This collection of glorious BLACK & WHITE images i took on July 6. I had a fairly lazy Saturday. I took a mini-road trip over to Jefferson for some A&W and had Jay, Willy, Monica, and Graham over for watermelon. But that was about all I did all day.
This was Shorty & Doris’ farm.
Only 1 day of alternate glorious BLACK & WHITE images left to share, but it might take several days to share them all. We’ll see.
Time to share another collection of alternate images for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme BLACK & WHITE. I took these glorious BLACK & WHITE pictures on July 5. I went over to Nevada to try what was allegedly great chicken from a gas station with Teresa and hosted Willy and Jay for FNSC and then a viewing of Dragon House. Or whatever that show is called.
2 more days of glorious BLACK & WHITE images left to share!
Today is going to be a long one, so buckle up and get your popcorn ready!
Today is Jay’s birthday, so I need to start by wishing him a happy birthday.
I hope your birthday is magical in the nothingness you attempt to do!
It is that time of year when a little yellow card shows up in the mailboxes of many a photographer in the state of Iowa. The yellow card that tells you if you had any pictures accepted into one of the hardest photo contests in the country. The Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. A contest that only displays 25% of the pictures submitted. It is the only photo contest that I enter (for a wide variety of reasons) and as such I did get my yellow card in the mail last week. It looked a little something like this:
You might be wondering what pictures I entered this year. I’m the only person that currently knows what pictures I entered. But, you can go down to the Iowa State Fair and see them for yourself. I will reveal what pictures I entered and what pictures got in on the last day of the Fair. As is my custom.
But I wasn’t the only regular contributor to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE that got pictures accepted to the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. Angie, Logan, and Nathanial all got pictures accepted! WooHoo! Which makes sense, because when THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE was birthed into existence as THE RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT all those years ago by me and Mike Vest, the idea was (to be honest more his idea than mine) that at the end of the year, you would have 52 photos you could consider for entering in photo contests. Maybe in 2025 there will be MORE than 4 people from THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE displayed at the Iowa State Fair. I have an eye on a few of you.
Must be time to see the submission for BLACK & WHITE, right? Not yet. As you may know, it is about 10 weeks out from the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. So it is past time that I published the rules for this year’s contest. They are identical as last year.
Have a look:
I hope many of you enter again this year! Now I need to get to work!
BLACK & WHITE! A great theme! But did enough people see the world in monochrome to make it a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, July 1, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):
1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL)
2-Willy McAlpine – 1 week (IA)
3-Amy Peterson – 1 week (IA)
4-Deanna McClain – 3 weeks (IA, MN)
5-Mary Green – 4 weeks (MI, IA, IN, IL, PR) <2>
6-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
7-Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks (IA, MD) <2>
8-Mike Vest – 7 weeks (IA, MO)
9-Alexis Stensland – 10 weeks (IA) <2>
10-Sabas Hernandez – 12 weeks (IA, OH) <2>
11-Adam Gordon – 19 weeks (IA, MS, MO) <2>
12-Lowell Davis – 26 weeks (IA)
13-Michelle Haupt – 26 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA)
14-Brandon Kahler – 27 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 45 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL) <2>
16-Sheri Fakhouri – 55 weeks (IA, NE)
17-Logan Kahler – 55 weeks (IA, MN) <2>
18-Nathanial Brown – 57 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL)
19-Jesse Howard – 56 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
20-Tamara Peterson – 68 weeks (IA, MN)
21-Mindi Terrell – 72 weeks (IA) <2>
22-Linda Bennett – 101 weeks (KS, IA)
23-Sarah Toot – 102 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ)
24-Angie DeWaard – 106 weeks (IA, IL) <2>
25-Dawn Krause – 110 weeks (IA, IL) <2>
26-Kim Barker – 116 weeks (IA, CO, LA) <2>
27-Joe Duff – 117 weeks (TX, NY)
28-Teresa Kahler – 128 weeks (IA, NE) <2>
29-Carla Stensland – 128 weeks (IA, MO, SD)
30-Micky Augustin – 130 weeks (IA, IL, FL)
31-Andy Sharp – 131 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL) <2>
32-Bill Wentworth – 132 weeks (NE, MO)
33-Cathie Morton – 135 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) <2>
34-Elizabeth Nordeen – 137 weeks (IA, OH)
35-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 139 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
36-Kio Dettman – 141 weeks (IA)
Here is the list of rules for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:
1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM next Monday.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.
