Here is another collection of images from my road trip with Nader to go check out the Dysart illusions:
Traer
Still one more collection of images from this road trip left to share!
Dysart Illusion Road Trip – II
Category Archives: Life
Dysart Illusion Road Trip – I
Back in April I loaded up the car with Nader and we drop over to Dysart because I wanted to check out their collection of illusions. It turns out that many of them aren’t in great shape and I think 2 of them are completely gone. At least we went to where they are supposed to be on the map and there was nothing there.
Despite that disappointment, it was a really good trip.
Here is the first collection of pictures from the trip:
It is tricky to photograph an illusion. Often the illusion doesn’t translate to photography. But I think you get the idea. There are still plenty more pictures to share from this road trip.
WPC – WEEK 429 – HOMETOWN
Today is Brandon’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!
I hope you birthday is as great a GODZILLA MINUS ONE!
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HOMETOWN! Everybody comes from one or consider where they currently live to be one! But did enough people get a picture that represent their HOMETOWN to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, November 27, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):
1-Sara Lockner – 1 week
2-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks
4-Mary Green – 2 weeks (2)
5-Amy Peterson – 2 weeks
6-Susanna Funk – 3 weeks
7-Elainie Hernandez – 4 weeks
8-Alexis Stensland – 7 weeks
9-Scott Degeneffe – 14 weeks (2)
10-Sabas Hernandez – 15 weeks
11-Mike Vest – 21 weeks
12-Sheri Fakhouri – 24 weeks (2)
13-Logan Kahler – 25 weeks (2)
14-Nathanial Brown – 26 weeks
15-Jesse Howard – 26 weeks
16-Tamara Peterson – 29 weeks
17-Mindi Terrell – 41 weeks (3)
18-Brandon Kahler – 64 weeks
19-Linda Bennett – 70 weeks (2)
20-Sarah Toot – 71 weeks
21-Angie DeWaard – 75 weeks
22-Dawn Krause – 79 weeks (2)
23-Kim Barker – 85 weeks
24-Joe Duff – 86 weeks
25-Teresa Kahler – 97 weeks (2)
26-Carla Stensland – 97 weeks
27-Micky Augustin – 99 weeks
28-Andy Sharp – 100 weeks (3)
29-Bill Wentworth – 101 weeks
30-Cathie Morton – 105 weeks
31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 106 weeks (2)
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 108 weeks
33-Kio Dettman – 110 weeks
But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:
Sara Lockner (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks
Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks
Mary Green (Michigan) – 3 weeks
Mary Green (Michigan)
Susanna Funk (Dallas Center, Iowa) – 4 weeks
Elainie Hernandez (Boone, Iowa) – 5 weeks
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 15 weeks
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa)
Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 22 weeks
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa – Represents Boone, Iowa) – 25 weeks
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 26 weeks
Nathanial Brown (Boone, Iowa) – 27 weeks
Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa) – 27 weeks
Tamara Peterson (Boone, Iowa) – 30 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Iowa – Represents Ogden, Iowa) – 42 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Iowa – Represents Ogden, Iowa)
Brandon Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 65 weeks
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 71 weeks
Linda Bennett (Kansas)
Linda Bennett (Kansas)
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 72 weeks
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 76 weeks
Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 80 weeks
Kim Barker (Cozumel, Mexico) – 86 weeks
Kim Barker (Belize City, Belize)
Joe Duff (Texas – Representing Curlew, Iowa) – 87 weeks
Joe Duff (Texas – Representing Boone, Iowa)
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 98 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)
Carla Stensland (Boone, Iowa) – 98 weeks
Carla Stensland (Boone, Iowa)
Micky Augustin (Colo, Iowa) – 100 weeks
Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 101 weeks
Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 102 weeks
Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 106 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa – Representing Bettendorf, Iowa) – 107 weeks
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa – Representing Ogden, Iowa) – 109 weeks
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 111 weeks
Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 533 weeks
30 participants! That is a fairly down week by current standards. I guess fewer people love the town they are in or the town that they came from than I would have suspected. That is okay. Hopefully we will rebound this week.
There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Belize
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Mexico
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
Here is the current calendar year list for states:
+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Indiana
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming
41 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 80% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.
The Outside of the United States map is currently:
+ Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Canada
+ Peru
+ France
+ Austria
+ Germany
+ Italy
+ Slovenia
+ Belize
The big milestone this week was Micky joining the Triple Digits Club! WooHoo! Also Jesse joined the Half Year Club!!
But it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Jen and Amy’s 2 week streaks came to an end. Alexis’ streak ends at 7. Sabas’ streak is no more at 15.
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:
LINES
LINES! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
But what is a LINES picture? Simply a picture where a major compositional element or the subject matter of the pictures includes LINES. And of course, there are all sorts of LINES.
While considering possible subjects for your theme, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great submission:
There’s a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
-Steven Wright
I look forward to 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 LINES in this place that is nothing more than millions, maybe billions of lines of code next Monday.
Sinners, Saints and Fools
Where the winds of change were blowin’
There lived a God-fearing man
He was turning through his Bible
When he came up with a plan
He painted up a sign
And held it high above his head
Waved it proudly in the air, and this is what it readYou can’t break the law
There are reasons for the rules
I keep things safe here for everyone
The sinners, saints, and fools
The poor and huddled masses
Who are hungry and afraid
You gotta do it by the Book and there’ll be
No exceptions madeTo the weary, desperate souls
Who washed up on the sand
He said, “We hadn’t seen your paperwork”
And he withdrew his hand
You know he never felt any safer
All the peace he hoped he’d find
And up until the day he died
He never changed his mindBy the time he got to Heaven
It was surrounded by a wall
The pearly gates were locked up tight
The golden chains and all
They said, “We cannot let just anyone
Walk in here anymore
You didn’t do it by the Book, ”
And then they pointed to the floorYou can’t break the law
There are reasons for the rules
I keep things safe here for everyone
You sinners, saints, and fools
The poor and huddled masses
Who are hungry and afraid
You gotta do it by the Book and there’ll be
No exceptions made
-Brandi Carlile
I particularly like Brandi’s answer to what this song was about in that Stereogum interview:
CARLILE: To me, there’s nothing on planet Earth more maddening than the religious right’s rejection of displaced people. It’s just baffling. It could only be from a place of abstract evil, that there would be anything Christian about the concept of rejecting someone who’s had to leave their home, which no one wants to do for any reason, war, hunger, unrest, economic impact. For any reason that a person should become displaced and then systematically rejected is just antithetical to everything… I won’t even use the word “Christian,” but everything Gospel-based.
STEREOGUM: How do you personally stay close to faith, if you will, when there’s such a prevalence of people acting like the “god-fearing man” you describe in this song? The man who thinks he’s living according to scripture, but once he gets to heaven, it’s surrounded by a wall.
CARLILE: Well, because I realize that’s the powerful delusion. I realize that the powerful delusion foretold in scripture will be a complete rejection of love and generosity and enduring patience, tolerance, mercy, that it’s the faith revealing itself in ourselves every day. And it’s renewable. We can fix it. We can change as a species if we want to. It’s not hurtling towards some fiery end. It’s a living, breathing faith.
I was like 19, and I went to Urban Outfitters, and I saw a T-shirt with Jesus on a Harley, and I bought it. It said, “What the fuck is a Christian?” And you realize Jesus did not know what a Christian was. He didn’t know what the Bible was. Jesus is a concept of mercy and enduring love, not love, the feeling, but love, the action. And I subscribe. I follow. Anything you like about me, it’s because of that.
STEREOGUM: That’s pretty deep for Urban Outfitters.
CARLILE: Thanks, Urban Outfitters. You’re more likely to find Jesus in Urban Outfitters right now than you are in church.
Preach!
But Thursdays are for flowers. This flowertography collection came from a trip to the State Center Rose Garden with Nader:
Still more rose pictures left to share from this day!
Photo Drop-Off Road Trip III
Time to share the final collection of pictures from the road trip I took with Nader after I dropped off my entries at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon.
This collection starts where the last collection last off. In a park in Manning.
They changed their sign…
It was a great trip. Filled with great food, cool discoveries, and great memories.
Rodan139: Boone FUMC Thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving I took Rodan139 out for a very brief spin to take some pictures of the Boone First United Methodist Church’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner. It was very brief as Rodan139 was constantly be harassed by a flock of birds (the same flock of birds I photographed for my ANIMAL submission) so I brought the drone down after only a few minutes.
Here are some of the pictures I took:
Hopefully I can get Rodan139 out again sometime soon. We will have to see.
I Scream: Guthrie Center Field Work
Today is Willy’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday.
Happy birthday Willy!
I hope your birthday is as amazing as you want it to be!!
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A few months back when I went to help Logan and Nathanial’s barbecue team at a barbecue contest I got to finally experience an ice cream shop that I’ve wanted to try for quite some time. The Casey Creamery. They had a food truck set up and I cashed in on my chance to try them. Even it wasn’t their actual store in Casey.
Here are some pictures:
I got the Peachy Keen. Was it any good?
You know I have the Ted Lasso philosophy on ice cream:
Ice cream is the best. It’s kinda like seeing Billy Joel perform live. Never disappoints.
If you want to visit the Casey Creamery brick and mortar it is located here:
103 East Logan Street
Casey, Iowa
The next food adventure will involve a small town festival tenderloin.
Family Thanksgiving – 2023
This year Logan and Amanda hosted the Bennett Family Thanksgiving. I took a few pictures, but not many, but I thought I would share a few of them.
I once again hope all of you had a good to great Thanksgiving!
Boone FUMC Thanksgiving 2023
I realize now that I forgot to wish people a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday. I don’t have a picture that represents Thanksgiving to me this year, but I do hope that everybody had a good Thanksgiving! I had a pretty good one. Enough of one that I am going to have three posts that cover my Thanksgiving.
This first one is from ground pictures I took of the annual Boone First United Methodist Community Thanksgiving.
It was a great event. I’m not sure what the final numbers were, but there were more people fed than expected. I’d guess more people than last year based on the length of the drive-thru line and the fact that extra tables had to be setup. Still more pictures from my Thanksgiving day left to share.
PHOTO DROP-OFF ROAD TRIP II
Today is Suzie’s birthday. So I need to wish her a happy birthday!
Happy birthday Suzie!
Suzie is the short one in the picture, in case you didn’t know! I hope you have an amazing birthday!
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Time to share more pictures from the road trip I took with Nader after I dropped off my pictures for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. This collection starts where the first collection ended, hanging out with Albert the Bull in Audubon.
Gray
Manning
Still one more collection of images to share from this road trip.