL, MN, WI) – 9
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL, IL, KS) – 9
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC) – 6
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI) – 5
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK, KS) – 5
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL, SCT, ENG) – 4
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN, MO) – 3
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO, FL) – 3
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA, MI) – 3
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
+ Evie Gorshe (IA, IN) – 2
+ Layla Gorshe (IA, OH) -2

There were no milestones reached this week, but there were a few streaks snapped. Derrick and Layla couldn’t not build on their submissions from last week. Their streaks are over before they began. Worst of all, Tim’s 3 week streak is over!

SQUARE

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

I think enough of us went to school to know what a SQUARE is. Remember a SQUARE is a rectangle. But a rectangle might not be a square. Don’t even think about trying to put a non-SQUARE rectangle past me!

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 SQUARE in this place that might be created by one on Monday.

Art, Contests, Dad, Elainie, Evie, Jen, Layla, Lists, Logan, Mom, Nader, Sabas, Self-Portrait, Shannon, State Fair, Street Photography, Tenderloining, Teresa

State Fairin’: Best New Food Field Work

August 25, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

A tradition I started last year was my Iowa State Fair Power Rankings. Last year I just compiled my list of my 10 Favorite Fair Things. This year I’m going to power rank the 10 Iowa State Fair Buildings:

10 Best Iowa State Fair Buildings Power Rankings

#10 MURALS

Murals is actually an electrical sub-station. You can’t go in it, but every side is covered with an incredible mural and is by far the best place on the fairgrounds to do a selfie. Or even a self-portrait. Also a good spot to grab a clandestine smoke apparently.

#9 ANN & BILL RILEY STAGE

Some might argue it isn’t a building, but to me it meets all the requirements. It is one of three free stages to watch entertainment at the Fair and by far the best. Not only is it the site of the Bill Riley Talent Show (which lowkey is one of my favorite parts of the Fair). It seats over 3,000 people. There is shade and it is located right smack in the middle of a good majority of the food options. When I’m on the job of eating with a group of people, I like to setup base there. Then everyone can scatter and find their own food and come back and watch some kid from Decatur City belt out a showtune!

#8 GRANDSTAND

The Grandstand hosts the big time acts that come to the Fair. Admittedly I haven’t been to a concert at the Grandstand since I went to see Maroon 5 with Jill. So that tells you it has been probably a decade. But this year there were many shows that tempted me. Foreigner. Greta Van Fleet. The Avett Brothers. To name a few. I didn’t go to any, but I was tempted. The inside hosts a bunch of flea market type stuff. But most importantly it is the home of Nitro Ice Cream. A must get at the Fair for me every year!

#7 ELWELL FAMILY FOOD CENTER

This is a bit of a nostalgic pick. This was one of my Mom’s must-sees every year. It hosts the food contests. But the favorite here is the cake contests. Both the Ugly Cake Contest and then the, not sure what it is actually called, but the Pretty Cake Contest. An added bonus is that it is air conditioned and it has some of the cleanest bathrooms at the State Fair. But in the last couple of years I have gotten to introduce Elainie to the joy of the Ugly Cake Contest and that makes my heart all warm and fuzzy.

#6 DNR BUILDING

This building would be higher on the list in past years, but in recent years there haven’t been many birds on the pond because of the stupid avian flu. But there are a few, so partial credit. There are still turtles. There are also still the lunkers in the fish tanks inside. Plus sometimes there are snakes and other various creatures. Plus some of the gates were designed and built and installed by an artist that lives 2 houses down from me from garbage pulled out of Iowa rivers. This year they added an archery range, but unfortunately got rid of the water feature that housed a couple of water lilies.

#5 BRUCE L. RASTETTER 4-H EXHIBITS BUILDING

This is another slightly nostalgic pick. Both my sisters were very active in 4-H and frequently had pictures on display in this building. I still love looking at the 4-H photo contest and just looking at all the other exhibits that the young people of our state have put together. They are frequently equal parts fascinating and awe inspiring. It is also an air conditioned building with clean bathrooms and water bottle refill stations. Plus the 4-H food stand is decent and your dollars go to support a good cause.

#4 PAUL R. KNAPP ANIMAL LEARNING CENTER

This is by far the newest and smelliest building on my power rankings. But it is air conditioned. The bathrooms are clean. It is by far the best place to see baby animals. Baby pigs. Baby sheep. Baby goats. Baby cows. Baby chickens. Baby ducks. All super adorable!

#3 PIONEER HALL

There is definitely some nostalgia in this pick. Many of my earliest State Fair memories involve Pioneer Hall. My Dad used to sell antiques here during the Iowa State Fair. It is the oldest building on this list and I think the oldest building of the Iowa State Fair. It was built in 1886 and was originally a poultry building. But nostalgia aside it is one of my favorite buildings to visit. Not just because of all the antique dealers. But the blacksmith display. The old-timey music that comes from the stage. Plus it hosts some of the best contests of the fair. Cow Chip Throwing. Rubber Duck Throwing. Husband Calling. Hog Calling. Turkey Calling. To name a few. Plus it is one of the places to get on the sky glider. There are tractor displays in the courtyard. Plenty to do, even if you don’t like antiques.

#2 JOHN DEERE AGRICULTURE BUILDING

The Agriculture Building doesn’t rank this high just because it is sponsored by John Deere. But it definitely helps. Next to the Agriculture Building is the Discovery Garden. Which is well documented as one of my favorite parts of the Fair. But next to that is the Largest Pumpkin Contest. Inside is where you can get a free hard boiled egg. The butter sculptures are housed here. Plus just a myriad of strange contests that are amongst my favorites. Like the seed mosaic art contest. The Odd Vegetable Contest. Upstairs is where the honey producers have their contests and sell honey lemonade. It is truly atrocious (the lemonade), but you can see Shannon, so that is something! Plus, the 4-H has their Dairy Barn there. Applelishus has a food stand. There is also a small State Fair Souvenir Stand. It really has something for everybody and don’t sleep on that free hard boiled egg!

#1 PATTY & JIM COWNIE CULTURAL CENTER

You should have known this was going to be #1. A very ugly building on the inside and out, it was built in 1949 as the 4-H Girls Dormitory. You can see the 4-H Logo engraved on the corners of the building as the remnants of its original use. But perhaps it is because it is so utilitarian, it is perfect for all of the art that it hosts. Obviously, it hosts the Photography Salon. But it also host the Fine Arts Contest. Plus it hosts the Dollhouse Contest. Woodworking exhibits. The Artist Fair. On the ground floor by the main entrance on the east wall one of my favorite artists has setup and sold for years. I always stop and pickup some new stickers. There is just art of every kind there. And if you like art at all (and if you don’t and are here, my feelings are a touch hurt) this is the best building at the State Fair.

Next year I might Power Rank the best State Fair Contests, but there are so many I don’t know I could do such a list justice. It is a year away, so who knows what will change, but it is my first idea.

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Today is a long one, so buckle up.

I’m going to start by ranking the Finalists for Best New Fair Food. Then just share all the food I ate at the Iowa State Fair:

#3 Iowa Sm’Oak’ed Roll – Whatcha Smokin? BBQ – $14

The description:

Smoked Pork tenderloin stuffed with jasmine rice, jalapeno creamed corn, smoked poblano queso and Giddy Up Texas taco sauce, poblano ranch and smoked sesame seeds.

It just wasn’t good. It was bland. The sauces didn’t work. It was served barely above room temperature. Jesse is the only person I heard say anything good about it. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever had at the Iowa State Fair. Period. Which was disappointing because they are basically a local restaurant for me AND last year, their Iowa Twinkie was my favorite. I have no doubt they will rebound and offer something delicious again next year.

#2 Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Roll – Winn & Sara’s Kitchen – $12

Description:

Ground beef cooked with bacon and pickles with a cheese filling, wrapped in a golden pastry egg roll drizzled with house made burger sauce.

This is the one that went on to win Best New Fair Food. I don’t have a qualm with it. This was definitely tasty AutoFocus. I could see myself sitting in a bar and just hammering these down. But I don’t know that it was transcendent. I definitely plan to hit their actual restaurant in Indianola with Shannon at some point in the future.

#1 Lobster Corn Dog – Destination Grille – $20

Description:

Lobster tail pulled through batter season with cayenne pepper and salt, topped with a lemon aioli drizzle.

I had very little expectation for this. I’m not a big fan of lobster, but this really knocked my sweaty from a full day of State Fair walking socks off! If Red Lobster was like this, I might almost be a lobster man. But not likely. Too much work for me. My theory on why it didn’t win best food is because the price tag was pretty steep and the size of the portion varied wildly. You can look at the picture with me, Logan, and Sabas and see that Sabas clearly got robbed!

I can’t wait to see what new foods come to next year’s Iowa State Fair!

But wait… I’m not done. Here is the rest of the food I ate on my 4 trips to the Iowa State Fair:

Dill Pickle Fried Cheese Curds – From Trip 1 with Teresa

Fry Bread – From Trip 2 with Jen, Evie, and Layla.

Beef Brisket Sandwich – Trip 2

Fried Mushrooms – Stolen from Jen

Evie and Layla enjoying their Piggy in a Donut and Apple Egg Rolls

Biscuit Bar – Trip 3 with Logan and eventually Elainie and Sabas

Layla’s Piggy in a Donut looked so good I had to have one!

Logan’s Mississippi Pot Roast

Logan’s Potato Salad – the best potato salad I’ve had in my life… no fooling!

Logan and his trophy, but we will get into that at a later date!

Italian Grinder – Still Trip 3

Cookies and Milk – Still Trip 3

Smash Burger – Trip 4 with Nader – Jesse and Nader crapped out

I didn’t eat at the Methodist Food Stand, but I did stop to see my favorite server!

Nitro Ice Cream!

The Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Roll sold out!

Fried Veggie Platter

With a Pepsi

Apple Slushie

And my final Iowa State Fair food: Funnel Cake Cheeseburger

This was tasty but messy AutoFocus to eat. I don’t think I would get it again.

One last Pepsi for the road.

Farewell dear Fair!

Next week’s food adventure will involve Logan competing at the State Fair Grilling Contest. Then we will get back to chronological order!

Adam, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Contests, Dawn, Deanna, Derrick, Elizabeth, Jen, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Lowell, Michelle, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Olympic Sports, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, State Fair, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Alternate

WPC – WEEK 466 – SCIENCE

August 19, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

In yesterday’s post I revealed the images I entered in the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. Today I thought I would give flowers to the consistent THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE contributors that also had pictures displayed.

It was a great showing by this group! Angie got a major award. Nathanial got 2 First Places. Logan and Nathanial both got 3 images in. To put a little clarity on that. Nobody (for at least the 2nd year in a row) got all 4 images in this year. Only 16 people got 3 pictures exhibited. 16 out of 817 people who entered.

All artistic contests are a bit of a crapshoot to a degree. Dependent on what the judges like that year. But it is still pretty impressive that a major award, a couple 1st Places, and 3 out of the 16 people that got 3 images exhibited came from this little community. I wouldn’t expect that kind of success again next year, but it is still pretty cool.

Also, I should have taken pictures of them, Shannon also did well in the Iowa Honey (Beekeepers) Association (I can’t remember their name)! All sorts of great accomplishments!

+++++++

SCIENCE! A great theme! But did enough people get an example of the third law of thermodynamics to make it a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

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

1-Amy Peterson – 1 week (IA)
2-Evie Gorshe – 1 week (IA, IN)
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN)
4-Monica Jennings – 1 week (IA)
5-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
*6-Tim Panages – 2 weeks (IA)
*7-Mary Green – 3 weeks (MI, IA, IN, IL, PR)
8-Jesse Howard – 4 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
9-Willy McAlpine – 5 weeks (IA)
10-Deanna McClain – 9 weeks (IA, MN)
11-Suzie Brannen – 14 weeks (IA, MD)
12-Mike Vest – 14 weeks (IA, MO, OK, AR, KS)
13-Alexis Stensland – 16 weeks (IA)
14-Sabas Hernandez – 18 weeks (IA, OH)
*15-Adam Gordon – 23 weeks (IA, MS, MO, KS)
16-Lowell Davis – 32 weeks (IA, MO)
17-Michelle Haupt – 32 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI)
18-Brandon Kahler – 33 weeks (IA, MN)
19-Scott Degeneffe – 51 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL, MN, WI)
*20-Sheri Fakhouri – 61 weeks (IA, NE)
21-Logan Kahler – 62 weeks (IA, MN)
22-Nathanial Brown – 63 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL, IL, KS)
23-Tamara Peterson – 74 weeks (IA, MN)
*24-Mindi Terrell – 78 weeks (IA)
*25-Linda Bennett – 107 weeks (KS, IA, MI)
26-Sarah Toot – 108 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC)
*27-Angie DeWaard – 112 weeks (IA, IL, SCT)
28-Dawn Krause – 116 weeks (IA, IL)
29-Kim Barker – 121 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
*30-Joe Duff – 123 weeks (TX, NY)
*31-Teresa Kahler – 134 weeks (IA, NE)
32-Carla Stensland – 134 weeks (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO)
33-Micky Augustin – 136 weeks (IA, IL, FL)
34-Andy Sharp – 137 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL, MN, WI)
35-Bill Wentworth – 138 weeks (NE, MO, FL)
36-Cathie Morton – 142 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
37-Elizabeth Nordeen – 143 weeks (IA, OH)
38-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 145 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
*39-Kio Dettman – 147 weeks (IA)