There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.
But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks or the rules of the challenge or how to submit. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:
Adam Gordon (Madrid, Iowa)
Alexis Stensland (Boone, Iowa) – 11 weeks
Alexis Stensland (Boone, Iowa)
Andy Sharp (Prescott, Wisconsin) – 132 weeks
Andy Sharp (Plymouth, Minnesota)
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 107 weeks
Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 133 weeks
Brandon Kahler (Story City, Iowa) – 28 weeks
Carla Stensland (Devil’s Tower National Monument – Wyoming) – 129 weeks
Carla Stensland (Arkansas River – Salida, Colorado)
Cathie Morton (Ankeny, Iowa) – 136 weeks
Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa)
Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 111 weeks
Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa)
Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 4 weeks
Elainie Hernandez (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 138 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)
Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Ames, Iowa) – 2 weeks
Joe Duff (New York) – 118 weeks
Joe Duff (New York)
Johnathan Stensland (Iowa) – 1 week
Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 117 weeks
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 142 weeks
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)
Linda Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 102 weeks
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 56 weeks
Logan Kahler (Bone, Iowa)
Lowell Davis (Kansas City, Missouri) – 27 weeks
Lowell Davis (Kansas City, Missouri)
Mary Green (Iowa) – 5 weeks
Mary Green (Iowa)
Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 27 weeks
Micky Augustin (Colo, Iowa) – 131 weeks
Mike Vest (Grove, Oklahoma) – 8 weeks
Mike Vest (Bentonsville, Arkansas)
Mindi Terrell (Mitchellville, Iowa) – 73 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa)
Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week
Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa)
Nathanial Brown (Tampa, Florida) – 58 weeks
Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 13 weeks
Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 5 weeks
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 103 weeks
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 46 weeks
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Honey Hollow – Summerset, Iowa) – 140 weeks
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 56 weeks
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 9 weeks
Suzie Brannen (Iowa)
Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 103 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 129 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)
37 participants this week! A pretty good week!
There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Arkansas (1)
+ Colorado (1)
+ Florida (1)
+ Iowa (41)
+ Minnesota (1)
+ Missouri (2)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ New York (2)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Wisconsin (1)
+ Wyoming (1)
Thanks to Carla’s travels, we were able to add Wyoming to the map!
Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):
+ Arkansas (16.5)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ California (3)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (7)
+ Florida (13)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (11)
+ Indiana (4)
+ Iowa (943)
+ Ireland (3)
+ Kansas (36)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (10)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (18.5)
+ Nebraska (34)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (17)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Ohio (2)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (19)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (38)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (2)
+ Wyoming (1)
31 states so far! 1 U.S. Terriorty! 5 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL) – 8
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL) – 7
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL) – 7
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA) – 4
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK) – 4
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA) – 2
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
Andy now has a commanding lead to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” Jen, Jesse, Scott, and Nathanial remain in striking distance though.
There were no major milestones reached this week. And unfortunately a few streaks bit it. Willy and Amy couldn’t build on their submissions from last week. Their streaks are over before they began. Then worst of all, Jesse’s 56 week streak is over! It lasted over a year, but now it is over. The humanity!
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:
FACELESS PORTRAI! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
I look forward to seeing your interpretation!
That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see your idea of FACELESS PORTRAIT in this place that isn’t afraid to show its face next Monday.
Last week I skipped some stuff cause I was short on time, but I wanted to make sure I definitely included a Bokeh Picture of the Week this week:
Just making herself home at FNSC!
Now to start Day 2 of my food adventures in New Orleans. I didn’t eat anything for breakfast. Tony and I went to an Italian place across the street from the Convention Center for lunch. Then I went out to eat with Kim, Gina, and Michelle for supper. Then Gina, Michelle, and I ended up at Cafe du Monde for beignets.
Here are the pictures:
It was pretty good pizza!
Cost: $26.36
Kim packed some pretty good snacks this year.
I went with the Catfish Napoleon for supper.
Brussel sprouts!
It was an okay meal.
And it cost me nothing. So there is that.
I also freeloaded here.
An okay chocolate milk.
So much powdered sugar!
All in all, it was another pretty good day of eating!
Last week I didn’t report on my quest to live healthier. The last two weeks have went okay, but I’ve been really bad a tracking things, so it is sufficient to say for now, things are still trending well. I just need to get back at tracking and I need to get back to walking more!
I thought I would start adding a weekly picture of Bokeh to these posts as well. At least for now. So here is your Bokeh Picture of the Week:
Those little puppy teeth are sharp!
WARNING: THERE ARE PICTURES OF DELICIOUS CHICKEN FEET IN THIS POST. IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WILL HAVE UNCONTROLLABLE MOUTH WATERING WHILE LOOKING AT THOSE PICTURE AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGE YOUR KEYBOARD OR PHONE WITH THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF DROOL, THEN DON’T LOOK AT THIS POST AND GO EAT SOME DELICIOUS CHICKEN FEET.
A month or so Jay, Willy, and I went down to Wong’s Chopsticks to eat some dim sum. Maybe you aren’t as worldly and sophisticated as Jay, Willy, and I and don’t know what dim sum is, don’t worry. Here is a handy dandy definition from The Asia Society:
Dim sum is a traditional Chinese meal made up of small plates of dumplings and other snack dishes and is usually accompanied by tea. Similar to the way that the Spanish eat tapas, the dishes are shared among family and friends. Typically dim sum is consumed during brunch hours — late morning to lunchtime.
Here are the pictures from our big dim sum brunch:
I went with the traditional hot tea.
Cause I’m so fancy!
The 1st round.
The thing about dim sum is…
It all looks kinda gross. Except the chicken feet of course!
So delicious!
Also good.
That chicken won’t be crossing any road, at least not with out a prosthetic anyways.
Chicken foot remains.
This really was the showstopper! By far the best thing on the menu.
The short answer about Chopstick’s. Would I go back? Would I go out of my way for it? Probably not. Dim sum is good for something different every now and again, but I don’t sit up at night and crave it. Well maybe that broccoli, which was absolutely amazing!
About those chicken feet. Jay and I both took them down like the men that we are. Willy had about 2 bites and threw in the towel. We brought some back for Jesse cause he talked a big game. But it just ended up being talk. Once presented with the chicken feet he was well… a big old chicken! Bawk! Bawk! Hard to believe he passed on a chance to eat delicious chicken feet.
It was a terrible day. Absolutely terrible! It was like finding out that the Easter Bunny isn’t real. Just something invented to take the heat off Santa.
You can find Wong’s Chopsticks here:
5500 Merle Hay Road
Suite L
Johnston, Iowa
HOURS:
Sunday 9 AM–9 PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–9 PM
Thursday 11 AM–9 PM
Friday 11 AM–9 PM
Saturday 11 AM–9 PM
Next Sunday’s food adventure will not involve a bakery and no chicken feet. But something much, much worse somehow.
But…
How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?
This week my weight went down 2.4 pounds. I am now down 43.6 pounds since starting Noom. I am 1.0 pounds from my next intermittent goal weight. Which I would like to reach by next Sunday. I am 11.0 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight*. Although. I can say for certain that after I reach my “ultimate goal weight” that goal weight will change. I’m going to guess with about another 25 pounds or so. We’ll see. I have to make that weight first.
