Category Archives: Life

Art, Becca, Bethany, Candid Portrait, Jonah, Self-Portrait, State Fair, Street Photography

Minnesota State Fair – Pixel Pictures

April 16, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

This is the final collection of pictures from my trip to the Minnesota State Fair with Bethany, Becca, Jonah, and Shawn. These are the cruddy cell phone pictures.

One thing that I found disappointing when I went back and looked at these is that I didn’t take pictures of my food OR even the bucket of cookies. It is a genetic marker of being a Bennett to take pictures of your food. Bennetts invented hipsters, I fear.

The fact that I only took a picture of my delicious pineapple drink makes me worried that I might have been adopted, for the first time in my life.

The other thing you will learn from this collection of photos is how big of a Stan I am for British period television shows. I badly miss DOWNTON ABBEY. I grieved the recent end of POLDARK. I can’t wait for the next season of VICTORIA. All these are shows I watch with my Mom.

We started watching the DURRELLS IN CORFU, but it is only okay. I might have to look into BELGRAVIA, but I don’t have my hopes up.

Weird to see the globe Earth cover-up in person.

Teach them the globe lie young.

By the way, I know the Earth isn’t flat.

It looks like as of now, the Iowa State Fair is still a go. I got my information about the Photography Salon in the mail on Tuesday. I need to start thinking about getting my entries ready.

Animals, Art, Becca, Bethany, Jonah, State Fair, Street Photography

Minnesota State Fair #3

April 15, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

Here is the final collection of Minnesota State Fair pictures that came from a real camera. This highlight being pictures of Becca and Jonah going down the giant slide. A secondary highlight is the extremely creepy statue right next to the giant slide.

The final place we visited before calling it a day was the “photo contest”. It was actually the biggest disappointment of the fair. There were hardly any photos and they were just mixed in with the rest of the art. Fortunately, the rest of the art contest was actually pretty cool.

I still have one more collection of cruddy cell phone pictures to share. Then we can close the door on the 2019 Minnesota State Fair.

Animals, Art, Becca, Bethany, Jonah, Politics, State Fair, Street Photography

Minnesota State Fair #2

April 14, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

In this second collection of pictures from my trip to the Minnesota State Fair with Bethany, Becca, Jonah, and Shawn, I reveal a picture of the All You Can Drink Milk Stand. It is a good half mile, at least from the famous cookie place.

There are also a couple places that we walked by but couldn’t stop at that I will stop at if a future trip to the Minnesota State Fair is in my future. The butterfly building. The reptile building. Those are tops on the list.

John Deere Powered Ice Cream Machines!

Reminds me of that scene in ELF.

The Governor of Minnesota

247 miles to a better State Fair

Bernie Sanders was there. Must’ve been a big thrill for people from a state that doesn’t have a first in the nation caucus.

This is what overcrowded looks like.

Yes, that is poop.

My actual biggest disappointment in the Minnesota State Fair was the DNR exhibit. It is at least 25 times the size of Iowa’s. Somehow it isn’t as good. But it has great facilities, so there is lots of potential there. Although the fire tower is admittedly pretty badass.

Still more pictures from my trip to the Minnesota State Fair on the way!

Andy, Art, Bill, Birthdays, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Faust, Jesse, Jodie Cue, Joe Duff, Kim, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Naima, Railroad, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 239 – ART

April 13, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today by wishing the happiest of birthdays to Faust!

It has been a couple of years since I saw Faust in person. When this virus passes, he will be on the shortlist of people I need to go visit. And not just because he lives in close proximity to a sweet Godzilla statue.

+++++++

We did it again! 28 straight weeks of double digit submissions! Woohoo! Apparently a lot of you have ART in their lives. Which is why Obama once said, “The arts are what makes life worth living. You’ve got food, you’ve got shelter, yeah. But the things that make you laugh, make you cry, make you connect – make you love are communicated through the arts. They aren’t extras.”

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

Katelyn and Aubrey Augustin

Andy Sharp

Dawn Krause

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Michelle Haupt

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Carla Stensland

Teresa Kahler

Joe Duff

Bill Wentworth

Elizabeth Nordeen

Cathie Raley

Micky Augustin

Mike Vest

Jodie Cue

Monica Henning

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:

EARS

EARS! What a great theme! But what is an EARS picture? An EARS picture is any picture of EARS or something that is affiliated with EARS. Like headphones or hearing aids. Remember, there is more than one kind of EARS and I’m not just talking about how frogs hear with their lungs.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

+++++++

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

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

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

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

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

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

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

+++++++

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

Black & White, Christianity, Formal Portrait, Holidays, Taylan, Youth Group

Senior Sunday – Taylan – Volume 2

April 12, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I should start with wishing everybody a Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

It is definitely one of the weirdest Easters that most of us have ever experienced. I didn’t go to church on Easter Sunday since I don’t know when. Instead, I drove around and took a few pictures of church signs while listening to KWBG.

From 8-9 they played the Palm Sunday worship service of the local Baptist service. The Pastor of that church now helps with our Youth Group and she truly has been a godsend.

From 9-10 they played our worship service. Which was a live Easter service. I just want to share a couple of my favorite signs I saw this morning:

I would like to share an Easter Devotional from the Bishop of the Iowa Conference of the Methodist Church:

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. Look, there was a great earthquake, for an angel from the Lord came down from heaven. Coming to the stone, he rolled it away and sat on it. Now his face was like lightning and his clothes as white as snow. The guards were so terrified of him that they shook with fear and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here, because he’s been raised from the dead, just as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him. Now hurry, go and tell his disciples, ‘He’s been raised from the dead. He’s going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ I’ve given the message to you.”

With great fear and excitement, they hurried away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. But Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and grabbed his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that I am going into Galilee. They will see me there.”

—Matthew 28:1-10 (CEB)

Billy Sunday was the first great traveling evangelist of the twentieth century. He traveled the country with his flamboyant revival showmanship, which attracted enormous crowds. A consummate showman, Sunday he would invite his listeners at the end of the sermon to come forward by walking down the sawdust trail of the temporary wooden structure to give their lives to Christ. “Hitting the sawdust trail” became a synonym for repentance and conversion.

The first people to ever hit the sawdust trail, however, were the women, weren’t they? Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb, where they encountered an angel sitting on a stone who said, “Don’t be afraid. Jesus has been raised from the dead. Now, hurry and go, tell his disciples.”

The phrase, “hitting the sawdust trail,” actually predates Billy Sunday, originating in the forests of Oregon, where lumber jacks would get lost deep in the woods. Needing find their way out, they would lay a trail of sawdust along the way so they could follow it out to a place where they could get their bearings.

Like the lumberjacks, we, too, are totally lost and have to rely on God’s grace to lead us to and then along the sawdust trail. We cannot control resurrection because resurrection is God’s work of grace. Do you, too, want to hit the sawdust trail? Then practice resurrection by welcoming and walking beside all kinds of people traveling the way of spiritual formation.

In his poem, Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front, Wendell Berry captures the unpredictability of resurrection. He says, “So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it…. Practice resurrection.”

Prayer:

God of new birth, this is the day of resurrection, and we are ready to hit the sawdust trail, a trail that leads right back into everyday life where we commit ourselves to practice resurrection. With your grace leading the way, we will welcome all people to journey with us, so that one day the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Amen.

By: Bishop Laurie Haller, Resident Bishop, Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church

+++++++

Here is a second collection of pictures from Taylan’s Senior Picture Photo shoot:

More senior pictures next Sunday!

Art, Becca, Bethany, Candid Portrait, Christianity, Jonah, State Fair, Street Photography, Work

Minnesota State Fair #1

April 9, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

14 work days of working from home in the books. I think the last time I indicated that I was starting to get a system going. Now I can say that I’m starting to get comfortable working from home. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’ll pumped when it is safe to work from the office again, but I mean that my FOMO is tamping down quite a bit.

That being said, Naima has been pretty much a Sleepy McGee during the day and left me alone to work. However, today she was a ball of fire. I think it is because I have new neighbors that have moved in next door and they have a dog named Gator. Naima and Gator like to “play” by running up and down the fence together. It is a positive that Naima has a new friend. If there is anybody that is really bad about social distancing, it is golden retrievers.

The new neighbors seem good. When Linda moved out, she left a Hawkeye windsock hanging off the back of the house. As the new neighbors have moved in, I’ve been watching that windsock. After 5 days, it is still there. Unfortunately.

Last night I got to introduce myself to the patriarch of the household. I mentioned that I have been waiting for that windsock to go down. The windsock will be staying up. They are Hawkeye fans. Other than this obvious shortcoming, they seem like they will be good neighbors.

An update on what I have been listening to while I work from home:

I still listen to 96.1 from 7 to 9 in the morning. Listening to Christian music does help center me and is a good reminder that while we may feel alone in this pandemic, we are not alone. Not by a long shot.

Then from 9-11 I listen to the Master Playlist. You don’t know about the Master Playlist. It is a playlist of songs I put together for my last birthday party. It is 1,585 songs. 102 hours of music. I am listening to it to cut some of the fat. I’m up to track #307 right now. The acoustic version of “100 Years” by Five For Fighting. Not to be confused by the radio version of “100 Years” by Five for Fighting. That is track #303 silly.

Then from 11 to noon I eat lunch. Watch one episode of THE OFFICE. Then I shower. Lotion up. Gotta keep them feet soft. Put on a fresh set of clothes. Then I’m ready to take the world back on.

From 12-2 or so, I listen to the Master Playlist some more. At I turn on Murph and Andy and they take me to 4, when I clock out and call it a day.

14 days done. Who knows how many more to go, but I am beyond blessed to still be able to work 40 hours a week, have health insurance, and collect a paycheck every other week.

+++++++

Here is part of devotional I found on the Methodist Women website that I thought I would share:

John 13:34-35

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:34-35

Jesus calls out the importance of love to his disciples, the importance of loving one another. Love is the only way, the only path to grow with, the mark of a disciple as beloved, the keeper of the fellowship of disciples. Love is central to Jesus’ mission.

Even as he knows the pending betrayal by Judas and Peter’s denial of him, Jesus demonstrates love by washing their feet like a slave does.

Jesus is focused in his teachings on the centrality of loving one another, so that love will not be broken by troubles and doubts among the disciples.

Jesus glorifies God as the highest, the one source of the new commandment to love and act as one beloved community. The parallel verse to this new commandment is in John 15:12-14, laying down one’s life for the love of friends, and for all friends to do the same. It lifts up the heroic act, giving one’s life for others. Love is the formation of community, and love becomes eternal.

Jesus’ pronouncement in John 10:10 is made real.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, help us to rest in your words of love, and loving our neighbors who are suffering, be with us in search of the true meaning of life you offered and find us to be faithful in helping build communities of love, nurture and care. In your name we pray, Amen.

+++++++

Last August I went to the Minnesota State Fair with Bethany, Becca, Jonah, and Shawn. I do have to say this, “whoever said that the Minnesota State Fair is better than that Iowa State Fair is seriously disturbed.”

That being said, the Minnesota State Fair is definitely worth visiting. It is crazy overcrowded, but there is more than enough to keep a person entertained!

Here are some pictures:

I can’t tell if this is genius or madness, but I love them!

I don’t know what Swedish Egg Coffee is, but it sounds disgusting.

The one thing I was told not to miss at the Minnesota State Fair is the cookies in the bucket. We did get some and they did not disappoint, but that that is a story for another entry though.

What I want to point out is that another thing the Minnesota State Fair is famous for is a place that sells bottomless cup of milk. The tragedy of this situation is that they aren’t right next to either. In fact, they aren’t even close.

Oh the humanity!

Andy, Cathie, Elizabeth, Flat Earth Joe, Formal Portrait, Holidays, Jorge, Kim, Michelle, Micky, Schmidt, Vest, Work, Youth Group

Mish Mash

April 9, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

Happy Maundy Thursday! Traditionally I would have been a the Computer Mine for a full hour by the time this was publishing. However, my mind would be thinking about tonight’s worship service at the Boone First United Methodist Church.

Maundy Thursday is traditionally one of my favorite worship services of the year because you never know what you are going to see. This was going to be Pastor Dave’s first Maundy Thursday Service at our church and I really wonder he would have had in store for us.

But there won’t be a worship service at our church tonight. But I still think it would be apropos to include a picture of the Youth Group to start your morning.

After all, my co-worker that likes to call this my “Jesus blog” would be disappointed if there wasn’t a little bit of Jesus’ disciples included on Maundy Thursday.

This is a small entry with a small collection of pictures that stretched across 3 consecutive days back in October. The Youth Group pictures are from the annual Hayrack Ride. The other pictures are from the Computer Mine. One is a Computer Mine company photo. The other is from the Computer Mine Halloween festivities.

I swear I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel with this backlog. When it is done, I’m going to bore you with an extensive history of my cameras.

Animals, Contests, FNSC, Iowa State, Logan, Pufferbilly Days, Suzie

Pufferbilly Days – 2019

March 26, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I didn’t take a ton of pictures at Pufferbilly Days last year. Probably because there wasn’t a petting zoo. Probably because I didn’t really make more than an appearance at the parade. Probably because there really wasn’t much left by the time Sunday came around.

I did spend 3 days at Pufferbilly Days. Friday night with Willy at FNSC. Saturday I walked around with Suzie and her friend Michelle. On Sunday I went up and took pictures of my Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest entries, and Logan’s.

Here are a few pictures from Pufferbilly Days:

I think I will appreciate Pufferbilly Days a little more this year than in past years.

Animals, Contests, Logan, Macro, Music, Nader, State Fair, Street Photography

The Gambler, He Broke Even

March 24, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

Kenny Rogers passed away on Saturday. Celebrity deaths don’t usually have much effect on me. However, I was deeply saddened by the passing of Kenny Rogers. Kenny Rogers is my Mom’s favorite and therefore is one of my favorite country singers. I can’t stomach modern country, but I have more than a few old timey country artists I love. Like Hank Williams because of my Grandpa, (I’ve probably covered the Nirvana Christmas Story to recollect it again here) Ernest Tubb because of my Grandma, and Johnny Paycheck AND Tom T. Hall and Dolly Parton because of my Dad. Then there is Kenny Rogers because of my Mom.

Kenny songs were a staple in the Bennett household as I grew up. I have so many favorites:

-Coward of the County
-Lucille
-Lady
-She Believes in Me
-Islands in the Stream
-Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer
-We’ve Got Tonight
-Through the Years
-She Believes in Me
-You Decorated My Life
-Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town
-You Decorated My Life
-Love Will Turn You Around

and of course

-The Gambler

I think “The Gambler” is the song that most people in my generation affiliate with Kenny Rogers. It isn’t actually my favorite Kenny Rogers song, but I do love it so. I also think there is some real world, great, practical advice in that song.

You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealin’s done

When I was a kid, I foolishly thought that this was advice about how to play poker. It wasn’t until later in life (probably embarrassingly later) that I realized that this advice had nothing a card game. It was about life. It is advice that I should really apply to my life.

There are too many times where I should fold ’em and walk away. I can think of a couple times where I should have folded ’em and then ran. I’m a person who sometimes tries to hold ’em too much. Or as he says in “Lucille”:

“I’m no quitter, bit I finally quit livin’ on dreams.” I’m hungry for laughter and here ever after. I’m after whatever the other life brings”

It is sad that the dealin’s done for Kenny Rogers. But in his songs I found an ace I can keep.

+++++++

Thought I would share pictures from another event that takes me back to my childhood every time I go, the Iowa State Fair. This is the final collection of pictures from my trip there with Logan and Nader.

Most of these pictures are of animals. The DNR building is one of my favorite stops at the Iowa State Fair every year. There are also picutres of the baby pigs from the baby animal exhibit and cakes from the cake competition and sheep waiting for mutton busting.

I can’t wait for this year’s Iowa State Fair. Hopefully there is one.

Animals, Birthdays, Black & White, Equipment, Logan, Macro, Mom, Naima, Nature, Pufferbilly Days, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Still Life, Underwater, Work, WPC - Reminder

I Don’t Know Why You’re Mean to Me

March 20, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

I took Thursday and Friday off this week to watch basketball. Obviously there is no basketball right now. There is no basketball for at least a month and there is no NCAA Tournament this year at all. I wasn’t sure if I was going to still take these two days off. I waffled for a few days and then I ultimately decided that I needed a few days off.

I understand that can sound tone deaf. To need a few days off, when there are many people that aren’t able to work right now. People who suddenly are finding themselves unemployed. I am blessed that for at least now, the Computer Mine is still open for business. I am also blessed that starting a couple days ago, the Computer Mine opened up the option to work from home for some employees. They started by opening it up to workers that are in high risk groups and workers that are around people that are in high risk groups. I fit into that second category.

I wasn’t sure I was going to work from home or continue to work from the office, but after listening to a few co-workers regurgitated Fox propaganda talking points, I knew that I no longer trusted my co-workers to make smart decisions for their health, for the health of the people the come into contact with, and the health of the people that they come into contact with.

Starting on Monday, I’m going to start working from home. Because of this, I spent Thursday building a computer to use as my work from home computer from some computer parts I have laying around. I didn’t want to complicate my main home computer. So that is what passes for ENTERTAINMENT for me yesterday.

I also added a web camera to my work-from-home-computer so I could have video calls with my co-workers:

It isn’t the best web camera in the world. In fact, it is the web camera I bought a few years back so I could set up a modest photo booth at my birthday party:

But it will get the job done as far as video chatting goes. Because the one thing that I’m definitely going to miss as I work from home for at least a couple of weeks is some of my fellow miners. Most of them have opted to work from home, but I think Joe, Micky, Elizabeth, and Ron and a few others still seem to be committed to showing up to the mine. I’m going to miss you guys

Working from home does mean that I’ll have more time on my hands. I won’t have the 20 minute or so one way commute every day. My one hour lunch break will also be spent at home. Plus with not going pretty much anywhere at night, I will definitely have added time to work on my photography backlog. You guys might have to endure some days of TWO “An Artist’s Notebook” entries! Oh the humanity!

Hopefully the webcam will help with the social isolation. Hopefully my dog adjusts to having me around all the time!

+++++++

Since I mentioned birthday parties, I might as well mention that while I have been planning to have a birthday party this year, it is definitely off. Which is sad because Scottie D. and I had a tremendous menu planned. Baby Got Rack was going to cater the heck out of that party! You’ll just have to imagine what it would have been like.

What you don’t have to imagine what it is like, was what the invitations were going to look like. My nephew Logan took some of the photos that were going to be used for the invitations, that were going to look like they came from a political candidate. Here are a couple of the pictures that won’t get used:

That last picture wasn’t getting used for sure, I just like it. Maybe 2021 will be a better year to bring the party back!

+++++++

Last week I took more than one picture for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, so here is a good chance to share the once that didn’t have what it takes to make the big show on Monday:

The pictures of Naima were taken with a new Lensbaby lens I bought for my new camera. I will probably going into some boring detail about it at some point in the future.

++++++

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

ENTERTAINMENT

I have no clue what participation will look like this week. However, I can assure you that even if you are taking social distancing to self-quarantine, this theme and every theme in the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is a theme that can be accomplished within the confines of your house or your yard.

Happy photo harvesting!