Category Archives: Birthdays

Fly Iowa: A New Beginning

I should start today by wising my Aunt Linda a happy birthday!


09-21-08

Bennett Family Reunion

Bennett Family Reunion

April 9, 2019

August 29, 2017

Recently I shared a collection of pictures I took of the old Boone Dump sliding into McHose Park. Aunt Linda sent me a story that I thought I would share, so you would know what kind of people I come from:

I really liked this history of the junk yard. I have fond memories of going to the junk yard as a family….my dad, mom, David, Gerald and me. Dad would take a gun in case we were attacked by rats. We often found treasures to take home for one reason or another.

I want you to think about this story the next time you even remotely think of trying to mistakenly labeling me as an elitist. I’m the guy that comes from a family that used to go to the town dump, with my Grandpa packing heat to fend off the junkyard rats! These are my people!

Happy birthday Aunt Linda!

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Time for yet another collection of images from Fly Iowa:


Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Only 700 more images from Fly Iowa to curate!

Fly Iowa: The Final Chapter

Buckle up Nancy, this is going to be a long one!

I need to start this post by wishing a very happy birthday to the middle child of the Bennett Sibling Triumvirate. Happy birthday Carla!

Here are some pictures of Carla:


Stensland Family Photo Shoot - 2016

Bennett Family Photo Shoot - 2017

San Antonio Road Trip

October 15, 2019

State Tournament - Albia

I hope your birthday had the exact amounts of joy that you wanted!

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It is also Monica’s birthday. I think it has been a couple of years since I last saw Monica in person. But I know that she would still take a bullet for me. Small caliber. In the arm. Maybe the leg.

Happy birthday Monica! Here are some Monica pics:


Eastern Iowa Road Trip - 2006

Roland VFW Fundraiser

Cheaper than Therapy

Eastern Iowa Road Trip - 2006

I hope your birthday was absolutely wonderful!

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The Union Street Theater is pleased to announce that a date has been chosen for March Movie Night. March movie night will be Sunday, March 29. March Movie Night will be a tribute to one of my favorite actors, Kirk Douglas. Kirk was the start of a few of my favorite movies of all-time. PATHS OF GLORY, LUST FOR LIFE, and SPARTACUS. Kirk Douglas was instrumental in elevating the greatest filmmaker in history, Stanley Kubrick, to prominence. If he had done nothing else, that would have been enough.

Kirk Douglas passed away in February at the age of 103. The Union Street Theater is pleased to pay tribute to the iconic Kirk Douglas with our March Movie Night. He is only the second actor to receive such a tribute. Burt Reynolds got a similar tribute in 2018.

These are the movies that will play for the Kirk Douglas Tribute. First, the B Movie is:



SATURN 3

Here is a synopsis of SATURN 3 from IMDB.com:

Two lovers stationed at a remote base in the asteroid fields of Saturn are intruded upon by a retentive technocrat from Earth and his charge: a malevolent eight foot robot.

The feature film will be:



LONELY ARE THE BRAVE

Here is a synopsis of LONELY ARE THE BRAVE from IMDB.com:

A fiercely independent cowboy gets himself locked up in prison to escape with an old friend.

Anders is also providing a short film that is very intriguing. This will also be the 3rd, but hopefully not the last round of Jay’s Root Beer Symposium.

To Recap:

What: Union Street Theater Movie Night
Movies: SATURN 3 & LONELY ARE THE BRAVE
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2020
Time: 6 PM
Where: UNION STREET THEATER
TOILET PAPER SITUATION: As of right now, I still have plenty of toilet paper.

Hope to see you there!

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Might as well just get to it. This is the 4th collection of images from Fly Iowa:


Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Fly Iowa - 2019

Only about 800 more images to curate!

Ledges

I need to start today’s post by wishing a happy birthday to Dawn. Happy birthday Dawn!

Here are a few pictures of Dawn:


Surprise - Dawn

Photo of the Day 0089 - July 30, 2014

Bonne Finken

Josh Davis Band

September 15, 2017

I hope your birthday is as happy as you want it to be!

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I also need to wish a happy birthday to Jason Baier. Happy birthday Mr. Baier. Here are a few pictures of Jason:


Baier Tenderloin Road Trip

Cardiff Giant - Fort Dodge

Photo Journal - Page 56


I hope your birthday is also jam packed with happiness!

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I also wanted to share some pictures from the 2019 backlog. Here are some images from a trip I took to Ledges back in August:


Ledges

Ledges

Ledges

Ledges

Ledges

Just gotta keep plugging away on that backlog!

The 4th

I need to start today’s post by wishing a big happy birthday to Laura! I’m sure today she will have her hands full trying to corral Baby Tri-Force and she will be loving every second of it!

Here are some Laura pictures:


9 EMOTIONS PROJECT - LAURA MILLER

Nora

Jonah Turns 3


I hope it is a great birthday!

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On the 4th of July I got together with Willy and Jay and grilled out and set off some smoke bombs and then photographed them going off. Here are some pictures.


4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

4th of July - 2019

The 4th of July is a Saturday this year. I love holidays that are also on weekends!

Dickcisselin’

Need to start today by wishing a happy birthday to my mission trip and youth group buddy Andy! 5 or 6 years ago or however long it was when we first went to Martin, South Dakota together I never would have guessed how good of friends we would end up becoming.

Here are some pictures of Andy:


Pizza Ranch Fundraiser - Spring 2018

Martin, South Dakota Mission Trip

May 17, 2016

Rapid City Mission Trip - 2019

Baby Got Rack - Boone County Fair 2018

Happy birthday Andy!

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Hitting up that 2019 backlog again. These are pictures I took out at Dickcissel Park in June.


Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Dickcisselin'

Only like 40 some days of pictures left in the 2019 backlog.

Alas, Poor Yorick!

I have to start today’s post off by wishing the happiest of birthdays to Micky! I’m not sure how old Micky is now, but I hope he is at an age where he start to gain a refined taste in pancakes. Micky is one of the best outdoorsman I know, if he ever conquers his fear of snakes, he could even be the best.

Here are some pictures of Micky:


Pie In Your Face!

June 17, 2017

Happy birthday Micky!!

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You are probably wondering what Micky would like for his birthday. The answer is pretty obvious, since it IS Ash Wednesday.

Micky would like you to come to the Heart of Boone Youth Fellowship Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for our trip to Indianapolis!



It is all the spaghetti you can eat and you get to name your own price. Starts at 6. Ends at 7. At the Boone First United Methodist Church in the Fellowship Hall in the basement.

Why is this what Micky wants for his birthday? Because a funded mission trip gets me out of the office for an entire week! A full week he doesn’t have to deal with me at work. I know! I can feel people scrambling for their checkbooks right now!

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Since Micky is a truly great outdoorsman, I think the type of pictures he would like to peer at on his birthday are from when the family stopped at Jester Park after post-worship lunch some Sunday in August.


Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

Alas, Poor Yorick!

I just don’t make it to Jester Park enough.

WPC – WEEK 230 – REFLECTION

Today is a very big day in the history of my oldest friends. Not just because one of my old friends climbed a building and set his shirt on fire and got arrested yesterday. No, because today is Bill’s birthday!


February 9, 2010

9 Emotions - Bill

March 12, 2019

Happy birthday Bill!

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Looks like the streak lives on for one more week. 19 weeks in total. REFLECTION struck a chord with the absolute bare minimum to extend the streak of double digit submissions!

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:


WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - MONICA HENNING
Monica Henning

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee

WEEK 230 - REFLECTION - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard

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:


WEEK 231 - FAMILY
FAMILY

FAMILY! What a great theme! But what is a FAMILY picture? A FAMILY picture is any picture that involves a FAMILY. And don’t let any Scrooge McDuck’s from Ankeny try to tell you that FAMILY can only be defined by DNA. Remember, a true family provides its members with emotional and spiritual kinship through:

+ Shared values, beliefs, and traditions
+ Common experiences and activities
+ Unconditional, non-judgmental support

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

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HOUSEKEEPING


A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

OR

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very familial Monday!

Will You Pardon Me?

I spent a few moments taking pictures of flowers one day back in May. Here are some of my favorites:


Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

Will You Pardon Me?

The tulips belong to my Mom. The rest belong to me.

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One thing I wanted to bring back this year was happy birthdays. Today is Lowell’s birthday, so happy birthday Lowell!


Little League - 2009

I hope it is a good one!

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


WEEK 226 - FOOD
FOOD

A FOOD photo is any photo that centers around FOOD. A picture of FOOD. Preparation of FOOD. People eating FOOD. You get the idea!

Happy photo harvesting!

Discoverbee

Yesterday, Baby Got Rack competed at the State Fair barbecue contest. After we got the pork and the chicken on the smoker, we had a couple of hours to kill. We smoke the chicken and pork for close to two hours and then we allow the meat to rest another hour.

During this time, we mostly conversate, dance, and wait anxiously for root beer stands to open. While Scottie D. and Marcus held down the fedora fort, I used a small amount of this time to pay my respects to the spot on the fairgrounds that used to hold Jennie’s Grinders. Then I went to visit probably my favorite part of the fairgrounds, Discovery Gardens.

While I was there, I took this picture:


As always, when I take a bee picture. I ask you all to take a moment to remember the horrible bee attack that decimated Houston in the 1970s. Never forget!

PARTICULARS

CAMERA: SONY SLT-A65V
ISO:640
FOCAL LENGTH: 60mm
APERTURE: f/4
EXPOSURE:1/160
DATE: 08-16-2016
LATITUDE: 41.59489°
LONGITUDE: -93.55139°
PHOTO ASSISTANT: Team Baby Got Rack
EDITING SOUNDTRACK: “Retreat” by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Also, I’d be a failure if I didn’t recognize the anniversary of the birth of long time Photography 139 supporter and long time sister Teresa Kahler!



Happy Birthday Teresa!