For Elainie’s birthday meal she selected a taco place (well Mexican place) in Johnston that specializes in birria tacos. It was the second time in a few months I was taken to a place to have amazing birria tacos. Sabas and Elainie claimed that they don’t eat there very often.… Read More »Taco ‘Bout It: Johnston Field Work
It is beyond time I share some pictures of Tall & Meaty competing in the Madrid Labor Day Festival Barbecue Contest. I probably have taken so long to share it because it was fairly uneventful. The guys didn’t place and I didn’t stick around to the end so I had… Read More »Tall & Meaty: Madrid Labor Day 2025
Even though this is my most recent food adventure, I’m moving it to the top of the queue because of it’s importance. Last Friday, FNSC went to Grinnell and I finally got to fulfill my mission of trying the winner of Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin from 2025. I had… Read More »Tenderloining: Grinnell Field Work
It is the third day of February. Seems like a good time to share the THE SELFIE PROJECT images from January. My travel was pretty minimal in January. I didn’t leave the state. But at least I made it as far away from my front doorstep as Grinnell. Also made… Read More »Selfie Project – January 2026
Last Sunday I indicated that this week’s food adventure might be about Tall & Meaty’s competition at the Madrid Day Labor Day Festival, but I think I’m going to save that for next Sunday. Or next Sunday might be an “emergency” food adventure where I reveal the results of my… Read More »Taco Tailgate – 2025
On the Sunday of Madrid’s annual Labor Day Festival, Teresa and I went to the food court after checking in with Tall & Meaty. They were competing at the barbecue contest. First thing I got was a grinder as it is well documented how much I love a good grinder.… Read More »Always Grindin’: Madrid Field Work
I only made 3 trips to the Iowa State Fair in 2025. One with the O’Gorshes. Another one with Tall and Meaty. Then a final one on the last day of the Fair with Teresa and Valerie to pick up my pictures from the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. On… Read More »State Fairin’: Trip 3
Time to reveal the October image for the 2026 Photography 139 Calendar. The subject of the October image was taken of the Cliffs of Moher. The time of day we visited the Cliffs of Moher it was just crazy with people. You couldn’t throw a dead cat without hitting 20… Read More »State Fairin’: Trip 2
Time to reveal the Mach image for the 2026 Photography 139 Calendar. MARCH – 2026 Technical Details This picture is the ocean view looking back from the ocean view of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. If I was forced to pick my favorite part of the Ireland trip, I… Read More »State Fairin’: Trip 1
Every last 2026 Photography 139 calendar has been distributed as of roughly 5:30 PM last night. So now is a good time to start sharing the images from this year’s calendar. We will start with the front cover. FRONT COVER – 2026 Technical Details The subject of the picture is… Read More »525,600 Minutes – 2025 Year in Review
We made it! We finally have gotten to the food adventure where Jesse got injured. This was a bucket list item for me this year and one of only a couple I actually managed to do. One was the Decorah pizza farm. Another was Stroud’s Chicken. Then there was this… Read More »#LakeLife: Jackson County Field Work
It is Week 4 of Advent and I would once again like to light a virtual candle and use the script for it from the book we are using for our Advent Season at Boone First United Methodist Church this year. The book is “The Redemption of Scrooge” by Matt… Read More »Cluck! Cluck! Kansas City Field Work
It is Week 3 of Advent and I would once again like to light a virtual calendar and use the script for it from the book we are using for our Advent Season at Boone First United Methodist Church this year. The book is “The Redemption of Scrooge” by Matt… Read More »The Swell Season Road Trip
It is week 2 of Advent and I would once again like to light a virtual calendar and use the script for it from the book we are using for our Advent Season at Boone First United Methodist Church this year. The book is “The Redemption of Scrooge” by Matt… Read More »I Scream: Decorah Field Work
The second day of December. No better day to share THE SELFIE PROJECT images from November. Once again, my travel was pretty minimal. I think the farthest I made it from my front step was Des Moines. Gross. But I promise that I will do better in December! Here are… Read More »Selfie Project – November 2025
It is something I’d like to say I do every year, but I don’t. But I’m going to try this year. And that thing is to light a candle every Sunday during Advent Season. A virtual candle. Yes, but still a candle. So this week we are lighting the Peace… Read More »Big Pizza Pie: Decorah Field Work
This is the final collection of images from Day 1 of my work trip to Philadelphia. Lowell and I were still at Geno’s and this collection will finish up at Geno’s. Although there are plenty of images in this collection of Pat’s. I wasn’t sure I would actually make it… Read More »Philadelphia Day 1: Rest of Geno’s
Back in June I took a road trip up to Arnolds Park to visit the Stenslands at the Lake House. As an added bonus Sabas, Elainie, and Elawyn were up there. While Jason and Sabas were off playing gross golf, the rest of us went to a restaurant on the… Read More »#LakeLife: Arnolds Park Field Work
At the end of the last collection Lowell and I were wandering around Chinatown. In this collection we will finish up in Chinatown and then move on to the famous Philly Cheesesteak Square. Home of Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks. 2 of the most famous cheesesteaks in all… Read More »Philadelphia Day 1: On to Cheesesteak Square
Can you believe that this is the 5,750th entry in the blog known as “An Artist’s Notebook”? Every 250 posts or so I like to take a moment to reflect on where this post has been and post a lot of meaningless stats. As always on these posts, I like… Read More »Post 5,750
After the late night with Sarah and Tim was over, we went back to Newark. Crashed. Woke up in the morning. Ate breakfast. Took the shuttle to the airport. Flew to Chicago. Flew back to Fort Dodge. Drove home. I got to see Bokeh again. I loved Ireland. I loved… Read More »Travel Home Day 2