Category Archives: Iowa State

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WPC – WEEK 417 – SHOES

September 11, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I need to point out that today is the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States over 20 years ago.

I think I’ve recounted my experience on 9/11 here before. I think it probably wasn’t much different than most people that didn’t live in an attacked city. Going through all the stages of disbelief. Calling and waking people up. Knowing the world would never be the same. But not realizing it actually wouldn’t change that much.

But we are now 22 years out and a person begins to feel aged because of all the people in his life that weren’t even alive when 9/11 happened. Then I think of all the people that have left my life in those 22 years. Then I think of all the people that have come into my life in those 22 years. Then I think of the people that came into my life and then left my life in those 22 years. Gives a person pause.

Here’s to remembering all those that lost their lives on 9/11 and those that continue to have to fight all the health problems caused by being a first responder on that day.

And in that vein I want to share the speech that the great Jon Stewart gave to a nearly empty Congressional chamber fighting for funding to help with the ever mounting health care bills that those First Responders faced and still face.

I want to thank Mr. Collins and Mr. Nadler for putting this together. But, as I sit here today, I can’t help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting health care and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to.

Behind me: a filled room of 9/11 first responders.

And in front of me: a nearly empty Congress.

Sick and dying, they brought themselves down here to speak — to no one.

It’s shameful.

It’s an embarrassment to the country.

And it is a stain on this institution.

And you should be ashamed of yourselves for those that aren’t here, but you won’t be because accountability doesn’t appear to be something that occurs in this chamber.

We don’t want to be here. Lu [Detective Luis Alvarez] doesn’t want to be here. None of these people want to be here. But they are, and they’re not here for themselves. They’re here to continue fighting for what’s right. Lu’s going to go back for his 69th chemo. The great Ray Pfeiffer would come down here, his body riddled with cancer and pain, where he couldn’t walk; and the disrespect shown to him and to the other lobbyists on this bill is utterly unacceptable.

You know, I used to get…I would be so angry at the latest injustice that’s done to these men and women and, you know, another business card thrown our way as a way of shooing us away like children trick-or-treating, rather than the heroes that they are and will always be.

Ray would say, “Calm down, Johnny. Calm down.” “I got all the cards I need.” And he would tap his pocket…where he kept the prayer cards of 343 firefighters. The official FDNY response time to 911 was five seconds. Five seconds! That’s how long it took for FDNY, for NYPD, for Port Authority, for EMS to respond to an urgent need from the public.

Five seconds.

Hundreds died in an instant. Thousands more poured in to continue to fight for their brothers and sisters.

The breathing problems started almost immediately. And they were told they weren’t sick — they were crazy. And then, as the illnesses got worse and things became more apparent, “Well, okay, you’re sick but it’s not from the pile.” And then, when the science became irrefutable, “Okay, it’s the pile — but this is a New York issue.” I don’t know if we “have the money.”

And I’m sorry if I sound angry and undiplomatic, but I’m angry — and you should be too; and they’re all angry as well. And they have every justification to be that way. There is not a person here, there is not an empty chair on that stage that didn’t tweet out, “Never forget” the heroes of 9/11; never forget their bravery; never forget what they did, what they gave to this country.

Well here they are! And where are they? And it would be one thing if their callous indifference and rank hypocrisy were benign. But it’s not. Your indifference cost these men and women their most valuable commodity: time. It’s the one thing they’re running out of.

This should be flipped — this hearing should be flipped: These men and women should be up on that stage and Congress should be down here answering their questions as to why this is so damn hard and takes so damn long; and why, no matter what they get, something’s always pulled back. And they gotta come back.

Mr. Johnson [Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Rep. Georgia], you…made a point earlier and it was one that we have heard over and over again in these halls. And I…couldn’t help but to answer to it, which was — you said, “Look, you know, you guys are obviously heroes and 9/11 was a big deal but, you know, we have a lot of stuff here to do. And, you know, we got to make sure there’s money for a variety of disasters, hurricanes and tornadoes.”

But this wasn’t a hurricane. And this wasn’t a tornado. And by the way, that’s your job, anyway. We can’t fund these programs — you can. Setting aside that no American in this country should face financial ruin because of a…health issue, certainly 9/11 first responders shouldn’t have to decide whether to live or to have a place to live.

