Category Archives: Elizabeth

Andy, Angie, Art, Carla, Derrick, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Kim, Lowell, Monica, Night, Sara, Scottie D., Still Life, Street Photography, Travel, Work, WPC - Reminder

Viva Las Vegas: Day 4 and Day 5A

April 21, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Day 4 of my trip to Las Vegas was the 2nd Day of the CCM. It was a busy day and I barely touched my camera. I spent pretty much the entire day at the conference center. I got to leave for the day at a pretty normal time and only felt the urge to punch another human being in the throat one time. But I didn’t. I just want you to know that. I didn’t punch that other human being in the throat. I only wanted to punch them in the throat.

That night I was taken out for supper by one of the biggest Computer Mine customers. They are big fans of Italian food so they took me to Trevi Italian Restaurant. Trevi is inside the Shops at the Forum. Our Uber driver dropped us off at The Caesars Forum, which is actually farther away from Trevi than our hotel.

Everybody else at the meal was Catholic and adhered to the no meat Friday deal. I ate lasagna. I offered to join them in not eating meat, since they were paying, but they told me not to worry about it. The lasagna was good and I followed it with some delicious tiramisu.

We walked back to the hotel cause we no longer trusted Uber drivers. We stopped and watch the fountain show at the Bellagio. Then I bid them a good night. I think it was late enough in the evening that I might have just went to bed myself. I don’t know. It is all a blur at this point.

I only took one picture worth sharing:

So after 4 days, here is the Per Diem Fund Update

I started the Day with $223.

Breakfast: Free
Lunch: Free
Trevi Supper: Free

Estimated Per Diem Balance: $223.

According to my highly inaccurate fitness app, I walked 18,170 steps for 8.35 miles.

Day 5 of my trip and Day 3 of the CMC is only a half day. I got to the convention center around 8. It ended at noon. Afterwards everybody “helps” pack the crates. This was the other time I wanted to punch another human being in the throat, but not as hard as the person yesterday. Also, not the same person. Just a person that had “opinions” on how the crate should be packed. After everybody else left, Lowell and I tried to redo the crate as much as we could. Then we locked them up and called it a day.

We took a moment to go back to the hotel and change clothes then we went to Nacho Daddy for lunch with Kim. Nacho Daddy serves the “most insane gourmet nachos smothered in queso and salsa made fresh daily and (they) guarantee you’ll never find a dry chip”.

I believe I got the Fajita Nacho. Which the menu describes as:

Marinated filet mignon, seared peppers & onions, refried beans, melted Cheddar & Jack cheese, yellow queso, cherry tomato pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, & pickled onions on top of our house made tri-colored chips.

Nacho Daddy also serves a Scorpion Shot. It consists of Telson Blanco, a scorpion, salt and a lime wedge. I don’t drink alcohol, so I was off the hook for trying it. But Lowell and Kim both backed down from the challenge. It was a bit of a disappointment.

After the meal we back to the hotel for a bit. There was talk of going to Fremont Street but I didn’t hear from anybody for hours, so after resting I decided to explore a bit nearby on my own. Scottie D. had recommend I check out the Botanical Garden at The Bellagio. I walked across the street to seek it out.

Here are some pictures:

It just absolutely poured rain all night. It pretty much eliminated the chances of anybody wanting to do anything that night. Which I guess was okay because we had to be at the shuttle by 5:15 in the morning.

Still more pictures to come from this rain-soaked night and one final Per Diem Upate!

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

FRIENDS

Not only is this your reminder that this week’s theme is FRIENDS, it is your reminder that I am in Chicago right now and won’t return until Tuesday. Three things to note about that:

#1. If you were hoping to have me in your FRIENDS picture, you better make it to Chicago.
#2. I’m going to be in Chicago on Monday, so there might not be many reminders sent out, so you will be on your own.
#3. I won’t publish the submissions until Tuesday at the earliest.

A FRIENDS photo is simply a picture that involves FRIENDS or a picture that represents a FRIENDShip.

While considering possible subjects for your FRIENDS image meditate on the following quote:

Friendship is being there when someone’s feeling low and not being afraid to kick them.

This isn’t the first time that FRIENDS has been a theme. Here is a look at a few of the submissions from the past to help inspire you:

Angie DeWaard – Week 246

Elizabeth Nordeen – Week 310

Andy Sharp – Week 172

Carla Stensland – Week 172

Christopher D. Bennett – Week 172

Hopefully this inspired somebody.

Happy photo harvesting!

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Derrick, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Naima, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 396 – SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH

April 17, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH. Possibly the easiest theme ever. But did it get the creative juices flowing for many people? You will have to keep scrolling too find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, April 10, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Susanna Funk – 1 week
3-Mary Green – 1 week
4-Jesse Howard – 1 week
5-Alexis Stensland – 1 week
6-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
7-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks
8-Mindi Terrell – 7 weeks (2)
9-Suzie Brannen – 12 weeks (3)
10-Monica Jennings – 12 weeks (3)
11-Nathanial Brown – 13 weeks (3)
12-Mike Vest – 13 weeks
13-Tamara Peterson – 23 weeks
14-Brandon Kahler – 33 weeks
15-Linda Bennett – 37 weeks (2)
16-Sarah Toot – 38 weeks (2)
17-Angie DeWaard – 42 weeks
18-Dawn Krause – 46 weeks (2)
19-Kim Barker – 51 weeks
20-Joe Duff – 53 weeks
21-Logan Kahler – 53 weeks
22-Teresa Kahler – 64 weeks
23-Carla Stensland – 64 weeks
24-Micky Augustin – 65 weeks (2)
25-Andy Sharp – 67 week
26-Bill Wentworth – 68 weeks
27-Cathie Morton – 72 weeks
28-Elizabeth Nordeen – 73 weeks
29-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 74 weeks
30-Kio Dettman – 77 weeks (2)

I finally broke down and made a map of states where people have submitted pictures from:

You might notice that Michigan is filled in, even though as of last week we had no submissions from Michigan. That isn’t actually the case. After last Monday’s post published, Mary contacted me and let me know that her pictures were taken in Michigan! WooHoo! Another state. So don’t forget to let me know if you took your picture in a different state than the one you live in. Or if you want, you can always let me know where you took your picture at.

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 396 - SCENE FROM YOUR COUCH - KIO DETTMAN

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 78 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 54 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 39 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Wyoming) – 75 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Nevada)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 69 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 38 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa)

Porter Degeneffe (Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 13 weeks

29 participants! That is a pretty great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wyoming

Thanks to Shannon’s annual bee road trip, Wyoming has been added to the map!

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ North Dakota
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Texas
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

22 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture about 3 miles from my house. I continue not to contribute.

Speaking of people who do contribute in a big way. Congratulations to Kim! She joins the super exclusive 1 Year Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Funk couldn’t build on her submission last week. Willy’s 3 week streak is history. Most tragically, Nathanial’s 13 week streak is just a distant memory. Very sad!

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:

FRIENDS

NOTE: I WILL BE IN CHICAGO NEXT MONDAY FOR WORK. WHILE I MIGHT BE SURROUNDED BY COMPUTERS THAT DAY, I WILL NOT BE IN ANY KIND OF POSITION TO POST THE ENTRIES FOR FRIENDS UNTIL I RETURN. THAT WILL EITHER BE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT OR AT SOME POINT ON WEDNESDAY. ALSO, DON’T COUNT ON GETTING ANY REMINDERS. IT MIGHT HAPPEN, BUT I DOUBT IT. PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

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

But what exactly is a FRIENDS image? Simply put it is an image that captures a FRIENDS(hip). That can be through a picture of FRIENDS or a picture of an item that represents a FRIENDS(hip).

But what is are FRIENDS? ChatGPT defines FRIENDS like his:

“Friends are individuals who share a mutual bond of trust, affection, and support with each other. They are people with whom we have a close and positive relationship, and with whom we share common interests, values, and experiences. Friends can provide emotional support, companionship, and a sense of belonging. They can also offer advice, feedback, and constructive criticism, and can help us grow and develop as individuals. Friendship is an important aspect of human social interaction, and having strong friendships can have a positive impact on our physical and mental well-being.”

In case you didn’t know what FRIENDS are.

Now a reminder, I’m leaving for Chicago in a couple of days, so if you were hoping to include me in your FRIENDS picture, you either need to act quickly OR come to Illinois.

But if you can’t use me while considering possible subjects for your FRIENDS image, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will make a great submission:

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”
— Walter Winchell

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 FRIENDS in this place that was designed for friendship next Monday.

Cathie, Commercial, Elizabeth, Kim, Lowell, Michelle, Naima, Travel, Work, WPC - Reminder

Viva Las Vegas: Day 3C

April 14, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

After the party was over, Lowell and I waited around for what must have been hours for these people to leave so we could go back to the conference center to setup computers for the following day’s CMC.

I think we finally got into the conference center, set up the few computers we could and got back to the hotel room about 10:30.

We were supposed to arrive at the party a little early to eat before the guests got there. But that didn’t really work out. I had a couple pieces of shrimp and a slider. Not enough to keep me going. So after hitting our hotel rooms, we met up, I think at the Heart Bar for a little bit. I think this might have been the night I was either propositioned by a prostitute near the slot machines OR a very friendly and lovely lady wanted to hang out with me and buy her a drink. It is hard to tell. We will never know.

Things are starting to become a blur at this point. Then sometime after midnight we ended up at Earl of Sandwich for a late supper. Earl of Sandwich was pretty good except for the distinct smell of drain backup emanating from the drains near their pop station.

Per Diem Fund Update

I started the day with $240 in the Per Diem Fund.

Breakfast: Free
Lunch: Free
Cocktail Hour Snacks: Free
Earl of Sandwich Supper: $17

Estimated Per Diem Fund Balance: $223.

I hope these party pictures don’t give the false impression that my job at the Computer Mine if fun. It is hard work. Nonstop. Nose to the grindstone.

After such a late night, the morning came around pretty quick.

According to my highly inaccurate fitness app, I walked 19,158 steps for 8.72 miles.

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This is your reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH:

SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH

SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH?!? That seems like an odd theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

This theme was suggested by Angie. It was meant to be subversive. If you have read the rules for (and there aren’t many rules, but they do grow a little by little) THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, you may remember the this line:

“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.”

Here is your chance to not get your butt off the couch. You can literally sit on your couch. Take a picture of whatever you see from your couch and submit it to me. Now, you don’t have to take the picture from your couch. You can pile a bunch of your favorite people on your couch and take a picture of them. You can take your picture from behind the couch. It actually doesn’t even have to be your couch. You can find somebody else’s couch you like better and take your picture from there. It could be a couch in a store or a hotel or a bar. Doesn’t matter. It just has to be a SCENE FROM A COUCH.

There are two things I love about this theme. First, it means that there is somebody that actually reads the rules. Second, this picture can be the easiest one you take for this year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or you really take your creative juices for a walk to figure out how make this picture, let us say different. To really stretch the boundaries of the theme.

Happy photo harvesting!

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Contests, Dawn, Drone, Elizabeth, Funk, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Naima, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 395 – ODD CAMERA ANGLE

April 10, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 5 Comments

Before we get into the submissions for this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE I want to say that I’m starting to work on the 2023 Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. There are a couple of changes from last year in the photo classes. I split NATURE into ANIMALS and PLANTS. The majority of images submitted last year were for the NATURE class. This way these are split into two categories. I also eliminated the class HIDDEN TREASURES OF BOONE COUNTY and replaced it with PLACES. The amount of classes went up from 5 to 6.

There are still 3 Age Divisions. Youth (7-12), Teen(13-17), and Adult (18+).

Another change is that the photos are not going to be displayed at KWBG this year. The Pufferbilly Days Committee is pushing to have all the activities centered around Story Street on Friday and Saturday. Details are still be worked out, but the current plan is to display the photo amongst various downtown retailers and then Sunday at Art in the Park at McHose Park.

Here is a look at this year’s entry form:

More information will be released as it becomes available. This is just the beginning of the journey. Also thanks to Michelle for updating the entry form!

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ODD CAMERA ANGLE! A great theme! But were there a ton of oddballs out there to give this theme a spin? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, April 3, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Porter Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks
4-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
5-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
6-Mindi Terrell – 7 weeks (3)
7-Suzie Brannen – 11 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 11 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 12 weeks
10-Mike Vest – 12 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 22 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 32 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 36 weeks
14-Sarah Toot – 37 weeks (3)
15-Angie DeWaard – 41 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 45 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 50 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 52 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 53 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 63 weeks (3)
21-Carla Stensland – 63 weeks
22-Micky Augustin – 64 weeks (2)
23-Andy Sharp – 66 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 67 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 71 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 72 weeks (2)
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 73 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 76 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:

WEEK 395 - ODD CAMERA ANGLE - SUZIE BRANNEN

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Susanna Funk (Colorado) – 1 week

Cathie Morton (Missouri) – 72 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 37 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Mary Green (Michigan) – 1 week

Mary Green (Michigan)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 23 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 33 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 68 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 53 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 46 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 77 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 38 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) – 13 weeks

Nathanial Brown (North Dakota)

Nathanial Brown (South Dakota)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 1 week

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 1 week

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa) – 1 week

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa)

31 participants! That is the most this year for sure and possibly the most ever. Maybe tied for the most ever. I would have to check the books and I don’t have last year’s Ledger in front of me right now. We will just go with tied for most ever participants for now.

First ever submissions from Funk and Alexis. I don’t expect Funk to keep contributing, but I knew she was in Colorado doing her mountain climbing thing again, so I hit her up for a submission. But maybe she will find it addictive. One never knows about such things. I do expect big things from Alexis though. She has that good Bennett photography blood flowing through those veins. After all, there are consistently 7 regular participants with that good Bennett photography blood flowing through their veins. Your humble narrator, Linda Bennett, Teresa Kahler, Carla Stensland, Sarah Toot, Brandon Kahler and Logan Kahler. Alexis would be the 8th.

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Colorado
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Michigan
+ Missouri
+ North Dakota
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Texas

Four more states have been filled in on the map this week, thanks to Nathanial’s long road trip we get to fill in North Dakota and South Dakota. Thanks to Funk’s mountain climbing exploits, we also get to fill in Colorado. Also, Mary took her submissions in Michigan. WooHoo!
Here is the current calendar year list for states:

21 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive!

Thanks to Nathanial’s super long road trip, we also got another submission from outside of the United States. Canada is on the big board now!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture about 3 miles from my front door. So I continue to contribute nothing. There were no major milestones this week. But Kim is closing in on joining the 1 Year Club.

While there was, maybe, record participation this week, it wasn’t all great news. Porter and Becky couldn’t extend last week’s submissions into a 2 week streak. Maybe the pressure of being the youngest contributor this year got to him. Maybe when school’s out, I’ll start hitting up Evie and Layla for submissions. They need to start getting their entries for the Story County Fair (I honestly don’t know if they still do 4-H) and the Pufferbilly Photo Contest taken sometime soon. Jen’s 2 week streak is also history. She ghosted me after I sent her a picture of a matchstick sculpture of the set of BACK TO THE FUTURE. I might have accidentally blown her mind.

SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH

SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH?!? That seems like an odd theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

“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.”

All sorts of stuff happens on a couch. I can’t wait to see what happens on some of yours.

While considering possible subjects for your SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a fascinating submission:

I stick to simple themes. Love. Hate. No nuances, I stay away from psychoanalyst’s couch scenes. Couches are good for one thing.
-John Wayne

John Wayne might have been a racist, draft dodging prick*, but the guy knew couches.

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 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 SCENES FROM YOUR COUCH in this place that was probably dreamed up on a couch next Monday.

* I still love quite a few John Wayne movies. I can separate art from artist. Also I don’t blame him for draft-dodging. I blame him for acting like he didn’t hide behind his marriage to dodge the draft in WWII so he could cheat on his wife with Marlene Dietrich, probably on a couch.

Andree, Andy, Angie, Basketball, Becky, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Drone, Elizabeth, Faust, Frank, Jesse, Linda, Lowell, Michelle, Micky, Nader, Nature, Pastor Sarah, Robert, Russell, Sara, Shawn Lockner, Tim, Toby

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

April 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start the day off by wishing Andree a happy birthday. Happy birthday Andree!

I hope your birthday is filled with joy, or at least as much joy as one can feel when they are in Houston, Texas.

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Yesterday was the end of the college basketball season, which also means it is time to crown the winner for Year 18 of the Roundball Oracles.

The winner was Will Baier. Congratulations Will! Making it back to back championships for Baier brothers! It seems like almost everybody in the Baier family has won, except Jason. Hmmmm…

His name is now on the List of Immortals.

ROUNDBALL ORACLES CHAMPIONS
2023 – Will Baier
2022 – Ben Baier
2021 – Micky Augustin
2020 – Tournament Canceled
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

Also “congratulations” goes to “The Sara” winner… Ben Baier. It was a close one this year and came down to the tie-breaker. It was so close to going Shawn. Then he would have had a “The Sara” trophy and the actual The Sara living in his house. Maybe next year.

Ben Baier went from the penthouse to the outhouse in one year. Maybe next year he will be back in the penthouse and his brother will be in the outhouse. It will be interesting to watch.

THE SARA “WINNERS”

2023 – Ben Baier
2022 – Joey Randazzo
2021 – Rachel Gildersleeve
2020 – Tournament Canceled
2019 – Russell Kennerly
2018 – Robert Henning
2017 – Shannon Bardole
2016 – Laura Priest
2015 – Derrick Gorshe
2014 – Sara Lockner

Here are the final Roundball Oracles Standings:

1. Will Baier – 204
2. Toby Sebring – 200
3. Sarah Karber – 193
4. Tim Peterson – 189
5. Cathie Morton – 188
6. Elizabeth Nordeen- 185
7. Andy Sharp – 184
8. Russell Kennerly – 184
9. Linda Bennett – 183
10. Micky Augustin – 183
11. Carrie Baier – 180
12. Dawn Krause – 178
13. Corey Faust – 177
14. Jesse Howard – 176
15. Jason Baier – 173
16. Angie DeWaard – 171
17. Michelle Haupt – 170
18. Carla Stensland – 170
19. Jackson Faust – 168
20. Frank Meiners – 157
21. Lowell Davis – 155
22. Andree Jauhari – 154
23. Christopher D. Bennett – 154
24. Robert Henning – 154
25. Nader Parsaei – 147
26. Logan Kahler – 145
27. Rachel Gildersleeve – 145
28. Joey Randazzo – 144
29. Olivia Baier – 141
30. Jordan Toot – 141
31. JJ Baier – 141
32. Brandon Kahler – 136
33. Becky Parmelee – 131
34. Derek Dohrman – 122
35. Sara Lockner – 112
36. Shawn Lockner – 111
37. Ben Baier – 111

Congrats to everybody that did better than me this year. And there were a lot of them. Cherish the feeling, cause it won’t happen again. Okay, it probably will.

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A few weeks back I took Rodan139 out for a couple test flights. The second of those flights was a spin above the Pilot Mound State Forest. Here are a few pictures from that flight:

Next week I will share the pictures from the final flight I took on the battery test flight day.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Fran, Jen, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 394 – BLUE

April 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

BLUE! A great theme! Everybody loves the color BLUE. But did a bunch of people love it enough to submit a photo? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 27, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
3-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
4-Mary Green – 2 weeks
5-Mindi Terrell – 6 weeks (3)
6-Suzie Brannen – 10 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 10 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 10 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 11 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 11 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 21 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 31 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 35 weeks
14-Sarah Toot – 36 weeks (3)
15-Angie DeWaard – 40 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 44 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 49 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 51 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 52 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 62 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 62 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 64 weeks (2)
23-Andy Sharp – 65 weeks (3)
24-Bill Wentworth – 66 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 70 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 71 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 72 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 75 weeks (2)

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:

Porter Degeneffe (Iowa) – 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas)

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 22 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 36 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Washington D.C.) – 36 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York)

Sarah Toot (New Jersey)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 45 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 50 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 52 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 53 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 67 weeks

Cathie Morton (Missouri) – 71 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 76 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa) – 498 weeks

First, I have to say I find it interesting that Kio took a picture of grape juice for PURPLE and also one for BLUE. Makes me wonder what… what color does Kio think grape juice is?? Or maybe Kio is color blind. Or slightly color blind. I know a few people who are color blind in the blue range. But on the same side, I’ve never understood how you make red wine out of purple grapes. It is a mystery.

For example, yesterday Fran sent me a chat with a picture of a drink with the question, orange or yellow. It so happened that I was having a little post-church and pre-theater lunch with my sisters and so I showed them the picture. We all came back that the liquid in the glass was clearly yellow.

I sent that message back to Fran and she let me know that she thought it was orange.

Maybe I don’t sit and thing about color that much, but Monica sent me a message a couple weeks back about how she is “fascinated by how people interpret color… is it pink or is it purple!?!”. I hope Monica gets just as a big of a kick at seeing the interpretations of BLUE.

All this to say that if I use grape juice in my picture this week, it is because imitation is the highest form of flattery.

29 participants! Another great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Arkansas
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Missouri
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Texas
+ Washington D.C.

Technically, Washington D.C. isn’t a state, but let’s face it, it should be. Sarah’s picture crosses off another place on the map. I need to make that map someday. Today isn’t that day though.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin

17 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about a mile from my front door.

Porter had his first ever submission. I’m pretty pumped for that. He is the youngest to submit this year and I hope that he continues to submit in the future. Welcome aboard Porter!

The big accomplishment this week was Joe Duff joining the 1 Year Club. WooHoo! Congrats to Joe! Who isn’t too big time to work the night shift. Take notes Suzie.

But unfortunately it was not all good news. Mary’s 2 week streak bit the dust. Jesse’s 10 week streak is only a distant memory now.

Hopefully they get back on that horse again this week.

ODD CAMERA ANGLE

ODD CAMERA ANGLE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is an ODD CAMERA ANGLE photo? Simply put, it a picture taken from an angle that is different than normal. The grand majority of pictures are taken from the eye level of the photographer. This theme challenges you to look down at your subject. Or look up at your subject. Or look at it from an angle where something small looks big and something big looks small. Or try out a Dutch angle. Put yourself on the ground or in a hole or in the air. Just don’t take your picture eye level. That’s all we’re asking here. The world is your oyster. You just have to look at it askew.

While considering possible subject for your submission, meditate on the following quote and you will no doubt come up with a great image:

I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect – they are much more interesting.
-Marc Jacobs

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 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 ODD CAMERA ANGLE in this place that is more than a little different next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Baseball/Softball, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Iowa State, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 393 – COMPETITION

March 27, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

EDITOR’S NOTE: MY WORK SCHEDULE HAS TEMPORARILY CHANGED DUE TO EXTREME SHORT STAFFING AT THE COMPUTER MINE. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE PUBLISHING OF THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE POST MIGHT GET MOVED BACK AT LEAST 30 MINUTES UNTIL THE STAFFING SHORTAGE HAS PASSED. WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

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!

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 5 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
No.

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. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that start to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.

If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

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.

+++++++

COMPETITION! A great theme! But did it fire up the competitive juices of a ton of people? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week (3)
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
5-Mindi Terrell – 5 weeks (2)
6-Suzie Brannen – 9 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 9 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 9 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 10 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 10 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 30 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 34 weeks (2)
14-Sarah Toot – 35 weeks (3)
15-Angie DeWaard – 39 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 43 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 48 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 50 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 51 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 61 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 61 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 63 weeks (2)
23-Andy Sharp – 64 weeks (2)
24-Bill Wentworth – 65 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 69 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 70 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 71 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 74 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:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 66 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 51 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 75 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 35 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 71 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 44 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 49 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 31 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 36 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 52 weeks

29 participants! That is a great week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

There were no new states added to the map.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 15 miles from my front door. So I didn’t add to the map, yet again.

There were a couple of big milestones this week! Suzie, Monica, and Jesse both reached double digit streaks. Logan reached the One Year Club!

But it wasn’t all sunshine and happiness! Scott, Sara, and Becky couldn’t build on their submissions last week to get to two week streaks!

BLUE

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

But what is a BLUE image? It is simply an image where the subject or a major compositional element of the image is the color BLUE. That is it! Almost too simple!

While thinking about a possible subject for your submission, meditate on the following quite and I have no doubt that you will come up with a great image:

She had blue skin, And so did he. He kept it hid; And so did she. They searched for blue; Their whole life through, Then passed right by – And never knew.
–Shel Silverstein

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 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 BLUE in this place that hopefully never gives you the blues next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 392 – PURPLE

March 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

PUPRLE! An important color in my life, but did it inspire a ton of submissions? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

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

1-Mindi Terrell – 4 weeks (3)
2-Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks (2)
3-Jesse Howard – 8 weeks
4-Monica Jennings – 8 weeks
5-Nathanial Brown – 9 weeks
6-Mike Vest – 9 weeks
7-Tamara Peterson – 19 weeks
8-Brandon Kahler – 29 weeks
9-Linda Bennett – 33 weeks (3)
10-Sarah Toot – 34 weeks (3)
11-Angie DeWaard – 38 weeks
12-Dawn Krause – 42 weeks
13-Kim Barker – 47 weeks
14-Joe Duff – 49 weeks
15-Logan Kahler – 50 weeks
16-Teresa Kahler – 60 weeks
17-Carla Stensland – 60 weeks
18-Micky Augustin – 62 weeks
19-Andy Sharp – 63 weeks
20-Bill Wentworth – 64 weeks
21-Cathie Morton – 68 weeks
22-Elizabeth Nordeen – 69 weeks
23-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 70 weeks
24-Kio Dettman – 73 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:

Scott Degeneffe (Florida) – 1 week

Scott Degeneffe (Florida)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Andy Sharp (Oklahoma) – 64 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 48 weeks

Micky Augustin (Arizona) – 63 weeks

Micky Augustin (Arizona)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 34 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Nathanial Brown (Minnesota) – 10 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Minnesota)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 65 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 50 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 71 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nebraska) – 70 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 30 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Jesse Howard (Minnesota) – 9 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 35 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 10 weeks

29 participants! That is a great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

While there a lot of states covered, there were no new states added to the map.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture in my basement. So, I didn’t add to the map, yet again.

The big milestone with week was Nathanial and Vest reaching the double digit steak club! WooHoo!

COMPETITION

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

But what is a COMPETITION image? It is simply an image of beings engaged in some kind of contest. Or it can be a picture of something that is used in a COMPETITION. Like a bowling ball. Or it can be a picture of the result of a COMPETITION. Like a trophy. There are so many possibilities!

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

Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.
-Bertrand Russell

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 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 COMPETITION in this place that tries not be competitive it next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 391 – SUNRISE, SUNSET

March 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

SUNRISE, SUNSET! Everybody loves watching a good SUNRISE or SUNSET. But was it a popular theme? Was it the SUNRISE of many new streaks? Was it the SUNSET on many existing streaks? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

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

1-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
3-Mindi Terrell – 3 weeks (3)
4-Suzie Brannen – 7 weeks
5-Jesse Howard – 7 weeks
6-Monica Jennings – 7 weeks (3)
7-Nathanial Brown – 8 weeks (3)
8-Mike Vest – 8 weeks
9-Tamara Peterson – 18 weeks
10-Brandon Kahler – 28 weeks
11-Linda Bennett – 32 weeks
12-Sarah Toot – 33 weeks (3)
13-Angie DeWaard – 37 weeks
14-Dawn Krause – 41 weeks (2)
15-Kim Barker – 46 weeks
16-Joe Duff – 48 weeks
17-Logan Kahler – 49 weeks
18-Teresa Kahler – 59 weeks
19-Carla Stensland – 59 weeks
20-Micky Augustin – 61 weeks
21-Andy Sharp – 62 weeks
22-Bill Wentworth – 63 weeks
23-Cathie Morton – 67 weeks
24-Elizabeth Nordeen – 68 weeks (2)
25-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 70 weeks
26-Kio Dettman – 72 weeks (2)

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 391 - SUNRISE, SUNSET - KIO DETTMAN

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 33 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 34 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 19 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 64 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Oklahoma) – 63 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 38 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) 49 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 29 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Cathie Morton (Somewhere over the Southeastern United States at 30,000 feet) – 68 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Jesse Howard (Wisconsin) – 8 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 50 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 71 weeks

Micky Augustin (Arizona) – 62 weeks

25 participants this week. 2 straight weeks participation rates have declined. I hate to say, but participation rates might be in a freefall!

The good news is that 25 participants is still a healthy number. AND we added a new state to the map this week via Micky!

There were submissions this week taken in the following locations:

+ Arizona
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is now:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 20 miles from my front door.

This week is spring break for a ton of people. There is potential the map could grow, but I don’t know that it will for certain. We’ll see.

There were no big time milestones this week. The bad news is that Becky couldn’t turn last week’s submission into a streak and Sara’s streak ends at 2.

PURPLE

PURPLE! What a great them for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a PURPLE image? Simply put, it is an image where the subject OR a major compositional element of the image is PURPLE. That is it! Couldn’t be simpler than falling off a log.

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

Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
-Regina Brett

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 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 PURPLE in this place that is drenched in it next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Railroad, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 390 – STORE

March 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

STORE! Everybody goes to them. Maybe not as much as they did before the pandemic, but you still have to go to them, unless you get everything delivered. Which I don’t think any of you do. I don’t have any friends that are that rich. Or do I?

But many people make it to a STORE to take a picture? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 27, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Sarah Karber – 2 weeks
5-Mindi Terrell – 2 weeks (2)
6-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks
7-Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks
8-Jesse Howard – 6 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 6 weeks (2)
10-Nathanial Brown – 7 weeks (2)
11-Mike Vest – 7 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
13-Brandon Kahler – 27 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 31 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 32 weeks (3)
16-Angie DeWaard – 36 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 40 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 45 weeks (2)
19-Joe Duff – 47 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 4 8weeks
21-Teresa Kahler – 58 weeks
22-Carla Stensland – 58 weeks (3)
23-Micky Augustin – 60 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 61 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 62 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 66 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 67 weeks (2)
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 69 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 71 weeks (2)

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:

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 18 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 28 weeks

Linda Bennett (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York) – 33 weeks

Sarah Toot (New Jersey)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 46 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 48 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 49 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Illinois) – 62 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 63 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nassau Bahamas) – 67 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa) – 494 weeks

27 participants this week. That is a great week. A slight dip from the last couple of weeks. Maybe there aren’t as many slaves to consumerism out there as I had thought. Which is a good thing… we’ll count it as a good thing.

The good news is that there were 3 new states added to the map this week! New York (Sarah Toot), New Jersey (Sarah Toot again), and Illinois (Andy). That means that all the states that surround Iowa have had a submission taken in them except for South Dakota. But I’m sure we’ll get there. I see you South Dakota.

Also, Cathie added our 2nd submission taken from outside the United States with Nassau Bahamas.

There were submission this week taken in the following locations:

+ Arkansas
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Nassau Bahamas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

16 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is now:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 2.5 miles from my front door. I know. Big time traveler this guy!

I think this map might grow again next week. A little birdie tells me that a certain regular contributor is going to Arizona this week and maybe Mexico, if they have the guts.

There were no big time milestones this week. Unfortunately there was a bit of a blood bath on the streaks front though. Jen and Mary couldn’t extend their submission last week into a streak. Sarah Karber’s streak went down in flames after 2 weeks. Willy’s 3 week is now as existent as his desire to show up for work.

SUNRISE, SUNSET

SUNRISE, SUNSET! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

It has been a few years since I’ve used SUNRISE, SUNSET for a theme. I was told it wasn’t a fair theme because people with children could not do it. I don’t know I bought it, but I don’t know. Maybe it is true. Either way, I put the theme on the sidelines.

I brought it back this year because it is the Special Theme Class for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. Rather than writing up my own description, I thought I should just lift it straight from the Iowa State Fair.

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.”
– Henry Ward Beecher

Next year’s theme is a bright one that our world literally revolves around. The Sun is something that we as photographers like to photograph quite often, because it offers a multitude of creativity. In fact, we call the sunset the golden hours because of opportunities it presents to capture the perfect photograph.

Your assignment, however, is to not just shoot the sun, but to shoot it in a way that we have never seen before. While the sun must be the main subject, it shouldn’t be the only subject of your photograph. Ask yourself, what is making the Sun so interesting in the moment? What can you do to photograph the Sun to tell a story of what is happening in that moment?

This assignment will also give you the opportunity to play with shadows and light and all the many colors that the sunrises or sunsets can provide. Look for the dramatic contrasts that can occur when the Sun is providing the light for your photographs.

I’ll just add a couple more things.

#1. Putting objects between you and the sunset can make or break a SUNRISE, SUNSET picture. Choose wisely.
#2. A SUNRISE, SUNSET picture doesn’t have to be of the sun. Maybe for the Iowa State Fair, but not for our purposes. You can also turn around take a picture that is lit by a SUNRISE or SUNSET. A reflection of a SUNRISE or SUNSET can make a fantastic picture.

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 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 SUNRISE, SUNSET in this place that is still in its sunrise phase next Monday.