Category Archives: Boone County Fair

Post 5,005

I need to start this milestone post by wishing Elainie a happy birthday!


Day 57 - February 26, 2022
Happy birthday Elainie!

I hope your birthday is amazing!!

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Today is also Layla’s birthday!


Day 278 - October 5, 2021
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAYLA!

I hope you have an awesome birthday!

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Can you believe that this is the 5,005th entry in the blog known as “An Artist’s Notebook”? Every 250 posts or so I like to take a moment to reflect on where this post has been and post a lot of meaningless stats. I meant to post this post on Sunday night when it would have been Post #5,000, but you know how my week went. Not great.

As always on these posts, I like to start by quoting the very first “An Artist’s Notebook” entry that published on August 9, 2006. That first post that published 6,296 days.

That post that started with these words:

So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.

Since those words, I have posted 5,005 journal entries. (Normally I would do this little exercise on post #4,750, but I was in Vegas at that time.) This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.

5,005 posts. I can’t even measure the elevation changes my life have taken since then. Major ups. Major downs. Peaks and valleys. 5,005 posts and I vow to keep on chugging along.

On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.

Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:

THE TOP 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #4757 & INCREASE SINCE THEN)
10. Carla – 582 (#8 – +52)
9. Teresa – 590 (#9 – +65)
8. Road Trip – 611 (#6 – +42)
7. Macro – 627 (#10 – +132)
6. Formal Portrait – 638 (NR)
5. Jesse – 684 (#4 – +54)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

Dropping from the from the Top 10 was Shannon, a category that was #7 in Post #4757.

The 5 categories that have the best shot at making the Top 10 in Post #5,250 are Shannon, Nature, WPC-Submissions, and Candid Portrait.

It should be noted that some of these increases are caused by my working on the categories on some older posts.

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Photoshop – 432 (#10 – +43)
9. Candid Portrait – 475 (NR)
8. Nature – 538 (+101 – #8)
7. Road Trip – 611 (#5 – +42)
6. Macro – 627 (#6 – +132)
5. Formal Portrait – 638 (#8 – +191)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

WPC-Submission fell out of the Top 10. It was ranked #7 in Post #4757.

The categories that are just right outside of the Top 10 are Still Life, Naima, History, and Self-Portrait and Christianity.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Vest – 350 (NR)
9. Jay – 353 (#6 – +5)
8. Micky – 359 (NR)
7. Logan – 380 (#9 – +61)
6. Kim – 395 (#7 – +53)
5. Mom – 464 (#5 – +6)
4. Shannon – 576 (#2 – +37)
3. Carla – 582 (#3 – +52)
2. Teresa – 590 (#4 – +65)
1. Jesse – 684 (#1 – +54)

Dropping from the rankings was Willy and Derrick.

The categories that have the best shot at cracking the next Top 10 are Willy, Derrick, Jen, Andy, and Sara.

If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.

I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who.

If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 203 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into the life of this website by birth (Jonah Kahler) or another way (Nathanial, Mindi, Fran). Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #203 probably needs to be purged.


THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100

#10. Andree – 77
#10. Flat Earth Joe – 77
#10. Self-Portrait Project – 77
#9. Photo Journal – 79
#8. Commercial – 83
#7. Sabas – 84
#6. Becca – 89
#3. Pufferbilly Days – 91
#3. Pastor Sarah – 91
#3. House – 91
#1. Faust – 92
#1. Writing – 92

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:
Kelly, Lowell, and Suzie.