And the idea that you can only give them five more years of the VCF [be]cause you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen five years from now — well, I can tell you I’m pretty sure what’s going to happen five years from now: More of these men and women are going to get sick and they are going to die. And I am awfully tired of hearing that it’s a…9/11 New York issue. Al-Qaeda didn’t shout “death to Tribeca.”

They attacked America, and these men and women, and their response to it, is what brought our country back. It’s what gave a reeling nation a solid foundation to stand back upon, to remind us of why this country is great, of why this country is worth fighting for. And you are ignoring them!

And you can end it tomorrow. Why this bill isn’t unanimous consent and a standalone issue is beyond my comprehension. And I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation for why. It’ll get stuck in some transportation bill or some appropriations bill and get sent over to the Senate, where a certain someone from the Senate will use it as a political football to get themselves maybe another new import tax on petroleum — [be]cause that’s what happened to us in 2015.

And we won’t allow it to happen again.

Thank God for people like John Feal.

Thank God for people like Ray Pfeiffer.

Thank God for all of these people who will not let it happen.

They responded in five seconds. They did their jobs with courage, grace, tenacity, humility.

Eighteen years later — do yours!

Thank you.

Jon Stewart gave that speech on June 11, 2019. The next day the Never Forget the Heroes Act was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. On July 12, it passed out of the House of Representative by a vote of 402-12. On July 17, Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul blocked the bill from being voted on in the Senate. Remember that when those douchebags tweet out a “Never Forget” meme today. Because they 100% did forget.

On July 23 the bill did pass the Senate by a vote of 97-2. You can guess who the 2 that voted against it were.

Once passed it funded the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund until 2092. The 9/11 First Responder Luis Alvarez that is referenced in the speech passed away after he testified before Congress and before the bill was passed.

When you see all the Never Forget memes posted today. Remember what and whom it is that you are “never forgetting”.

+++++++

SHOES! They are gross, smell bad, you can’t get a woman to wear practical ones, but they are often interesting and the right ones can make your legs and butt look fantastic! But, was SHOES a shoe-in for a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, September 4, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Lori Backous – 1 week (2)
2-Susanna Funk – 1 week
3-Amy Peterson – 1 week (2)
4-Scott Degeneffe – 2 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
6-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks (2)
7-Mary Green – 5 weeks (3)
8-Sara Lockner – 5 weeks
9-Mike Vest – 9 weeks
10-Sheri Fakhouri – 12 weeks (2)
11-Monica Jennings – 13 weeks
12-Logan Kahler – 13 weeks
13-Nathanial Brown – 14 weeks
14-Jesse Howard – 14 weeks
15-Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
16-Alexis Stensland – 22 weeks (2)
17-Mindi Terrell – 29 weeks (3)
18-Brandon Kahler – 53 weeks
19-Linda Bennett – 58 weeks
20-Sarah Toot – 59 weeks
21-Angie DeWaard – 63 weeks
22-Dawn Krause – 67 weeks
23-Kim Barker – 73 weeks
24-Joe Duff – 74 weeks
25-Teresa Kahler – 85 weeks (3)
26-Carla Stensland – 85 weeks (3)
27-Micky Augustin – 87 weeks
28-Andy Sharp – 88 weeks (2)
29-Bill Wentworth – 89 weeks
30-Cathie Morton – 93 weeks
31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 94 weeks
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 96 weeks
33-Kio Dettman – 98 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:

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 23 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 89 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Center Grover Orchard – Cambridge, Iowa) – 64 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 90 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Carla Stensland (Titanic Museum – Branson, Missouri) – 86 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 94 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa) – 15 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 75 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 74 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 99 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 59 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Beaverhead Mountains, Wyoming) – 88 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 10 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 30 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Ogden, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Monica Jennings (Ogden, Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 60 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Trout River Lodge – Ear Falls, Ontario, Canada) – 97 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Chukuni River in rural Ear Falls, Ontario, Canada)

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Susanna Funk (Colorado) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 18 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 86 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Alto del Perdon – Spain) – 4 weeks

34 participants! A great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Canada
+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Missouri
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas
+ Wyoming

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:

+ 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

I took my picture about 15 miles from house. So I continue to not extend the map!

The big milestone this week was Vest joining the Double Digit Streak Club. WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses and smelly shoes. Lori and Amy could not build on last week’s submissions and their “streak” ends at 1.

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:

SKY

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

But what exactly is a SKY photo? Simply put it is a picture where the SKY is either the main subject of your picture OR plays a major compositional element of the image. It can be a picture of clouds or a sunset or a sunrise or of the moon or something that is in the sky. Like a plane or a bird or a balloon or Superman.

While thinking about possible subjects for your SKY picture, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a fascinating image!

No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky.
-Bob Dylan

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 SKY in this place that stops me from seeing the clouds as much as I should next Monday.

Art, Dahlia, Football, Greyson, Holidays, Iowa State, Kalista, Logan, Music, Street Photography

And You Always Say I’m Never Satisfied

June 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Seems like a good time for another backlog cleanup. These images were taken in October of 2022, but never really fit into any other “An Artist’s Notebook” posts. Most of these were taken before the Iowa State-Kansas State football game. A game that Iowa State completely handed away to the eventual conference champions. Last year was absolutely an awful season for Iowa State, but the fact that they lost so many games by so few points, gives one hope for this season.

Here is this backlog collection:

The neighbor lady giving candy to Dahlia unfortunately has dementia. She is the sweetest lady, but because of her memory loss, sometimes she shows up at my house confused and she doesn’t know where she is. It breaks my heart.

Art, Iowa State, Night

Fountain of the Four Seasons – Night

May 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Because the Fountain of the Four Seasons in being restored and replaced, I made two trips to photograph it before it left. I already shared the pictures I took during the day. Here I’m going to share the pictures I took at night. But first, here is some information about the restoration and replacement from the Iowa State University Memorial Union website:

The Fountain of the Four Seasons by Christian Petersen, Iowa State’s artist-in-residence from 1934-55, has been an iconic landmark on campus for 80 years. The fountain and pool itself were donated by the VEISHEA committee in 1937 and the Maidens were added later in 1941. This beautiful fountain at the north entrance of the Memorial Union is cherished by students and campus visitors alike, typically being a popular spot for graduation photos, or a place to relax between classes. The President’s Office has commissioned a conservation project to place the original 1941 Maidens from the Fountain of the Four Seasons indoors and have a replica carved and placed in the fountain.

Once the replicas are completed, the original Maidens will return to campus and be placed in a building yet to be determined by University Museums. The replicas will also be installed onto the fountain. This project is estimated to be done by Fall 2023. However, the replicas will need to cure for 30 – 40 days upon installation. Due to this being close to the winter season, the fountain will not be turned on until Spring 2024.

Here are the pictures:

The campus won’t be the same until the fountain returns.

Animals, Art, Football, History, Iowa State, Nature

Jack and the Zodiac

May 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

A few months back I went around Iowa State and took a few pictures. I started at Jack Trice Stadium to see the new Jack Trice Sculpture. It was around this time that they unveiled the new sculpture “Breaking Barriers” to honor Jack Trice.

Here is the public art statement on a beautiful piece of art:

By all accounts, Jack Trice was an exceptional student and a skilled athlete. In the pocket of a jacket he wore before his first game, was a note he had written to himself: “My thoughts just before the first real college game of my life: The honor of my race, family & self is at stake. Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will.” Jack Trice, the first Black student athlete at Iowa State, died two days later on October 8,1923 as a result of injuries sustained on the football field during that game.

At the time that Jack enrolled at Iowa State, only a handful of African Americans attended Iowa State, in a state in which less than one percent of the population was Black. Nationally, only a few African Americans played collegiate football at that time, with many schools having policies – formal or informal – against integrated teams. Jack was mindful of the risks, but also committed to rising to and above the challenges before him. “My whole body & and soul are to be thrown recklessly about on the field tomorrow,” he wrote. “Every time the ball is snapped I will be trying to do more than my part.” Jack Trice had overcome substantial odds to don the Iowa State uniform.

Jack Trice has been seen as both a hero and as a victim, and his story is one that remains relevant today. The legacy of Jack Trice is at once that of a yet-unrealized dream and an unfulfilled promise, as well as a call to the same bravery and conviction he showed. It is a legacy for our student athletes, for our students of color, for our institution, and for all members of the Iowa State community who make sacrifices to pursue their dreams against difficult circumstances.

At the same time they unveiled “Breaking Barriers” they also renamed the road that is south of Jack Trice Stadium after Jack Trice.

After taking a few pictures there I went to the campus and took a few pictures around the Memorial Union.

If you aren’t steeped in Iowa State University lore, first of all – how dare you! Secondly, you might be wandering about the Zodiac. Don’t worry baby birds, I’ll feed you.

From the Iowa State Memorial Union website:

Architect/designer William T. Proudfoot chose to incorporate the ancient symbols of the zodiac into the north entry floor — classic Greek/Roman mythology for a classic-Greek/Roman-style building. In the 20’s, the zodiac was not as well known as it is now. Proudfoot planned for intentional wearing away of the bronze forms by placing them above the surface of the floor – to be sculpted further by building users until, eventually, they would be the same level as the floor. We know that by 1929, students had decided that if you stepped on the zodiac, it was unlucky – that you’d flunk your next test. Rumor has it that the students created this “curse” because they liked the raised effect of the zodiac and they wanted to preserve the zodiac signs even though it went against what the architect originally intended. Now most students, hedging their bets, walk around. If you accidentally invoke the curse, you can throw a coin in the fountain to take it away!

Take that Proudfoot!

Currently The Fountain of the Four Seasons is being restored, so it is gone. Current Iowa State students can’t reverse the curse because there is no fountain to throw a coin in. If they walk across the zodiac, I guess they should just drop out of school or try transferring to a lesser academic institution. Good thing for them, there are a ton of those out there.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Iowa State, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Night, Ruins, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 399 – SCHOOL

May 8, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

SCHOOL! It isn’t much fun, but it is the best shot at social mobility, so it has to exist. But did SCHOOL get people excited enough to take a picture and submit it? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 1, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Nathanial Brown – 1 week
2-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
3-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
4-Sara Lockner – 1 week
5-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
6-Mike Parmelee – 1 week
7-Mike Vest – 1 week
8-Alexis Baugher – 4 weeks (3)
9-Scott Degeneffe – 4 weeks (2)
10-Jesse Howard – 4 weeks (2)
11-Mindi Terrell – 10 weeks (3)
12-Monica Jennings – 16 weeks (2)
13-Tamara Peterson – 26 weeks
14-Brandon Kahler – 35 weeks (3)
15-Linda Bennett – 40 weeks (2)
16-Sarah Toot – 41 weeks (2)
17-Angie DeWaard – 44 weeks (2)
18-Dawn Krause – 49 weeks (2)
19-Kim Barker – 55 weeks
20-Joe Duff – 56 weeks
21-Logan Kahler – 58 weeks
22-Teresa Kahler – 67 weeks (2)
23-Carla Stensland – 67 weeks (3)
24-Micky Augustin – 69 weeks
25-Andy Sharp – 70 weeks
26-Bill Wentworth – 71 weeks
27-Cathie Morton – 75 weeks
28-Elizabeth Nordeen – 76 weeks
29-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 78 weeks
30-Kio Dettman – 80 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:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 45 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 77 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 81 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 41 weeks

Alexis Baugher (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Alexis Baugher (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Nevada) – 42 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 72 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) 68 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Ohio) – 2 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (New York) – 2 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 57 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 76 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 71 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 79 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 50 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 2 weeks

28 participants! That is a pretty good week! A slight dip from last week, but still definitely a good week!
There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ New York
+ Ohio
+ Texas

Thanks to Sabas’ work trip to Ohio, we were able to add a new state to the map! We actually now have more than half the states and districts. 26 out of 51! I have no belief that that I will get submissions from all 50 states, but I’m curious to see how close we get.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

25 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over halfway there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture about 15 miles from my front door, so I continue to not contribute.

There were no major milestones this week, but there was a veritable bloodbath of streaks. Nathanial, Willy, and Mike couldn’t build on their contribution last week. Scott’s streak is over at 4. Most tragically, Tamara’s 26 week streak is over.

RUINS

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

But what in the Ron Harris is a RUINS image? Simply put, it is a picture of something that is in the state of physical destruction or disintegration. Something that is in bad shape.

While considering possible subjects for your RUINS image, mediated on the following quote and I have no doubt you will create a fascinating image:

We moralize among ruins.
-Benjamin Disreali

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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 RUINS in this place that will one day lay in digital destruction next Monday.

Art, History, Iowa State

The Fountain of the Four Seasons – Day

May 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Last year I took some pictures of the The Fountain of the Four Season at Iowa State University as they were getting ready to take it down and do some restoration work to the fountain.

Here is a little history of the Fountain of the Four Seasons from the Iowa State Museums website:

According to Dr. Lea Rosson DeLong in her book Christian Petersen, Sculptor (2001), the Fountain was inspired by Petersen’s work in 1936 illustrating a children’s book, Cha-Ki-Shi, with the Meskwaki tribe at the Tama settlement. Petersen “consulted with geneticist-poet friend J.C. Cunningham, who shared that interest.” The professor soon supplied a four-line Osage chant:

Lo, I come to the tender planting
Lo, a tender shoot breaks forth
Lo, I collect the golden harvest
Lo, there is joy in my house.

First created in plaster for consideration by President Friley, these sculptures were sent to the national cornhusking championship in Davenport, where they were met with approval. The four plaster Maiden models can be found in Curtiss Hall.

The central ring of terra cotta surrounding the fountainhead features corn shoots beginning to grow. This connects the chant of Osage harvest to the educational and agricultural heritage of Iowa and Iowa State University through the cultivation of corn as a symbol of the cultivation of an education.

Along with the Maidens and the terra cotta ring, even the design of the spray of water was created by Petersen.

Petersen rarely described his works, but in this case, he explained how the curving jets that spout inward toward the center column of water reflect the shapes of nature, that the sculptures and water together with the poetry of the chant express balance and harmony with nature. -curator Dr. Lea Rosson De Long

I don’t know anything about J.C. Cunningham, but I do always worry when I see somebody referred to a “geneticist” in the 1930s. It was definitely not the golden age of genetics. To say the very least.

I also took some night pictures of the fountain. I will get into the restoration effort of the fountain when I share those pictures.

Here are some daytime pictures of the fountain:

I won’t pretend to be a huge fan of Christian Peterson. There is something about the hands of his sculptures that creep me out. However The Fountain of the Four Season is truly one the treasures of Iowa State University and their public art program. Which is one of the largest campus public art programs in the United States. I will be excited when the fountain “returns”. But it is going to be a minute.

Basketball, Iowa State, Lists, Nader, Night, Street Photography

5 Star Bridge

April 1, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Wow! Iowa did it! The Iowa women’s team ended South Carolina’s 42 game win streak and shocked the world by a score of 77-73. Caitlin Clark scored 41 points. She is the first player in history to score 40 points in back to back tournament games. On Sunday at 2:30 they will play Louisiana State for the National Championship.

Louisiana State is coached by Satan, I mean Kim Mulkey. Some people, who don’t know me well, find it shocking when they find out the sports person I root against the most vehemently is Kim Mulkey. “A women’s basketball coach?” They say with a fair amount of incredulousness.

“Yes, and there isn’t even a close second.”

Not Duke basketball. Not Notre Dame football. Not Nebraska football. Not North Dakota State football. Not Baylor football. Not Kansas basketball. Not Texas football. Not Texas basketball. Not the New York Yankees. Not the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not whatever NBA team Kyrie Irving plays for this week. Not Iowa in any sports.

But if I had to pick a second, it would be Texas in all sports.

Trust me, if you watch the game on Sunday, and endure her antics on the sideline, you will get it. That is without me telling you about how she covered for Baylor during their rape scandal. Or her infamous “people in the know” comment.

However, I clearly admit that if she is not the best coach in women’s basketball, she is one of the best. The only other coaches I would put on her level are Geno Auriemma at UCONN, Dawn Staley at South Carolina (although I have to say she was very clearly outcoached by Lisa Bluder last night), and Tara VanDerveer at Stanford.

For example, Mulkey left Baylor two seasons ago. In her final season at Baylor, they went 28-3 and made it to the Elite Eight. The year before that, the tournament was cancelled, but they were a favorite to win the Championship. The year before that they did win the National Championship. When she left, Baylor had won 11 straight Regular Season Big 12 Championships. Baylor had won 9 of the last 10 Big 12 Tournament Championships.

The year before Kim Mulkey moved to Louisiana State they had a 9-16 record. LSU hadn’t made it to the NCAA Tournament since the 2016-17 season. They hadn’t made it out of the first round since the 2013-14 season.

Two years later, LSU is 32-2 and about to play for the National Championship.

Meanwhile, Baylor slipped to 5th in the Big 12 this season and they have lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament both years since Kim Mulkey left. They are still good, but they aren’t cutting down any nets any more. (This year they lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament to Iowa State.)

After the Hawks bested the Cocks last night, I texted a couple people that the only mystery left now is whether or not Iowa will repeat as National Champions next year. I know that is pretty dismissive of Louisiana State. But I am pretty confident that Iowa will beat Louisiana State. They are a good team with good players, including Angel Reese, one of the best in the country. Kim Mulkey will be going for her 4th National Championship. I still think Iowa has a team of destiny feel to them. And while Caitlin Clark will be back next season (and possibly the season after that)*, Czinano will be gone. Warnock will be gone. To use a metaphor from the NBA, Czinano is definitely Clark’s Pippen to her Jordan. And remember who got that rebound with 20 seconds to go essentially sealing the win over South Carolina, that was Warnock. Iowa has 2 freshman coming in, but the one that is highly regarded (Ava Jones) was in an accident where a car ran over her family and killed her dad. It is still to be determined if she will ever be able to play basketball again. That doesn’t leave the cupboard bare. Marshall, Davis, and Martin can all use the Covid year and come back. Iowa State transfer Kylie Feuerbach should be back from injury. Iowa will certainly be an attractive landing spot for any transfers looking to play in a packed arena and to record television ratings.

My prediction is Iowa will win the game, but I expect it to be a very exciting game. The game is at 2:30 tomorrow and will be televised on ABC.

Since the NCAA Tournament is like a holiday for me. It is the end of the sports season, until college football season begins in September. A time of year where I cancel my television package and save a few bucks over the summer. Kind of like a Lent for this sports fan. Lasting from the end of the men’s National Championship Game until the kickoff of the first college football game. Probably some people out there that won’t like that analogy.

But bear with me, since I consider the NCAA Tournament to be a holiday and on holidays I like to release power rankings, I’m going to release my power rankings of the college coaches at Iowa’s 4 “major” universities in the 3 main sports I care about. Yes, Boomer Saia (Iowa State Tennis) and I’m sure whomever coaches wrestling at Iowa are pretty impressive, but they definitely aren’t in the top 3 sports I care about. While Andy has worked on me for years now, I’m still not sure I even consider wrestling a sport.

IOWA UNIVERISITY COACH POWER RANKINGS

12. Todd Stepsis – Drake Football Coach
11. Tanya Warren – Northern Iowa Women’s Basketball Coach
10. Mark Farley – Northern Iowa Football Coach
9. Fran McCaffery – Iowa Men’s Basketball Coach
8. Ben Jacobson – Northern Iowa Men’s Basketball Coach
7. Allison Pohlman – Drake Women’s Basketball Coach
6. Bill Fennelly – Iowa State Women’s Basketball Coach
5. Kirk Ferentz – Iowa Football Coach
4. T.J. Otzelberger – Iowa State Men’s Basketball Coach
3. Matt Campbell – Iowa State Football Coach
2. Darian DeVries – Drake Men’s Basketball Coach
1. Lisa Bluder – Iowa Women’s Basketball Coach

This list was harder for me to put together than I thought. The bottom and the top was pretty easy. But I feel the middle could be very fluid. If Allison Pohlman has another great season, she could definitely climb. If Fennelly has another distavorous offseason, he could fall. 2 weeks ago he would have been higher. FIVE players transferring later, he is lucky to be above Allison Pohlman. If McCaffery ever wins a couple games in a tourney, he could climb. What does Otzelberger do with the highest ranked recruiting class in school history? What transfers does he bring in? Does Campbell rebound from a bad season last year? Does Ferentz ever fire his worthless son? Does Jacobson ever return to the form he showed at the beginning of his career? Or should he have jumped ship seconds after Ali Farokhmanesh hit that 3 against Kansas all those years ago.

My decisions are final. No interviews at this time.

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Seems like a good day to share some pictures I took of the Iowa State Pedestrian Bridge I took a couple months ago. Some day when I release my bridge power rankings, it will be #1. Something like: 3. Brooklyn Bridge. 2. Golden Gate Bridge 1. Iowa State Pedestrian Bridge.

I took these pictures with Nader after going to a movie. If you are ever looking for somebody to just wander into your shot over and over and over and over and over and over again, I can recommend Nader for the job.

This bridge is phenomenal it has it’s own Twitter account and strikes fear into the hearts of Big 12 fans from Lubbock to Morgantown to Lawrence to Stillwater. You can check it out by clicking the link below:

Iowa State 5 Star Bridge – Twitter

If you haven’t had a chance to walk this bridge on an Iowa State Gameday you need to put it on your bucket list.

* If Iowa is smart,(I know technically the university can’t be involved) they will line up all the sponsors they can find and make Caitlin Clark a multi-millionaire by tomorrow. Do whatever they can to get her to come back for the extra Covid year. If Olivia Dunne and the Cavinder twins (I’m not blind, I know why they make so much money) can make a million dollars, Caitlin Clark should be making several million dollars. I know Caitlin Clark is a polarizing figure. There are people that don’t like all of her playing to the crowd and all of her trash talking and all of her flopping and her arguing with refs. To be honest, I don’t like the flopping. I don’t like the constant arguing with the refs, but she is the best thing that has happened to women’s basketball, probably ever. Tickets to the Women’s Final Four are more expensive than tickets to the Men’s Final Four. Trust me, those ticket prices are not skyrocketing because people want to see what incredibly stupid outfit Kim Mulkey is going to wear.

As for the trash talking and playing to the crowd. I love both of those aspects of her game. For example, in the South Carolina game she refused to guard Raven Johnson because she is a bad 3 point shooter. At one point “guarding” her from 10 feet away and then waving her off, basically begging her to shoot. In the Louisville game she told a Louisville player that was running her mouth to “Shut up. You’re down by 15.” I love me some good trash talk. My absolute favorite moment of Iowa State’s men’s season (and I know he was a big part of why our season tanked at the end) was when Caleb Grill hit a big 3 against Texas than ran over to their bench and told Texas’ coach that he needed to call a timeout.

Andy, Angie, Baseball/Softball, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Iowa State, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 393 – COMPETITION

March 27, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

EDITOR’S NOTE: MY WORK SCHEDULE HAS TEMPORARILY CHANGED DUE TO EXTREME SHORT STAFFING AT THE COMPUTER MINE. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE PUBLISHING OF THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE POST MIGHT GET MOVED BACK AT LEAST 30 MINUTES UNTIL THE STAFFING SHORTAGE HAS PASSED. WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

It is the last Monday of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

What skill level photographer can participate?

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is open to photographers of all skill levels. From award winning photographers to professionals to the highly ranked amateurs to those that are just beginning to those who don’t even know how to focus a camera. All skill levels are encouraged and welcome. You can’t be too bad and you can’t be too good! Everyone has room to learn and be challenged!

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 5 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
No.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that start to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.

If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough to me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their largest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

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COMPETITION! A great theme! But did it fire up the competitive juices of a ton of people? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week (3)
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
5-Mindi Terrell – 5 weeks (2)
6-Suzie Brannen – 9 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 9 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 9 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 10 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 10 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 30 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 34 weeks (2)
14-Sarah Toot – 35 weeks (3)
15-Angie DeWaard – 39 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 43 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 48 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 50 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 51 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 61 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 61 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 63 weeks (2)
23-Andy Sharp – 64 weeks (2)
24-Bill Wentworth – 65 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 69 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 70 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 71 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 74 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:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 66 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 51 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 75 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 35 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 71 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 44 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 49 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 31 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 36 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 52 weeks

29 participants! That is a great week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

There were no new states added to the map.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 15 miles from my front door. So I didn’t add to the map, yet again.

There were a couple of big milestones this week! Suzie, Monica, and Jesse both reached double digit streaks. Logan reached the One Year Club!

But it wasn’t all sunshine and happiness! Scott, Sara, and Becky couldn’t build on their submissions last week to get to two week streaks!

BLUE

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

But what is a BLUE image? It is simply an image where the subject or a major compositional element of the image is the color BLUE. That is it! Almost too simple!

While thinking about a possible subject for your submission, meditate on the following quite and I have no doubt that you will come up with a great image:

She had blue skin, And so did he. He kept it hid; And so did she. They searched for blue; Their whole life through, Then passed right by – And never knew.
–Shel Silverstein

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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 BLUE in this place that hopefully never gives you the blues next Monday.

Art, Basketball, Birthdays, Iowa State, Linda, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Street Photography, Teresa

Loyal Forever True

March 19, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today by wishing my Aunt Linda a happy birthday. Happy birthday Aunt Linda!

I hope your birthday is filled with as much joy and happiness as you can handle!

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Last Sunday I went down to the Kansas City with Teresa to watch the Big 12 Championship Game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Texas Longhorns (Horns Down!). The game was held in Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium. At this point it is more historic than anything else. This is the last time the Women’s Tournament will be played there because at this point… while it isn’t quite a dump… it is horribly outdated. It is still cool to look at. It is a beautiful building, but the facilities aren’t anywhere near what they need to be hold a major sporting event. Next year the tournament will be played at the OTHER Hilton South. T-Mobile/Sprint/Corporate Sellout Arena or whatever it will be called by then.

While that will definitely be an upgrade for the players, the bad part is that the Big 12 will be splitting the Men’s and Women’s Tournaments up. They will be on separate weeks. That part sucks. I think that the Big 12 was the only conference that does it right and now there are no conferences that do it right. Oh well.

Municipal Auditorium has hosted more Final Four games than any other arena in history. It has hosted it 9 times. It has not hosted a NCAA tournament game since 1964 and still holds the record.

It has also hosted concerts for some of the most famous musicians in history:
+ Elvis Presley
+ The Beach Boys
+ The Who
+ Jimi Hendrix
+ Jackson 5
+ Led Zeppelin
+ The Rolling Stones
+ Elton John
+ Eric Clapton
+ Jefferson Starship
+ Rush
+ Genesis
+ Black Sabbath
+ Van Halen
+ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
+ Prince
+ Hall & Oates
+ Black Sabbath
+ Kiss
+ Metallica
+ Beastie Boys
+ Green Day
+ Red Hot Chili Peppers
+ Dolly Parton
+ Tenacious D
+ Shaun Cassidy

To name a few.

Here are some cruddy cell phone pictures from the day trip to Missouri and back.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

There are 2 things that you can only find good versions of in Iowa. Chocolate milk and tenderloins.

I love Whataburger, but their breakfast is not as good as their lunch.

Pep Rally.

Power and Light District.

President Wintersteen.

Bill Fennelly with his grandchildren.

I don’t think Texas even had a pep rally.

Jeff Johnson.

Cy, Iowa State cheerleaders, and the Iowa State Pep Band. This is the good life!

Hard to see, but traditions travel!

Randomly ran into Nate’s best friend in a seedy Kansas City alley.

Such a cool looking building.

Pretty sure if there was a fire in this building, lots of people wouldn’t make it.

So many cool Art Deco touches.

Concessions weren’t great.

I did fist bump the Texas mascot. (Horns down!)

Ashley Joens – The GOAT.

Had to talk to these ladies about their shoes.

Coach.

Ashley.

I’ve paid my dues. Time after time. I’ve done my sentence. But committed no crime…

Goodbye Municipal!

It was a good trip. We parked at our cousin Melissa’s house and she and her husband drove us to and from the area. Was pretty sweet. Like having our own personal Uber drivers. Personal Uber drivers that buy you breakfast and bring you a drink from Sonic after the game.

Of course the best part of the trip was Iowa State winning the Championship!! They won every game in the tournament by double digits, but all of the games were close until they pulled away late. It felt particularly good to see Iowa State beat teams that have had our number the last few years, like Baylor and Texas. And it was particularly sweet to beat Oklahoma in the semi-finals as one of their players is a transfer from Iowa State and is Ashley’s sister Aubrey. It had to be a little bittersweet for Ashley to beat her sister, but probably a lot more sweet than bitter.

Regardless of how the season finished in the NCAA Tournament it was a great season and they will be able to hang another banner in the rafters of Hilton at the beginning of next season!

Elainie, Formal Portrait, Iowa State, Sabas

Elainie & Sabas 2022 – Vol. 3

February 12, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time for another Formal Portrait Sunday. This is the final collection of images from the photo shoot with Elainie & Sabas from last fall. There aren’t many pictures left to share, so this is a pretty small collection.

I only have one more formal portrait photo shoot to share. Hopefully we will start on that one next Sunday.