I ate a little better this week again. Although I did crush some homemade pizza on Friday night and then tackled a few s’mores to boot. But for the most part it was a good week. My exercise fell off a bit. Need to get that average 7 day step count back up of 10,000 this week. Maybe return to the gym for the first time since getting Bokeh. Her potty training isn’t perfect, but she is definitely close!
But weight isn’t the only measure (or even the most important measure) of positive results. I bought some smaller shorts this week. I’m sure I actually went down a pant size a while back, but as long as I had a belt to hold my them up, I wasn’t too worried about how loose they are becoming. So that is something.
Since I started using Fitbit on February 20, 2024 (103 days) I’ve:
+ Taken 1,261,135 steps
+ Averaged 8,859 steps a day for the last 7 days
+ Walked 583.69 miles
+ Averaged walking 5.66 miles a day
That is all to report for now.
*Ultimate goal weight subject to change.
Originally I was going to break off from Jay for the last leg of the Catholic Fish Fry Circuit. I was going to go down to Ankeny or Des Moines and find a place that was serving fish tacos. But, the Iowa State Women were playing Maryland in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament at 6:30 that night, so I decided to forgo the fish tacos and join up with Jay and Jesse and hit up the fish fry offerings of Saint Thomas Aquinas in the campustown area of Ames.
It ended up working out, because (as you know) I am a big fan of creepy Catholic art. Saint Thomas Aquinas delivered on that in spades. They also had plenty of really cool art as well. Also we met Father Kyle. He was the only Priest we met on any of our 5 stops on the Catholic Fish Fry Circuit. I’m not saying it is bad that we never met any clergy at the other stops. But Father Kyle definitely gets bonus points for being out there among the flock.
Here are some pictures:
The showstopper here really was the dessert. This chocolate cheesecake number I had was the best dessert I had on the circuit. Delicious. The rest was solid. Potato. Good. Green beans. Good. Cole slaw. Good. Spaghetti (not really a spaghetti fan). But Good. The fish was a tad dry, but it was pretty good. Nothing a little extra tartar sauce couldn’t fix. They had AE chocolate milk as a beverage option. Yes please!
I would definitely hit up the Saint Thomas Aquinas Fish Fry again. If for no other reason than to see that amazing cross again. I sent a picture to Pastor Adam and suggested we steal (the idea not the physical) the cross for our church. He was 100% on board, but I can’t imagine it getting much traction. We recently lost a chance to paint our doors red. The CORRECT color for church doors (particularly Methodist church doors) to be painted.
Why?
Glad you asked.
“Red symbolizes the sacrificial blood of Christ that saves those who come to him. Red is also a reminder of the Passover and a sign of the Holy Spirit. Church doors began to be painted red as a way of remembering the ultimate sacrifice that others had made for their faith.”
Instead, we are stuck with boring AutoFocus* gray doors because the color “covers” better and it symbolizes thriftiness or boring. Whatever. Can’t win them all. Maybe I’ll paint the door of my house red. Stranger things have happened. I have other projects that definitely take precedence.
The next food adventure I will share will involve Des Moines’ Best Nachos… allegedly.
But…
How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?
Yeah, I’m in New Orleans. I haven’t seen a scale in 5 days. If I’m lucky I will be able to see my feet when I get back.
That is all to report for now.
*Sorry for my rough language. I just get worked up about doors!
The stop on the Catholic Fish Fry Tour that I was most looking forward to was the Catholic Church in Granger. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Catholic Church. I was looking forward to it, not because of its reputation. I literally know nothing about this fish fry or the Catholic Church in Granger. I expected it be similar or smaller than the one in Boone because Granger is a tiny town.
The reason I was looking forward to it is because they put up giant signs along Highway 141 and for years those signs have called to me. Like a fish fry siren song.
During the pandemic we even sent Jesse’s son-in-law Jeremy to grab us some food from there, but we actually didn’t know the signs were for a church in Granger. We thought they were for a church in Polk City. That is how little we know about the Catholic scene in central Iowa. Turns out, there isn’t even a Catholic Church in Polk City and the he brought us back fish from a local VFW or American Legion. It was good fish, but it wasn’t the fish from the signs. Not the fish from the siren song calling my name.
When I actually did some research, I figured out that the church was in Granger. But once again, there wasn’t really much information on it. Their Facebook page talked a big game, but there wasn’t really any useful information on it, other than where it was and what time it was held. Turns out, it is a pretty big deal.
Here are some pictures:
Jay brought his own drink.
Picture for a photo project I abandoned.
Assumption’s Fish Fry was outstanding! I would definitely go back again. I will say the baked fish was pretty awful, but everything else was fantastic. Probably the second best dessert I had while on the Fish Fry Circuit. The best dessert? Well that is yet to come.
I was definitely impressed with their operation. They really had everything down. Even offering a pizza option for children and Jay. The potato was good. The cole slaw was good. The fried fish was good. Bonus points for playing the Big 12 Tournament. It was like a Fish Fry Sports Bar, which is my kind of sports bar!
Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve a burger in Kansas City.
But…
How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?
This week my weight went down 2.8 pounds. I am now down 32.3 pounds since starting Noom. I have now reached my May 1 goal weight. WooHoo! 22.3 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight*. My new “short term” weight goal is to be down another 10 pounds by the time I have my CPAP follow-up doctor’s appointment. Which is May 30th. Might not seem super ambitious, but I’ll be gone in New Orleans for 7 days and I have no clue what will go down there. I might come back up 10 pounds. You never know. I’m hedging my bets though.
But weight isn’t the only measure (or even the most important measure) of positive results. This will sound vain, but this week I really got a ton of comments on how much weight I’ve lost from people who see me on the weekly. About how I’ve really dropped a bunch more weight in just the last couple of weeks. I really haven’t, but maybe it is just being redistributed differently. I don’t know. But better than the alternative.
Since I started using Fitbit on February 20, 2024 I’ve:
+ Taken 784,872 steps
+ Averaged 14,935 steps a day for the last 7 days
+ Walked 365.41 miles
+ Walked an average of 6.09 miles a day
That is all to report for now.
*Ultimate goal weight subject to change.
A few weeks back FNSC made another stop on the Catholic Fish Fry Circuit. This time we went north of Ames on County Line Road and hit up the culinary offerings of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. A church that I have often wondered what it looked like on the inside. This particular Friday Night Supper Club was attended by your Humble Narrator, Jesse, Jay, and Nader.
Here are some pictures:
First things first. This was by far the best value of any of the Catholic fish fries we hit. Mainly because the dessert was included in the price of admission. All of the other ones had an at-will donation for the desserts. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem throwing in a few bucks for a brownie or a piece of pie or cake. But they didn’t want my few extra bucks.
Here is the other thing to note. The real show stopper here wasn’t the fish, which was very good. It wasn’t the baked potato. Or the cole slaw. Or the green beans. It was the corn. This corn clearly didn’t come out of a can or a frozen steamer bag. This corn came from somebody’s farm. AND… IT… WAS… AMAZING!!!! I immediately was longing for a day in the not too distant future where I would be able to stop and buy some Grimes Sweet Corn from the back of a pickup truck in some random gas station. Despite its flaws that are growing by the day, there are parts that are great about living in Iowa. And buying sweet corn out of the back of a pickup truck is one of those great things. Then eating that sweet corn is even better. When I was eating the corn at this fish fry, dang it, if I wasn’t proud of this state again.
I would definitely add Saints Peter and Paul’s Fish Fry to my list of fish fries that I will hit again next year. There are still more fish fries left to share. Wish it was 3. Stupid Friday wasted at On the Waterfront in Ankeny. You don’t understand. We coulda had class. We coulda been contenders. We coulda been somebody, instead of bums. Which is what we are. Next year, there will be no wasted night in Ankeny. This I swear on the graves of many a fried fish. That I have eaten.
The next food adventure I will share will be another stop on the Central Iowa Catholic Fish Fry Tour. Next year we need to get shirts!
But…
How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?
This week my weight went down -3.0 pounds. I am now down 29.5 pounds since starting Noom. I am .1 pounds away from reaching my May 1 goal weight. 25.1 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight*. It is nice to officially be on the side where I’ve lost more weight than I need to lose. That is an accomplishment of some kind.
I’m actually surprised that my weight went down this week. On my eclipse road trip I didn’t eat well and spent a ton of times just sitting in cars. Shoutout to whomever brought the peanut butter bars to the Eclipse Party. I crushed an unhealthy amount of those. Pete’s chili was also delicious! I also ate fast food. Had fried food 3 times. Crushed a carrot cake from an Indiana bakery. A raspberry something or other from “the bakery” in Pella. Ate some candy from a candy store in Chariton. Skipped a day at the gym because it closed due to a bomb threat. But I still kept moving as much as I could.
Seems like I should hit my May 1 goal this week. It is ONLY .1 pounds away! But I won’t be surprised if I don’t. Might be a rebound week or a plateau week. Only 1 thing to do, just keep moving.
But weight isn’t the only measure (or even the most important measure) of positive results. I think one of those is I think I’m officially down 1 shirt size. Depending on what company makes the shirt. That is something that is hard for me to judge, cause I don’t really like my clothes touching me too much. But some of my shirts are starting to be too big, even based on my very loose standards for very big. See what I did there?
In the 56 days since I started using FitBit I’ve:
+ Taken 380,541 steps
+ Averaged 12.158 steps a day
+ Walked 316.95 miles
+ Averaged walking 5.66 miles a day
Sometimes I think about going into the Computer Mine an extra day a week, cause it easier for me to get my steps in there, but the if you follow you me on SnapChat you know the main stumbling back against this is Canadian. CANADIANS! But maybe that part of the job is coming to an end. One never knows.
That is all to report for now.
*Ultimate goal weight subject to change.
Happy Easter! Christ is risen!
Here is an Easter devotional and a bit on the history of a popular Easter hymn. At least in the Methodist church.
Risen today! A Wesley hymn devotion for Easter
Many churches of all denominations begin worship on Easter Sunday by singing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” Charles Wesley’s lyrics wonderfully celebrate how Jesus’ resurrection is God’s victory over death, and call us to tell the world.
A little history
Charles and John Wesley, two of the historic founders of The United Methodist Church, published the beloved hymn in their first hymnal, Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739. A section toward the back of the hymnal includes songs for special days where “Hymn for Christmas-Day,” which we know as “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” is just a few pages away from “Hymn for Easter-Day” that we sing as “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.”For those who know our United Methodist Hymnal well, reading the words Wesley penned can feel incomplete. The alleluias we are used to singing at the end of each line aren’t there. A later editor added them to make the lyrics fit the tune and to give added opportunities for praise.
Entering the story
Wesley writes about the Resurrection in the present tense, inviting us into the biblical narrative. As we sing, we easily picture ourselves standing among the witnesses of the empty tomb on that first Easter morning.“Christ the Lord is ris’n to day,”
Sons of men and angels say,
Raise your joys and triumphs high,
Sing ye heav’ns, and earth reply.Participating in this moment, we are also aware of the magnitude of the Resurrection. In this opening verse, Wesley introduces a theme that runs through the hymn. The Resurrection is celebrated both on earth and in heaven.
Our United Methodist Hymnal includes an edit to the second line. “Earth and heaven in chorus say” replaces “Sons of men and angels say.” According to United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, this change updates Wesley’s language to be gender inclusive and emphasizes the Resurrection’s impact throughout the world and beyond.
“The entire universe sings the triumphant chorus,” writes United Methodist scholar the Rev. Paul Chilcote in The Song Forever New: Lent and Easter with Charles Wesley, “with earth and heaven shouting their praise back and forth in ecstatic joy.”