The following categories have the best shot at dropping back into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Sarah Toot, Lowell, Suzie, Russell, and Nate

The following categories have the best shot at climbing up into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Layla, Kelly, Vacation, Saydie, and Kalista

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from the fact this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

Now I don't want your sympathy
10. Naima – 64,796 views

Tenderloin Trail 2.0 - Stumble Inn
9. Tenderloining – 75,558 views

9 Emotions Project - Elainie
8. 9 Emotions Project – 81,405 views

Day 267 - September 24, 2022
7. Selfie-Project – 2022 – 88,632 views

Rodan139: Water Works Park
6. Drone – 99,708 views

WEEK 364 - COLORFUL - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
5. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 108,852 views

Anita, Iowa
4. Town Sign Project – 118,563 views

Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Las Vegas 2023 – 169,257 views

Plymouth County - Le Mars
2. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 219,546 views

WEEK 414 - ART - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 10 – 323,781 views

Galleries that fell out of the Top 10 are:
Christopher D. Bennett, Miami Beach, Jayton Poole, and Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020

Galleries that fell just outside of the Top 10 are:
Sleeping Angels – 2023, Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 6, Photo Journal Rejects, Iowa State Cyclones Football – 2008, and Christopher D. Bennett.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

Sleeping Angels Fun Run - 2023
10. Sleeping Angels Fun Run – 2,772 views

Maven's Birthday Party - 2022
9. Maven’s Birthday Party – 2022 – 2,820 views

Community Thanksgiving - 2022
8. Boone FUMC Thanksgiving – 2022 – 3,073 views

Color the Wind - 2023
7. Color the Wind – 2023 – 3,149 views

Celtic Dancing - Renaissance Fair - 2022
6. Renaissance Fair – 2022 – 3,302 views

Fran & Pepper - 2022
5. Fran and Pepper – 3,687 views

World Food Festival - 2022
4. World Food Festival – 2022 – 3,754 views

Howards - 2022
3. Howards – 2022 – 3,976 views

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023
2. 2023 Barbecue Contests – 4,168 views

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
1. Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship – 18,045 views

If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500
Post 4,757

I think that is enough. We will check back in, in another 245 posts.

Food Truckin’: Boone County Fair Field Work

On the Friday of the Boone County Fair, I went out there with Jay and Willy for supper. I’m a big fan of the grinder and I found a food truck called Off the Griddle serving a variety of the sandwich, so I thought I would give them a try.

Here are some pictures:


Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

I can say that service was very friendly, but it was INCREDIBLY slow. It is not an exaggeration to say that I waited well over 15 minutes before I got my food. I ordered my food at the same time as Willy. He got his food and had eaten it, cleaned up his mess, and began to think about what he wanted to dessert before I even remotely saw my food. It is also not an exaggeration to say that double digit people that ordered after me got their food before me. I was fairly certain that they had completely forgot about my order.

When I finally got my food and went back to the table to eat it, by myself, since it took so freaking long, the food was okay. It was what those of us in the grinder biz say. NJGG. Not Jennie’s Grinders Grinder. But in fairness, the only thing that has ever approached it is Mema’s Grinders.

The verdict on Off the Griddle is that it was okay. I would never pursue it. If it was at a place and it was the only food truck there I would eat there, but I wouldn’t get the grinder again. Maybe go for the Philly Cheesesteak.

To washdown the grinder I went to Hawaii Grill for a Lotus Refresher:


Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

Food Truckin': Boone County Fair Field Work

They made me an off-menu drink that was incredible. The kid that designed it was very proud of it and he should have been. I would have knocked down about 4 or 5 of them, if they weren’t crazy expensive for such a small drink. However, the drink definitely redeemed the meal.

Next Sunday’s meal will cover all the food I ate at the Iowa State Fair!

Baby Got Rack Jr. – Boone County Fair

I announced a few weeks back that Baby Got Rack was not competing this year at this year’s Boone County Fair barbecue contest. However, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t plenty of people in the Photography 139 orbit competing to root for.

For starters, Logan entered and competed in his first ever barbecue contest. Logan has always been a pretty good cook and if you follow his Snapchat stories, you know that he has become very passionate about smoking in the last few years. He and Nathanial talked a big game about entering this year, but Nathanial got stuck in Florida and so Logan flew solo.

Secondly Scottie D.’s oldest progeny Austin decided he wanted to compete in the Youth division. Austin has a test run the previous Saturday and devised his recipe himself by picking the barbecue products in Scottie D.’s arsenal that had the coolest logos. A sound strategy if I have ever heard it.

