Category Archives: Birthdays

I Scream: Monroe Field Work

Today is Jorge’s birthday! So happy birthday Jorge!


2016 Birthday Party Invite

I mean, anybody willing to pose for a picture like this deserves to have an amazing birthday!

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A few weeks back Carla, Teresa, and I drove to What Cheer, Iowa to hit up their flea market. The original plan was just to hit up the concession stand at the flea market, but by the time we made the rounds everybody seemed to feel that eating in a place with air conditioning was the actual better plan.

What Cheer isn’t flush with restaurants, so we drove to Oskaloosa and ate at Tasos’. I have eaten there before, so it doesn’t really qualify as a new food adventure. But I thought I would share a picture of the small pizza I got there and knocked down.


Pizza is Power: Tasos Steakhouse

Pizza is Power: Tasos Steakhouse

This is the House Special. It has pepperoni, sausage, beef, Canadian bacon, green pepper, onion, and mushroom. The small pizza ran me $16.00. A medium is $17.50 and a large is $19.00. It was delicious and I definitely recommend Tasos’ if you are ever in Oskaloosa or the Oskaloosa area. They have much more than just pizza.

But the real point of this post is Jersey Freeze in Monroe. Full disclosure: I have been to Jersey Freeze a few times. So this technically also isn’t a new food adventure. However, Micky claims that I have been doing Jersey Freeze wrong. He claims you have to order the the Van & BonBon Jersey Freezer.

Here is how I order my ice cream, and feel free to take notes:

1. If they have hard ice cream, hard ice cream in a waffle cone. If they don’t have hard ice cream, go to #2.
2. If the employees working the ice cream stand appear to be high-speed, order a malt. My go to is raspberry, but sometimes I’ll zag and go cherry or blueberry or peanut butter or banana or chocolate. If the employees don’t look super adept, go to #3.
3. IF the employees don’t look like masters of their craft, order a shake. The reason for this is that sometimes an unskilled ice cream employee can burn a malt. Too much malt powder is not a good thing. If they don’t have shakes for some reason, go to #4.
4. Order a Blizzard. But since Dairy Queen has the trademark on the term “Blizzard” on lock, order whatever this mom and pop ice cream palace calls theirs. In Iowa, Cyclones is a popular substitute name for obvious reasons. At Dairy Freeze, they call their “Blizzards” Jersey Freezers. I’m all over the map on these, but something that had peanut butter and chocolate is always good. Nay, always great! But if I’m feeling cheap, go to #5.
5. Soft-serve ice cream. However, under no circumstances do you order Flavor Burst ice cream. Flavor Burst is an abomination and should be stricken from the face of the earth.

But because Micky rarely (but sometimes) steers me wrong, I thought I would give this Van & Bonbon Jersey Freeze a shot. I have no clue what Van & Bonbon is. I grew up in a blue collar house where we didn’t have fufu flavors like Van & Bonbon.

Here are some pictures:


I Scream: Jersey Freeze

I Scream: Jersey Freeze

I Scream: Jersey Freeze

I Scream: Jersey Freeze

I Scream: Jersey Freeze

I Scream: Jersey Freeze

I Scream: Jersey Freeze

I Scream: Jersey Freeze


I got the medium which ran me $5.50 plus tax. I’m not sure what was in there really. There were little candies that I think were bonbons (blue collar background, I don’t know about these rich people candies) and a metric ton of fudge. It was good. I mean it is ice cream. It is like the quote from TED LASSO:

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

But with no apologies to Micky, I’m going to stick with my go to at Jersey Freeze. A raspberry malt. He can have the fufu flavors.

Jersey Freeze has a cool history. This is from their website (jerseyfreezemonroe.com):

In 1992, brothers Brad and Lynn Donahue were sitting around one day, hungry for some ice cream. That’s when the idea struck them….Monroe needed an ice cream store. So in May of 1992 Jersey Freeze opened in a custom built building next to Monroe Foods in downtown Monroe. The new store had one ice cream machine and one cash register.

Where did JERSEY FREEZE come from? To answer that question, we need to look to some 1950 history. A couple by the name of Ethyl and Everett Tyrrell operated the original Jersey Freeze in a small (12 X 12) building that sat on the NE corner of the square in Monroe.

