Category Archives: Logan

Alexis, Birthdays, Brandon, Elainie, Flowers, Frank, Johnathan, Logan, Macro, Mom, Russ, Teresa, WPC - Reminder

On the Rocks

December 4, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start the day by wishing a couple people a happy birthday. I need to start with my nephew Brandon. Happy birthday Brandon!

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

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It is also Frank’s birthday. Frank was instrumental in getting this website up and going. Its first home was the webserver living in his basement. He helped get it set up originally and hosted it for free and helped with the domain registration. I don’t think I’ve seen Frank since the pandemic started, and that really sucks. Happy birthday Frank!

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

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I started my freezing flowers in blocks of ice with your standard daisy. But I thought I would try some flowers with more color. So next I tried Brown-eyed Susans and Zinnias.

I wasn’t done playing with this idea still. So there are more ice block flower pictures yet to be curated.

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is FOOD:

FOOD

A FOOD photo is any image of FOOD or people eating FOOD or ingredients to make FOOD or people preparing FOOD or people cleaning up after eating FOOD.

Happy photo harvesting!

Alexis, Anders, Andree, Andy, Baier, Becca, Bethany, Bill, Billy, Brandon, Carla, Colleen, Derrick, Elainie, Flat Earth Joe, Holidays, J.T., Jason, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Johnathan, Jonah, Jorge, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Nader, Naima, Nate, Nora, Scottie D., Shannon, Teresa, Vest, Willy

Blessings 2020

November 26, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Let’s face it. 2020 has been a terrible year. I could spend hours and hours polishing this turd, but a turd is still a turd.

I basically only see 2 other people on a regular basis right now. Willy and I haven’t held a Friday Night Supper Club since March 13. We went to Jimmy’s for their Friday the 13th sale. I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve seen any of my nieces and nephews this year. I’ve been able to hold a couple of Union Street Theater Nights in the reconfigured Union Street Theater, but it isn’t really the same. The masks and the sound of the air purifiers makes conversation a little difficult and food is definitely a missing element. Since March, the only stores I have been inside are the Boone Wal-Mart and Boone Hardware. I go to Hy-Vee every other week. I’ve seen Bethany twice. Nate and Laura once. Becca, not at all. I haven’t seen the Lockners at all. I’ve seen the Gorshes thrice. I run into Willy around town now and again. Jay stops by here and there to work on his homework. I see Jesse now and again. I haven’t met Kalista’s baby. Baier, Russell, Andree? Distant memories. Since I left the Computer Mine with the belief that I would be working from home for a few weeks, the only co-workers of note that I’ve seen in person are Vest, Lowell, Kim, and Elizabeth. I haven’t met Jorge’s twins. My church has had maybe a dozen worship services and those are suspended again. The Mission Trip is cancelled. There will be no Mission Trip next year. Youth Group has been put on hold indefinitely. For the first time since September 18, 2004, they played football games at Jack Trice Stadium and I wasn’t in attendance. The Cyclones Women’s Basketball Season just tipped off. I wasn’t there. I will most likely, not be able to attend any Cyclones Men’s games this year.

All of that being said, 2020 has still been an embarrassment of blessings for me. In a time where the pandemic was horribly mismanaged by an inept and corrupt federal government, causing employment rates to go through the roof and food insecurity and evictions to sweep across the country like a second plague, I have not had to worry about my job. As these pandemic pounds can attest, I haven’t once had to worry about my next meal. I was in a solid enough financial position that when the $1200 dollar stimulus check hit my bank account I wasn’t sure what to do with it. We were supposed to put it where it would do the most good, so I donated some of it to Joe Biden’s campaign.

While the only people I see on a regular basis are Mom and Teresa. I am still blessed with a pretty incredible family:

While I see them rarely, I still have a pretty incredible set of friends:

While we don’t get to worship an awesome God together right now, I still have a pretty incredible church family:

While I continue to work at home, I still talk to and try to stay in contact with my amazing work family:

And while Naima is becoming off the charts spoiled, I’m blessed to have her in my life as well:

I hope to see so much more of all of you in 2021. In fact, I’ve started to compile a list of things that I look forward to doing when this pandemic subsides. It isn’t a glamorous list. But that is a sign of 2020.

Alexis, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Holidays, Jason, Logan, Mom, Photoshop, Russ, Teresa

2010-05-03

November 14, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures from the folder 2010-05-03 are from a Mother’s Day celebration at Carla and Jason’s old house. We celebrated a week early because Teresa was going to Kentucky for Mother’s Day.

A few of the pictures in this collection were taken by Alexis:

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entry to its original glory:

VACATION DAY 9B – MOTHER’S DAY EARLY

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a trip to Brookside Park among other things.

Candid Portrait, Dahlia, Logan, Mom, Still Life

To Catherine

November 12, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

It has been several years since I have done anything with the grapes in my yard. This year there was such a bounty of grapes, it felt like a waste to not make some grape jelly with them. Logan really wanted in on this because he has increasingly been getting into cooking. The only problem is that neither of us knew how to make jelly, so we had to have my Mom teach us.

We did it at Logan’s house because, he has a wide open kitchen and because he needed to watch Dahlia, and as an added bonus, we didn’t mess up my kitchen.

Here are some pictures from the process from back in early September:

The secret to a great jelly… lots of sugar. So much sugar. I pretty much bought Hy-Vee out of sugar. But hopefully, there are enough grapes next year to do this again.

Alexis, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Elainie, Flowers, Grandma, Jason, Johnathan, Logan, Mom, Sabas, Teresa

In the Cold October Snow

November 4, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to begin today by wishing Elainie a happy birthday. Happy birthday Elainie!

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

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Back in late October, we got a bit of unexpected snow. I took a few flower pictures afterwards.

Fortunately, fall weather wasn’t done with us yet. But that snow pretty much did in all of my flowers.

Alexis, Animals, Birthdays, Carla, Elainie, Jesse, Johnathan, Linda, Logan, Sarah Toot, Teresa, Vacation

Walnut Woods Bird Blind

October 14, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

I need to start today by wishing my cousin Sarah a happy birthday. Happy birthday Sarah!

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

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Back when I was on vacation, one of the State Parks I visited was Walnut Woods in the Des Moines area. I’ve driven by the sign for the turnoff to Walnut Woods hundreds of times. It seemed like I should finally make that turn and see what it is all about.

I didn’t get to spend much time exploring Walnut Woods, but by far my favorite thing I found there was the bird blind that overlooked about a hundred bird feeders. The bird blind is closed because of the badly mismanaged pandemic, but you could still stand near the bird blind and enjoy the birds. I probably didn’t have the exact lens I would have wanted, but I still took a plethora of bird photos. Even took some I liked.

This trip to Walnut Woods inspired me to want to buy my own portable bird blind. I’m going to get right on that after I buy a larger external hard drive, 3 new monitors, and a new projection screen. Maybe a retired Iowa State football locker. It is definitely on the list!

Alexis, Art, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Drone, Elainie, Elizabeth, Jason, Jesse, Johnathan, Kim, Kio, Logan, Mom, Politics, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest

WPC – WEEK 264 – SIGNS

October 5, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

Sorry that this is several minutes late today. I went to cast my ballot for the 2020 election during my lunch break from the mine:

A reminder that if you live in Iowa, early voting starts today! It might be easier and safer than voting on November 3. But you have to make the choice that is best for you.

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

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

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WooHoo! 53 straight weeks of double digit submissions!! Once again, I didn’t even have to send out any reminder texts.

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

Kio Dettman

Tamara Peterson

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Jesse Howard

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler

Cathie Raley

Kim Barker

Elizabeth Nordeen

Carla Stensland

Mike Vest

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:

SELF-PORTRAIT

SELF-PORTAIT! What a great theme! But what is a SELF-PORTRAIT? This is simply a portrait where the subject and the photographer are one and the same. If you don’t like taking your own picture, you can always take a picture of somebody else taking a SELF-PORTRAIT. That is a pro tip for ya!

Here is a look back at the previous 7 times SELF-PORTRAIT was a theme:

RWPE #8 – SELF-PORTRAIT

RWPE Y2 #52 – SELF-PORTRAIT

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 25 – SELF-PORTRAIT

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 68 – SELF-PORTRAIT

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 144 & WEEK 145

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 179 – SELF-PORTRAIT

WPC – WEEK 245 – SELF-PORTRAIT

HOUSEKEEPINGA MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very selfish Monday!

Andy, Becky, Carla, Cathie, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Logan, Micky, Politics, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 263 – STILL LIFE

September 28, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

We did it fam! 52 straight weeks of double digit submissions! I can hardly believe it. That means it shouldn’t be an issue to continue to get great participation rates as we slowly move into the colder and colder temperatures in the coming months. Don’t forget to get your flu shot!

Also, remember that next Monday marks the beginning of early voting in Iowa. Also known as in-person absentee voting.

Absentee Voting in Person
You may cast an absentee ballot in person at your county auditor’s office before any election.

You must vote your absentee ballot at the auditor’s office. You cannot take the ballot home with you.

For voters who need assistance in marking their ballots, an accessible ballot marking device is available at the county auditor’s office.

For primary and general elections, absentee ballots will be available no earlier than 29 days at the county auditors’ offices. For all other elections, ballots will be available as soon as they are ready, but not sooner than 29 days before an election.

In-person absentee voting is not available on election day at the auditor’s office unless the polls open at noon. If the polls open at noon, you may cast an absentee ballot at the county auditor’s office from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on election day.

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

Kio Dettman

Andy Sharp

Kim Barker

Carla Stensland

Kio Dettman

Tamara Peterson

Becky Parmelee

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Micky Augustin

Cathie Raley

Logan Kahler

Joe Duff

SIGNS

SIGNS! What a great theme! No wonder is in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE HALL OF FAME! But what is a SIGNS photo? Any image where a SIGN(S) is an important compositional element of the image. Remember there are more than one kind of SIGN(S). In the theme reveal image, there is the street sign that indicates a “T” intersection. But the dark clouds are also a sign of a coming storm. Tamara’s submission this week is an example of a SIGNS image.

Click on the links below, to see the 7 times in the past where SIGNS has been a theme:

RWPE #12 – SIGNS

RWPE Y2 #46 – SIGNS

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE WEEK 2 – SIGNS

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 55 – SIGNS

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 135 – SIGNS

WPC – WEEK 200 – SIGNS

WPC – WEEK 247 – SIGNS

I look forward to seeing your new interpretations!

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HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very signaled Monday!

Alexis, Birthdays, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Dad, Drone, Grandma, Jason, Johnathan, Kanoa, Logan, Mom, Nature, Panorama, Still Life, Teresa, WPC - Alternate, WPC - Reminder

Rodan139: Water Alternate

September 25, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today off by wishing my Mom a happy birthday. Without here, none of this would be possible. Not only would I never exist, she also bought me my first camera. A Minolta Maxxum 450si.

Happy birthday Mom!

It hope is as amazing a birthday as you want it to be!

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I went to Ledges on Sunday morning to take my WATER picture for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I took several pictures. Here are some of the others I took that weren’t ready for the world on Monday.

I hope to take Rodan139 out again this weekend. On Tuesday I came off a self-quarantine from a potential exposure from a previous Sunday. As it turns out, I wasn’t exposed, so good news for the friendly skies!

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This is your reminder that STILL LIFE is this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

A STILL LIFE image is a picture of an inanimate object. Usually posed.

Happy photo harvesting!

Becky, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Kim, Kio, Logan, Monica, Naima, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 261 – MACRO

September 14, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

Woohoo!! 50 straight weeks of double digit submissions! Starting off the Hall of Fame segment of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE in style!

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

Cathie Raley

Carla Stensland

Kio Dettman

Christopher D. Bennett

Kio Dettman

Tamara Peterson

Becky Parmelee

Monica Henning

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Teresa Kahler

Logan Kahler

Mike Vest

Elizabeth Nordeen

WATER

WATER! What a great theme! But what is a WATER image? It is any image where WATER plays a major compositional element in the photo.

Here is a look back at the previous 7 times that WATER was a theme:

RWPE #9 – WET

RWPE Y2 #50 – WET

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 8 – WATER

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 94 – WATER

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 117 – WATER

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 185 – WATER

WPC – WEEK 235 – WATER

I look forward to seeing the new interpretations!
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HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very wet Monday!