Here are a few pictures from the barbecue battle:


Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023

Austin one Grand Champion, even though he technically wasn’t eligible for it. But that is just how good he is!

Austin will be going down to compete at the Iowa State Fair on the Tuesday of the Iowa State Fair. I’ll be going down to photo document it and because I never turn down a free trip to “the Best State Fair… our State Fair is a great state fair. Don’t miss it. Don’t even be late. It’s dollars to doughnuts at our state fair. It’s the best state fair… in our state”!

As of the publishing of this blog, it is unclear whether or not Logan is going to go down to compete at the State Fair. Although I’m pretty sure Logan is competing at the Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Contest. Scottie D. is not competing at it because he is running it. Last I heard, Nathanial was considering it. I won’t be able to check much of it out because I’ll be dealing with the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest at the same time.

One other thing. Scottie D. threw his car in a Car Show that was going on during the barbecue competition. He won some kind of chairman’s prize or something. The guy needs to add on to his palatial estate just to house all his trophies.

WPC – WEEK 410 – GUILTY PLEASURE

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


Easter - 2022

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

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Sommerset, Iowa) – 90 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Iowa) – 67 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett (Boone County Fair – Boone, Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 52 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 4 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (J.C. Newman Cigar Company – Tampa, Florida) – 8 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (John’s Pass – Treasure Island – Florida)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SCOTT DEGENEFFE
Scott Degeneffe (Near Boone, Iowa) – 3 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 92 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 57 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (Texas) – 68 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE
Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 6 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE -EVIE GORSHE
Evie Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Iowa) – 3 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Clive, Iowa) – 4 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 8 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - MONICA JENNINGS
Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 7 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - BRANDON KAHLER
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 48 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 7 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Boone County Fair – Boone, Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 79 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Infamous Ink – Boone, Iowa) – 61 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SARA LOCKNER
Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - WILLY MCALPINE
Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Road to Newton, Iowa) – 87 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 88 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 11 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 82 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - ALEXIS STENSLAND
Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 16 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - ALEXIS STENSLAND
Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 79 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 23 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Maryland) – 53 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Maryland)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Maryland)

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Iowa) – 3 weeks

WEEK 410 - GUILTY PLEASURE - BILL WENTWORTH
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!

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 411 - LIQUID
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

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

The Next Second You Were Gone

Seems like a good time to clean up the July backlog. This collection of images was taken in July of last year, but never really found a spot in a previous “An Artist’s Notebook” entry. Some pictures are of a storm. Some are from the Boone County Fair. Some are of a baby bird, or an immature bird. Some are from Dahlia’s birthday party.


The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

The Next Second You Were Gone

Boone County Fair - 2023

Boone County Fair - 2023

Boone County Fair - 2023

Boone County Fair - 2023

Boone County Fair - 2023

Boone County Fair - 2023

Boone County Fair - 2023

Dahlia Birthday Party

Dahlia Birthday Party

Dahlia Birthday Party

Dahlia Birthday Party

Dahlia Birthday Party

Dahlia Birthday Party

Dahlia Birthday Party

Dahlia Birthday Party

Always feels good to get a little bit of that backlog cleared out.

An Artist’s Notebook Post #4757

It has been 6,052 days since August 9, 2006. 16 years. 6 months. 24 days. Since I first posted something in this little experiment known as “An Artist’s Notebook”. 145,2485 hours. 8,714,800 minutes. 522,892,800 seconds. Which is to say, it has been a minute.

There are some very important people in my life that I didn’t even know 16 years, 6 months, 24 days ago. There are people that I thought were important in my life that have come and gone in that 864 weeks and 4 days. It has been a journey. Some good. Some bad. Some of it ugly, I’m sure.

6,052 days ago I started this journal with the following words:

So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.

Since those words, I have posted 4,756 journal entries. (Normally I would do this little exercise on post #4,750, but I was in Vegas at that time.) This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.