In the early 1970’s the Tyrrell Jersey Freeze fell victim to “progress” when Highway 14 was widened to 4 lanes and took out JF.

Rumor has it that Everett raised Jersey cows and that’s how the name JERSEY FREEZE originated. Since the Donahue ice cream store was within a few feet of the original JF site, the name was a natural.

Brad and Lynn contacted Mrs. Roy (Mary) Tyrrell Cupples in Nebraska and asked for her permission to use the Jersey Freeze name. She thought that was a great idea. The name is now owned by and registered to Donahue Bros. Inc.

By 2000, Jersey Freeze had outgrown their building. Since Highway 163 was being re-routed south of Monroe, a location near the 163 and Highway 14 intersection seemed like the place to be. In July 2000 Jersey Freeze No. 2 opened for business in a new building on the corner of Highway 14 and County Line Road.

In 2005 the original downtown location was closed. Donahue Bros still owns the building and it is occupied by ALL ABOUT PIES.

By 2014 Jersey Freeze had outgrown the second building and in the fall of 2014, construction began on the newest Jersey Freeze building located just across the highway from store #2, between Casey’s and Subway. On April 17, 2015 Jersey Freeze opened in their new building.

Popular features of the new store include the drive up window, a larger parking lot, a larger canopy seating area, and new menu items which include the pie Jersey Freezer made with pie from ALL ABOUT PIES, seven flavors of THELMA’S Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Smoothies.

Employees enjoy the spacious work area and more serving windows.

Lynn Donahue is the owner of Jersey Freeze. Kelsey LaZella and Lainy Wilson assist him in managing the store.

I’m definitely going to be looking into this whole pie situation very soon!

Jersey Freeze can be found here:

Highway 14 South
Monroe, Iowa

My food adventure rating system is:
+ Would I pursue it.
+ Would I eat there again.
+ Would I only eat there again if it was for somebody’s birthday and this is where they want to eat.
+ Would I skip a friend’s birthday if they chose to celebrate it there.
+ Would I hope it burns down.

Jersey Freeze is definitely a place I would pursue.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve a food truck and sending a message to all the fishies at Ada Haydn.

Rodan139: Boxholm

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


ANGER - NATE MILLER

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

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I did have submissions from one person come in a tad bit late for PARK. Normally, I would tell that person to pound sand. You were late, there is a deadline. You missed it. However, since it was Funk and she was on top of a frigging mountain and therefore, not with a bunch of cell phone service (also it is a little cold up there), I will allow it. Here are the submissions from Susanna Funk.


WEEK 402 - PARK - SUSANNA FUNK
Susanna Funk (Mt Baker National Recreation Area – Washington) – 1 week

WEEK 402 - PARK - SUSANNA FUNK
Susanna Funk (Mt Baker National Recreation Area – Washington)

WEEK 402 - PARK - SUSANNA FUNK
Susanna Funk (Mt Baker National Recreation Area – Washington)

These are the first submissions from the state of Washington this calendar year! WooHoo!

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I recently took Rodan139 for a flight around Boxholm, Iowa. I didn’t plan ahead very well, so the battery was low and the flight was short. But I’ve found that many times the first time I take a drone to an area it seems to be more recon for a second flight later. But I still think there are some good pictures in the collection.


Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Rodan139: Boxholm

Boxholm always holds a special place in my heart. It is where Shorty and Doris lived after they left the farm and it it where Tim lives now. I’ve attended many a family gathering in Boxholm. Great memories in that town!

Salad Shooting: Ames Field Work

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


Baby Tri-Force 1st Birthday Party

I hope it is as magical as you want it to be!

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On the health spectrum, this post is about a food item that couldn’t be more on the opposite end of the “healthy eating” spectrum than a tenderloin if it tried. Not that a tenderloin is the most unhealthy thing you can eat. That is probably cheesy fries. But it is no secret that any fried food is unhealthy. Delicious, but unhealthy.

