Category Archives: Animals

Animals, Art, Automobiles, Christianity, Music, Road Trip, Still Life, Street Photography

Scott County Aux. – Vol. 3

October 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share another collection of images from my trip to Scott County to harvest their town signs. Most of these pictures are also taken in Le Claire and this collection ends in Davenport. It includes a brief stop I made at Antique Archaeology. The store made famous by the show American Pickers. It is a cool store and definitely worth the trip, but I think the downtown area of Le Claire is also worth the trip as well.

The collection starts where Volume 2 ended. With a great blue heron on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Pleasant Valley

Davenport

This is actually in Illinois.

Back in Davenport.

Still plenty of pictures from this road trip left to share.

Animals, Black & White, Faust, Fisheye, Flowers, Football, Iowa State, Lensbaby, Music, Naima, Nature, Self-Portrait, Street Photography, WPC - Alternate

But You Broke Much More Than That

September 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I took a ton of pictures on Saturday that are alternates for the BLACK & WHITE theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. So buckle up, this is going to be a long post. Even though most of these images can be broken into two different events.

1. Trip to Jester Park.
2. Iowa State football game.

No reason to keep dinking around. Here are the images from last Saturday:

I believe this is the 1st time I’ve seen Faust since before the pandemic. That is a damn shame!

Jester Park

I didn’t tailgate for the game on Saturday. Derrick and I got to stadium in time to catch the end of the warmups. I took in a cheap point & shoot I bought at a computer mine auction several years ago. I haven’t fired pixels through it in over 4 years. I didn’t take many game pictures for a variety of reasons, but I took plenty of pictures of the things that surround the game.

I love that they still use the Twitter logo. F Elon Musk.

I think it was a pretty good to great day!

Only one more pretty big sized collection of black & white images before we return to our normal broadcast schedule.

Animals, Art, Birthdays, Black & White, Elizabeth, Flowers, Iowa State, Macro, Nature, Still Life, Street Photography, WPC - Alternate

I’d Say You Broke My Heart

September 29, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Elizabeth’s birthday, so I have to wish her a happy birthday!

I hope your birthday is as amazing as you can handle! Filled with breakfast burritos without hashbrowns and/or Happy Joe’s Pizza!

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Today I’m going to share a collection of images I took last Friday for last week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Because I got stuck at the Computer Mine a couple of nights earlier in the week I planned on leaving at 9 AM, but I hung on until 11 since there is a lot of sickly in my department.

I think I made lunch and then probably took a nap. The I took Naima to the vet for her shots. Then I went to Iowa State to maybe pick up some stuff for the game the next day. Then I went down to Ankeny to pickup a bunch of Iowa State stuff for future tailgates. I took pictures on a bunch of it.

Here is the collection of pictures from the day:

That is it for Friday, but there are two more days of black & white images left to share!

Animals, Flowers

Party of One

September 28, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

“Waiter, send this to the table, the party of one”
The only other lonely soul in this place
And so you’re finishing up your coffee, but then where you’re gonna run?
Where’d you get that look on your face?

You should always let the sun go down on your anger
Let it burn you to sleep
Bring it closer to danger, to surrender and retreat
Sing your sad soul to sleep

Don’t even think about your freedom or taking that flight
Or going back upon your promise after fighting for the right
Because your eggshells and your right statements
And your weaponized words, are paper tigers now

Oh, your constant overthinking and your secretive drinking
Are making it more and more alone
And girl, I could slam the door behind you, it ain’t never gonna close
Because when you’re home, you’re already home

I am tired
I am tired

I don’t wanna go home anymore
I don’t wanna throw stones anymore
I don’t wanna take part in the war

I loved you the first time I saw you
And you know I love you still
But I am tired
And I am yours

Oh, I am tired
But I’m coming home
-Brandi Carlile

This is the last song from the album “By the Way, I Forgive You” that I will use as a entry title. Leaving only one album of Brandi songs to use as entry titles for our Thursdays together.

While this song is about the complexity of any relationship, it was written in particular about the unique struggles same-sex couples face.

She told Billboard:

“I don’t think marriage is work, but I hear straight couples asked all the time, ‘Do you feel different now that you’re married?’ And they’re like, ‘Hell, no,’ because marriage is an institution they’ve had access to since the beginning of time. But it is different for us. That’s what [album-closer] ‘Party of One’ is about: No matter how epic the fight is, you always have to ask yourself what you can do to stay.”

And

This is a song about deep and enduring compassion. It’s about trying to navigate domesticity, love and particularly marriage whilst being willed to fail by those that would revoke that right if they could.

Brandi went on to re-record this song as a duet with Sam Smith to raise money for Children in Conflict.

But what does Children in Conflict do? From their website:

“When conflict happens our teams are one of the first to arrive. And when the dust settles, we are the last to leave. We respond to the urgent needs of vulnerable children in war-torn areas by providing critical support such as psychosocial care, reunification with families, places to feel safe, providing an education and equipping them with the skills for the future in Ukraine, Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Afghanistan and Iraq.”

But while I hope that provides you an even greater appreciation for Brandi, Thursday are for flowers! Yes, I know some of my flowertography haters were hoping this week’s dedication to black & white photography would give them a Thursday respite from flowertography. But my hater friends, there is no rest for the wicked.

Here is a small collection of flower pictures taken in my yard:

Next Thursday’s flowertography images will be even more pictures from my yard!

Animals, Art, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Flowers, Macro, Naima, Nature, Railroad, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Street Photography, Vest, Work

About Someone Who Loved You More

September 27, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

This collection of alternate images for last week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE will include pictures I took on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. Most of them I took on my lunch break from the computer mine on Wednesday. I went to downtown Ames to talk to Derrick about the upcoming football game on Saturday, but he was actually at the bank. So I did wander around a little bit and do some street photography.

I got stuck working late yet again on Wednesday night, so I didn’t take many pictures in the evening.

Here is the collection of images from Wednesday:

On Thursday I woke up to a foggy morning. I had to work at the Computer Mine worldwide headquarters. So I snapped some pictures on the way there. Then I snapped a few pictures at work and then did some shopping after work. Then took a few more when I got home.

Here are the Thursday pictures:

A lot of examples in this collection for why I love black & white photography so much. Or one of the reasons. There is just so much play in the exposure control that you get with black & white that you don’t get with color photography. Which isn’t to say that it is less demanding, because if anything, it can be more demanding. However, there is so much latitude in exposure and some of the things that can destroy a color photo like grain (or digital noise) can actually enhance a black & white image.

4 days down, but believe you me… we are just starting to get warmed up.

Animals, Art, Logan, Macro, Naima, Railroad, Self-Portrait

As the Girls You Had Before

September 23, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to start firing away on the 2023 backlog. This is a collection of pictures I took in January that really didn’t fit into any other posts. Some were pictures of my beard before I shaved. Some are from Madrid. Some are of elk in Jester Park. Some might be disturbing. Some might not be disturbing enough.

I hope you enjoy this collection:

Logan took these first 2 pictures.

It always feels good to clear up some of the backlog. There is still more backlog from January left to share.

Animals, Art, History, Road Trip

Scott County Aux. – Vol. 2

September 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share another collection of images taken while harvesting the town signs of Scott County. Every single last one of these pictures was taken in Le Claire. Le Claire is probably the best town in Scott County. If you like artsy stuff and antiques, it is a definite must visit. Not just because it is the home of Antique Archaeology, the store made famous by the show American Pickers. But that part is pretty cool too.

If you are wondering, the bird I took like 100 pictures of is a Great Blue Heron.

Still a ton of pictures from Scott County left to share!

Animals, Black & White, Nature, Street Photography

Even More of a Foggy Morn on the Trail

September 16, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 5 Comments

Time for the final collection of images I took on a foggy January morning out walking the High Trestle Trail. What is different about many of the pictures from this collection from the ones in the previous collections is that many of these are taken with a telephoto lens. The reason for this is, that the longer a lens, the more compressed the background and foreground become. I wanted the effect of the bars across the bridge to be practically on top of one another. I don’t want to break my arm slapping myself on the back, but I was pretty pleased with the results.

As you know, I don’t do a very good job planning for the Iowa State Fair Photo Salon, but next year’s special theme class is “Leading Lines” and I would consider one of these pictures for an entry, if I remember they exist around the time the State Fair comes along. I’d also consider the Boone High Parking lot from Tuesday’s post as well. Although I have this believe that the photo judges don’t like drone pictures. But with all opinions on judges, they are just beliefs.

Here is the final collection:

This wasn’t the last time I went to the High Trestle Trail Bridge this year. And I’m sure there are at least a couple more trips before this year is over. It is truly one of the most magical places in Iowa to visit.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Animals, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Flowers, Funk, Holidays, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 416 – NATURE

September 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

To all of us who toil on the frontlines in the mines of America, I wish us a happy Labor Day!

If you don’t know why we celebrate Labor Day, it is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers.

What kind of social and economic achievements?

Well… the Computer Mine is not a union shop, but trust me, I’m very pro-union. While they aren’t without their problems and a history of corruption, if it weren’t for unions and labor activists, we wouldn’t have the following:

1. Weekends
2. Paid vacation
3. FMLA
4. Paid sick leave
5. Child labor laws (while we have them)
6. Social Security
7. Minimum wage (even though it is too low)
8. 8 hour work day
9. Overtime pay
10. OSHA
11. Health care (even though tying health care to employment is a profoundly awful idea, but better than what we had before)
12. Collective bargaining (in some states)
13. Breaks (including bathroom and lunch)
14. Wrongful termination laws
15. Age discrimination laws
16. Raises
17. Sexual harassment laws
18. American Disabilities Act
19. Holiday pay (enjoying that right now)
20. Military leave
21. Equal Pay Act (1963 & 2011)
22. Civil rights
23. Workers compensation
24. Unemployment insurance
25. Whistleblower protection
26. The right to strike

While this list is hardly comprehensive, it is just many of the things I’m thankful for on this Labor Day.

