Category Archives: Tenderloining

9 Emotions Project, Art, Basketball, Birthdays, Black & White, Blogging, Boone County Fair, Boone FUMC, Carla, Drone, Elainie, Evie, Formal Portrait, Fran, Iowa State, Jay, Jesse, Kim, Layla, Logan, Micky, Mom, Naima, Road Trip, Saydie, Shannon, Shawn Lockner, Still Life, Street Photography, Tenderloining, Teresa, Vest

Post 5,005

November 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

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

Happy birthday Elainie!

I hope your birthday is amazing!!

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Today is also Layla’s birthday!

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

10. Naima – 64,796 views

9. Tenderloining – 75,558 views

8. 9 Emotions Project – 81,405 views

7. Selfie-Project – 2022 – 88,632 views

6. Drone – 99,708 views

5. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 108,852 views

4. Town Sign Project – 118,563 views

3. Las Vegas 2023 – 169,257 views

2. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 219,546 views

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

10. Sleeping Angels Fun Run – 2,772 views

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

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

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

6. Renaissance Fair – 2022 – 3,302 views

5. Fran and Pepper – 3,687 views

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

3. Howards – 2022 – 3,976 views

2. 2023 Barbecue Contests – 4,168 views

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.

Art, Bethany, Jesse, Nora, Road Trip, Still Life, Tenderloining

Breakfast Burrito Life: Eagan Field Work

October 29, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in August I breakfasted at the Mason Jar in Eagan, Minnesota with Jesse, Bethany, and Nora. It was a weird experience as the Mason Jay has bizarre rules about coloring on their patio, but we made do.

Here are some pictures from the experience:

At the end of the day, I would eat there again. The food was pretty good. It was just the service that was a little suspect. Not bad, just suspect.

The next food adventure will involve the Tenderloin Trail 2.0.

Elainie, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Layla, Melissa, Monica, Nader, Sabas, Scottie D., State Fair, Tenderloining

Iowa State Fair Food Carousel

October 22, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

As I started looking through these pictures, I realize that I should have published this collection much earlier as the memory has become a bit foggy since the Iowa State Fair, which was 2 months ago. Something to remember for next year.

This food adventure is a collection of all the food I ate at the Iowa State Fair. I made 4 trips to the Iowa State Fair. One with Jen, Evie, and Layla. Another with Scottie D., Melissa, Austin, and Porter. Another one with Monica, Graham, Sabas, and Elainie. Then a final one with Jesse and Nader.

I ate a lot, so we better get to it!

The first thing I had was the Deep-Fried Bacon Brisket Man-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese. Here is the description:

The Rib Shack’s signature Bacon Brisket Mac and Cheese is slathered between layers of American cheese and two slices of What’s Your Cheez Bacon Cheddar Bread. It is then deep-fried until golden brown and served with a signature raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce.

This was one of the 3 Finalists for Best New State Fair Food. Here are more pictures of it:

I could only get Evie to take a nibble of it. This sandwich was pretty disappointing. It was bland and lifeless. The only thing that saved it was the raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce. However, it wasn’t the worst Best New Fair Food Finalist.

It was a short day at the Fair and the only other thing I had was ice cream:

You know my policy on ice cream, so no reason to get into that.

On my next day at the Fair, the only food I purchased was the Grinder Ball from The Bacon Box. It was also a finalist for Best New State Fair Food.

Here is the description:

The Grinder Ball is a blend of bacon balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese, wrapped in bacon, rotisserie smoked and dipped in warm marinara sauce. The Grinder Ball is The Bacon Box’s new signature gluten-free take on the traditional State Fair Grinder.

Here are some pictures:

No reason to sugar coat it, this thing sucked. Just absolutely terrible. Easily the worst food I had at the fair.

I didn’t purchase anything else, but the Roland-Story FFA gave Scottie D. and I some peach cobbler:

Seriously amazing. Maybe the best thing I had at the Iowa State Fair.

I also had some of Melissa’s Dill Pickle Flavored Cheese Curds from Brad & Harry’s Cheese Curds:

These were great and I would definitely have again!

