A few weeks back I decided to tackle Page 93 for THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:
Because of my ninja like stealth, I decided that a fly would be the best thing to sneak up on. If I had chose a human, eventually the lens would just slam against their head. Then they would be annoyed.
Here are a few other photos from this project:
Next time we check in on THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT we’ll look at Page 98.
On the last Saturday of my vacation I headed up to the downtown Boone area to stroll around and complete Page 33 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:
This was a little photo experiment that I enjoyed more than I anticipated. I would encourage anybody to try it.
I put an 18-135 zoom lens on my camera for this page. I decided I needed the extra challenge of also zooming blindly, in addition to composing blind for some reason.
Another thing that I didn’t expect to be so hard about the project (for me personally) was to have to so blindly trust auto-focus.
If you are getting a little bored in your photography, I definitely urge you to try this for an hour or so. It is more fun than it sounds. One other added bonus is not seeing the pictures takes us old-timers back to the days of film and not being able to get that instant gratification of what the picture looks like.
Here are the other pictures I took on this photo jaunt that I like (to one degree or another) but won’t physically be placed in the physical copy of A PHOTO JOURNAL:
I did not crop or straighten any of the pictures.
Next time we check in with THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT we will most likely check in on Page 93.
Back in August I went up to Minnesota to visit some of my favorite peeps, but I also had an ulterior motive. For years I’ve driven up to the Twin Cities area and just south of Lakeville I would come across a strange collection of sculptures on the east side of I-35. I’ve never been able to figure out how to get there. Or for that matter, what it even was.
This trip to Minnesota I vowed to crack the mystery. Before supper Bethany, Nora, and Dae Hee and I and a sense of wonderment loaded up into a vehicle and tried to solve the mystery… and solve the mystery, we did.
After some wrong turns we finally located the source of the wonderful mystery sculptures. The source was Hot Sam’s Antiques and Foto Park. For $10 your party could take as many cruddy cell phone pictures as you wanted. It was $25 for an actual camera-camera.
We plunked down the Hamilton and wandered and wondered around the Minnesota magical wonderland that is Sam’s Foto Park. Here are some cell phone pictures from this wondrous adventure:
Dino Bustin’
So this is what happened to the bus from TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
Dae Hee in Repose
Nora LOVED this car!
#outhousesofinstagram
I both love and am creeped out by old industrial trucks!
This is a fence of nightmares!
Worst Pixar movie ever! Not counting the worse sequels.
Plan 9 from Outer Space?
You know this would look amazing in my yard!
My birthday is 7 months away… If you start saving now…
You can have Disneyland. Give me Hot Sam’s Foto Park. Every day of the week and… wait for it…. thrice on Sundays!!
The world wasn’t ready for these MACRO pictures for the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE on Monday. I’m not sure that the world is ready for them now, but I can’t hold them back any longer:
The grand majority of these pictures were taken in my back yard. The first seven were taken at Herman Park. The closed eye is Kim Barker. It was taken behind the building at the Day Job.
Now that I’ve been back to reality for 7 days, probably a good time to go over my vacation.
FRIDAY
Left work at 4 PM or so. Vacation starts.
Had FNSC with Willy. Ate at Colorado Grill.
After Colorado Grill. Started watching a new show, NARCOS.
SATURDAY
Breakfast at Legal Limit with Mom.
Photography for Amber and Steve’s Wedding.
SUNDAY
Went to the Lutheran Church in Gilbert with Jesse and Nader to celebrate Nader’s 30th year in the United States.
Ate lunch at the church with some of the people that helped Nader when he got to the country.
Went to Gene’s farm to admire his car collection.
Sent this picture to Russell of Youth Nazis harassing this old woman.
Sent this picture to Logan because he sent me a picture trying to make me jealous of his lunch.
A Studebaker with an El Camino back.
Naima getting her pills.
Went to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad and Shorty was there working it.
While this food stand looks awesome, the ice cream isn’t that great.
MONDAY
Loaded up Mom’s car and headed for Mount Rushmore.
Stopped in Sioux Falls for gas, human fuel, and Falls Park. It rained all the way to Sioux Falls.
Falls Park
Mom struggles with the selfie concept.
Confused by the bridge they built to seemingly just to wreck the view.
I wonder what this picture would look like with me in it.
Oh. Like that.
I give Falls Park the thumbs up. I’ll have to go back when I have more time at some point.
Stopped for gas again next to 1880 town.
Stopped at Wall Drug right before it closed.
Still don’t have the selfie thing down.
Free Water.
Pretty horrible restaurant across the street from Wall Drug.
I’d give Wall Drug the bird. Don’t waste your time. A bunch of touristy garbage with ridiculous hours.
Got to Rapid City and checked into a hotel with free WI-FI and continental breakfast.
TUESDAY
Got up in the morning and ate continental breakfast at the hotel. Had a lengthy conversation with two women from Arizona that came up there for the Buffalo Roundup.
Left for Mount Rushmore.
First view of Mount Rushmore
View from the parking lot.
One armed woman took this picture for us.
Getting better at the selfie game.
What Mount Rushmore was supposed to look like, but they had to stop because of WWII. Another thing we can blame on Hitler.
I give Mount Rushmore the thumbs up.
At the base of Mount Rushmore we ran into Brad Dighton. The cousin of a member of my church. He gave us several pro tips for the area. We weren’t able to get to all of them, but maybe next time.
One of his pro tips was take the Iron Mountain Road to Custer State Park.
All of these tunnels point back to Mount Rushmore. You can’t tell in the picture, but trust me.
I give the Iron Mountain Road the thumbs up.
Custer State Park is a great example of white privilege. I have no clue why a park is named after Custer. His 2 claims to fame are graduating last in his class at West Point and then getting his buttocks handed to him at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Custer Park (like the man) was more hype than pay off. We were told we would see hundreds of buffalo. We saw one. That being said, the feral donkeys and the prairie dogs made up for the lack of buffaloes.
I give Custer Park a thumbs up, but it didn’t live up to the hype.
After we left Custer, we went to Needles Highway.
Still working on the selfie game.
We’re starting to get there.
Needles Highway is a road about the width of McHose Park road, but with a 400 foot drop to your death on one side. It is amazing!
I give Needles Highway a big thumbs up!
After that we went to Hill City to eat lunch/dinner at a place recommended to us by Brad Dighton. That place was closed, so instead we dined at the Hill City Cafe.
We bought fudge there.
Hill City Cafe wasn’t terrible, but it certainly was not great. Thumb sideways.
After that, we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial.
Almost there!
We might’ve regressed on our selfie game.
I’d give Crazy Horse another big thumbs up! My only complaint is that all the information seems to be on the family carving the memorial and hardly anything on Crazy Horse himself. You know, the guy that ripped Custer’s buttocks off and handed them back to him. He took out Custer’s brothers while he was ate it. Crazy Horse was an OG.
Pro Tip: Pay for the $4 bus ride.
After leaving Crazy Horse, went back to Mount Rushmore for the lighting ceremony.
Paid and extra dollar for the Thomas Jefferson ice cream.
The lighting ceremony kind of drags on for awhile, but the part where they bring veterans on stage and take the flag down is powerful. While waiting (forever) for them to light up the mountain we became single serving friends with Lance Young. A former Iowa State wide receiver that played in the Dan MacCarney era.
After the lighting we went back to Rapid City and crashed.
WEDNESDAY
Got up in the morning and hit the continental breakfast. Hard. Going home day. No time for single serving friends. Ate and hit the road.
Stopped at Badlands National Park.
Still working on it.
I think we have it. At least we’re in striking distance.
Taken by a woman who was friendly, but strangely afraid of falling down the side to her death. She has no future as a Photography 139 Assistant!
“I’ll take one to the side and one of you in the middle.”
Not afraid of the edge. Pimp.
Badlands. 2 big thumbs up. They just need to work on their rattlesnake game.
Next stop on the way home was to see the Dignity Sculpture. It looks like the Big Jesus in Sioux City, only less creepy. I don’t have a picture with the cell phone, but when I unleash the camera pictures, there is one there.
The next stop was Mitchell. I was going to avoid the Corn Palace but it just lined up with when we needed gas and human fuel.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER in corn. Well, I can’t hate that.
Mic Drop! I think we finally nailed it!
Last time I went to the Corn Palace, I gave it the bird. I’m going to upgrade it to just a thumbs down. It is worth seeing, if you don’t waste time going inside.
We stopped at a place called The Hungry Dog for lunch.
The Hungry Dog was by far the best eating experience of the trip. 6 out of 5 Stars!!! It only seats about 5 people on the inside and after the only employee took our order, made our food, and delivered it; she locked the door and told us she’d be right back. She had to go pick up her kids from school.
I loved every second of my experience!
The last stop of the evening was in Jefferson for gas and human fuel.
1424.3 miles in 3 days.
Then home for sleep.
THURSDAY
Did not much in the day. Hung up a bunch of pictures in my bedroom. Cleaned out the guest bedroom now that Alexis has moved out.
Picked Derrick up for the Iowa State game.
Well almost everything about that game sucked, except the company.
FRIDAY
I can’t remember next to anything that happened on Friday.
I visited Scottie D. to get a yard sign. He is running for City Council for Ward 5.
Also had FNSC with Willy. Think it was at Jimmy’s Barbecue.
SATURDAY
Don’t remember much about Saturday either.
Went uptown during YesterBoone to complete another page of the Photo Journal Project.
Went out to McHose Park and with Jesse’s assistance completed yet another page of the Photo Journal Project.
After that, we went to a Gender Reveal Party for one of the members of the Youth Group. It’s a Girl!!
Headed up to Jay’s for Chili Lab. Both Jay and Wily made great chilis and we enjoyed a viewing of KONG ISLAND.
SUNDAY
Got up and went to church at Boone First United Methodist Church.
Then lunch with the family.
Meeting for the Council to Elect Degeneffe.
Then I went to the Freedom Flight Send-off to see Jesse’s Dad.
Monica’s mom made a bouquet that they took with them to place on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Then I went home. Sat on my couch and soaked up the last few hours of vacation, before being back at the grind on Monday.
I’ve been back to work one week. Already fantasizing about the next time I dip my toes into the PTO pool.
Kio recently invited me to take some photos in the National Pet Memorial Day ceremony put on by the Boone Area Humane Society.
I actually found the ceremony way more powerful than I expected it to be. I think anybody that has an animal immensely improve the quality of their life (like I have) would find the ceremony emotional.
I thought I would share a few of the words that Kio shared during the ceremony:
National Pet Memorial Day is the day we honor and remember beloved pets that are no long with us. But actually that’s not quite true, because those pets are still with us in our heart and our mind.
Whatever the animal may be, they all have the ability to grab on to our heart and never leg go. An in our mind we all the great experiences we had with out pet.
Animals bring so much to a person’s life yet ask so little in return. They love us no matter what. They love unconditionally. All they ask and need is we love them back, play with them, make sure they have food, water, veterinary care and are generally cared for. And those who love animals can attest, all that is easy to do.
What is not easy to do is to say goodbye to our pet. That is why it is so important to love them while they are here.
That is why National Pet Memorial Day is not only about the pets we’ve loat but about those still with us. Never take our pet for granted. Today remember those pets we’ve loved and lost but also today when you go home give your pet an extra bit of loving or when get that new pet, and you will, love them too. You could not find a better way to honor the memory of the pet that you have lost…
Here are a few pictures from the ceremony:
After Kio’s words, Pastor Doug gave a blessing. Then a couple of people read poems. Then refreshments were dispensed. It was a truly memorable experience.
Last week was an insane week and I didn’t get out in my element much. Therefore, there aren’t many NATURE alternates I didn’t use. But here they are:
The newspaper photo was taken in a garage stuffed with old Buicks about a mile north of the terrible town of Gilbert.
The next two photos were taken down by the Des Moines River near Milton Lott’s Grave. You don’t know the story of Milton Lott. Well the short version is that his dad Henry was a coward and a murderer.
The last two photos were taken in McHose Park.
I’m back from South Dakota, so it is time to reveal last week’s submissions for NATURE:
ANGIE DEWAARD 2
CATHIE RALEY 1
JOE DUFF
CATHIE RALEY 2
MICKY AUGUSTIN 1
MICHELLE HAUPT
MICKY AUGUSTIN 2
SARAH KARBER
SHANNON BARDOLE
TAMARA PETERSON
CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
KIM BARKER
ELIZABETH NORDEEN
NATURE is always one of my favorite week’s of SUBMISSIONS. Hoping WHITE is just as good!
This is your weekly reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is NATURE!
Get in your car and visit your favorite park or river or lake or stream or ocean or maybe your backyard. Meet back up with Mother Nature.
Happy photo harvesting!
A few weeks back I took what I thought might be one of the more intriguing pages in THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT. Page 19.
How do you determine when is the “right now” from the page? What I did was randomly pick a day and a time and set a timer on my phone. On that day I took off driving. Then when my timer went off I gave myself a few minutes to pull over. Then I used the lens that was on the camera. A medium length and range zoom lens. Then I gave myself a few minutes to take a photo. That was how I defined right now.
Here are a few other pictures I took, but won’t end up taped into the physical manifestation of THE PHOTO JOURNAL:
Interestingly enough, during this little photo subject, due to the limitations I placed upon myself, a picture for Page 50-51 was taken. A picture of one of our slithery friends.