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

34 states so far!

WPC - WEEK 466 - SCIENCE - MICKY AUGUSTIN

Micky Augustin (Colo, Iowa) – 137 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Hight Trestle Trail Bridge – Boone County, Iowa) – 146 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 122 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 108 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Chicago, Illinois) – 64 weeks

Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 33 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 52 week

Kio Dettman (Hamilton County, Iowa) – 148 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Roman Baths – Bath England) – 113 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 124 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Newell, West Virginia) – 2 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 62 weeks

Adam Gordon (Lake Huron – Rogers City, Michigan) – 24 weeks

Adam Gordon (Michigan State University – Lansing, Michigan)

Derrick Gorshe (Ohio) – 1 week

Layla Gorshe (Ohio) – 1 week – “Vapor”

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 33 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa City, Iowa) – 19 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 34 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 63 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 135 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 117 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 143 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 144 weeks

Tim Panages (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 75 weeks

Andy Sharp (Council Bluffs, Iowa) – 138 weeks

Carla Stensland (Cedar Rock – Independence, Iowa) – 135 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 79 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 109 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 15 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 139 weeks

36 participants! That is a pretty good week. Not great, but pretty good.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ England (1)
+ Illinois (1)
+ Iowa (28)
+ Kansas (1)
+ Michigan (2)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ Ohio (2)
+ Pennsylvania (2)
+ Texas (2)
+ West Virginia (1)

Thanks to Jen’s travel we had the first EVER submission from West Virginia. If you are curious, since I have started tracking this information, this is the list of states I’ve never had a submission from:

+ Alabama
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Maine
+ Massachusetts
+ Rhode Island

And also, thanks to Angie’s travels, I believe that is the first ever submission from England since I’ve started tracking. All exciting stuff!

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

+ Arkansas (19.5)
+ California (3)
+ Colorado (9)
+ Florida (11)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (13)
+ Indiana (6)
+ Iowa (1236)
+ Kansas (47)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (9)
+ Minnesota (12)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (16.5)
+ Montana (4)
+ Nebraska (40)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (17)
+ North Carolina (2)
+ Ohio (5)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (25)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (49)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ West Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (4)
+ Wyoming (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Ireland (3)
+ England (1)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Scotland (1)

35 states so far! 1 U.S. Territory! 6 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, IN, WV, PA) – 11
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL, MN, WI) – 9
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL, IL, KS) – 9
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI) – 5
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK, KS) – 5
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI) – 5
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL, SCT, ENG) – 4
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO, FL) – 3
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA, MI) – 3
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
+ Evie Gorshe (IA, IN) – 2

Jen has reclaimed the top spot to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” However Andy, Scott, and Nathanial are in striking distance. Jesse has fallen out of contention.

There were a few big milestones this week. Deanna joined the Double Digit Streak Club! WooHoo! Scott joined the 1 Year Streak Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all fun and game and rainbows and unicorns. There was a veritable bloodbath of streaks. Amy and Evie couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Their streaks are over before they began. Mary’s streak ends at 3. Jesse’s is over at 4. Suzie’s is kaput at 14! And worst of all Scarecrow, Alexis’ streak is gone with the wind after 16 weeks. Oh the humanity!

STILL LIFE

STILL LIFE! What is a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! I try not to define the themes much these days, but I will for STILL LIFE.

A still life ( pl. : still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or human-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, pipes, etc.).

I look forward to 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 STILL LIFE in this place that tries to stay in motion next Monday.