Category Archives: Nature

Adam, Angie, Art, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Deanna, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Lowell, Michelle, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Night, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 449 – TIME

April 22, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

For no real apparent reason, I thought I would start adding a little photography lesson into these things every month or so. And I mean a very little photography lesson.

This month’s lesson is going to be on bokeh.

What is bokeh?

Bokeh (the Japanese word for blur) is the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image, caused by circles of confusion. Bokeh has also been defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light”. Differences in lens aberrations and the shape of aperture blades and the amount of aperture blades cause very different bokeh effects. There are strong opinions on what is good bokeh and bad bokeh. My use of Lensbaby lenses is frequently because of they produce bokeh effects that I personally enjoy. A photography technique is to use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions, accentuating their lens’s bokeh. It can add a sense of depth and dimensionality to an image and can make the subject stand out more effectively.

Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights, such as specular reflections and light sources, which is why it is often associated with such areas. Bokeh is not limited to highlights; blur occurs in all regions of an image which are outside the depth of field.

How is bokeh pronounced? You will hear people pronounce it in all sorts of different ways. The proper way is like “bow” in a bow and arrow and then the “ke” sound in the word kettle. Although a majority of people may pronounce it like boh – kay.

I hope we all learned something today.

+++++++

TIME! A great theme! But did enough people make TIME in their schedule to submit a photo to make TIME a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, April 15, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week (IA)
2-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks (IA)
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 3 weeks (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL)
4-Mary Green – 3 weeks (2) (MI, IA, IN)
5-Willy McAlpine – 4 weeks (IA)
6-Deanna McClain – 5 weeks (IA)
7-Johnathan Stensland – 5 weeks (IA)
8-Adam Gordon – 7 weeks (IA, MS, MO)
9-Becky Parmelee – 8 weeks (AR, IA, OK)
10-Sara Lockner – 13 weeks (IA)
11-Lowell Davis – 15 weeks (IA)
12-Michelle Haupt – 15 weeks (IA, MO, KS)
13-Alexis Stensland – 15 weeks (IA)
14-Brandon Kahler – 16 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 34 weeks (2) (IA, FL, UT, CO)
16-Mike Vest – 39 weeks (IA, MO)
17-Sheri Fakhouri – 44 weeks (2) (IA, NE)
18-Logan Kahler – 45 weeks (IA, MN)
19-Nathanial Brown – 46 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN)
20-Jesse Howard – 46 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW)
21-Tamara Peterson – 58 weeks (IA, MN)
22-Mindi Terrell – 61 weeks (IA)
23-Linda Bennett – 90 weeks (2) (KS)
24-Sarah Toot – 91 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV)
25-Angie DeWaard – 95 weeks (IA)
26-Dawn Krause – 99 weeks (IA)
27-Kim Barker – 105 weeks (2) (IA, CO)
28-Joe Duff – 106 weeks (2) (TX)
29-Teresa Kahler – 117 weeks (IA, NE)
30-Carla Stensland – 117 weeks (2) (IA, MO)
31-Micky Augustin – 119 weeks (IA, IL)
32-Andy Sharp – 120 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA)
33-Bill Wentworth – 121 weeks (NE)
34-Cathie Morton – 124 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO)
35-Elizabeth Nordeen – 126 weeks (IA)
36-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 128 weeks (2) (IA, CA, NV)
37-Kio Dettman – 130 weeks (2) (IA)

Here is the list of rules for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM (CENTRAL) next Monday.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks or the rules of the challenge or how to submit. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Becky Parmelee (McGarrah Farms – Pea Ridge, Arkansas) – 9 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 45 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Ankeny, Iowa) – 35 weeks

Michelle Haupt (Ankeny, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Kim Barker (Ames, Iowa) – 106 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 96 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Ames, Iowa) 127 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Goodwill Store – Ames, Iowa) – 118 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 47 weeks

Adam Gordon (Ames, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 131 weeks

Johnathan Stensland (Boone, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Lowell Davis (Boone, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Lowell Davis (Boone, Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 46 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 100 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 121 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week

Willy McAlpine (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Clive, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Sara Lockner (The skies over Des Moines, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Carla Stensland (Palisades Dows Observatory – Ely, Iowa) – 118 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa) – 62 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Jasper County, Iowa) – 120 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 40 weeks

Carla Stensland (Palisades-Kepler State Park – Overlook Trail – Cedar River Dam – Mount Vernon, Iowa)

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 125 weeks

Dawn Krause (Ogden, Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Pella, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 59 weeks

Deanna McClain (Perry, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Perry, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Nathanial Brown (State Center, Iowa) – 47 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Summerset, Iowa) – 129 weeks

Linda Bennett (Easton, Kansas) – 91 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 122 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 92 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 107 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas)

37 participants! That is a drop-off from the previous week! Is this the beginning of the end for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE?