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NATURE! A great theme, but was it people’s nature to get out in the world and take a picture of it? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, August 28, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
3-Evie Gorshe – 1 week
4-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
5-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
6-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks (3)
7-Mary Green – 4 weeks
8-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks
9-Mike Vest – 8 weeks
10-Sheri Fakhouri – 11 weeks
11-Monica Jennings – 12 weeks
12-Logan Kahler – 12 weeks (2)
13-Nathanial Brown – 13 weeks
14-Jesse Howard – 13 weeks
15-Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks
16-Alexis Stensland – 21 weeks (3)
17-Mindi Terrell – 28 weeks (3)
18-Brandon Kahler – 52 weeks
19-Linda Bennett – 57 weeks
20-Sarah Toot – 57 weeks
21-Angie DeWaard – 62 weeks
22-Dawn Krause – 66 weeks (2)
23-Kim Barker – 72 weeks
24-Joe Duff – 73 weeks (2)
25-Teresa Kahler – 84 weeks (2)
26-Carla Stensland – 84 weeks (2)
27-Micky Augustin – 86 weeks
28-Andy Sharp – 87 weeks
29-Bill Wentworth – 88 weeks
30-Cathie Morton – 92 weeks
31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 93 weeks
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 95 weeks
33-Kio Dettman – 97 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:

Lori Backous (Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week

Lori Backous (Boone County, Iowa)

Susanna Funk (Colorado) – 1 week

Amy Peterson (Idaho Falls, Idaho) – 1 week

Amy Peterson (Yellowstone National Park – Wyoming)

Scott Degeneffe (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Cleveland, Ohio) – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Puenta de la Reina, Spain) – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Puenta de la Reina, Spain)

Willy McAlpine (St. John pied de port, France)

Sara Lockner (Johnston, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 12 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Ogden, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Dayton, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Jesse Howard (Grand Junction, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 22 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 29 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Albert Lea, Minnesota) – 53 weeks

Linda Bennett (Sparks, Kansas) – 58 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 59 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Dawn Krause (Dayton, Iowa) – 67 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 73 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 74 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 85 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 85 weeks

Carla Stensland (Deal’s Orchards – Jefferson, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (West Lake Okoboji – Arnold’s Park, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Wyoming) – 87 weeks

Andy Sharp (Storm Lake, Iowa) – 88 weeks

Andy Sharp (Near Perry, Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 89 weeks

Cathie Morton (Water Works Park – Des Moines, Iowa) – 93 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 94 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Pakwash Lake – between Ear Falls and Red Lake, Ontario, Canada) – 96 weeks

Kio Dettman (Moingona, Iowa) – 98 weeks

Kio Dettman (Moingona, Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 520 weeks

34 participants! That is a pretty great week! Especially for a holiday weekend! There were submissions from all over the place this week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Colorado
+ France
+ Kansas
+ Idaho
+ Iowa
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Ohio
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas
+ Wyoming

Thanks to Amy’s trip, Idaho has been added to this year’s map!

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ 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

36 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 70% 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
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ St. John pied de port, France

I took my picture about 3 miles from my front door, so I continue not to contribute.

There were no major milestones this week. Unfortunately 3 steaks did bite the dust. Suzie and Evie couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Becky’s streak ended at 2.

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:

SHOES – SUGGESTED BY SARAH TOOT

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

But what exactly is a SHOES photo? Simply put, it is an image where SHOES are the subject OR play a major compositional element.

While thinking about the SHOES to photograph for this week’s theme, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image!

Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.
-Marilyn Monroe

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 SHOES in this place that is mostly written in my bare feet next Monday.

Animals, Contests, Flowers, Macro, State Fair

Hold Out Your Hand

August 10, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

I run a lot of miles of life and crime
And mountain climbs and quittin’ times
Packing that load of lyin’ rhymes
And tired jokes and wooden dimes
I’ve been everybody’s friend, everybody’s friend

I could lose my house, I could steal a car
I could serve two masters, living hard
Living like a dog in a cage in a yard
With a fist full of cold hard cash and I can’t let go
The devil can’t have my soul, the devil can’t get your soul
The devil can’t get your soul

Hold out your hand
Take hold of mine and then
‘Round and ’round we go
Don’t you wanna dance?
I’m a dying man
From the moment we began
Hold out your hand
-Brandi Carlile

Some of you might have thought that I might have run out of flowertography images! Some of you might have wished for that. But don’t worry. There are still plenty of flower pictures left in the hopper. The reason this is so late is because I intended to write this post last night, but then I got supper with Becca and talking to her took up most of my night. Then my next idea was to write it this morning before I left for the Iowa State Fair, but the server that hosts my website must have been down for maintenance and it wasn’t back up by 6:30 when I left my house to meet up with Jen and the girls to go down to the Iowa State Fair.

Which reminds, me today is the first day of the Iowa State Fair! If you are going to the Fair and our going to look for my picture, your clue is that is in the Color – People Class. Becky has already found it and sent me a picture of it!

But Thursday isn’t for talk of something as mundane as the Iowa State Fair. Thursdays are for flowers!

These flowers are from my yard: