Category Archives: Angie

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jay, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – 353 – SERVICE

June 20, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I want to start this post with the text of a text that Joe sent me last week.

If I haven’t said, the WPC really helps me be present and look at the world a little differently. Thanks for facilitating!

If there was a mission statement for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, that is essentially what it is. To help people be more present and look at the world differently.

Thanks for the kind words Joe. I hope it has helping other people in a similar way.

+++++++

SERVICE can feel like a bit of a more abstract concept theme, so I wouldn’t be surprised if people struggled with this one a bit. I guess you will have to scroll down to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, June 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

+ Angie DeWaard – 1 week (2)
+ Mary Green – 2 weeks (2)
+ Sara Lockner – 3 weeks (2)
+ Dawn Krause – 4 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 6 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 8 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 10 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 11 weeks (3)
+ Logan Kahler – 13 weeks (2)
+ Teresa Kahler – 21 weeks (2)
+ Tamara Peterson – 21 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 21 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 22 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 23 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 24 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 25 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 29 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 30 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 31 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 35 weeks (3)

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:

Micky Augustin – 24 weeks

Kio Dettman – 36 weeks

Kio Dettman

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 32 weeks*

Linda Bennett – 7 weeks

Linda Bennett

Tamara Peterson – 22 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 26 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Cathie Morton – 30 weeks

Carla Stensland – 22 weeks

Joe Duff – 12 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 22 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Kim Barker – 11 weeks

Andy Sharp – 25 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 2 weeks

Dawn Krause – 5 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 23 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 1 week

Logan Kahler – 14 weeks

Jesse Howard – 9 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 31 weeks

Mike Vest – 1 week

21 participants submitted 28 submissions. That is a good number of participants for a theme that is somewhat abstract.

Bill reached the Half a Year Club this week! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Mary Green’s steak came to a halt after two weeks. And we bid a fond adieu to Sara’s 3 week streak.

Here are the current top streaks:

9. Teresa Kahler – 22 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 22 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 221 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 23 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 24 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 25 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 26 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 30 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 31 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 33 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 36 weeks

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 for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! While SERVICE might have seemed obtuse, SELF-PORTRAIT is literally the easiest streak of this 52 weeks. All you need is a camera, which you have, and a self, which you also have. There should be at least 50 participants next Monday. Or at least 25.

A quick shoutout to Jay for helping me take this week’s theme reveal image. Thanks Jay!

But what is a SELF-PORTRAIT? Please don’t play coy. It is simply a portrait of one’s self. Now a SELF-PORTRAIT doesn’t necessarily have to be a picture of your face. It could be of your hands or feet or whatever body part. It doesn’t even have to include you at all. It can be a picture of something that is uniquely you. For example Wily keeps pretty much every pair of running shoes he has ever had. He has maybe an excess of 100. A picture of his running shoes with or without his feet in them would be a SELF-PORTRAIT. OR you could even take a picture of somebody taking a SELF-PORTRAIT.

While considering how you are going to do your SELF-PORTRAIT, meditate on this following quote:

Know yourself. Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
Ann Landers

With all due respect to Ann Landers, but she can s… I strongly disagree with her. Maybe her dog isn’t a great judge of character, but Naima certainly is!

However, I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

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.

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 SELF-PORTRAIT in this place that is little more than my giant selfie next Monday.

* Although perhaps Shannon should be disqualified for taking a cat picture out of spite… but it does qualify as SERVICE because as she wrote me “You defined a service as helping someone else. Well this beauty needed help. And I’m getting my cat photo in even if you don’t like my suggestion of CAT as a theme.”

Andy, Angie, Bill, Boone FUMC, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Maven, Michelle, Micky, Sara, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 352 – CHILDREN

June 13, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

A quick housekeeping note: for the last couple of months I haven’t been able to email people with a Gmail account. If you have written me and I haven’t written back, I have tried, just Gmail security has been dumb. However, on Friday, I believe I finally got all the SPF stuff in the right spot and it appears that I can now email my Gmail people. This hasn’t effected the email subscription service because those emails are delivered by a third party service called MailPoet that Gmail doesn’t actively hate.

Anybody that wants to hear the exciting tale of creating SPF records, can contact me directly. I can throw in a bonus DMARC story!

+++++++

CHILDREN has proven to be a popular theme. Many people love CHILDREN, but not as many as people as love FLOWER. Which is okay, FLOWER(s) don’t grow up to be teenagers.

Submissions did flow in from all over the country. Some from Texas, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and California. I even travelled to exotic locale of Johnston, Iowa to take my picture.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, June 6, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

+ Lori Backous – 1 week
+ Suzie Brannen – 1 week (3)
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week
+ Mary Green – 1 week
+ Monica Jennings – 1 week
+ Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks
+ Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 3 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 5 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 7 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 9 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 10 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 12 weeks (5)
+ Teresa Kahler – 20 weeks (3)
+ Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks (2)
+ Carla Stensland – 20 weeks (3)
+ Michelle Haupt – 21 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 22 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 23 weeks (2)
+ Bill Wentworth – 24 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 28 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 29 weeks (2)
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 31 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 34 weeks (3)

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 – 13 weeks

Logan Kahler

Angie DeWaard – 1 week

Angie DeWaard

Kim Barker – 10 weeks

Joe Duff – 11 weeks

Joe Duff

Andy Sharp – 24 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 30 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 21 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin – 23 weeks

Mary Green – 2 weeks

Mary Green

Michelle Haupt – 22 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 21 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 32 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 25 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Kio Dettman – 35 weeks

Kio Dettman

Dawn Krause – 4 weeks

Linda Bennett – 6 weeks

Linda Bennett

Jesse Howard – 8 weeks

Jesse Howard

Cathie Morton – 29 weeks

Sara Lockner – 3 weeks

Sara Lockner

Carla Stensland – 21 weeks

33 submissions from 21 participants. So this answers the age old debate on whether or not people like flowers or children more.

There was a veritable bloodbath of streaks snaped this week. Lori, Suzie, Jen, Layla, and Monica all couldn’t extend there streak from 1 week to two. Evie’s 2 week streak also ended.

On the good news front, Kim joined the double digit club! Way to go Kim!

Here are the current top streaks:

9. Teresa Kahler – 21 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 21 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 21 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 22 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 23 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 24 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 25 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 29 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 30 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 32 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 35 weeks

SERVICE

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

This is a theme that was suggested by Andy. If you don’t like it, well remember that I crowdsource the themes once a year about November, so watch for that post and conduct your actions accordingly.

That isn’t to infer that I don’t love this theme. If I didn’t love the suggestion, I would have filed it in the trash next to Shannon’s suggestion of CATS. Maybe not next to that suggestion. Cause that one I threw in the trash and then stomped the trash down. Then took it to the incinerator. I didn’t even own an incinerator. I went to the store and bought one, just so I could incinerate that suggestion.

That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t make suggestions for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE when that time is nigh. Just don’t suggest CATS. Happy birthday Shannon!

But what is a SERVICE picture? A SERVICE is simply the action of helping someone else. A SERVICE picture is simply a picture of one person helping another person. Or the results of one person helping another person. Now there are many different types of SERVICE. For example the theme reveal is a picture of a worship SERVICE. I get very questionable internet SERVICE from Mediacom. A couple days last week I ate at restaurant where I received SERVICE from many fine servers.

When considering your possible subjects for SERVICE meditate on the following quote:

11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
-Matthew 23: 11-12

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

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 SERVICE in this place that much exists only on servers next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Flowers, History, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Sara, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 350 – HISTORY

May 30, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I am back from my road trip. I have to say that I saw some of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. I can’t wait to share them with you in 3-4 months.

HISTORY proved to be a deceptively popular theme despite the holiday. Most people still seemed to come up with some kind of piece of HISTORY to photograph and get to me even though it was a holiday!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 23, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Dawn Krause – 1 week
+ Mary Green – 2 weeks
+ William McAlpine – 2 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 3 weeks
+ Angie DeWaard – 5 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 5 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 7 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 7 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 8 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 10 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 18 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 18 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 18 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 19 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 20 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 21 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 22 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 26 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 27 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 29 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 32 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:

Kim Barker – 8 weeks

Kim Barker

Evie Gorshe – 1 week

Angie DeWaard – 6 weeks

Joe Duff – 9 weeks

Sara Lockner – 1 week

Sara Lockner

Logan Kahler – 11 weeks

Logan Kahler

Dawn Krause – 2 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 19 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin – 21 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 28 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen

Andy Sharp – 22 weeks

Andy Sharp

Jesse Howard – 6 weeks

Carla Stensland – 19 weeks

Kio Dettman – 33 weeks

Kio Dettman

Linda Bennett – 4 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 20 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 19 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 30 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 8 weeks

Cathie Morton – 27 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 23 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

37 submissions from 22 participants. That is a pretty good week!

Only two streaks went kaput! Mary Green’s 2 week streak went the way of the dodo bird and Willy McAlpine’s 2 week streak is also only a fond memory. I have no doubt that we will see big things from them again in the future!

Here are the current top streaks!

9. Teresa Kahler – 19 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 19 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 19 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 20 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 21 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 22 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 23 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 27 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 28 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 30 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 33 weeks

FLOWER

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

But what is a FLOWER picture? Simply put, a FLOWER picture is any picture where a FLOWER is a major compositional element of the picture. The FLOWER can be real. The FLOWER can be fake. The FLOWER can be a artistic rendering. There are so many options!

When thinking on possible subjects for your submission, meditate on the following quote:

Take time to smell the roses.
-Proverb

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

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 FLOWER in this place that some people already think has too many flowers next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Michelle, Micky, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 349 – HAT

May 24, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

I am back from Miami Beach! I even brought Kim and Cathie back with me sorta. Not really. At least Kim and I were on the same flight. The short answer was it was a good enough trip that involved long hours in a convention center.

I want to thank everybody that wished me a happy birthday and Kim for briefly singing to me.

Thank you Kim, Elizabeth, Jen, Sara, Anders, Teresa, Micky, Jesse, Michelle, Jay, Monica, Shannon, Elainie, Brandon, Angie, Alexis (bonus points for working in a Godzilla graphic in her birthday wish), Andree, Steph, Faust, Logan, and Carla. I appreciate it! Now on to the mission of the next trip around to the sun and making it as good-ish as possible.

I thought the theme of HAT might be a streak buster because of the unusual logistics of the week, and it did to some degree, but not to the degree that I thought.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 16, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Mary Green – 1 week
+ William McAlpine – 1 week
+ Linda Bennett – 2 weeks
+ Angie DeWaard – 4 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 4 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 6 weeks
+ Sara Lockner – 6 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 7 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks
+ Monica Jennings – 9 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 9 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 17 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 17 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 18 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 19 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 20 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 21 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 25 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 26 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 28 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 31 weeks
+ Christopher D. Bennett 450 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:

Logan Kahler – 10 weeks

Joe Duff – 8 weeks

Kim Barker – 7 weeks

Kim Barker

Dawn Krause – 1 week

Jesse Howard – 5 weeks

Jesse Howard

Teresa Kahler – 18 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Elizabeth Nordeen – 27 weeks

Andy Sharp – 21 weeks

Andy Sharp

Micky Augustin – 20 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 5 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 7 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 22 weeks

Carla Stensland – 18 weeks

Cathie Morton – 26 weeks

Kio Dettman – 32 weeks

Kio Dettman

Linda Bennett – 3 weeks

Linda Bennett

Mary Green – 2 weeks

Mary Green

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 29 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 19 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 18 weeks

William McAlpine – 2 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

33 submissions from 22 participants. That is a good week. I’m glad to see that so many of you have an important HAT in your life.

There were a couple of accomplishments of note this week. Logan cracked double digits to enter the double digit club. Cathie hit 26 weeks to enter the half year club.

But as I feared, multiple streaks did bite the dust. Sara’s 6 week streak is gone. Suzie’s 8 week streak, only something you can read about in the history books. Monica’s 9 week streak, a distant memory.

9. Teresa Kahler – 18 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 18 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 18 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 19 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 20 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 21 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 22 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 26 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 27 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 29 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 32 weeks

HISTORY

WARNING: NEXT MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY. YOU MIGHT BE OUT DOING HOLIDAY TYPE THINGS. THINK ABOUT THIS WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR PLANS TO SEND ME YOUR SUBMISSION. I ALSO MIGHT NOT BE IN POSITION TO SEND OUT ANY REMINDERS. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

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

But what is a HISTORY picture? A HISTORY picture is simply any picture that deals with a HISTORI(Y)cal artifact. Could be something found in a museum. It could be something found on the side of the road. It could be an old church or an old building. It could be living history. It doesn’t have to be anything as grand as the spot where a President of the United StateS spoke. It doesn’t have to be political HISTORY or military HISTORY or religious HISTORY. It could very easily be personal HISTORY or family HISTORY.

When thinking on possible subjects for your submission, meditate on the following quote:

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
-Karl Marx

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

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 HISTORY in this place that definitely records my daily minutiae next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Postcard, Railroad, Sara, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Slice of Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 348 – SLICE OF LIFE

May 16, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

SLICE OF LIFE got more results than I am expected. You people have impressed me!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Linda Bennett – 1 week
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks
+ Angie DeWaard – 3 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 5 weeks
+ Sara Lockner – 5 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 5 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 6 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 6 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 7 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 8 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 8 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 16 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 16 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 17 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 18 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 19 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 20 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 24 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 25 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 27 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 30 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:

WEEK 348 - SLICE OF LIFE - TERESA KAHLER

Teresa Kahler – 17 weeks

Monica Jennings – 9 weeks

Monica Jennings

Elizabeth Nordeen – 26 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen

Joe Duff – 7 weeks
View from “The Mount” of several harden by Hermann Park in Houston

Joe Duff
“Inside the Octopus”. The main ballroom of the Octopus where countless Christmas parties, summer socials, and special evets were held.

Joe Duff
TPC Group “Octopus”, built 1959. An octagonal building with ballroom and meeting facilities. Built by employees from wood harvested on site.

Kim Barker – 6 weeks

Kim Barker

Micky Augustin – 19 weeks

Mary Green – 1 week

Kio Dettman – 31 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks

William McAlpine – 1 week

Bill Wentworth – 21 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 28 weeks

Linda Bennet – 2 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 4 weeks

Cathie Morton – 25 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 18 weeks

Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks

Logan Kahler – 9 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard – 4 weeks

Andy Sharp – 20 weeks

Carla Stensland – 17 weeks

Sara Lockner – 6 weeks

Sara Lockner

31 submissions from 24 participants! That is a great week! Better than I expected, considering the extra rule for this week. Don’t worry none of the remaining Year 9 themes have a bonus rule.

Also, the following people earned this week’s bonus points by submitting a black & white image:
+ Teresa Kahler
+ Monica Jennings – 1 out of 3 anyways
+ Joe Duff – 1 out of 3 anyways
+ Mary Green
+ Kio Dettman
+ Linda Bennett
+ Angie DeWaard
+ Suzie Brannen
+ Logan Kahler
+ Andy Sharp

Be sure to check your mailbox, those bonus points should be arriving any day now.

This was an exciting week for new participants. Mary Green participating for the first time ever. As did William McAlpine. Willy’s submission came all the way from Portugal!

Also you may have noticed a couple name changes from a couple of the participants. I wonder what that means? Congratulations is what is means!

But it wasn’t all good news. 2 streaks did bite the dust. Jen’s two week streak. Gone. Dawn’s 6 week streak. Poof. I have no doubt they will be back with great submissions again in the future!

Here are the current top streaks:

9. Teresa Kahler – 17 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 17 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 18 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 19 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 20 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 21 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 25 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 26 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 28 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 31 weeks

Congratulations to Elizabeth as her submissions (all the way from Florida) made her the third person to have a streak extend for half of a year! WooHoo!

HAT

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

But what exactly is a HAT photo? It is very simple. Just any picture that features a HAT in the image works. There are all sorts of hats out there ranging from fedoras to beanies to fedoras to bucket hats to fedoras to baseball caps to fedoras. Did I mention fedoras?

There is a warning on this theme though:

NEXT MONDAY I WILL NOT BE IN ANY POSITION TO SEND OUT ANY KIND OF REMINDERS. YOU ARE DEFINITELY ON YOUR OWN ON THIS ONE.

While considering subjects for your HAT image, mediate on the following quote:

Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
-Henry David Thoureau

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

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 HAT in this place where I hang many of my hats next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Drone, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Sara, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 347 – SQUARE

May 9, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

WARNING: THE THEME FOR NEXT WEEK IS THE OTHER WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE THAT DOES HAVE A SECOND RULE. READ THE DIRECTIONS CLOSELY.

Square has proven to be a pretty popular theme.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 2, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
+ Sarah Karber – 1 week
+ Angie DeWaard – 2 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 2 weeks
+ Evie Gorshe – 3 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 4 weeks
+ Sara Lockner – 4 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 5 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 5 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 7 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 7 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 15 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 15 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 15 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 16 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 17 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 18 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 19 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 23 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 24 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 26 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 29 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:

Kio Dettman – 30 weeks

Kio Dettman

Linda Bennett – 1 week

Linda Bennett

Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 20 weeks

Carla Stensland – 16 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler – 16 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 17 weeks

Andy Sharp – 19 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 27 weeks

Joe Duff – 6 weeks

Kim Barker – 5 weeks

Logan Kahler – 8 weeks

Logan Kahler

Elizabeth Nordeen – 25 weeks

Suzie Brannen – 7 weeks

Micky Augustin – 18 weeks

Monica Henning – 8 weeks

Cathie Raley – 24 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 5 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 3 weeks

Dawn Krause – 6 weeks

Dawn Krause

Sara Lockner – 5 weeks

Sara Lockner

Jesse Howard – 3 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks

I’m not going to get into who had streaks broke and how many participants there were, because Mediacom sucks. Just absolutely sucks. You are lucky you are even seeing this post, that is how bad Mediacom sucks.

There were 31 submissions. That is all you get.

SLICE OF LIFE

SLICE OF LIFE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a SLICE OF LIFE photo? It might not be what you think. Hence this week’s special rule. SLICE OF LIFE is a reference to the photo postcard company that my Dad created. That is why (and here is the special rule) this week, the theme is NOT up for interpretation. This week’s theme is to take a picture that you could see used as a postcard. That is the only interpretation available to you.

Some of you might not live in a tourist hotbed like Boone, Iowa (no seriously, Boone has lots of tourist attractions from Pufferbilly Days to the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Birthplace to Ledge State Park to the Boone Speedway to name a few) but there is certainly something in your town that you could see put on a postcard. For those of you that are under the age of 40 you may have to ask an elder what a postcard is, but I’m sure they will be happy to tell you all about it. And also other amazing things that happened in the 80s or 70s or before.

To give you another few examples of postcards. Here are a few postcards that my Dad made that I hastily scanned this morning:

When you look at these postcards, remember that these were made in a darkroom. With film! Quite a bit harder than dragging and dumping layers in Photoshop.

So remember, it has to be the kind of image you would see on a postcard. Not a picture of your pet or your kid and then saying, this is a “slice of my life”. That doesn’t qualify this week.

Do I expect this to possibly be a streak killer for many people? Maybe, but maybe SQUARE already was a major streak killer, who knows?

BONUS: If you want to go the extra mile, this isn’t a requirement, you can take your image in black & white as my Dad’s postcards were black & white.

While considering your SLICE OF LIFE subjects, meditate on the following quote:

The world before us is a postcard, and I imagine the story we are writing on it.
-Mary E. Pearson

I look forward to seeing the digital postcards you send me.

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 SLICE OF LIFE in this place that is nothing more than my postcard to the world next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Flowers, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Lensbaby, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Pastor Sarah, Sara, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 346 – #INSTAGOOD

May 2, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

#INSTAGOOD proved to be a pretty popular theme. Which is good, because there literally isn’t an easier theme on the Year 9 Calendar.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, April 25, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Angie DeWaard – 1 week
+ Jesse Howard – 1 week
+ Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 3 weeks
+ Sara Lockner – 3 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 4 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 4 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 5 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 5 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 6 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 6 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 14 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 14 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 15 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 16 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 17 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 18 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 22 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 23 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 25 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 28 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:

WEEK 347 - #INSTAGOOD - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE

Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week

Sarah Karber – 1 week

Angie DeWaard – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard – 2 weeks

Evie Gorshe – 3 weeks

Kim Barker – 4 weeks

Sara Lockner – 4 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks

Joe Duff – 5 weeks

Dawn Krause – 5 weeks

Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks

Monica Henning – 7 weeks

Logan Kahler – 7 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 15 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 15 weeks

Carla Stensland – 15 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 16 weeks

Micky Augustin – 17 weeks

Andy Sharp – 18 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 19 weeks

Cathie Raley – 23 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 24 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 26 weeks

Kio Dettman – 29 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett – 448 weeks

25 submissions from 25 participants! That is a great week. I do believe that the 25 participants is a new record.

Only 1 streak was snapped. Linda’s streak of 5 did not make it to 6.

Shannon extended her streak to 26! That is six straight months of submissions! WooHoo!

Here is the current list of top streaks!

1. Kio – 29 weeks
2. Shannon – 26 weeks
3. Elizabeth – 24 weeks
4. Cathie – 23 weeks
5. Bill – 19 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 18 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 17 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 16 weeks
9. Teresa Kahler – 15 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 15 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 15 weeks

SQUARE

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

But what is a SQUARE image? A SQUARE image is any image where one of the major elements of your composition is a SQUARE. Remember, all SQUAREs are rectangles, but not all rectangles are SQUAREs. If you look around, you will see that there is are SQUAREs all over the place. Once you see them, you won’t be able to stop seeing them. The next step is to photograph one. I wouldn’t even hate on you if you took a picture of your dog and used a 1:1 aspect ratio.

There are also other definitions of SQAURE you can ponder.

While thinking on your possible subjects for SQUARE, meditate on the following song lyric:

I used to be a renegade
I used to fool around
But I couldn’t take the punishment
And had to settle down
Now I’m playing it real straight
And yes, I cut my hair
You might think I’m crazy
But I don’t even care
Because I can tell what’s going on
It’s hip to be square

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

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 SQUARE in this place that is nothing more than proof that I’m a square next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Sara, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 345 – LETTERS OR NUMBERS

April 25, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

WARNING: READ THE RULES FOR NEXT WEEK’S THEME CARFEULLY. THERE IS ONE CHANGE FOR NEXT WEEK’S THEME!

LETTERS OR NUMBERS has proven to be a fairly popular theme.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, April 18, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week
+ Sarah Karber – 1 week
+ Kim Barker – 2 weeks
+ Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 3 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 3 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 4 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 4 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 4 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 5 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 13 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 13 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 13 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 14 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 15 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 16 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 17 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 21 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 22 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 24 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 27 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:

Teresa Kahler – 14 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Sara Lockner – 3 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 23 weeks

Andy Sharp – 17 weeks

Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks

Micky Augustin – 16 weeks

Joe Duff – 4 weeks

Kio Dettman – 28 weeks

Kio Dettman

Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 1 week

Bill Wentworth – 18 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Carla Stensland – 14 weeks

Carla Stensland

Michelle Haupt – 15 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks

Linda Bennett – 5 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 25 weeks

Logan Kahler – 6 weeks

Kim Barker – 3 weeks

Dawn Krause – 4 weeks

Dawn Krause

Cathie Raley – 22 weeks

Jesse Howard – 1 week

Suzie Brannen – 5 weeks

Monica Henning – 5 weeks

Monica Henning

31 submissions from 24 participants! That is a great week!

Only 1 “streak” was snapped. Sarah wasn’t able to built on her submission from last week. However, to balance that out, Angie participated for the first time in Year 9. Hopefully this is the sign of big things to come!

Here are the current top streaks:

1. Kio – 28 weeks
2. Shannon – 25 weeks
3. Elizabeth – 23 weeks
4. Cathie – 22 weeks
5. Bill – 18 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 17 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 16 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 15 weeks
9. Teresa Kahler – 14 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 14 weeks

#INSTAGOOD

#INSTAGOOD! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a #INSTAGOOD picture? #INSTAGOOD is the second most popular hashtag used on Instagram. As of this morning, it has been used on Instagram 1,531,803,168 times. You might be thinking, “Well, that is an interesting statistic, that doesn’t tell me what it means!”

Don’t worry baby birds, I’m gonna feed you.

The #INSTAGOOD hashtag is used when an Instagram user thinks that the picture is particularly good. Not just your average picture, but a good picture. For our uses, this week’s theme is to send me you best picture you took during this week. From between 12:01 PM today and 10:59 next Monday.

So that brings me to the new rule for this week’s theme:

SEND ME ONE AND ONLY ONE PICTURE!! THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE BEST PICTURE YOU TOOK THIS WEEK! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT SENDING ME MULTIPLE IMAGES AND TELLING ME TO PICK THE BEST ONE. I WILL NOT DO IT!! I WILL COUNT THAT AS ZERO SUBMISSIONS! I’D HATE TO SEEN ANY STREAKS ENDED CAUSE OF A TECHNICALITY!

So now that is clear. When considering possible subjects for your best picture this week, meditate on these song lyrics from a song from THE KARATE KID:

Try to be best
‘Cause you’re only a man
And a man’s gotta learn to take it
Try to believe
Though the going gets rough
That you gotta hang tough to make it
History repeats itself
Try and you’ll succeed
Never doubt that you’re the one
And you can have your dreams!
You’re the best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down

I look forwarding to seeing the best you got next Monday!

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 #INSTAGOOD in this place that is nothing more than the best I got next Monday.

Andree, Angie, Baier, Basketball, Becky, Brandon, Carla, Dawn, Derrick, Elizabeth, Faust, Flowers, Jason, Jesse, Jill, Jorge, Linda, Lowell, Macro, Michelle, Micky, Pastor Sarah, Robert, Russell, Sara, Shawn Lockner, Tim, Toby

Fall Apart Again

April 7, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Year 17 of the Roundball Oracles has come to an end. On Monday night, Kansas used a flaw in the court that injured North Carolina’s best player to help them overcome the Tar Heels in the last minute of the game. It was an otherwise great game and it is sad that it was partially decided by an injury due to a flaw in the court construction.

Ben Baier was the winner of this year’s pool. He is the youngest to ever win it. He joins this list:

PAST ROUNDBALL ORACLE CHAMPIONS

2022 – Ben Baier
2021 – Micky Augustin
2020 – No Tournament
2019 – Becky Parmelee
2018 – Paul Golden
2017 – Paul Golden
2016 – Michelle Haupt
2015 – Derek Dohrman
2014 – Brandon Kahler
2013 – William McAlpine
2012 – Lowell Davis
2011 – Carrie Baier
2010 – Mark Wolfram
2009 – Mark Wolfram
2008 – Mark Wolfram
2007 – Tim Peterson
2006 – William McAlpine
2005 – William McAlpine

Where there is a champion, there also has to be a last place. This year’s The Sara “winner” was Joey Randazzo.

Past “The Sara” Winners

2022 – Joey Randazzo
2021 – Rachel Gildersleeve
2020 – No Tournament
2019 – Russell Kennerly
2018 – Robert Henning
2017 – Shannon Bardole
2016 – Laura Priest
2015 – Derrick Gorshe
2014 – Sara Lockner

Note, Olivia Baier actually finished below Mr. Randazzo, but as she is a child, she is not eligible for The Sara.

Here are the Final Standings:

1. Ben Baier – 273 points
2. Sara Lockner – 271 points
3. Shawn Lockner – 242 points
4. Rachel Gildersleeve – 242 points
5. Linda Bennett – 232 points
6. Becky Parmelee – 231 points
7. Carla Stensland – 229 points
8. Angie DeWaard – 224 points
9. Humble Narrator – 224 points
10. Tim Peterson – 223 points
11. Jason Baier – 217 points
12. Lowell Davis – 215 points
13. Derek Dohrman – 215 points
14. Carrie Baier – 214 points
15. Sarah Karber – 210 points
16. Micky Augustin – 209 points
17. Elizabeth Nordeen – 206 points
18. Jorge Rios – 203 points
19. Brandon Kahler – 203 points
20. Will Baier – 197 points
21. Jordan Toot – 197 points
22. Corey Faust – 197 points
23. Andree Jauhari – 192 points
24. Jesse Howard – 191 points
25. Dawn Krause – 182 points
26. Derrick Gorshe – 181 points
27. Michelle Haupt – 179 points
28. Jackson Faust – 176 points
29. Jason Stensland – 168 points
30. J.J. Baier – 164 points
31. Russell Kennerly – 161 points
32. Toby Sebring – 157 points
33. Robert Henning – 151 points
34. Jill Gorshe – 147 points
35. Joey Randazzo – 143 points
36. Olivia Baier – 141 points

I’m already looking forward to next season. Iowa State will have to replace a lot from this year’s team and one of their assistant coaches, but could be a good team. You never know. This year’s team definitely wasn’t supposed to make the Sweet Sixteen!

+++++++

Seems like a good time to share some flower pictures from last year:

I still have some flower pictures left to share from last year.

Angie, Art, Baier, Basketball, Becky, Bill, Carla, Derrick, Iowa State, Jay, Jesse, Logan, Nader, Naima, Pastor Sarah, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Still Life, Teresa, Toby, WPC - Reminder

Selfie Project – March 2022

April 1, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Tomorrow is the Final Four. Thought it would be a good time to check-in on the Roundball Oracles.

With 3 games left to go in the NCAA tournament this is the Top 3:

1. Becky Parmelee – 231 Points
2. Carla Stensland – 229 Points
3. Angie DeWaard – 224 points

This is the Bottom 3:

34. Joey Randazzo – 143 points
35. Olivia Baier – 141 points
36. Toby Sebring – 140 points

At this point, there are 4 people left that have a chance of taking home the Championship Trophy. 2 people still have a shot at The Sara.

Here are the scenarios for The Sara:

If Villanova beats Kansas then Toby “wins” The Sara.
If Kansas beats Villanova then Joey “wins” The Sara.

Note as Olivia Baier is a child, she is not eligible for The Sara.

Here are the scenarios for the Championship:

If Duke wins the National Championship then Sarah Karber wins the trophy.
If Kansas wins the National Championship then Ben Baier wins the trophy.
If Villanova beats Duke for the National Championship then Becky wins the trophy.
If North Carolina beats Villanova for the National Championship then Becky wins the trophy.
If North Carolina beats Kansas for the National Championship then Ben wins the trophy.
If Villanova beats North Carolina for the National Championship then Derrick Gorshe wins the trophy.

It is possible, that there is an error in my math, but I’m fairly certain this is correct.

Root accordingly.

+++++++

I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I think I actually did some stuff in March. I didn’t go to Pennsylvania and Illinois (briefly) and North Carolina (briefly), but I did stand in Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota all at the same time. I ate the reigning Best Tenderloin in Iowa. I went to two Iowa State NCAA Tournament games. I stood on the highest point in Iowa and the second highest. I hosted Alligator Movie Night. I had some good times with friends and some poignant times with family. March wasn’t too bad. Raised the bar a bit for April.

Here are my favorite SELFIE PROJECT images from March:

March 1

March 3

March 4

March 5

March 7

March 8

March 9

March 11

March 12

March 13

March 15

March 16

March 17

March 18

March 19

March 20

March 21

March 23

March 25

March 26

March 29

March 30

March 31

Oh yeah! I also bought a new camera in March! I hope to continue to do good work in April!

Of course, there can only be one selfie for each day. Here are my favorite alternates I took for THE SELFIE PROJECT:

Jesse is a sleeper!

+++++++

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

FRAMED

But what exactly is a FRAMED picture? It is simply a picture where the subject is FRAMED in by something else. In the theme reveal, the edge of the garbage can makes a frame for the subject of the refuse. A doorway makes a good frame. So does a hall way. A window Any thing that creates negative space makes a great frame for your subject. Or you could even do something as easy as taking a picture of something that is in a literal picture frame.

Happy photo harvesting!