Life in the midst of death
Earth and heaven sing because in the Resurrection we know death is not the final word. Wesley writes,Love’s redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won…Lives again our glorious King,
Where, O death, is now thy sting?In a podcast interview for UMC.org’s Get Your Spirit in Shape, Chilcote says, “Death seems to be a final word in the life of every human being. Seems to be, I say, a final word, because it isn’t,” he continues. “The final word is life, not death. The final word is resurrection. The final word is eternal life with God who loves us.”
Wesley calls us to live into eternal life every day,
Soar we now, where Christ has led?
Following our exalted head,
Made like him, like him we rise,
Ours the cross—the grave—the skies!In a later verse, not published in our United Methodist Hymnal, he reiterates our call to follow Christ more closely each day:
Ris’n with him, we upward move,
Still we seek the things above,
Still pursue, and kiss the Son
Seated on his Father’s throne;Life still to come
In the final three of Wesley’s 11 verses, the hymn’s focus shifts to our hope of a day of resurrection yet to come. Wesley returns to the theme of earth and heaven singing praise on that day:Hail the Lord of earth and heav’n!
Praise to thee by both be giv’n:
Thee we greet triumphant now;
Hail the resurrection thou!Jesus is the resurrection who brings new life to all of creation, and will bring it to completion.
We receive new life in Christ by God’s grace and are to share God’s love with the world. We do this by joining the song with our voices and lives.
King of Glory, soul of bliss,
Everlasting life is this,
Thee to know, thy pow’r to prove,
Thus to sing, and thus to love!Living Easter every day
“We experience so many little deaths, don’t we, in our lives?” Chilcote asks in the podcast interview. Some are literal deaths like the loss of a loved one, but we also experience other griefs. Relationships end. Jobs are lost. “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” proclaims that Jesus has conquered all those deaths.“The central message of our faith,” Chilcote concludes, “is the Cross and the Resurrection. Its earliest proclamation of a God who is in the business of raising us from the dead. Oh, if that isn’t good news, I don’t know what good news is.”
When we gather for worship on Easter Sunday and sing “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, God’s good news that life conquers death. As his disciples in the world today, we must raise our joys and triumphs high to invite others to join us in this new way of living.
I hope all of you had an amazing Easter!
After the horrific experience at The Waterfront, the next Friday FNSC got back to our roots. The Catholic Fish Fry Circuit. Although that probably technically isn’t our roots. The first ever Friday Night Supper Club was at Tic Toc. But a good old fashioned Fish Fry is more in our wheelhouse.
On this Friday Jay, Willy, and I checked out the Fish Fry at Saint Cecilia’s in Ames. Here are some pictures:
Saint Cecilia is in a relatively new building. Therefore it had a disappointingly low amount of creepy Catholic art. The fish they served was baked parmesan encrusted tilapia. Definitely healthier than a fried fish. Pretty darn delicious too!
Unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough to tell them not to put bland, boring, worthless mac and cheese on my plate. So that part of my plate went to waste where I could have gotten more green beans. Yet I endured. They did this weird thing where they cut one end off the baked potato. I’m not sure why they did this, but my guess is that it made it easier to put them in the pan and could more in the pan. I’m not complaining, it was just weird. The green beans were green beans. They got the job done. It also came with a solid cole slaw.
There was a wide assortment of desserts available for donation. The chocolate pie I got was phenomenal! Definitely worth the few bucks I threw in the offering basket.
I would definitely go back to this fish fry again in the future. Lent and Catholic Fish Fry season is over, BUT there are still 3 more fish fries I have left to share.
How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?
You may recall I put a couple pounds on last week. Was pretty sedentary and I didn’t eat the best. This week was a better week. Particularly on the movement front. I probably made a few poor nutritional choices out of necessity, but overall it was a good week.
This week my weight went down -4.5 pounds. I am now down 24.7 pounds since starting Noom. I am 4.9 pounds away from reaching my May 1 goal weight. 29.9 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight*.
Weight obviously fluctuates quite a bit based on a ton of factors. From what you ate the day before to when you ate your last meal to when you went to bed the night before to when you last went to the bathroom to when you weigh yourself. I try not to get too high if the scale ticks down or too low if the scale ticks up. The important thing is that the general trend is going in the right direction.
But weight isn’t the only measure (or even the most important measure) of positive results. My endurance and stamina do seem to be improving. I did two hikes yesterday that involved going up some pretty sleep inclines. I only wanted to die for small portions of them. Instead of the entire time.
That is all to report for now.
Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve ice cream!
Those of you that are observant AND have a Photography 139 email subscription, may have noticed that the emails that have come out have been a bit off this week. MailPoet (the client I use to send out those emails) had an update and that has jacked everything up. I think I have it fixed and the emails should look correct again, but I might do some more dinking around with it. It was probably past time I messed with it anyways.
A few Fridays back Jesse, Jay, and I suspended our Catholic Fish Fry Tour and paid a visit to The Waterfront in Ankeny. It was one of those Fridays that I thought I was going to have to cancel because I get stuck on Fridays late at the Computer Mine rather frequently these days. Which is a great joy, because I LOVE having to cancel plans with friends to work late. This also happens on Tuesdays. Which means I no longer make it to Bible Study or to movies with Nader. If you have noticed my increased negativity towards Canadians on the Snapchat lately, this is why.
I was able to go and didn’t have to cancel on this Friday. But when I did think I was going to have to cancel, I decided I was just going to watch ON THE WATERFRONT instead. Thankfully Marlon Brando will have to wait.
I’ve never really ripped a restaurant or food truck or concession stand or pancake feed in one of these reviews… that streak will end here.
Here are some pictures from the experience:
Calamari
Rice Pilaf
Blackened Mahi Mahi
I’m just going to cut to the chase. This was an extremely disappointing experience. The only thing that I truly enjoyed was the calamari. It was fantastic. I can’t hate on the baked potato. But I mean, if a restaurant can’t bake a potato, what are we even doing here? The rice pilaf was incredibly bland. Maybe I’m expecting too much from rice pilaf, but it didn’t deliver. But the greatest disappointments was the mahi mahi. It was incredibly soggy. SOGGY!
I won’t say that my expectations were heightened because we were at a fancypants (by my standards) restaurant. I don’t like fancypants (by my standards) restaurants. Give me a greasy spoon. A local tavern. A 50 year old diner. This is where I live. After all, most of my food adventures (used to be anyways) revolve around the pork tenderloin. The least uppity and least elitist sandwich to ever grace God’s green earth.
Although I’m definitely not an elitist, I also do not stick my nose up at fancypants restaurants. I’ll give them a fair shake. However, if I’m paying $27.95 for some fish, it better not be soggy and it better have some flavor.
I wasn’t the only one to leave disappointed as they didn’t have the crab that Jay came for so he settled for some kind of shrimp pasta.
My exact words when we left were “I wish we would have went to Long John Silver’s.”
And that isn’t a slight on Long John Silver’s. I love me some Long John Silver’s. I miss the one in Ames.
I won’t bother telling you where to find The Waterfront. It is in Ankeny. You want to overpay for bland food, you can find it on your own.
Enough of that noise.
How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?
Well, there is no way around it. I had a rough week. I definitely didn’t eat well. I had a lot going on and probably didn’t exercise enough. I spent a lot of time in cars. I spent a lot of time in the Union Street Theater watching movies and basketball. I’ll repeat, I didn’t eat well. But this journey will never be a straight line.
This week my weight went up. +1.9 pounds. I am now down 20.2 pounds since starting Noom.
But I try not to get too high when I lose 5 pounds like 2 weeks ago or too low when I put on a couple pounds like this week.
But weight isn’t the only measure (or even the most important measure) of positive results. This week my stamina and speed was definitely up in my HIIT workouts. So not all bad this week.
That is all to report for now.
Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve another stop on the Fish Fry Circuit.