On my 3rd trip to the Fair, I started out with the Iowa Twinkie.

Here is the description:

“A Texas staple with an Iowa twist.” A smoked bacon-wrapped jalapeno stuffed with pulled pork, sweet corn, cream cheese and ranch seasoning. It is then glazed with Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ & Brew house-made Sweet + Sticky BBQ sauce and drizzled with house-made ranch dressing.

Here are some pictures:

I voted for the Iowa Twinkie for the Best New Fair Food, but the Deep-Fried Bacon Brisket Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese won. At least that awful Grinder Ball didn’t win.

As you know, I’m a big fan of the Italian Grinder. I’m still sad when I think about the loss of Jennie’s Grinders which was always my go to when I went to the Iowa State Fair until Jennie passes away a few years ago. I decided to give Aunt Mary’s Italian Grinders a shot.

It was a solid grinder, but as those of us in the grinder biz say: INJGG. It’s Not Jennie’s Grinders Grinder. But I would get it again.

That was the final thing I ate on my third trip from the Iowa State Fair.

On my 4th trip to the Iowa State Fair, the temperature was off the charts hot. heat index was over 100 degrees, which isn’t great for appetite. So I mostly just drank a ton of water. I mean a ton of water. But I did eat a couple things.

The first thing I tried was the Dough Crazy Sweet Stick from Dough Crazy.

While this thing was delicious, I don’t think I would get it again. It was actually TOO much. This was complete sugar overload.

Then I grabbed an Iowa State Fair staple on my way out the door. The Pork Chop on a Stick:

There was lots of successful eating at this year’s Iowa State Fair. I’m already excited to go back next year and eat some more!

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve breakfast up in Minnesota!

Boone County Fair, Jay, Self-Portrait, Tenderloining, Willy

Food Truckin’: Boone County Fair Field Work

October 15, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

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

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:

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!

Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining, Teresa

Tenderloin Trail 2.0 – Bradford Field Work

October 8, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

A few months back, Teresa and I went to the Stanhope Watermelon Day. After watching the parade we left for a bit to get lunch in Bradford at The Stumble Inn. The Stumble Inn in on the Tenderloin Trail 2.0. It was the Runner-Up for Iowa’s Best Pork Tenderloin in 2019.

Here are some pictures from the meal:

The Crispy Pig is their tenderloin.

Teresa’s Grilled Tenderloin

The short answer is, this was an excellent tenderloin! One of my favorites I’ve ever had. Good breading. Good thickness. Toasted bun. They served Pepsi. The onion rings were phenomenal.

On a scale, of would I go avoid this place to would I pursue it, I would definitely pursue this tenderloin!

In fact, one of the few reasons I haven’t had this tenderloin again is because there are so many other tenderloins out there that I need to try. Including at least a few more from Tenderloin Trail 2.0 to this years finalists for Best Tenderloin to the 2022 Best Tenderloin Winner. But I will have this tenderloin again someday!

Also, the meal comes with a complimentary homemade mint, which was also delicious.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve a food truck at the Boone County Fair.

Alexis, Amy, Andy, Angie, Art, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Christianity, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Street Photography, Tamara, Tenderloining, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 420 – ARCHITECTURE

October 2, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 10 Comments

NOTES: 1 – SOME OF THE SUBMISSIONS ARE STARTING TO COME IN VERY SMALL. WATCH THE SIZE OF THE IMAGES YOU SEND IN. IDEALLY THEY SHOULD BE AT LEAST 1,000 PIXELS. SMALLER IMAGES MIGHT LOOK GOOD ON YOUR PHONE SCREEN, BUT DON’T LOOK GOOD ON A COMPUTER MONITOR. 2 – AT THE END OF THE MONTH I WILL BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S THEMES. THE LAST MONDAY IN OCTOBER AND THE 1ST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER ARE WHEN SUGGESTIONS CAN BE MADE. THOSE SUGGESTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THOSE POSTS. NOT VIA EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, TEAMS, PHONE CONVERSATION, SNAPCHAT. ONLY IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OF THOSE 2 POSTS. START THINKING OF THEMES YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR NEXT YEAR.

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This morning the Iowa Pork Producers Association released the finalists for this year’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin. There are 5 finalists and 3 of them are close to Boone!

Here are the Finalists:

+ Cliff’s Place – Manning (80 minutes)
+ Spillway Supper Club – Harpers Ferry (3 hours 35 minutes)
+ Stumpy’s Bar & Grill – Duncombe (45 minutes)
+ ToJo’s Bar & Grill – Jamaica (42 minutes)
+ The Roadhouse – Orange City (3 hours 11 miuntes)

A total of 774 restaurants were nominated this year.

Looks like it is time for me to get out on the open road again.

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ARCHITECTURE! Everybody lives or works in or near a building or structure that is a form of ARCHITECTURE. But were there structures around enough people to inspire them to take and submit a picture? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, September 25, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Corey Faust – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 1 week
3-Amy Peterson – 2 weeks (2)
4-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 3 weeks
5-Susanna Funk – 4 weeks
6-Scott Degeneffe – 5 weeks (2)
7-Sabas Hernandez – 6 weeks
8-Willy McAlpine – 6 weeks
9-Mary Green – 8 weeks
10-Mike Vest – 12 weeks
11-Sheri Fakhouri – 15 weeks (2)
12-Monica Jennings – 16 weeks (2)
13-Logan Kahler – 16 weeks (2)
14-Nathanial Brown – 17 weeks (2)
15-Jesse Howard – 17 weeks
16-Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks
17-Alexis Stensland – 25 weeks (3)
18-Mindi Terrell – 32 weeks (3)
19-Brandon Kahler – 56 weeks
20-Linda Bennett – 61 weeks
21-Sarah Toot – 62 weeks (3)
22-Angie DeWaard – 66 weeks
23-Dawn Krause – 70 weeks (3)
24-Kim Barker – 76 weeks (2)
25-Joe Duff – 77 weeks
26-Teresa Kahler – 88 weeks (3)
27-Carla Stensland – 88 weeks (3)
28-Micky Augustin – 90 weeks
29-Andy Sharp – 91 weeks
30-Bill Wentworth – 92 weeks
31-Cathie Morton – 96 weeks (2)
32-Elizabeth Nordeen – 97 weeks (2)
33-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 99 weeks
34-Kio Dettman – 101 weeks (2)

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 420 - ARCHITECTURE - ELAINIE HERNANDEZ

Elainie Hernandez (West Side Market – Cleveland, Ohio) – 1 week

Elainie Hernandez (West Side Market – Cleveland, Ohio)

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 1 week

Myriah Sharp (Maui, Hawaii) – 1 week

Myriah Sharp (Maui, Hawaii)

Sara Lockner (Windsor Heights, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Amy Peterson (Washington D.C.) – 3 weeks

Amy Peterson (Washington D.C.)

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Cleveland, Ohio) – 7 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Spain) – 7 weeks

Mary Green (Edgewood, Iowa) – 9 weeks

Mary Green (Edgewood, Iowa)

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Elite Eye – Ankeny, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Monica Jennings (Ogden, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Boone, Iowa) – 18 weeks

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa) – 18 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Des Moines, Iowa) – 26 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Des Moines, Iowa) – 33 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Des Moines, Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 57 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 62 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 63 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 67 weeks

Dawn Krause (Barcelona, Spain) – 71 weeks

Dawn Krause (Barcelona, Spain)

Kim Barker (Austin, Texas) – 77 weeks

Kim Barker (Ms. Congeniality Stage – San Antonio, Texas)

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 78 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas)

Teresa Kahler (Linwood Cemetery – Boone, Iowa) – 89 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa State Fairgrounds – Des Moines, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Eldora, Iowa) – 89 weeks

Carla Stensland (Pine Lake – Eldora, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 91 weeks

Andy Sharp (UNI Dome – Cedar Falls, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 93 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 97 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa) – 98 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Mackinac Island, Michigan) – 100 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 102 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Des Moines, Iowa) – 524 weeks

34 submissions! That is a pretty great week. Could have been 35 if TJ Maxx has more inspiring buildings or 36 if Funk could have found a building in the mountains. But I digress.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ Hawaii
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Michigan
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas

Thanks to Myriah’s trip to Hawaii, we get to add Hawaii to the list!

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

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

38 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there!

he Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Alto del Perdon – Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ St. John pied de port, France
+ Vienna, Austria
+ Munich, Germany
+ Rome, Italy
+ Cannes, France
+ Koper, Slovenia

There were some pretty big milestones reached this week! Shannon became the 2nd member ever of the Triple Digit Club! WooHoo! Joe reached the Year and a Half Club! WooHoo! Finally Alexis reached the Half Year Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Faust couldn’t build on his submission from last week. Jen’s streak went up in flames at 3. Funk’s streak tumbled back down the mountain after 4 weeks. The humanity!

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:

RELIGION

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

RELIGION! I bet a few people groaned when they saw this was the theme. That is okay. You didn’t think a website that is grounded in Christianity would go a year without the RELIGION theme did you? Where do you think the name Photography 139 comes from? I’m not forcing you to go to church to take this picture. A RELIGION picture could be as easy as taking a picture of a house of worship. Doesn’t have to be a church. There are a ton of RELIGIONs in the world and a ton of them are probably practiced near you. Within 20 minutes of where I live in central Iowa there are synagogues, mosques, and even a mandir. But it doesn’t have to be of a building. Or even a worship service. It can be a picture of a book or a song or a symbol. There are religious symbols all over, if you take a second to look. There are so many possibilities!

While considering possible subjects for your submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

Science gives man knowledge which is power, religion gives man wisdom which is control.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

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

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of RELIGION in this place that is was built on a foundation of Christianity next Monday.

Elizabeth, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Food Truckin’: Lincoln Way and Duff Field Work

September 24, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I have to give credit to Elizabeth. She would get the finder’s fee for this place if I gave people finder’s fee. Which isn’t to say that she has eaten there, but she recommended that I try it. She’s pretty good at making recommendations for restaurants she hasn’t tried. Curious.

Based on this “recommendation”, I made my way down to the corner of Lincoln Way and Duff to give a food truck by the name of The Sandwich Stop a try.

Here are some pictures:

I went with the Turkey Melt. Their menu describes it like this:

“Our turkey melt sandwich is piled on our house bread with tender turkey slices, tomatoes, mayo and crispy bacon between two pieces of gooey melted swiss cheese.”

It was 12 bucks and came with chips and a free drink. I’m not sure the drink was normally free or if they just threw me a free drink cause they like the cut of my jib.

The turkey melt was fantastic. Not a giant sandwich for somebody of my known appetites, but definitely delicious. I would get it again in a second.

However, this trip isn’t without its cautionary tale. Because the drink was unexpectedly free and I am mostly off the high fructose corn syrup sauce these days, I decided to go with the True North Black Cherry Pure Energy Seltzer. This was a huge mistake and I should have known it was going to be a huge mistake. I don’t like energy drinks and I don’t like seltzer. This drink was the worst of both worlds. I had maybe 2 swigs of it and then threw the demon spawn juice into the woods behind the Computer Mine.

I quickly took another bite of the delectable turkey melt and tried to forget about what had just transpired.

Here is a little bit about the Sandwich Stop from their website:

What can we say? We’re obsessed with sandwiches.

We are three brothers, Niko, Lukas & NJ Savage, with a special love for food and cooking. After we graduated from Iowa State we decided to get together and open our own Sandwich Stop Food Truck. The truck will specialize in rich, juicy, hot grilled sandwiches. We will also feature our very unique Brazilian sweet sandwiches. Come check us out and experience eating your sandwich with our own dipping sauce.

They are based out of The Quarters Apartments in Ames based on their website (sandwichstoptruck.com). But I have seen them out and about at other festivals. Including Jefferson, just 8 day ago. I’m not sure if they have a Facebook or an Instagram because there are links built into the website, but it doesn’t seem like the website has been fully programmed.

So to cut to the chase. Would I eat their again? I definitely would. Someday I want to try their Nutella Banana Grilled Cheese or their Touchdown Melt.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve another stop on the Tenderloin Trail 2.0.

Art, Jesse, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Street Photography, Tenderloining

Food Truckin’: Des Moines Art Festival Field Work

September 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A couple of months back Jesse and I went to the Des Moines Arts Festival. We consumed art, drink, food, and ice cream. If you’ve never been to the Des Moines Art Festival is is a hard recommend for me. UNLESS… you don’t like art or music or food. And if you don’t like art or food or music… what is WRONG with you! Seriously. Get help. Lots of help.

We made a lap around all the food trucks before ultimately deciding on Nina’s Tacos. I got the nachos. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in recent history.

A decent line for Nina’s tacos.

But it moved quickly. The drink lines didn’t move so quickly.

I got the Nachos Birria.

So many layers of delicious.

A closer look at delicious.

1st bite.

Cheese in my beard, not even mad.

No regrets.

We went to Over the Top for a little dessert action.

I went with Black Raspberry. No surprise.

A lot of sexy for one picture. I’m talking about the ice cream.

Sometimes I lay awake at night. I think about all the dead ends I’ve tried to go down. All the broken roads I’ve travelled. All the mistakes that I have made. All the regrets that burden me. Then I think about those nachos and realize that the road I’m on must be alright. Then I fall asleep and dream of birria.

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

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

But I should share some pictures of some of the art that I liked at the art festival.

Here are some cruddy cell phone pictures of some amazing art:

If you don’t appreciate the possum sculpture, know that you are Cal from TITANIC. I am Rose from TITANIC in this situation.

The difference between Cal’s taste in art and mine is that I have some.

The possum is amazing and anybody that thinks differently is a fool!

I will have pictures with the real camera to share at some point in the future.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will be a bit different. I will share photos from Scott’s progeny competing in the Iowa State Fair barbecue contest.

Art, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Donut O’Clock – Jefferson Field Work

August 27, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in June I got a surprise day off from work. They had re-shuffled PTO and suddenly I either had to take a day off or I was going to max out on PTO and therefore lose PTO. Yeah, I don’t play that game. On my surprise day off I went to the High Trestle Trail. Then I went to Jefferson to try a donut place I had recently heard about. Dunkers by Matt.

I’m not a fancy donut guy. I like your basic cake donut with frosting and sprinkles. But Dunkers By Matt definitely intrigued me. One of the things that most intrigued me is the fact that you can get a 7 inch or 12 in donut. I wasn’t able to get this massive donut because you have to pre-order them, but I hope to get one some day.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

I got to the bakery late, which is the cardinal sin of bakery eating. They donuts were pretty much picked over and there weren’t a ton of donut holes left, but I still had an amazing experience!

The woman was working gave me extra donut holes for free, noting that she can’t count very well when she is upside down. Then she made the blank long johns that were left and then finally threw in a maple bacon long john for free since the person that had ordered it never came in and picked it up.

The donut holes were fantastic! And they seem to frequently have special donut holes on Wednesday and Saturdays. On their Facebook page they have posted Red Velvet Donut Holes, Cherry, Birthday Cake, Strawberry & Cream, Salted Caramel and Apple Crisp!

I don’t really have a way of rating donuts. They are donuts! They are fantastic! I’m going to keep my eye on their Facebook page and have to make a trip the next time they make those Apple Crisp or Salted Caramel and Red Velvet donut holes. I believe my birthday in 2024 is on a Saturday. My birthday present to myself might just be that 12 inch donut! Play your cards right and you might just get an invite to help me eat that 12 inch donut.

Dunkers by Matt can be found at:
119 North Chestnut Street
Jefferson, Iowa

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve the Des Moines Art Festival.

Nader, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

I Scream: Glidden Field Work

August 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

After I knocked down the mind-blowing tenderloin from Darrell’s Place, we started to head back to Boone. However, we needed to get some ice cream! We stopped at The Dairy Mart in Glidden.

Here are some pictures: