Category Archives: Birthdays

The Mother

August 17, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Teresa’s birthday. So Happy birthday Teresa!

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

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Welcome to the end of being alone inside your mind
You tethered to another, and you’re worried all the time
You always knew the melody, but you never heard it rhyme

The first things that she took from me were selfishness and sleep
She broke a thousand heirlooms I was never meant to keep
She filled my life with color, cancelled plans and trashed my car
But none of that is ever who we are

And they’ve still got their morning paper and their coffee and their time
And they still enjoy their evenings with the skeptics and the wine
Oh, but all the wonders I have seen, I will see a second time
From inside of the ages through your eyes

You are not an accident where no one thought it through
The world has stood against us, made us mean to fight for you
And when we chose your name, we knew that you’d fight the power too

You’re nothing short of magical and beautiful to me
I’ll never hit the big time without you
So, they can keep their treasure and their ties to the machine
‘Cause I am the mother of Evangeline
-Brandi Carlile

Thursdays are for flowers! This collection of flowertography images was taken in my yard.

Still plenty more flower pictures to share just from May 27.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Art, Bill, Birthdays, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Funk, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Photoshop, Pufferbilly Days, Russ, Sara, Shannon, Sheri, Street Photography, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 413 – NEGATIVE

August 14, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

WARNING! NEXT MONDAY I WILL BE ON THE ROAD, SO NEXT WEEK’S POST WILL PUBLISH LATE AND THERE MIGHT NOT BE ANY REMINDERS. PLAN ACCORDINGLY!

I need to start this post by wishing Russ a happy birthday. Happy birthday Russ!

I hope you have lots of visitors today!

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I did have a late submission for SELF-PORTRAIT that I do need to share. A couple actually:

Susanna Funk (Vallunareju Norte – Peru)

You might be asking yourself why Funk gets special privileges and can blow past the deadline and nobody else can? Because she is climbing a mountain in Peru! If you go climb a mountain in Peru, I will also let you miss the deadline. Maybe.

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NEGATIVE! An abstract and maybe demanding theme. But were there many people that could find some NEGATIVE in their life to make NEGATIVE into a positive theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, August 7, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Mary Green – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 1 week (3)
3-Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
4-Willy McAlpine – 4 weeks
5-Mike Vest – 5 weeks
6-Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks
7-Sabas Hernandez – 6 weeks
8-Sheri Fakhouri – 8 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 9 weeks
10-Logan Kahler – 9 weeks
11-Nathanial Brown – 10 weeks
12-Jesse Howard – 10 weeks (2)
13-Tamara Peterson – 13 weeks
14-Alexis Stensland – 18 weeks
15-Mindi Terrell – 25 weeks (3)
16-Brandon Kahler – 49 weeks
17-Linda Bennett – 54 weeks
18-Sarah Toot – 55 weeks (3)
19-Angie DeWaard – 59 weeks
20-Dawn Krause – 63 weeks (2)
21-Kim Barker – 69 weeks
22-Joe Duff – 70 weeks
23-Teresa Kahler – 81 weeks (3)
24-Carla Stensland – 81 weeks
25-Micky Augustin – 83 weeks
26-Andy Sharp – 84 weeks
27-Bill Wentworth – 85 weeks
28-Cathie Morton – 89 weeks
29-Elizabeth Nordeen – 90 weeks
30-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 92 weeks
31-Kio Dettman – 94 weeks
* Susanna Funk – 1 week

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Micky Augustin (Hickory Grove Park – Story County, Iowa) – 84 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (High Trestle Trail – Boone County, Iowa) – 93 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 70 weeks

Linda Bennett (Ann Arbor, Michigan) – 55 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 11 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Joe Duff (Dallas, Texas) – 71 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 9 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Monica Jennings (Des Moines, Iowa) – 10 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 50 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 82 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 90 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 91 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 14 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 85 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 19 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 82 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 26 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 56 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 86 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Orpheum Theater – Minneapolis, Minnesota)

29 participants! Subtracting last week’s 33 participants, creates a negative 4. But 29 is still pretty good considering it is somewhat of an abstract theme.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

33 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 60% of the way there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture 226 miles from my front door. But in a state that has already been marked. I continue to not contribute.