Now a salad? They are usually pretty healthy. Unless you add unhealthy elements to it, like fried chicken. And then coat it with ranch or Caesar dressing. Or any salad dressing with the word “creamy” in it. However, I think we can all agree that ranch dressing does not belong on salad. It only belongs as a dipping sauce for things like onion rings and fried mushrooms and fried cheese and buffalo wings. Caesar salad doesn’t belong anywhere.

Ames recently had a new salad restaurant open. It is extremely unique. It is drive-thru only. Why? Because they grow all the greens inside the building.

This is what their website (https://www.claytonfarms.com/salads) says:

Welcome to Clayton Farms Salads, a drive-thru restaurant that is all about fresh, healthy, and smart eating. Our greens are grown onsite, ensuring that our salads and smoothies are the freshest in the world. Whether you’re on the go or simply looking for a quick and nutritious meal, we’ve got you covered with our delicious menu options. From bright and colorful salads, to refreshing and energizing smoothies, we’ve got everything you need, to fuel your day the healthiest way. So why wait? Swing through our drive-thru to taste the difference yourself, or to order delivery!

I think it is a brilliant idea! If you can keep up with demand. Despite that, I have a couple friends who loaded up their haterade with extra hate just to make sure they had enough hate for this restaurant. They are actively rooting against Clayton Farms Salads being successful. One has gone so far as to proclaim:

October of 2024, gentlemen. Mark me. “Salad Dreams” or whatever its called will have shuttered by then.

I have marked it on the calendar Jay.

They started with 4 salads and recently added a 5th salad:
+ Garden Salad
+ Caesar Salad
+ Crunch Asian Salad
+ Southwest Salad
+ Mediterranean Salad

To cut to the chase, it is the best salad(s) I’ve ever had in my life. The freshness of the greens is incredible and it makes a huge difference in the taste. I put the experience like this… it must be what it would be like to not be from Iowa, visit Iowa and then stop at a Peaches and Cream corn stand. Pick up some corn and go home and cook it. For them, it would be like eating corn for the first time in their life.

I’m not trying too hard to rely on Plato’s ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE for this example.

So let me put it another way. It is like the difference between cooking with produce you purchased at a big chain grocery store vs with ingredients you bought at a farmer’s market. If you know anybody that works in a grocery store warehouse, ask them about the room they use to ripen bananas. It will blow your mind.

Or one last example…

It was like the first time I got a watermelon in Muscatine County in the height of watermelon season.

That is what my first salad at Clayton Farms Salads was like. It was like I had never had a salad before. (By looking at me, it is possible you think that I’ve never had a salad in my life, but I love vegetables. I also love a good order of cheesy fries too.)

Here are some pictures of my Clayton Farms Salads experiences:


Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
“Our greens are BETTER” is an understatement.

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
This guy is a member.

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
Southwest Salad

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
All the salads come with Salad Girl Dressing which is an organic line of dressings.

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
Even their forks are compostable.

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
Caesar Salad

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
Garden Salad

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
Farmer’s Punch – also delicious.

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
Crunchy Asian Salad

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads
Mediterranean Salad

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

Salad Shooting: Clayton Farms Salads

I’d rank the salads like this:

1. Garden Salad – romaine, sunflower microgreens, red onions, green onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, pistachios. and lemony herb dressing.
2. Crunch Asian Salad – romaine, pea microgreens, purple cabbage, edanmae, carrots, green onions, red bell peppers, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, crunchy chow mein noodles, toasted sesame ginger vinaigrette.
3. Mediterranean Salad – butterhead/arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, garbanzo beans, red bell peppers, red onions, sliced almonds, lemony herb dressing.
4. Caesar Salad – romaine, broccoli microgreens, cucumber, parmesan cheese, croutons, lemony Caesar dressing.
5. Southwest Salad – butterhead, radish microgreens, orange & yellow bell pepper, black beans, red onion, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, butternut squash, avocado, pepitas, cilantro, chili limon dressing.

I’m not going to lie, when you add protein to the salad, it isn’t cheap. Each salad runs almost or over $15 after you add chicken. A dollar more if you add steak. At this point, I consider a meal that is under $15 as affordable. If I get a meal for less than $10, I alert the media.

The ultimate verdict is, would I pursue this meal? Yes I would. In fact, since I’m currently working in Ames 5 days a week, I pretty much eat here once a week.

You can find Clayton Farms Salads here:

2435 Grand Avenue
Ames, Iowa

They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM.

The next food adventure will be a road trip double dip.

And You Left Me There Cryin’ Wonderin’ What I Did Wrong

Today is Jason’s birthday. Happy birthday Jason!


June 14

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

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Time to clean up the backlog. These images are from September that never quite fit into any previous posts. Some are alternates for THE WEEKLYPHOTO CHALLENGE. Another is a photo I took of Ron for last year’s Computer Mine Holiday Card.


And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

Railroad Bridge near Jefferson

Railroad Bridge near Jefferson

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

Ames, Iowa

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Ron - 2022

Maybe you are wondering about the George A. Wyman sign. Don’t worry, I’ll feed you baby birds. From the Wiki:

Wyman used his 1902 California machine for his crossing of the United States. The California had a 200 cc (12 cu in), 1.5 hp (1.1 kW) four-stroke engine attached to an ordinary diamond-frame bicycle. Wyman’s machine was equipped with 28 x 1.5 in. tires, wooden rims, a leading-link front suspension fork, a Garford spring saddle, a Duck Brake Company front roller brake, and a 1902-patent Atherton rear coaster brake. A leather belt-drive with a spring-loaded idler pulley directly connected the engine output shaft to the rear wheel.Using a standard steel bicycle frame, the California weighed approximately 70–80 pounds (32–36 kg) without rider, and was capable of approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) using the 30-octane gasoline of the day, with a range of 75 to 100 miles (121 to 161 km). Throttle control was not yet perfected, and engine revolutions were mainly controlled by means of a spark timing mechanism. The wick-type carburetor was crude, consisting of a metal box with internal baffles stuffed with cotton batting. With no float chamber, the rider had to open the gasoline tap periodically to admit fuel into the carburetor.

For such a long trip, Wyman carried a remarkably small amount of gear. A set of warm clothing, money, water bottle, cans for spare oil and gasoline, a Kodak Vest Pocket camera, a cyclometer, various bicycle tools and spare parts, and a long-barreled .38 Smith & Wesson revolver constituted his total luggage.

Wyman departed from Lotta’s Fountain at the corner of Market and Kearny streets in San Francisco at 2:30 P.M on May 16, 1903.[4] He had previously agreed to keep a diary of his journey for later publication in The Motorcycle magazine, a periodical of the time. The first part of his trip took him across the Sierra Nevada, through the Nevada desert into Wyoming, then on through Nebraska to Illinois.

As the dirt trails and wagon tracks of the day were often impassable, Wyman rode the railroad tracks for over half of his journey. During the first part of his trip, he frequently slept in railroad company housing or at rooming houses located in division settlements (small municipalities founded by the railroad). His motorbike suffered several breakdowns along the way, requiring him to make improvised repairs until he could get to a larger town to obtain new parts. As he neared Aurora, Illinois, his engine’s crankshaft snapped, and after pedaling his way to Chicago, Wyman was forced to wait there five days for a new crank to arrive by railway express.

After leaving Illinois, Wyman traversed the states of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania before entering New York state. Outside of Albany his engine lost all power, and he was required to pedal his heavy motorbike the remaining 150 miles (240 km) to New York City using a cycle path reserved for licensed cyclists.

On July 6, 1903, Wyman arrived in New York City, completing his transcontinental crossing and becoming the first person to cross the North American continent aboard a motor vehicle. His journey took a total of 51 days to cover some 3,800 miles (6,100 km). Afterwards, Wyman’s motorbike was placed on display at the New York Motorcycle Club while Wyman recovered from his grueling journey. While in New York, Wyman was present for the inauguration of the very first nationwide motorcycle organization, the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM)[14] at the Kings County Wheelmens’ Club in Brooklyn; it was reported at the time that his hands were still in bandages from the trip. Wyman later returned to San Francisco by train. His California motorbike was put on display in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park for a special exhibition commemorating the trip.

This is actually something Jesse and I have talked about doing as well. Not on a motorcycle, but driving across the country. We’ve never done anything about it, but maybe will someday.

Here is more information on the route he took:



From: https://wymanmemorialproject.blogspot.com/

It is hard to read, but the towns we care about in the Cyclone State are:

Council Bluffs
Woodbine
Denison
Ogden
Boone
Ames
Marhalltown
Tama Reservation
Cedar Rapids
Clinton

He stayed the night in Ogden. I hope he ate at Zeno’s when he was in Marshalltown!*

*That is a joke, don’t email me telling me that Zeno’s didn’t exist back then, because I will only reply back that Zeno’s has always will always exist.

The Windy City: Day 1C

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



Hope your day is as amazing as you want it to be!

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We begin where we left off last Friday. Kim, Lowell, Tony, and I were hanging out by The Bean after having supper at Giordano’s.


Chicago, Illinois
The Bean is one of the few touristy things I’ve seen in my life that didn’t disappoint. But something else on this trip did disappoint.

Chicago, Illinois
Underneath The Bean.

Chicago, Illinois
In Las Vegas I never found a mailbox. I marked this one so I could actually mail postcards from Chicago this time.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
I loved this clock.

Chicago, Illinois
I think the Nederlander Theater was called The Orient Theater, before they realized that was racist.

Chicago, Illinois
Jagged Little Pill was playing, which Jesse wants to go see in Minneapolis.

Chicago, Illinois
Right next door to it is a Garrett’s popcorn, which I would go to twice on this trip.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
The historic Chicago Theater.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
I wanted to hit up the Torture Museum so bad, but I never made it. And that is what regrets are made of.

Chicago, Illinois
Reverse angle, Chicago Theater.

Chicago, Illinois
There was a wide variety of acts that played here while we were there.

Chicago, Illinois
Window shopping at the Torture Museum.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Across the street from the Chicago Theater was this alley with a bunch of sweet murals.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
This mural may have given me nightmares.

Chicago, Illinois

After this we went back to our hotel rooms. I think Tony and I watched the Minnesota Timberwolves get crushed in their playoff game. I dozed off after a pretty good Day 1 in Chicago.

Next Friday we will start in on Day 2.

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REMINDER THAT NEXT MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY. WHILE YOUR BANK AND THE GOVERNMENT AND A BUNCH OF OTHER BUSINESSES TAKE THE DAY OFF, THERE IS NO REST FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 139. RISE AND GRIND EVERY SINGLE DAY. I DON’T KNOW WHAT MY PLANS ARE FOR MEMORIAL DAY (OTHER THAN MAYBE SLEEPING LATE AFTER WHAT I HOPE IS AN EPIC MOVIE NIGHT ON SUNDAY) BUT IT MIGHT INCLUDE A ROAD TRIP OR A BARBECUE OR A FEW OTHER OPTIONS THAT MIGHT KEEP ME BUSY. LIKEWISE YOU MIGHT BE ENGAGED IN A SIMILAR ACTIVITY ON MONDAY MORNING. YOU MIGHT NOT GET A REMINDER AND YOU MIGHT NOT BE IN A POSITION TO SUBMIT. PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

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


WEEK 402 - PARK
PARK

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

But what in the John Culbertson is a PARK image? Simply put, it is a picture taken in a PARK. And there are all sorts of PARKs. There are city, state, national, baseball, softball, playgrounds, nature preserves, urban, pocket, sculpture gardens, cultural… just to name a few. Of course, there is more than one definition of PARK.

Also, if you take a picture of a PARK, let me know the name of the park and I will include it in the entry on Monday. If you don’t, I might ask you.

PARK has only been a theme one other time in the 10 year history of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE/RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT. I was actually surprised, because I thought that it had never been a theme before. I guess this makes it the second time.

Here are some previous submissions that will hopefully inspire your submission this time:


WEEK 195 - PARK - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin – Week 195

WEEK 195 - PARK - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley – Week 195

WEEK 195 - PARK - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker – Week 195

WEEK 195 - PARK - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp – Week 195

WEEK 195 - PARK - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett – Week 195

Happy photo harvesting!

The Things I Regret

Today is the birthday of somebody very important! You all know who it is! Happy birthday Steph!


Stephanie Kim - 2009

I hope your birthday is everything you want it to be! It has been way too long since the last time I saw Steph. That is probably mostly my fault.

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There’s a hole in my pocket where my dreams fell through
From a sidewalk in the city to the avenue
There’s a leak in my dam ’bout the size of a pin
And I can’t quite remember where the water’s getting in

But when you’re wearing on your sleeve
All the things you regret
You can only remember what you want to forget
You feel it tugging at your heart
Like the stars overhead
‘Til you rest your bones on the killing bed

With the weight of the world resting on my back
And the road on which I’ve traveled is as long as it is cracked
But I keep pressing forward with my feet to the ground
For a heart that is broken makes a beautiful sound

I walk through my days like a ghost in a dream
But the field carries on and my past follows me
It’s hard moving on from the things you done wrong
When they play in your head like an old fashioned song
-Brandi Carlile

Time to share another collection of tulip images from my recent road trip to Pella.


Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still Laughing - 2023

Still so many pictures from this trip to share. So many pictures!!

Muscatine County Aux. – Vol. 5

Since my trip to Chicago I know I have missed celebrating a few birthdays on this website, but the bleeding stops today.

Happy birthday to my awesome sister-in-law and fellow Brandi Carlile fan Becca!


Minnesota State Fair - 2019

I hope you have a birthday that is as tremendous as you are! Lots of Brandi Carlile music and lots of adventures for you and Jonah!

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Also, happy birthday to my favorite Editor Michelle!


Day 318 - November 14, 2021

I hope you don’t slave away at the Computer Mine too hard today!

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Today I am sharing the final collection of auxiliary images I took on my trip to Muscatine County to harvest their town signs. Including. Finally. The picture of the dragon that sold me the best watermelon I’ve ever had in my life.


Muscatine County  - Muscatine
Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine

Muscatine County  - Muscatine
Tasted better than it looks.

Muscatine County
This dragon knows its watermelon!

Muscatine County

Muscatine County

Muscatine County

Muscatine County  - Conesville
Conesville

Muscatine County  - Conesville

Muscatine County  - Conesville

Muscatine County  - Conesville
I have questions, but every time I ask a Catholic about Catholic things they don’t know anything.

Muscatine County  - Conesville

Muscatine County  - Conesville

Muscatine County  - Conesville

Muscatine County  - Conesville

Muscatine County  - Conesville

I definitely enjoyed Muscatine County. I might have to make a watermelon run again this year, or commission Micky to bring back a melon. Hashtag watermelonlife!

Next time we hit the open road for auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Henry County and Jefferson County.

Rise Again

I need to start today by wishing Faust a happy birthday. Happy birthday Faust!


Iowa State vs. South Dakota State

I hope your birthday is filled with lots of good food. I’m not sure I even remember the last time I saw Faust in person. There is a rift between us ever since he did the unthinkable and started liking hockey. I should effort to see him this year. But I can say that about a bunch of people though.

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I’m dreaming to myself
With a tear behind my eye
For a shelter is my mind
In the quiet of the night

Ever turning all the seasons
Ever fading are the days
And if there ever was a reason
I just haven’t found a way
-Brandi Carlile

I’m not going to torture you with more poetry written by artificial intelligence today. You will get enough of me “monkeying” around with artificial intelligence in Saturday’s post. I’ll just remind you that Thursdays are for flowers and flowertography season is nearly upon us. There are plants pushing through the dirt all over my yard. The lilacs and the cherry trees are starting to bud. The long winter of our discontent is nearly over!


Garden of Love - 2022

Garden of Love - 2022

Hush - 2022

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2022

Rise Again

Rise Again

Rise Again

These were the last flower pictures I took in 2022, but don’t fear, that doesn’t mean that next Thursday will be sans flowertography. Oh no my friends, there will be flower pictures. This. I. Do. Swear!

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

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


Photo Journal - Page 56 Reject

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

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

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

His name is now on the List of Immortals.

ROUNDBALL ORACLES CHAMPIONS
2023 – Will Baier
2022 – Ben Baier
2021 – Micky Augustin
2020 – Tournament Canceled
2019 – Becky Parmelee
2018 – Paul Golden
2017 – Paul Golden
2016 – Michelle Haupt
2015 – Derek Dohrman
2014 – Brandon Kahler
2013 – William McAlpine
2012 – Lowell Davis
2011 – Carrie Baier
2010 – Mark Wolfram
2009 – Mark Wolfram
2008 – Mark Wolfram
2007 – Tim Peterson
2006 – William McAlpine
2005 – William McAlpine

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

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

THE SARA “WINNERS”

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

Here are the final Roundball Oracles Standings:

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

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

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


Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

Rodan139: Pilot Mound State Forest

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

Loyal Forever True

I need to start today by wishing my Aunt Linda a happy birthday. Happy birthday Aunt Linda!


June 6

I hope your birthday is filled with as much joy and happiness as you can handle!

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Last Sunday I went down to the Kansas City with Teresa to watch the Big 12 Championship Game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Texas Longhorns (Horns Down!). The game was held in Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium. At this point it is more historic than anything else. This is the last time the Women’s Tournament will be played there because at this point… while it isn’t quite a dump… it is horribly outdated. It is still cool to look at. It is a beautiful building, but the facilities aren’t anywhere near what they need to be hold a major sporting event. Next year the tournament will be played at the OTHER Hilton South. T-Mobile/Sprint/Corporate Sellout Arena or whatever it will be called by then.

While that will definitely be an upgrade for the players, the bad part is that the Big 12 will be splitting the Men’s and Women’s Tournaments up. They will be on separate weeks. That part sucks. I think that the Big 12 was the only conference that does it right and now there are no conferences that do it right. Oh well.

Municipal Auditorium has hosted more Final Four games than any other arena in history. It has hosted it 9 times. It has not hosted a NCAA tournament game since 1964 and still holds the record.

It has also hosted concerts for some of the most famous musicians in history:
+ Elvis Presley
+ The Beach Boys
+ The Who
+ Jimi Hendrix
+ Jackson 5
+ Led Zeppelin
+ The Rolling Stones
+ Elton John
+ Eric Clapton
+ Jefferson Starship
+ Rush
+ Genesis
+ Black Sabbath
+ Van Halen
+ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
+ Prince
+ Hall & Oates
+ Black Sabbath
+ Kiss
+ Metallica
+ Beastie Boys
+ Green Day
+ Red Hot Chili Peppers
+ Dolly Parton
+ Tenacious D
+ Shaun Cassidy

To name a few.

Here are some cruddy cell phone pictures from the day trip to Missouri and back.


2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
There are 2 things that you can only find good versions of in Iowa. Chocolate milk and tenderloins.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
I love Whataburger, but their breakfast is not as good as their lunch.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Pep Rally.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Power and Light District.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
President Wintersteen.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Bill Fennelly with his grandchildren.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
I don’t think Texas even had a pep rally.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Jeff Johnson.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Cy, Iowa State cheerleaders, and the Iowa State Pep Band. This is the good life!

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Hard to see, but traditions travel!

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Randomly ran into Nate’s best friend in a seedy Kansas City alley.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Such a cool looking building.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Pretty sure if there was a fire in this building, lots of people wouldn’t make it.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
So many cool Art Deco touches.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Concessions weren’t great.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
I did fist bump the Texas mascot. (Horns down!)

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Ashley Joens – The GOAT.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Had to talk to these ladies about their shoes.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Coach.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Ashley.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
I’ve paid my dues. Time after time. I’ve done my sentence. But committed no crime…

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
Goodbye Municipal!

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

It was a good trip. We parked at our cousin Melissa’s house and she and her husband drove us to and from the area. Was pretty sweet. Like having our own personal Uber drivers. Personal Uber drivers that buy you breakfast and bring you a drink from Sonic after the game.

Of course the best part of the trip was Iowa State winning the Championship!! They won every game in the tournament by double digits, but all of the games were close until they pulled away late. It felt particularly good to see Iowa State beat teams that have had our number the last few years, like Baylor and Texas. And it was particularly sweet to beat Oklahoma in the semi-finals as one of their players is a transfer from Iowa State and is Ashley’s sister Aubrey. It had to be a little bittersweet for Ashley to beat her sister, but probably a lot more sweet than bitter.

Regardless of how the season finished in the NCAA Tournament it was a great season and they will be able to hang another banner in the rafters of Hilton at the beginning of next season!