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Iowa (37)
+ Kansas (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Texas (2)

Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):

+ Arkansas (9.5)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (1)
+ California (3)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (5)
+ Florida (85)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (3)
+ Indiana (3)
+ Iowa (587)
+ Kansas (24)
+ Louisiana (2)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (6)
+ Mississippi (1.5)
+ Missouri (10.5)
+ Nebraska (25)
+ Nevada (2)
+ New York (11)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (13)
+ South Dakota (3)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (26)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)

26 states so far! 3 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL) – 8
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA) – 7
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW) – 6
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN) – 5
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO) – 4
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA) – 4
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV) – 4
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO) – 4
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN) – 3
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL) – 2
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Sara Lockner (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO) -2
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2

Jen is now in the lead to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” Jesse and Andy are in striking distance though!

The big, huge milestone this week was Dawn joining the TRIPLE DIGIT STREAK CLUB!! WOOHOO!!! But it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. Mary’s streak is no more at 3 weeks. Alexis’ streak is gone after 15 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:

EMOTION – Suggested by Sarah Toot AND Andy Sharp

EMOTION! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see your idea of EMOTION in this place that gets me in the feels next Monday.

Animals, Flowers, Macro, Nature

She Believes In Me

April 18, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

While she lays sleeping
I stay out late at night and play my songs
And sometimes all the nights can be so long
And it’s good when I finally make it home, all alone
While she lays dreaming

I try to get undressed without the light
And quietly she says, “How was your night?”
And I come to her and say
“It was all right, ” and I hold her tight

And she believes in me
I’ll never know just what she sees in me
I told her someday if she was my girl
I could change the world
With my little songs, I was wrong

But she has faith in me
And so I go on trying faithfully
And who knows maybe on some special night
If my song is right
I will find a way
Find a way

While she lays waiting
I stumble to the kitchen for a bite
Then I see my old guitar in the night
Just waiting for me like a secret friend
And there’s no end while she lays crying

I fumble with a melody or two
And I’m torn between the things that I should do
And she says to wake her up when I am through
God, her love is true

And she believes in me
I’ll never know just what she sees in me
I told her someday if she was my girl
I could change the world
With my little songs, I was wrong
But she has faith in me

And so I go on trying faithfully
And who knows maybe on some special night
If my song is right
I will find a way
While she waits
While she waits
For me
-Written by Steve Gibb
-Performed by Kenny Rogers

Just another great love song from Kenny Rogers. The line “I could change the world, with my little songs… I was wrong” always kills me. Especially when it goes on to “But she has faith in me”.

But Thursdays are for flowers. This flowertography collection took place at the Iowa Arboretum.

I actually joined the Iowa Arboretum last year. So, go ahead and feel jealous. I would go on about how my membership there gets me free admission into all sorts of gardens and arboretums all across Iowa and the United States, but I can feel that you are already turning green with envy!

Next week’s flowertography session will return to the confines of my yard.

Art, Christianity, FNSC, Jay, Jesse, Nader, Nature, Still Life, Tenderloining

Fisher of Men: Rural Story County Field Work

April 14, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

A few weeks back FNSC made another stop on the Catholic Fish Fry Circuit. This time we went north of Ames on County Line Road and hit up the culinary offerings of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. A church that I have often wondered what it looked like on the inside. This particular Friday Night Supper Club was attended by your Humble Narrator, Jesse, Jay, and Nader.

Here are some pictures:

First things first. This was by far the best value of any of the Catholic fish fries we hit. Mainly because the dessert was included in the price of admission. All of the other ones had an at-will donation for the desserts. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem throwing in a few bucks for a brownie or a piece of pie or cake. But they didn’t want my few extra bucks.

Here is the other thing to note. The real show stopper here wasn’t the fish, which was very good. It wasn’t the baked potato. Or the cole slaw. Or the green beans. It was the corn. This corn clearly didn’t come out of a can or a frozen steamer bag. This corn came from somebody’s farm. AND… IT… WAS… AMAZING!!!! I immediately was longing for a day in the not too distant future where I would be able to stop and buy some Grimes Sweet Corn from the back of a pickup truck in some random gas station. Despite its flaws that are growing by the day, there are parts that are great about living in Iowa. And buying sweet corn out of the back of a pickup truck is one of those great things. Then eating that sweet corn is even better. When I was eating the corn at this fish fry, dang it, if I wasn’t proud of this state again.

I would definitely add Saints Peter and Paul’s Fish Fry to my list of fish fries that I will hit again next year. There are still more fish fries left to share. Wish it was 3. Stupid Friday wasted at On the Waterfront in Ankeny. You don’t understand. We coulda had class. We coulda been contenders. We coulda been somebody, instead of bums. Which is what we are. Next year, there will be no wasted night in Ankeny. This I swear on the graves of many a fried fish. That I have eaten.

The next food adventure I will share will be another stop on the Central Iowa Catholic Fish Fry Tour. Next year we need to get shirts!

But…

How is my efforting to live a healthy lifestyle going?

This week my weight went down -3.0 pounds. I am now down 29.5 pounds since starting Noom. I am .1 pounds away from reaching my May 1 goal weight. 25.1 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight*. It is nice to officially be on the side where I’ve lost more weight than I need to lose. That is an accomplishment of some kind.

I’m actually surprised that my weight went down this week. On my eclipse road trip I didn’t eat well and spent a ton of times just sitting in cars. Shoutout to whomever brought the peanut butter bars to the Eclipse Party. I crushed an unhealthy amount of those. Pete’s chili was also delicious! I also ate fast food. Had fried food 3 times. Crushed a carrot cake from an Indiana bakery. A raspberry something or other from “the bakery” in Pella. Ate some candy from a candy store in Chariton. Skipped a day at the gym because it closed due to a bomb threat. But I still kept moving as much as I could.

Seems like I should hit my May 1 goal this week. It is ONLY .1 pounds away! But I won’t be surprised if I don’t. Might be a rebound week or a plateau week. Only 1 thing to do, just keep moving.

But weight isn’t the only measure (or even the most important measure) of positive results. I think one of those is I think I’m officially down 1 shirt size. Depending on what company makes the shirt. That is something that is hard for me to judge, cause I don’t really like my clothes touching me too much. But some of my shirts are starting to be too big, even based on my very loose standards for very big. See what I did there?

In the 56 days since I started using FitBit I’ve:

+ Taken 380,541 steps
+ Averaged 12.158 steps a day
+ Walked 316.95 miles
+ Averaged walking 5.66 miles a day

Sometimes I think about going into the Computer Mine an extra day a week, cause it easier for me to get my steps in there, but the if you follow you me on SnapChat you know the main stumbling back against this is Canadian. CANADIANS! But maybe that part of the job is coming to an end. One never knows.

That is all to report for now.

*Ultimate goal weight subject to change.

Nature, Self-Portrait

Backbone

April 3, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Last summer I made a road trip to Backbone State Park cause it had been a long time since I had been there. I chose a poor day to go there as it was crazy hot. I still toughed it out and took a few pictures:

Backbone is a Top 5 Iowa State Park for me. Mostly just for the Backbone Trail. I should try and hit it again this year.

Adam, Alexis, Amy, Andy, Angie, Art, Becky, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Christianity, Dawn, Deanna, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Lowell, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Road Trip, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 446 – #INSTAGOOD

April 1, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

#INSTAGOOD! A great theme! A theme so easy that you could participate if you took one picture this week. But did many people take at least one picture to be able to send us the best picture that they took this week to make #INSTAGOOD a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