The big milestones this week were Monica and Logan reaching The Double Digit Streak Club. WooHoo! Mindi reached The Half Year Streak Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Becky’s 3 week streak ended. Willy’s 4 week streak is gone. Sabas’ 6 week streak is no more.

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:

ART

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

But what exactly is an ART photo? Simply put, it is a picture of an existing piece of ART. You could simply find a piece of ART and stand back and take a picture of it. But I would urge you to take an ARTistic look at a piece of an ART. Take a picture of it from a different angle. Take a picture of only part of the picture. Take a picture of it in its environment. Other possibilities are to take pictures of an ARTist making a piece of ART or tools made in the creation of ART. There are just so many possibilities.

While considering possible subject for your submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt your ART submission will be a new piece of ART all its own:

Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.
-Stella Adler

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 NEGATIVE in this place that started with a pile of negatives next Monday.

Art, Birthdays, Black & White, Christianity, Flowers, History, Nature, Road Trip, Ruins, Russell

Des Moines & Louisa County Aux. – Vol. 3

July 26, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Russell’s birthday, so I need to wish Russell a happy birthday, so happy birthday Russell!

I’m not sure I’ve seen Russell in person since before the pandemic. That seems like something that should be remedied. Either way, I hope your birthday is filled with all the joy you can handle.

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Time to continue with the auxiliary images from my trip to Des Moines County and Louisa County to harvest their town signs. Last time we left off, we were in Grnadview. After that, I took US-61 down to Wapello.

Wapello

Toolesboro

Oakville

Morning Sun

So we should probably discuss some of the history in some of these pictures.

Here is some information on the Toolesboro Mounds:

The Toolesboro site consists of seven burial mounds on a bluff overlooking the Iowa River near where it joins the Mississippi River. The conical mounds were constructed between 200 B.C. and 300 A.D. by a local Hopewell group. They include some of the best-preserved and accessible remnants of Iowa’s Hopewell culture, a Middle Woodland people who hunted, gathered and gardened. At one time, there may have been as many as twelve mounds, but subsequent settlement and excavation have reduced that number to the present seven. As of yet, no village site near the Toolesboro mounds has been located, which is attributed to the shifting path of the Iowa River which has obliterated possible village sites on the flood plain over the last 2,000 years.

Of the seven mounds, only two are visible on the grounds of the Educational Center. The rest are off in the woods, and are separated by a wire fence from the Educational Center. One of the mounds maintained near the center, known as Mound 2, is the largest of the remaining mounds, measuring 100 feet in diameter and eight feet in height. This mound was possibly the largest Hopewell mound in Iowa.

And the Littleton Brothers… well…

The largest loss of life known in the history of all U.S. wars from any immediate family were the six local Littleton Brothers. All six were lost to the Civil War and the story just recently discovered and documented.

Here is some information on the Littleton brothers from the website (http://civil-war-picket.blogspot.com/):

James and Martha Littleton, the boys’ parents, moved to Louisa (Lew-I-zuh) County in about 1840, six years before Iowa became a state. The young Littleton brothers likely helped on a 200-acre farm.

Toolesboro used to be a busy hub, said Wagner, who lives in Illinois City, Ill.

The 1860 census that shows the family was listed as mulatto, which traditionally refers to a person with one white parent and one black parent. There’s debate today on that point.

The Littleton memorial will have a panel saying James came from free slave roots. “Records indicate Louisa County abolitionists had helped the family get settled there.”

But oral history within the Nicewanner family, as descendants of Permelia, states that James actually had Native American roots on one side, said Wagner.

Doug Jones, an archaeologist and Iowa Freedom Trail project manager for the State Historical Society of Iowa, said the little information he has on the Littletons is “quite intriguing.”