4,757 posts. We’ve been through some stuff. I hope to keep going through some stuff for many, many, many more posts. 4,757 posts and I feel like I’m just getting warmed up.

On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.

Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:

THE TOP 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #4500 & INCREASE SINCE THEN)
10. Macro – 495 (NR)
9. Teresa – 525 (#9 – +70)
8. Carla – 530 (#8 – +54)
7. Shannon – 539 (#6 – +39)
6. Road Trip – 569 (#7 – +92)
5. Art – 622 (#5 – +116)
4. Jesse – 630 (#4 – +51)
3. Animals – 735 (#3 – +37)
2. Flowers – 881 (#2 – +62)
1. Black and White – 992 (#1 – +74)

Dropped from the rankings was WPC – Submissions

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Photoshop – 389 (NR)
9. Nature – 437 (#9 – +41)
8. Formal Portrait – 447 (#10 – +66)
7. WPC – Submissions – 493 (#6 – +38)
6. Macro – 495 (#7 – +54)
5. Road Trip – 569 (#5 – +92)
4. Art – 622 (#4 – +116)
3. Animals – 735 (#3 – +37)
2. Flowers – 881 (#2 – +62)
1. Black & White – 992 (#1 – +74)

Dropped from the rankings is PORTRAIT. I’m trying to eliminate it as a category, so it should eventually drop to zero.

NAIMA and CANDID PORTRAIT have a shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post #5,000.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Willy – 318 (NR)
9. Logan – 329 (NR)
8. Derrick – 330 (#7 – +10)
7. Kim – 342 (#8 – +45)
6. Jay – 348 (#6 – +11)
5. Mom – 458 – (#5 – +5)
4. Teresa – 525 (#4 – +70)
3. Carla – 530 (#3 – +54)
2. Shannon – 539 (#2 – +39)
1. Jesse – 630 (#1 – +51)

Dropping from the rankings was Jen and Vest.

Micky, Vest, and Jen have the best shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post #5,000.

If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.

I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who.

If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 200 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into the life of this website by birth (Jonah Kahler) or another way (Nathanial, Mindi, Fran). Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #200 probably needs to be purged.

THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100

#100. Kelly – 71 (NR)
#99. Commercial – 72 (#97 – +1)
#98. Self-Portrait Project – 73 (NR)
#97. Andree – 75 (#94 – 0)
#96. Flat Earth Joe – 75 (NR)
#95. Lowell – 79 (#93 – +2)
#94. Photo Journal – 79 (#92 – 0)
#93. Suzie – 80 (NR)
#92. Pastor Sarah – 86 (#95 – +12)
#91. Becca – 87 (NR)

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:

Jaycees, Vacation, Mark, Life, and Birthdays.

Now something I should explain is that I used to put Flat Earth Joe and Joe Duff under the same Category of simply “Joe” out of laziness, but in the last 250 posts, I split them.

Of these categories, I think Pastor Sarah and Suzie have the best chance to climb out of this list. Since I’m not doing the Self-Portrait Project his year, it could fall out of the Top 100. And I’m not sure what part of my life Flat Earth Joe will have in the future. He has taken a hard turn down the path of terrible decision making and has been in jail for over a month now. I hope he gets sorted at some point in the future. But quite frankly, I can’t make a prediction on his future. I can barely make a prediction on my future. So it is hard to say what will happen to that category. As for the category of Andree, I talk to Andree regularly, but he rarely makes an appearance on this website.

The categories that are closest to falling into the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 are Faust, Birthdays, and Joe Duff. But I think at least Birthdays and Joe Duff are pretty safe. I talk to Faust now and again, but he rarely makes an appearance on the website. I still someday need to go visit the Godzilla statue in his town. But I also need to visit Nate and Bethany and Becca and Bill and Sarah and well it is quite a list. When I think about it, I have to sit down on the couch and watch another episode of THE LAST OF US.

That categories that are closest to cracking into the Top 100 are Mark, Layla, and Vacation. But since Mark isn’t really part of my life anymore, I don’t see that busting through. I also can’t see a vacation on my horizon any time soon. But I like Layla’s odds. A lot of spunk in that one.

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from the fact this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image
Computer Mine Convention - 2023
10. Las Vegas – 2023 – 42,941 Views

Alexis Pregnant with Anela
9. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020 – 47,269 Views

Jayton Poole
8. Jayton Poole – 2022 – 47,464 Views

9  Emotions Project - Bethany
7. 9 Emotions Project – 51,763 Views

Miami Beach Work Trip - Day 5 - May 2022
6. Miami Beach – 2022 – 53,087

Party - Alternate
5. Christopher D. Bennett – 112,907 Views

Day 240 - August 28, 2022
4. Selfie Project -2022 – 162,595 Views

Kossuth County - Lone Rock
3. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 184,949 Views

Ackley, Iowa
2. Town Sign Project – 201,352 Views

WEEK 357 - WORK - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 223,723 Views

At post 4,500 these were the 10 Most Popular Galleries:

10. Iowa
9. 9 Emotions Project
8. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 8
7. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9
6. Selfie Project – 2022
5. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020
4. Christopher D. Bennett
3. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images
2. Selfie Project – 2021
1. Town Sign Project

The galleries that are right outside the Top 10 that have a shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post 5,000 are:
+ Drone
+ Daisies
+ FatMumSlim 2022

But considering I’m done with the FatMumSlim project, I don’t know that its gallery will maintain any popularity. I only know one person that definitely loves my daisy pictures, but I don’t think they poke around my website much these days. However, perhaps the Era of Rodan139 is nearly upon us. I could live with that.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

Dexter, Iowa
10. Dexter, Iowa – 1,964 views

Badger, Iowa
9. Badger, Iowa – 1,967 views

Day 73 - March 13, 2021
8. Selfie with Mom – 1,993 views

Coon Rapids, Iowa
7. Coon Rapids, Iowa – 2,146 views

Moingona, Iowa
6. Moingona, Iowa – 2,190 views

Alexis Pregnant with Anela
5. Prego Alexis – 2,415

Howards - 2022
4. Saydie and Kyle – 3,231 views

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair
3. Baby Got Rack at Boone County Fair – 4,423 views

Miami Beach Work Trip - May 2022
2. Miami – 6,039 views

Day 30 - January 30, 2022
1. Selfie at Bellevue – 6,864 views

That selfie at Bellevue was the most popular picture on my website at Post 4,500 as well.

The final statistic I want to share with everybody before riding off into the sunset and not boring you with these statistics for another 250 posts is the 5 people with the highest Photography Subscriber Loyalty Scores.

1. Kio Dettman – 100%
2. Aaron Barnett – 99.7%
2. Angie DeWaard – 99.7%
2. Mary Green – 99.7%
5. Joe Duff – 99.5%

There are a lot of people in the 90% range that could break into this list next time. Jeanette, Jesse, Sarah, Logan, Tamara, Frank, Michelle, and Andy.

To be honest, I don’t know how this number is figured. I believe it is the percentage of emails from the subscriber list that you open within the first 24 hours of getting an email from me, but I really don’t know if we are being honest. But thanks for doing what it is you are doing!

If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500

I think that is enough for now. We’ll check in again in another 243 posts.

Fat Mum Slim – July 2022

A quick heads up. If you were thinking of going to or entering an animal into the Pufferbilly Days Dog and Exotic Animal Show, because of the extreme heat of today it was postponed. It is now tomorrow at noon at the park on 9th and Story.

+++++++

I have another month done in the Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day Challenge. This month wasn’t as difficult as last month because they were just standard themes. I think the images I took are a fair record of my experiences in July.


July 1
July 1 – Reflection

July 2
July 2 – Letters

July 3
July 3 – Human

July 4
July 4 – I’m Working On This…

July 5
July 5 – Wall

July 6
July 6 – Bright Colours

July 7
July 7 – A Fave Place

July 8
July 8 – Out of Focus

July 9
July 9 – A Boomerang

July 10
July 10 – Behind Someone

July 11
July 11 – Interior

July 12
July 12 – Exterior

July 13
July 13 – Life

July 14
July 14 – Create A Postcard

July 15
July 15 – Where I Stood

July 16
July 16 – Pattern

July 17
July 17 – Water

July 18
July 18 – Street Photography

July 19
July 19 – A Cylinder

July 20
July 20 – Hug

July 21
July 21 – A Church

July 22
July 22 – Current Interest

July 23
July 23 – Still Life

July 24
July 24 – A Metaphor

July 25
July 25 – Beauty

July 26
July 26 – Beauty

July 27
July 27 – Countryside

July 28
July 28 – An Old Car

JULY 29
July 29 – Black and White

July 30
July 30 – Happy Days


July 31 – Sunday Morning

I think there was some pretty good work in July. Hopefully some good work to be done in August.

Here are the August prompts:

August 1 – I Am…
August 2 – I Love This Colour…
August 3 – I Walked Here…
August 4 – I Like To…
August 5 – I Love This Time of Day…
August 6 – I Love…
August 7 – I Made This…
August 8 – I Work Here…
August 9 – I Held This…
August 10 – I Wrote This…
August 11 – I Saw…
August 12 – I Like To Drink…
August 13 – I Stood Here…
August 14 – I Do This On Sundays…
August 15 – I Once…
August 16 – I Never…
August 17 – I Went To…
August 18 – I Read This…
August 19 – I Did This Good Thing…
August 20 – I Love This View…
August 21 – I Don’t Life To…
August 22 – On Mondays I…
August 23 – I Sat Here…
August 24 – I Like To Eat…
August 25 – I Have To…
August 26 – I Wore This…
August 27 – On Weekends I…
August 28 – I Watched This…
August 29 – I Can…
August 30 – I Can’t…
August 31 – I Believe…

I guess people will get to know me better this month… unless I can help it.

If you want to follow this project on the daily, they are posted on my Fat Mum Slim Instagram account.

@fmsbennett

Otherwise, we’ll check in on this next month.

Baby Got Rack – Boone County Fair

Today is the last day to enter the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.


Pufferbilly Days Form - 2022

I will be picking up the entries from the Chamber about 5 PM today. I’m excited to see how many entries we got this year. I know of at least 4 people that have told me they are entering. I’m hoping there are plenty more out there. At the very least, there should be more submissions than there were last year. And that, my friends, is called improvement.

+++++++

A couple Saturdays back, Baby Got Rack put on our Hawai’ian shirts, our cargo shorts, and our fedoras and took to the field of battle in the rough and tumble world of competitive barbecue at the Boone County Fair.

Not everything went our way and we definitely dropped the ball in more than one way. But we did enough to win the combo category and we will be competing at the State Fair on Tuesday, August 16. In the morning. If you are at the State Fair on that day, stop by. We will be somewhere on the Grand Concourse.

Here are some pictures from the Boone County Fair:


Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Baby Got Rack - 2022 - Boone County Fair

Thanks to Jay for taking the Baby Got Rack team photo.

On to State!

+++++++

This is your reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is ODD CAMERA ANGLE:


WEEK 359 - ODD CAMERA ANGLE
ODD CAMERA ANGLE

ODD CAMERA ANGLE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

But what exactly is an ODD CAMERA ANGLE photo? It is pretty simple. 99.9% of the pictures in the world are taken from the eye level of the photographer. This theme asks you to move the camera. It can be from an extremely low camera angle. Or it can be from an extremely high camera angle. Move your body and your camera to a perspective of your subject that isn’t normally seen.

Happy photo harvesting!

Baby Got Rack – Boone County Fair Prep

On Saturday Baby Got Rack competed in the Boone County Fair Barbecue Competition. The Iowa Farm Bureau Cook-out is the technical name I believe.

The bad news is that we were definitely rusty. In fact, it might have been the worst performance in Baby Got Rack’s storied career.

The good news is that we did win the Combination Category, so we will be moving on to compete in the Iowa State Fair.

The Thursday before we competed, we got together at the Baby Got Rack Test Kitchen and prepped for the coming competition. Here are some pictures of the prep work:


Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Baby Got Rack 2022 - Boone County Fair Prep

Pictures from the day of the competition day will be coming in the near future.

+++++++

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


WEEK 358 - WILD
WILD

WILD! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a WILD image? A WILD image is simply a picture of something that isn’t domesticated. Something that is out in nature. A WILDflower. A WILD animal. Such as (in this neck of the woods) a squirrel or a bunny or a bird or a deer or (if you are super lucky) a snake. Any trip into the WILDerness should provide you ample WILD photo opportunities. Lichens and fungus and just all sorts of things that exist, without the aid of man.

Remember, there is also more than one definition of the word WILD!

Happy photo harvesting!

WPC – WEEK 357 – WORK

WORK sure can be a lot of WORK. But how many people put in the WORK of getting a WORK photo? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, July 11, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

+ Suzie Brannen – 1 week
+ Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
+ Monica Jennings – 1 week
+ Brandon Kahler – 1 week
+ Mike Vest – 1 week
+ Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 3 weeks
+ Mary Green – 3 weeks (2)
+ Angie DeWaard – 5 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 8 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 10 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 14 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 15 weeks (2)
+ Logan Kahler – 17 weeks (2)
+ Teresa Kahler – 25 weeks (2)
+ Tamara Peterson – 25 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 25 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 26 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 27 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 28 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 29 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 33 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 34 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 36 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 39 weeks (4)

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 357 - WILD - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker – 15 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff – 16 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp – 29 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen – 35 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

WEEK 357 - WILD - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin – 28 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard – 6 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth – 30 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton – 34 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman – 40 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman

WEEK 357 - WILD - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman

WEEK 357 - WILD - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 357 - WILD - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett – 11 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett

WEEK 357 - WILD - MARY GREEN
Mary Green – 4 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt – 27 weeks

WEEK 357 - WILD - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson – 26 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause – 9 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler – 26 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler

WEEK 357 - WORK - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard – 1 week

WEEK 357 - WORK - MONICA JENNINGS
Monica Jennings – 2 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE
Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 4 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - WILLY MCALPINE
Willy McAlpine – 1 week

WEEK 357 - WORK - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler – 18 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler

WEEK 357 - WORK - SARA LOCKNER
Sara Lockner – 3 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley – 37 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest – 2 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland – 26 weeks

WEEK 357 - WORK - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

27 participants! That is a great week!

This week’s milestones were pretty major. Teresa and Tamara and Carla all reached reached the Half-Year Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Brandon couldn’t build on his 1 week streak, but he claims he will cook up something good for this week.

Here are the current top streaks:

Here are the current streaks:

9. Teresa Kahler – 26 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 26 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 26 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 27 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 28 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 29 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 30 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 34 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 35 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 37 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 40 weeks

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 358 - WILD
WILD

WILD! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a WILD image? A WILD image is simply a picture of something that isn’t domesticated. Something that is out in nature. A WILDflower. A WILD animal. Such as (in this neck of the woods) a squirrel or a bunny or a bird or a deer or (if you are super lucky) a snake. Any trip into the WILDerness should provide you ample WILD photo opportunities. Lichens and fungus and just all sorts of things that exist, without the aid of man.

Remember, there is also more than one definition of the word WILD!

While thinking on possible subjects for your WILD picture, meditate on the following quote:

It had nothing to do with gear or footwear or the backpacking fads or philosophies of any particular era or even with getting from point A to point B.

It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way.
-Cheryl Strayed

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.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

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 WILD in this place that is untamed next Monday.