Category Archives: Nora

Animals, Art, Birthdays, Carla, Kim, Lowell, Michelle, Music, Nature, Night, Nora, Railroad, Steph, Street Photography, Travel, Work, WPC - Reminder

Viva Las Vegas: Day 1A

March 10, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

I need to start today by wishing Nora a happy birthday, so happy birthday Nora!

I hope your birthday is filled with lots of candy and cake and ice cream! If not, I will buy you so much ice cream next time I see you.

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Time to start sharing the real camera pictures from my work trip to Las Vegas. I took the backup camera to Vegas just cause I’m always leery of traveling on planes with the 1st string camera. Even though the bag never leaves my side. It is probably a mental block that I will never get over. We’ll see what happens next time I walk on a plane. In April.

I took enough pictures on Day 1 in Vegas to split them into to two posts. This is post 1.

Vegas Day 1 started in Boone. I got up and headed for the Des Moines International Airport a little after 9 AM for my 12:15 flight. I’m one of those people that gets to the airport early. Probably cause I don’t fly that much and probably because I get paid to be there early, sorta. That is how I interpret the travel rules.

I knew there was bad weather west of us and the potential that one of our flights could get cancelled. The good news is that they didn’t. The bad news is that a little after getting to the airport, I got the notification that the flight from Des Moines to Denver had been delayed. Which worked in my favor because the Des Moines International Airport is currently under construction right. They have taken away a bunch of the parking in the parking ramp to make room for employees to park. This meant I had to drive by the parking ramp and the Blue Lot and the Green Lot and the Red Lot and the Yellow Lot and the Indigo Lot and the Cyan Lot and the Polka Dot Lot and ended up all the way in the Gray Lot. A lot so far away from the airport terminal I think it might be in Norwalk. Possibly Cumming.

I took a 15 minute shuttle ride to the airport. It took me a minute but I finally located the Southwest check-in counter in the room with all the weird car rental places and checked my luggage. Two things here. First, I wasn’t crazy about flying Southwest. I haven’t flown Southwest since the last time I went to Vegas, which was almost 20 years ago. I haven’t heard good things about Southwest. They say the people on there are animals. But not in the millions of good ways that animals (in this scenario humans are not animals) are easily superior to humans. But in the bad ways where humans compare other humans to animals to make them seem lesser than. Second, I did buy new luggage for this trip. I don’t travel much in the manner that requires luggage, but the two trips I took in 2022 showed me that the luggage I have been using isn’t practical. Merely sentimental. I bought the new luggage off of Amazon because I had a Amazon gift from my computer mine anniversary. I can say, that while the walls of the luggage seem a little thin, so far I am digging the new luggage. I bought red luggage so they would be easy to spot in the baggage claim line and because they were $30 cheaper than more mundane colors. I don’t know why.

After getting through the security line without incident, I found my gate, grabbed a seat and discovered I was the first person there from the Computer Mine. I wasn’t there long before I got another notification that the flight had been delayed again. Now it was going to be over an hour late taking off. I took solace in the fact I had been reassured by the Southwest ticket lady that there were over 30 people transferring from our flight to the connecting flight in Denver to Las Vegas and there was no way that they would leave that many people behind.

While I was comforted by that information, one of the things that concerned me is that Southwest has no assigned seats. You have an assigned position to get into the plane and then once in there, it is every person for themself. I was worried that I would get there late for the connecting flight and lose any chance at getting a good seat. I’d end up in a middle seat. Nobody wants that. Not me. Not the person in the window seat. Not the person in the aisle seat. However, they hadn’t started boarding when we got to the connecting flight and I was able to grab a sweet spot in the emergency exit row!

If you don’t know, that means extra legroom! It is like 1st Class for those of us in steerage! Bingpot!

The flight into Vegas was a little rough because it was so windy. I didn’t get a snack or beverage service. That is how I determine if a flight was rough. By the time we got to the hotel, I was famished. The only sustenance I had knocked down was a bag of snack mix and 6 ounces of 7-Up on the flight from Des Moines to Denver.

We took a shuttle form the airport to Planet Hollywood, our home away from home for the next 5 days. Here is my review of Planet Hollywood:

It is kinda dirty. It is a little rundown. The big selling point is that it has what I would call a glorified mall. There is virtually no Hollywood artifacts or paraphernalia there. But for what we were there for, it worked great. The conference facilities and staff were great! And it is near places that are cool like the Bellagio, Paris, Caesar’s Palace, and The Flamingo.

After getting to my room, which had a breathtaking view of a parking garage, and organizing some stuff and claiming the bed nearest the breathtaking view (my roomie Tony didn’t come in until the next day so I got choice of beds) I connected with Lowell and we went to supper.

We walked down to Caesar’s Palace to look for a buffet, but we actually ended up in the Caesar’s Palace food court where we ate at Bobby’s Burgers. A restaurant that is connected to Bobby Flay. Who is some kind of chef of note, but he isn’t a raging douchebag like Gordon Ramsay, so you might not have heard of him. I’ve only heard of him because Faust used to be big into him back in the day.

I ordered a Bacon Crunchburger (Bacon, American Cheese, Potato Chips, Bobby’s Sauce – yeah not crazy about that name either), French Fries, and a Soft Drink. The price tag came to a little over $30.

THIRTY BUCKS!

I consider the Computer Mine to be generous with their per diems. I know it is set by the government, but I usually come back with a little extra coin jingling and jangling around in my pockets. This is mostly cause I don’t drink alcohol. In fact I was actually mostly off pop before this trip, but I fell of that wagon pretty dang hard in Vegas. I don’t think it is inaccurate to say I went on a regular Pepsi Cola Bender. We are almost 2 weeks out and I’m still weening myself back off the hard stuff.

The per diem I got for this trip was $288. The fact that I had just spent $30 for a food court burger caused me to take a step back. I expected this to be one of the cheapest meals I shoved in my face on this trip to Sin City. I wasn’t sure $288 was going to make it.

Dang!

After Day 1, I had an estimated $258 remaining in the per diem fund.

Maybe eating is overrated…

After the meal we walked around something I would describe as an open air mall that was between The Linq and The Flamingo. This is where I took the majority of the pictures I took on Day 1.

Here is the first collection:

Caesar’s Palace Sportsbook

There are few musicians I like lesson than Jimmy Buffett, but the man can market.

In-N-Out Burger was on Lowell and I’s list. It was the only thing that we crossed off our lists.

I wasn’t expecting there to be so many candy stores in Vegas.

Seeing the actual Vegas sign was on my list. This is the closest I came.

I do regret not going in here a little bit.

Not the Bellagio fountains.

This was so close to being my MUSIC photo for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

I have several more pictures to share from Day 1 that I’ll share at a future date. My best guess is March 17th, while I’m eating a Reuben from West Street Deli.

And nobody better give me any nonsense about letting the Reuben rest for a day and it somehow being better. Got it?

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This is your reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is SUNRISE, SUNSET:

SUNRISE, SUNSET

What is a SUNRISE, SUNSET picture? It is a simply a picture of a SUNRISE or of a SUNSET. I’ve heard some grumbling this is a hard theme. The weather is bad. I go to bed at 6 shortly after eating my early bird special at the nursing home. I don’t like going outside. Whatever. Of course THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is hard sometimes. That is what makes it great. If it was easy everybody would do it.

“Maybe you will just have to get creative.” He muttered while sipping on a cocktail made out of tequila, orange juice and grenadine. Unmixed. In a tall glass. Served on the rocks. Sometimes garnished with a cherry and orange slice.

If getting a little lit doesn’t inspire you, maybe these example submission from when SUNRISE, SUNSET was a theme in days past will:

WEEK 43 - SUNRISE/SUNSET - CARLA STENSLAND 1

Carla Stensland – Week 43

Kim Barker – Week 43

Stephanie Kim – Week 43

Michelle Haupt – Week 43

Christopher D. Bennett – Week 43

Happy photo harvesting!

Art, Becca, Bethany, Billy, Candid Portrait, Colleen, Dory, Event, Fran, J.T., Jim, Jonah, Nate, Nora, Still Life

Triplet + Jonah Birthday Party – 2022

February 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

A few months back I picked up some cakes and Jim and went to the Wolf Lodge near Kansas City for the birthday party of the triplets and Jonah. I didn’t get to spend much time there cause Jim is kind of like Cinderella. He expires after being away from home too long.

I also didn’t get many pictures because we drove 4 hours to catch the last 25 minutes of the party. The rest of the day was spent in the Wolf Lodge water park area and I didn’t take any pictures there.

Here are some of the pictures I took:

Despite its brevity, it was a good trip. I wish I had some pictures of the kids playing in the water park, but I didn’t get any. I wonder what will happen with the birthday parties this year?

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

BOOKS

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

But what is a BOOKS image? Simply put, it is any image where the subject or a major compositional element is a BOOK or BOOKS.

Happy photo harvesting!

Andy, Angie, Animals, Becky, Bill, Birthdays, Boone FUMC, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Jim, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Nora, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 385 – SILENCE

January 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I need to start today off by wishing Jim a happy birthday!

Happy birthday Jim! I hope it is filled with all the joy that you desire!

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It is the last Monday of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

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!

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

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send.

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 to me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. 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.

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.

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 largest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

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.

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

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

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It is time to break the SILENCE on whether or not SILENCE was a popular theme. For you to find out, you only have to keep scrolling.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 23, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week (2)
2-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
3-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
4-Jesse Howard – 1 week
5-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
6-Nathanial Brown – 2 weeks (3)
7-Mary Green – 2 weeks (2)
8-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks
9-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
10-Mike Vest – 3 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 12 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 23 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 26 weeks (2)
14-Sarah Toot – 27 weeks
15-Angie DeWaard – 31 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 35 weeks (3)
17-Kim Barker – 41 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 42 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 44 weeks (3)
20-Teresa Kahler – 53 weeks (3)
21-Carla Stensland – 53 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 55 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 56 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 57 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 61 weeks (2)
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 62 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 64 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 66 weeks

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

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 27 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 45 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 28 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Georgia) – 65 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 58 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Cathie Morton (Florida) – 62 weeks

Cathie Morton (Florida)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 43 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 3 weeks

26 participants. Not a particularly popular theme. But not bad. SILENCE only silenced creative juices of a few people.

This week we had submissions taken in:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Georgia is a new addition to the map. Making this year’s list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

That is 10 states. 20% of the map. And I haven’t even contributed to the growth of the map at all!

This week I took my pictures about 2 miles from my front door. But Shannon added Georgia to the map!

It wasn’t all good news though. 3 streaks bit the dust today. Jen couldn’t extender her streak to 2. Mary’s streak is no more at 2. As is Sara’s streak.

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:

BOOKS

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

But what is a BOOKS image? Simply put, it is any image where the subject or a major compositional element is a BOOK or BOOKS.

While thinking about possible subjects for your BOOKS image, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.
-Jane Austen

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of BOOKS in this place that likes to pretend to be book smart next Monday.

Alexis, Anders, Andy, Baier, Becky, Bethany, Brandon, Calendar, Colleen, Dawn, Derrick, Elainie, Elizabeth, Holidays, Jason, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Nature, Nora, Road Trip, Russell, Sabas, Sara, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Shannon, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Reminder

Goodbye 2022.

December 31, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Happy New Year to those of you sheeple that follow the Gregorian Calendar. I for one, moved to Unix time years ago. So if I have a birthday party this year (Sara wants me to have one, but I doubt it happens) the invites will list the time of the event in Unix Time, like an adult. But I don’t want to tell you what calendar to use.

I think you should look at the options. By the Gregorian Calendar, when this post publishes, it is the year 2022. But there are other calendars.

Here is a list of other calendars and what year it is if you use those calendars:

Hebrew – 5783
Islamic – 1444
Chinese – 4659
Coptic – 1739
Japanese – Reiwa 4
British Regnal – 1 Cha. 3
Buddhist – 2566
Nanakshahi – 554
Hindu – 5123
Juche – 111
Byzantine – 7531
Roman – 2775
Holocene – 12022
Unix Time (like an adult): 1672531199 (roughly)

As you can tell, Unix Time is clearly superior.

Even though I don’t celebrate New Years, I do like to give holiday Power Rankings.

Here are my champagne power rankings:

CHAMPAGNE POWER RANKINGS
10. All champagne is trash.
9. All champagne is trash.
8. All champagne is trash.
7. All champagne is trash.
6. All champagne is trash.
5. All champagne is trash.
4. All champagne is trash.
3. All champagne is trash.
2. All champagne is trash.
1. Champere

So Happy New Years to those who celebrate it. I will have been asleep a couple hours when the bell tolls for 2022. I’m old, lame, and don’t get invited to adult parties.

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Time to reveal the December image for the 2023 Photography 139 Gregorian Calendar:

December

The December image is a picture of the old mill in Independence, Iowa. I took it while harvesting the town signs of Buchanan County for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. In retrospect, it isn’t a great image for the brutal colds and snows of December. But it was the last selected image and December was the last month that didn’t have an image. These things tend to sort themselves out.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: May 28, 2022 – 9:41 AM
LENS: Tamron 17-28 f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 28mm
APERTURE: f/9
EXPOSURE: 1/320
ISO: 100
EXPOSURE BIAS: +.3

I have no calendar images to share tomorrow. Or again until December. If the Photography 139 Calendar exists again in 2024.

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This year when I handed a calendar to somebody I asked them to pick a favorite image. Then I photographed them with their favorite image. I also asked people that I didn’t hand deliver a calendar to to pick a favorite image and then send me a picture of them with that image. Like 3 people did that. So good for them? Not that such treachery might factor in who gets a calendar next year…

I forgot to do this for the attendees of the Westhaven Christmas, so this won’t be held against them. Maybe Nate. I did ask him and he said “No problem” and then never sent me a picture.

Any way here is a collection of, but not comprehensive collection of pictures of people with their favorite pictures from the calendar:

Shannon

Bethany and Nora

Colleen

Also Colleen

Also, also Colleen

Andy

Baier (Jason)

More Baiers (Olivia)

More Baiers (Ben)

More Baiers (Carrie and J.J.)

More Baiers (Will)

Russell

Michelle

Elizabeth

Willy

Micky

Kio

Kim

Brandon

Teresa

Logan

Elainie

Sabas

Johnathan

Jason

Carla

Dawn

Lockners

Gorshes

Scott

Anders

Becky

Alexis

Jesse

Jay

Nader

It is possible more pictures might trickle in, if people I mailed calendars to haven’t received them yet. I think every picture got picked except for January. Poor January. Might try this again next year. We’ll see if the people like it.

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

BODY PART

IT IS POSSIBLE I MIGHT ROAD TRIP ON MONDAY. IF I DO, THERE WILL BE NO ADDITIONAL REMINDERS. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!!!

BODY PART! What a great final theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a BODY PART image? Simply put, it is a picture where a major compositional element of the image is a BODY PART. Doesn’t have to be your BODY PART. Could be somebody else’s. It could belong to an animal. There are so many BODY PART(s) to choose from! Heads. Shoulders. Knees. Toes. Just to name a few.

Happy photo harvesting!

Art, Bethany, Calendar, Flowers, Macro, Michelle, Naima, Nora, Photoshop

Caroline

December 22, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Today I reveal the March image for the 2023 Photography Calendar.

March

I took this picture of this American Gothic barn near Mount Vernon, Iowa on a TOWN SIGN PROJECT road trip with Michelle on November 14, 2021.

Here is a picture of us standing in front of it:

Here are some fun facts about the picture:

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M2
LENS: Sigma 28-75 F/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 53 mm
FIELD OF VIEW: 37.5 degrees
APERTURE: f/4.5
SHUTTER: 1/200
ISO: 100
EXPOSURE BIAS: +.3

I also Photoshopped a powerline out of the image… cause I hate powerlines.

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Hello I’m looking for a friend I lost some time ago
Your mother says she wants her girl back home
Sometimes you think you’ve found yourself you really only lost yourself
Or maybe you’re afraid to be alone
-Brandi Carlile

Thursday is for flowers! Today I’m sharing the final collection of flowertography pictures I took on August 14, 2022.

Nora was infatuated with moonflowers, which shows she has great taste!

More flower pictures next Thursday!

Baby Got Rack, Bethany, Carla, Contests, Evie, Greyson, Jen, Jesse, Jodie Cue, Kanoa, Kim, Layla, Logan, Michelle, Monica, Nader, Naima, Nora, Pufferbilly Days, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, State Fair, Teresa, Willy

Selfie Project – August 2022

September 3, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Another month down and another month of THE SELFIE PROEJCT in the books. I think I had a pretty active August. At least in spurts. With Pufferbilly Days and the State Fair and some much needed vacation all in August, I did some things man.

I don’t anticipate September being anywhere as busy, but hopefully I’ll do some cool stuff this month.

Here are some of my favorites from August for THE SELFIE PROJECT:

August 1

August 2

August 3

August 4

August 5

August 6

August 8

August 9

August 11

August 12

August 13

August 14

August 16

August 17

August 18

August 19

August 20

August 21

August 24

August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

August 29

August 31

Of course there can only be one selfie that represents THE SELFIE PROJECT every day, but I did have a busy August, so here are the many alternates:

SELFIE PROJECT - ALTERNATE - AUGUST 2022

You might be thinking, “That is a lot of pictures with ice cream!” There is a reason for that. The reason isn’t because I love ice cream, but that is probably the base level reason. I’ll explain the real reason in a future post. Or I won’t. What is important for you to know is that your humble narrator is a champion. A ice cream champion. Also, Willy and Jesse owe me dinner.

You also might be thinking, “How many gray t-shirts do you own?” The answer is, plenty.

Finally you might be thinking, “You need to retire that green t-shirt.” Yeah, that is true enough.

Baby Got Rack, Bethany, Contests, Nora, Scottie D., State Fair, WPC - Reminder

Baby Got Rack – Iowa State Fair – 2022

August 19, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

While I’m still not ready to reveal what picture got into the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon and what “award” it received, I am ready to share some pictures from Baby Got Rack’s day at the Iowa State Fair.

It was mostly great. We won 1st Place in our category (Combo/Specialty) and also won 1st Place in Showmanship. The only slight down is that we once again didn’t come home with the literal crown they give to Best of Show. That once again went to the guy that won Beef. Scott says that Beef doesn’t always win Best in Show. Scott is wrong about this, but we didn’t qualify for Beef so we couldn’t enter Beef. Anyways, this is one of the internal debates with the team. Like how some people on the team don’t realize that lemonade sucks. But what can you do?

Here are some pictures from the day:

It was a big day for Boone, which is low-key becoming the Barbecue Capital of the World. In addition to Scott’s TWO wins, Rashawn Parker of Boone captained Team Parker to 1st Place in Team. Sean Van Cannon of Boone also came home with 1st Place in Poultry. Just getting to the State Fair through the Boone County Fair is a gauntlet!

If you would like to peruse all the pictures from Baby Got Rack’s 2022 Season, click on the link below:

Baby Got Rack – 2022

It was an up and down season that ended on a high. We will be ready to go in 2023.

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

WEEKENDS

WEEKENDS! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.
But what is a WEEKENDS photo? It is simply a picture taken of something you do on WEEKENDS. Or it could simply be of something you do this coming WEEKEND(S). So taking your picture this WEEKEND(S) is probably your best bet.

Happy photo harvesting!

Andy, Angie, Bethany, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Nora, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 361 – FAMILY

August 15, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m not sure that FAMILY ended up being that popular of a theme. Which is weird. Are people embarrassed by their FAMILY? I guess you’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

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

+ Jesse Howard – 1 week
+ Sara Lockner – 1 week
+ Willy McAlpine – 1 week
+ Linda Bennett – 2 weeks (2)
+ Sarah Toot – 3 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 5 weeks
+ Sabas Hernandez – 5 weeks
+ Monica Jennings – 5 weeks
+ Mary Green – 7 weeks (4)
+ Angie DeWaard – 8 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 12 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 18 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 19 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 21 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 29 weeks (2)
+ Tamara Peterson – 29 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 29 weeks (2)
+ Michelle Haupt – 30 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 31 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 32 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 33 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 37 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 38 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 40 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 43 weeks (4)

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

Logan Kahler – 22 weeks

Logan Kahler

Brooklyn Erb – 1 week

Andy Sharp – 33 weeks

Carla Stensland – 30 weeks

Sabas Hernandez – 6 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 30 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin – 32 weeks

Micky Augustin

Elizabeth Nordeen – 39 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 34 weeks

Joe Duff – 20 weeks

Kio Dettman – 44 weeks

Kio Dettman

Christopher D. Bennett

Mary Green – 8 weeks

Linda Bennett – 3 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 41 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 30 weeks

Sarah Toot – 4 weeks

Dawn Krause – 13 weeks

Monica Jennings – 6 weeks

Cathie Morton – 38 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 31 weeks

Brandon Kahler – 1 week

Angie DeWaard – 9 weeks

Kim Barker – 19 weeks

Kim Barker

24 participants! That is a pretty good week, but definitely the least popular theme for a bit.

There were 4 streaks that bit the dust. Jesse, Sara, and Willy couldn’t make it a second week. Suzie’s 5 week streak is history as well.

I can’t be certain, but I think the empire extended from Pennsylvania to Texas to Kansas to Nebraska and Iowa this week.

WEEKENDS

WEEKENDS! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

But what is a WEEKENDS photo? It is simply a picture taken of something you do on WEEKENDS. Or it could simply be of something you do this coming WEEKEND(S). So taking your picture this WEEKEND(S) is probably your best bet.

While thinking on possible subjects for your WEEKENDS picture, mediate on the following quote for inspiration:

cozy+smell of pancakes-alarm clock=weekend
-Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of WEEKENDS in this place that is my permanent Saturday next Monday.

Bethany, Nora, WPC - Reminder

WEEK 362 – THEME REVEAL

August 15, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m on vacation this week. While I don’t have grand plans for today, it is set aside for errands. If you are reading this, it has taken long enough that I haven’t had time to cobble together this post. Just cause I’m busy do stuff that isn’t incredibly fun, doesn’t mean you can’t get a start on this week’s theme:

WEEKENDS

WEEKENDS! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

While thinking on possible subjects for your WEEKENDS picture, mediate on the following quote for inspiration:

The only reason we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend.
-Chuck Palahniuk

But I also like this one:

Anybody have plans to stare at their phone somewhere exciting this weekend?
-Nitya Prakash

I look forward to your interpretation. The FAMILY interpretations should be posted later tonight.

Becca, Bethany, Billy, Candid Portrait, Colleen, Dory, Event, J.T., Jonah, Laura, Nate, Nora, Still Life, Tim

Triplet + Jonah Birthday Party

November 14, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back the Triplets and Jonah had a birthday party at the KOA near Adel. I wasn’t able to make the party because it was schedule for the same time as the Iowa State-Oklahoma State football game that I was scheduled to attend. But I did have time to drive down to Adel and hang out for about 90 minutes before I had to head to Ames to witness Iowa State beat a top ten Cowboy team.

Here are some pictures from my hang time:

The Triplets and Jonah Birthday Party - 2021

Having everybody meet up in kind of a central location and spend the weekend was a pretty cool idea I thought. I hope it happens again on a weekend where Iowa State doesn’t have a home game, so I can be around more than 90 minutes. It was also really cold that weekend. I mean not really cold, but it was definitely colder than you would want.

Derrick told me that KOA campsites suck and hate children, but that wasn’t my experience, in the 90 minutes I was there. I would consider staying there on a trip sometime. I didn’t know they rented cabins and tents.

It was the first time I’d seen many of these people since before the pandemic. I hope it doesn’t take so long to see them again. Although I pretty sure I’m going down to Manhattan for Nate’s graduation in about a month.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

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