“There was a mulatto settlement, and we don’t know much about the settlement.”

Only one of the Littleton brothers, John, had children, and that daughter died before having any of her own. James and Martha Littleton died before the war.

Here’s what is known about each of the brothers’ service records (thanks to the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum for much of the following information):

— George Handy Littleton: George, 33, a cooper, volunteered from service from nearby New Boston, Ill., in March 1862. He is described as having brown eyes and dark hair and complexion. He was with Company B of the 65th Illinois Infantry. Captured by Confederates at Harpers Ferry, W.V., he was later paroled and discharged for disability in Chicago, according to official records, for a disease contracted before service. Woodruff said other material indicates Littleton got sick while in service. “We do not have the exact date or know where we died,” said Woodruff. The Columbus Gazette indicated George died soon after returning home. His grave has not been found.

— John Littleton: Enlisted in August 1862 with Company F of the 19th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He suffered a severe thigh injury during fighting at Prairie Grove, Arkansas, on Dec. 7, 1862. He died in Fayetteville, Ark., of wounds on December 18. It’s possible he may be buried among 800 unmarked graves at Fayetteville National Cemetery.

— Kendall Littleton: Also of the 19th Iowa, Kendall was killed in action on Dec. 7, 1862, at Prairie Grove, Ark. His remains were likely later moved to Fayetteville National Cemetery, and are marked as unknown.

— Noah Littleton: Survived the fighting at Prairie Grove but drowned March 1, 1863, in the White River in southern Missouri. His remains were disinterred and he is buried at Springfield (Mo.) National Cemetery. He, too, served in the 19th Iowa.

–Thomas Littleton: A member of the 5th Iowa, suffered a head wound at Iuka, Ms. He was taken prisoner in Chattanooga, Tenn., in November 1863. The private died of chronic diarrhea at Andersonville on June 16, 1864, and is buried at the national cemetery there.

— William Littleton: A corporal with the 8th Iowa, William was wounded at Shiloh in 1862 and died in December 1863 of diarrhea at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. He is buried at the national cemetery there.

There is still plenty more pictures left to share from this trip!

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Birthdays, Boone County Fair, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Contests, Dahlia, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Pufferbilly Days, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Street Photography, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 410 – GUILTY PLEASURE

July 24, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Dahlia’s birthday so I need to wish her a happy birthday. Happy birthday Dahlia!

Enjoy life without spreadsheets and emails and meetings and call centers and bills and jobs as long as you possibly can!

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This is your reminder that if you are interested in entering the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest, the deadline is Friday:

I’ve already heard from a few of you that you are entering and I am excited. Hopefully this is a popular year for the photo contest!

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It is the last collection of submissions 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 7 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 starts 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 you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.

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 for 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. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.

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You are probably wondering if you are every going to get to see this week’s submissions. It is one of my GUILTY PLEASURE(s) to make you wait. But were there a ton of people that were willing to share the shame of their GUILTY PLEASURE with all of us? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, July 17, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
2-Scott Degeneffe – 2 weeks
3-Mary Green – 2 weeks (3)
4-Mike Vest – 2 weeks
5-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks
6-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
7-Sheri Fakhouri – 5 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 6 weeks (2)
9-Logan Kahler – 6 weeks (2)
10-Nathanial Brown – 7 weeks
11-Jesse Howard – 7 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 10 weeks
13-Alexis Stensland – 15 weeks (3)
14-Mindi Terrell – 22 weeks (3)
15-Brandon Kahler – 47 weeks
16-Linda Bennett – 51 weeks
17-Sarah Toot – 52 weeks (2)
18-Angie DeWaard – 56 weeks
19-Dawn Krause – 60 weeks
20-Kim Barker – 66 weeks
21-Joe Duff – 67 weeks (2)
22-Teresa Kahler – 78 weeks (2)
23-Carla Stensland – 78 weeks (2)
24-Micky Augustin – 80 weeks
25-Andy Sharp – 81 weeks
26-Bill Wentworth – 82 weeks
27-Cathie Morton – 86 weeks
28-Elizabeth Nordeen – 87 weeks
29-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 89 weeks
30-Kio Dettman – 91 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 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - MICKY AUGUSTIN

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 81 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Sommerset, Iowa) – 90 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone County Fair – Boone, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 52 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Nathanial Brown (J.C. Newman Cigar Company – Tampa, Florida) – 8 weeks

Nathanial Brown (John’s Pass – Treasure Island – Florida)

Scott Degeneffe (Near Boone, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 68 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Evie Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Clive, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 48 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone County Fair – Boone, Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 79 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Infamous Ink – Boone, Iowa) – 61 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Cathie Morton (Road to Newton, Iowa) – 87 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 88 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 82 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 79 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 23 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Maryland) – 53 weeks

Sarah Toot (Maryland)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 83 weeks

35 participants!! WooHoo! Another great week! Nearly tying a record currently held by FLOWER. Lots of guilty people out there! Also exciting is that thanks to Sarah Toot’s travelling ways, we’ve added Maryland to the map!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Maryland
+ Nebraska
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

32 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 60% of the way there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture about 1 mile from my front door, so I continue not to contribute.

The big milestones this week were Evie had her first submission of the year! WooHoo! Linda joined the 1 Year Streak Club! WooHoo! Another exciting development was that there were no streaks broken this week. WooHoo!

LIQUID – SUGGESTED BY SARAH TOOT

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

But what exactly is a LIQUID image? Simply put it is an image where the subject or a major compositional element is a LIQUID. And there are so many LIQUID(s) out there. From water to Jones Soda to AE Chocolate Milk to Jagermeister to some kinds of soap to lotion. There are just so many possibilities!

While thinking about possible subjects for LIQUID meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a fascinating image:

Time is liquid. One moment is no more important than any other and all moments quickly run away.
-Kurt Vonnegut

I look forward to 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 GUILTY PLEASURE in this place that will hold only a little bit of judgment on your pleasures next Monday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Bill, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Movies, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 409 – A SHAPE

July 17, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Today is Alexis’ birthday… so happy birthday Alexis!

I hope you have an amazing birthday without too much paperwork, unless your really want to do that paperwork, then happy paperwork day!

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A SHAPE! What a great theme. But did it shape up to be a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

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

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Derrick Gorshe – 1 week
3-Mary Green – 1 week (2)
4-Mike Vest – 1 week
5-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks
6-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
7-Sheri Fakhouri – 4 weeks
8-Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 5 weeks
10-Logan Kahler – 5 weeks
11-Nathanial Brown – 6 weeks
12-Jesse Howard – 6 weeks (3)
13-Tamara Peterson – 9 weeks
14-Alexis Stensland – 14 weeks (3)
15-Mindi Terrell – 21 weeks (2)
16-Brandon Kahler – 46 weeks
17-Linda Bennett – 50 weeks
18-Sarah Toot – 51 weeks (2)
19-Angie DeWaard – 55 weeks
20-Dawn Krause – 59 weeks
21-Kim Barker – 65 weeks
22-Joe Duff – 66 weeks (2)
23-Teresa Kahler – 77 weeks (2)
24-Carla Stensland – 77 weeks
25-Micky Augustin – 79 weeks
26-Andy Sharp – 80 weeks
27-Bill Wentworth – 81 weeks
28-Cathie Morton – 85 weeks
29-Elizabeth Nordeen – 86 weeks
30-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 88 weeks
31-Kio Dettman – 90 weeks

Heading into today’s submissions, here is the map of where THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE submissions have been taken:

Map courtesy of visitedplaces.com

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:

Alexis Stensland (Swaledale, Iowa) – 15 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Swaledale, Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 81 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 56 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 82 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 78 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa)

Cathie Morton (Des Moines, Iowa) – 86 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Boone County, Iowa) – 60 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Kamrar, Iowa) – 87 weeks

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 67 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 91 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Linda Bennett (Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Mary Green (Salt Lake City, Utah) – 2 weeks

Mary Green (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Micky Augustin (Near Colo, Iowa) – 80 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa) – 22 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Des Moines, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Monica Jennings (Des Moines, Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Tampa, Florida) – 7 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Indian Rocks, Florida)

Sabas Hernandez (Ottumwa, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York City, New York) – 52 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York City, New York)

Scott Degeneffe (Near Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Indianola, Iowa) – 89 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Colfax, Iowa) – 78 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Stanhope, Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Ames, Iowa) – 1 week

31 participants! That is a pretty great week! That is 8 of the last 9 weeks that we’ve had over 30 submissions! That is impressive and if we keep that up, I might lower the maximum submissions to 2. We will see if we can keep going at such a high rate of participation! WooHoo!

There were submissions from several places this week, but no place new.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ New York
+ Texas
+ Utah

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

31 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 60% of the way there!

If you are wondering, these are the missing states:

+ Alabama
+ Alaska
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Indiana
+ Kentucky
+ Maine
+ Maryland
+ Massachusetts
+ Mississippi
+ New Hampshire
+ New Mexico
+ Rhode Island
+ South Carolina
+ Vermont
+ Virginia
+ West Virginia

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

My submission was taken in my basement. I continue to not help grow the map. Maybe one of these days I’ll just get a wild hair and drive to New Mexico. Stranger things have happened.

There were plenty of big accomplishments this week! Tamara joined the Double Digit Streak Club! WooHoo! Sarah joined the 1 Year Streak Club! WooHoo! Carla and Teresa both joined the 18 Month Streak Club! Double WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all lengthy streaks. Derrick couldn’t build on his submission from last week and Becky’s 4 week streak came crashing to a halt.

GUILTY PLEASURE – THEME SUGGESTED BY SARAH TOOT

GUILTY PLEASURE! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a GUILTY PLEASURE photo? It is simply a photo of something that you enjoy, but you know that it is bad. Either low in quality or bad for you. In the theme reveal image I am watching THE WRAITH. Which is one of the absolute worst movies ever made. Everything about the movie is inept from the acting to the directing to the storyline to the special effects and I love every second of it! Another example of a GUILTY PLEASURE of mine is Funyuns. I know they are terrible for me and leave me with absolutely dreadful breath, but I can still hammer down a bag of them like it is nobody’s business!

So think about what you love, but you know isn’t good or good for you. Could be a band or a show or a food or a person… You’ll figure it out. Maybe your GUILTY PLEASURE is Photography 139. I won’t hate. I’m kind of in the Dave Grohl mindset on GUILTY PLEASURE(s).

While thinking about that thing you love, but sometimes are a little embarrassed to tell other people about, meditate on the following quote:

Isn’t three quarters of life a guilty pleasure?
-Joan Collins

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!

Birthdays, Christianity, Derrick, Logan, Railroad, Road Trip, Ruins, Street Photography

Lee & Van Buren County Aux. – Vol. 5

July 12, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Logan’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday. Happy birthday Logan!

I hope your birthday is filled with many photo opportunities and barbecue opportunities!

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Today is also Derrick’s birthday. So… happy birthday Derrick!

I hope your birthday is filled with as much joy and melt-facing guitar solos as you can handle!

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Time to share the final collection of images I took while harvesting the town signs of Lee and Van Buren County. All of these pictures were taken in Van Buren County.

Bentonsport

Keosauqua

Pittsburgh

Cantril

Milton

For the record… Edmund Burke was evil AutoFocus. And he also never said this.

I wonder why steel cut was such a big deal.

That burger I had at Misty’s Malt Shop in Keosauqua was fantastic! Easily one of the best burgers I’ve ever had from a restaurant.

Next time we hit the open road for auxiliary images of THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will hit up Louisa County and Des Moines County.

Andy, Birthdays, Naima, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining, Teresa

I Scream: Polk City Field Work

July 9, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Naima’s birthday! But you already know that because it is on the physical Photography 139 Calendar and because I have no doubt that many of you have shown up today to shower her with gifts.

Happy birthday Naima!

I hope it was a great birthday! I hope we went for a car ride or to the park or you got some alley time or you got to poop in the neighbor’s yard or that Stan gave you treats or maybe even I even took you to church or out to lunch or we went to Dairy Queen for a pup cup or that I got you a new pig or a new hedge hog or a new area rug. I hope we did some or all of these things. But I know for sure you got more than your fair share of treats.

Happy birthday Naima!

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A few Sundays back Teresa, Andy, and I went out for lunch after church. After lunch, which we ate at Jester Park, Teresa and I went looking for ice cream.

I saw this sign hanging in a Jester Park bathroom:

But when we showed up at the Jester Park Outdoor Recreation & Wellness center, they didn’t have any ice cream. They had sold out the previous day. However, since we were near Polk City, we busted over there to try The Creamery.

Located on the Polk City Town Square, it is easy to find.

The day we were there, there was a long line that extended out the door. But the staff was efficient and we got through quickly.

If I remember correctly, I went with Ultimate Brownie. What I do remember for sure is that it was delicious! I believe they serve Ashby ice cream, which always hits the spot.

Of course, you know I subscribe to the Ted Lasso philosophy on ice cream:

Ice cream is the best. It’s kinda like seeing Billy Joel perform live. Never disappoints.

I would definitely hit up The Creamery if I was near Polk City again. But I would get something different than my standard cone. I saw this kid get some kind of bubble gum ice cream thing and it looked amazing. I don’t know what it was, but I want one.

You can find The Creamery at:

221 West Broadway
Polk City, Iowa

It is open during the summer from 12 PM to 9 PM seven days a week.

For next Sunday’s food adventure, I didn’t even leave my house.

Art, Birthdays, Boone Art Center, Jay, Railroad, Street Photography

Boone Art Center Gallery One

July 8, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

Today is Jay’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday. Happy birthday Jay!

2006 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - Portrait of Self Portrait

I hope your birthday is as magical as this photo that was done completely in camera. What am I saying? I know your birthday was magical! You spent a good chunk of the day with me! Which most people will tell you, spending large chunks of time with me is pretty magical.

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Many people asked me when I completed THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, “so what is your next project?” But usually they said it in a tone that was less supportive and more accusatory. Like “Whatcha gonna do now ya one trick pony?”

While I might be a one trick pony, I did have more than a few ideas up my sleeves. In fact, I had one main idea I wanted to pursue, but that project I haven’t pursued at all. Not even a little bit. Not at all.

However, I have pursued a completely different project that wasn’t on my radar at all. It just sort of came to me, like an epiphany one might say. Kind of the way most of my ideas come to me. Either while I’m sleeping or while I’m driving and every once in awhile, while I’m sleeping while I’m driving. Which I don’t recommend, but I’m a busy guy. Sometimes I need to get places and take a nap at the same time. It’s called multi-tasking and chicks dig it.

This other project is based on the fact that there is a dearth of public art in Boone. While there are numerous talented artists in Boone. “In fact, at least 2 live on my block alone” he said while counting himself as one without a hint of irony. About the public art in Boone is a train mural, a statue of Teddy Roosevelt, and the Freedom Rock. Well turn it up man. Sorry, not that kind of Freedom Rock. But I wish it was that kind of Freedom Rock.

There is also at least one local graffiti artist. At least there is one out there trying real hard. But the best and largest collection of public art in Boone comes rolling in on the Union Pacific railroad line. Choo Choo art lovers! Graffiti from all over the country comes rolling in like a mobile art gallery with extremely limited engagements.

While much of the graffiti isn’t great, there are many that blow the mind. I decided to start capturing “found art” I find in or near the confines of Boone. I’m calling it THE BOONE ART CENTER PROJECT. When I get to about 25 pieces of art or pictures of pieces of art that I like, I will release a collection.

This is the first of those collections:

All of these pictures were taken east of Boone from the shoulder of Old-30, but that doesn’t mean all these “found” art pieces will be taken east of town or even they will all be on the side of railroad cars for that matter. But almost all of them have been up until now.

Not sure when the next collection will be released, but it can’t be too far in the future.

Birthdays, Jen, Jesse, Michelle, Nader, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Tenderloin Trail 2.0 – Graettinger Field Work

July 2, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

A pox upon me for a clumsy lout. Yesterday I forgot to wish Jen a happy birthday in this forum. (Don’t worry I still wished her a happy birthday in another forum. It is called text messaging. Kids, ask your parents what that is.)

So happy birthday Jen!

Happy birthday!

I know you were on the road for a good chunk of the day, but I hope it was still a day full of joy and wonder.

+++++++

After we left the bakery in Sioux Center, we drove east to Graettinger for lunch. In Graettinger there is a restaurant I’ve long wanted to eat at. It is on Tenderloin Trail 2.0, it was once the runner up for best tenderloin in the state of Iowa (meaning the world), and it was one of the 10 finalists for best burger in the state of Iowa this year.

There is no way to hide it. This was one of the best tenderloins I’ve ever had and one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. I ordered a tenderloin and Jesse ordered a burger and then we cut them both in half and swapped. Like an old married couple. Or like is somewhat expected when you go on a food adventure with me. Unless you have a notoriously unrefined palette.

I would say, not only was the burger great and the tenderloin great, so were the fries, the cheesy fries, the cheese curds and the brownie. Also, equally awesome was the owner/manager/chef Barry. We must have talked with Barry about food for close to an hour.

Here are the pictures:

Birdies, Burgers, & Brews - Graettinger, Iowa

That is an inexpensive tenderloin. 9 bucks and a side????

I wanted Jesse to go for the Peanut Butter Burger, but he pussed out and got the The Hole in One Burger. But I can’t say he made a mistake.

So many starters I want to try here.

Cheese balls.

Hillcrest fries. So delicious.

That is homemade beer cheese sauce.

Homemade ranch dressing.

You don’t let any of that cheese sauce go to waste.

Those are sweet potato fries and they were the only miss. But easily forgivable.

The Hole in One Burger.

Their Award Winning Fries.

Nader got the Wisconsin Rancher.

1st bite of the tenderloin.

Jesse first bite of the burger.

Jesse’s first tenderloin bite.

Last bite of the tenderloin.

My first bite of the burger.

View from our table.

The brownie. More on that later.

PrairieMoon on Main in Prairieburg won in 2020, I haven’t had it, but I will someday soon.

Hometowns of people that have eaten there from Iowa.

From the United States.

From the world.

They also have a hot wings challenge that only requires you to eat one wing.

While this might cost me a little bit of street cred on the tenderloin circuit, but I confess that I liked the burger better than the tenderloin. But I would knock down either one in a second.

Birdie’s, Burgers, & Brews ranks the highest on my restaurant scale, it gets the rating of:

I would pursue eating at this restaurant!

I would gladly eat there again. It is over 2 hours from my house and I would gladly drive it to eat there again.

A note, I bought the brownie, but I did not eat it there because I was full and I had plans for ice cream on the trip home.

After Graettinger we stopped in West Bend because Jesse and Nader had never seen The Grotto of the Redemption. I thought there was an ice cream place in West Bend, and there is, (Homestead Country Store) but it was closed. Which means I will have to get back to West Bend to eat there at some point.

Instead, we stopped in Fort Dodge and ate at The Dariette. The Dariette isn’t a new experience for me. I’ve eaten there a few times and it is a favorite of longtime Photography 139 supporter Michelle.

Here are a few pictures:

Blue raspberry.

Delicious blue raspberry.

The crew.

You know I have the Ted Lasso policy on ice cream:

Ice cream is the best. It’s kinda like seeing Billy Joel perform live. Never disappoints.

The Dariette’s specializes in soft serve ice cream. The flavors change weekly. Michelle recommends their peach, but I’ve never had it. I’ve never had anything that disappoints…

You can find The Dariette at:

17 S. 12th Street
Fort Dodge, Iowa

It is a little tricky to find and get to, so if you miss the turn a few times. Don’t feel shame. If you do, the ice cream will wipe that away once you figure out how to get to it.

But back to the brownie…

I might have left Birdies, Burgers & Brews without the brownie, but it comes with a great story. Well, I think it is cool. Barry (the owner/manager/chef) uses a lot of recipes from the 1920s that he learned when he was a cook in a hospital in Kansas. I know there is a stigma with hospital food, but maybe not from the 1920s. Or at least there shouldn’t be.

The brownie recipe isn’t from the hospital though. It is his great, great grandmother’s recipe:

His great, great grandmother could cook, cause this brownie slaps, as they say. I even ate it when it was at least a day old and it still slaps!

I can’t say enough good things about Birdies, Burgers, & Brews!

You can find it at:

701 South Cedar Avenue
Graettinger, Iowa

It is located on the grounds of the Hillcrest Golf & Country Club. I confess, I’ve been surprised on my food adventures that so many golf course serve an excellent tenderloin. I’m blue collar as it gets and I come from a blue collar background. The tenderloin is a blue collar sandwich. Ain’t nothing blue collar about golf. But if golf courses keep turning out food like this, I might change my tune on golf courses.

But right now I’m still in the George Carlin camp on golf.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve ice cream.

Bethany, Birthdays, Elizabeth, Jesse, Kim, Nora, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Food Truckin’: Ames Food Truck Showdown Field Work

June 18, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Bethany’s birthday, so happy birthday Bethany!

I hope your birthday has all the happiness you can handle!

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About a month back, Kim and I met Elizabeth in downtown Ames for a “Food Truck Showdown” after a hard day of swinging the pick at the Computer Mine. Then after Jesse laid down his pick for the day, he joined us too. The event consisted of about a dozen food trucks that were competing to win some kind of prize. It was WAY busier than I expected. I had hoped to try multiple food trucks, but the place was packed and the lines were crazy long. In fact, I don’t think Elizabeth even got to try any food before she had to take off to do some adulting.

After making a loop around the place I decided on a place called Hotsy Totsy*. A food truck, that in addition to having an amazing name serves a wide variety of loaded tots. They serve other stuff, but when going to a food truck called Hotsy Totsy, you get the tots and you like it!

And I did! In fact I more than liked the tots. I loved them. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Tots. Kim got the Gyro Tots. Jesse didn’t get anything. Can’t take him anywhere.

Here are some pictures:

A picture of Elizabeth bailing that I didn’t realize I had taken.

How can so much goodness exist in such a little container?

I may have licked the paper. It is hard to say.

Kim couldn’t finish off her gyro tots, so she twisted my arm and I finished those off as well. I did love the Buffalo Chicken Tots, but I think I like the Gyro Tots even more. It’s a real Sophie’s Tots Choice.

After letting the tots settle we ambled down the street to get some ice cream being made by a John Deere, I don’t really know exactly what it is, thing. It doesn’t matter what it is. If it is John Deere, I’m onboard.

I stand by the old Ted Lasso quote:

Ice cream is the best. It’s kinda like seeing Billy Joel perform live. Never disappoints.

It wasn’t the best ice cream I’ve ever had, but it was still ice cream.

I’m not sure how much my tots cost because Kim bought them for my birthday. The ice cream was $5.00.

I can’t tell you much about Hotsy Totsy because their website isn’t the best, but it is definitely a food truck I would pursue if they were in my area!

The ice cream… there are better options around.

The next food adventure I’m going to share involves a bunch of Dutch nonsense. Delicious Dutch nonsense.

*Hotsy Totsy was heavily endorsed by Clevenger. This is historically a strike against it. I’ve never met anybody with such bad taste in food as Clevenger, but with Hotsy Totsy I think we may have turned a corner and found some common ground.