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

1-Evie Gorshe – 1 week (IA)
2-Willy McAlpine – 1 week (IA)
3-Tim Panages – 1 week (IA)
4-Elainie Hernandez – 2 weeks (IA)
5-Deanna McClain – 2 weeks (IA)
6-Johnathan Stensland – 2 weeks (IA)
7-Adam Gordon – 4 weeks (2) (IA, MS, MO)
8-Stehanie Kim – 6 weeks (NY)
9-Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks (AR, IA)
10-Sara Lockner – 10 weeks (IA)
11-Lowell Davis – 12 weeks (IA)
12-Michelle Haupt – 12 weeks (IA, MO)
13-Alexis Stensland – 12 weeks (IA)
14-Brandon Kahler – 13 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 31 weeks (IA, FL)
16-Sabas Hernandez – 32 weeks (2) (IA)
17-Mike Vest – 36 weeks (IA, MO)
18-Sheri Fakhouri – 41 weeks (2) (IA)
19-Logan Kahler – 42 weeks (IA, MN)
20-Nathanial Brown – 43 weeks(IA, SD, GA, TN)
21-Jesse Howard – 43 weeks (IA, MO, NE)
22-Tamara Peterson – 55 weeks (IA, MN)
23-Mindi Terrell – 58 weeks (2) (IA)
24-Linda Bennett – 87 weeks (KS)
25-Sarah Toot – 88 weeks (2) (PA, NY, VT, NV)
26-Angie DeWaard – 92 weeks (IA)
27-Dawn Krause – 96 weeks (2) (IA)
28-Kim Barker – 102 weeks (2) (IA, CO)
29-Joe Duff – 103 weeks (TX)
30-Teresa Kahler – 114 weeks (2) (IA)
31-Carla Stensland – 114 weeks (IA, MO)
32-Micky Augustin – 116 weeks (IA, IL)
33-Andy Sharp – 117 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA)
34-Bill Wentworth – 118 weeks (NE)
35-Cathie Morton – 121 weeks (IA, FL, BHS)
36-Elizabeth Nordeen – 123 weeks (IA)
37-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 125 weeks (IA)
38-Kio Dettman – 127 weeks (2) (IA)

An observant observer might be wondering why Carla’s streak is intact. She did get a submission in at the horn, but not soon enough for it to be included in the email blast. But is up on the website. You can go look at last Monday’s post and verify.

Here is the list of rules for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM next Monday.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.
3. Sometimes, for special people, for special circumstances, we can negotiate something.

WPC - WEEK 446 - #INSTAGOOD - SUZIE BRANNEN

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Hampton, Virginia) – 1 week

Layla Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Michigan) – 1 week

Monica Jennings (Ankeny, Iowa) – 1 week

Amy Peterson (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Tim Panages (Ankeny, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Deanna McClain (Perry, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Johnathan Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Adam Gordon (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Tulsa, Oklahoma) – 7 weeks

Sara Lockner (Ogden, Iowa) – 11 weeks

Lowell Davis (Boone, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Michelle Haupt (Overland Park, Kansas) – 13 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Story City, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 32 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Ogden, Iowa) – 33 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 37 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 42 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 43 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Des Moines, Iowa) – 44 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 44 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 56 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa) – 59 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 88 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 89 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 93 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 97 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 103 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 104 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 115 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 115 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 117 weeks

Andy Sharp (Red Oak, Iowa) – 118 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 119 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 122 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 124 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (West Des Moines, Iowa) – 126 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 128 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Mines of Spain State Recreation Area – Dubuque County, Iowa) – 550 weeks

42 participants! That is a great week! Breaking the previous high for this year held by DECORATION at 40. I believe 42 ties the all-time high. Held by the #INSTAGOOD theme from last year. But I’d have to check my records to confirm that.

Thanks to Becky’s trip we added Oklahoma to the Photography 139 Submissions Map!

Thanks to Jen’s trip we added Virginia to the Photography 139 Submissions Map! Virginia was one of the states we didn’t get a submission from in 2023! So that makes it extra exciting!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Iowa (34)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Michigan (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Texas (1)
+ Virginia (1)

Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):

+ Arkansas (6.5)
+ Bahamas (1)
+ California (1)
+ Colorado (4)
+ Florida (3)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (1)
+ Indiana (2)
+ Iowa (444)
+ Kansas (19)
+ Louisiana (2)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (6)
+ Mississippi (1.5)
+ Missouri (8.5)
+ Nebraska (18)
+ Nevada (1)
+ New York (9)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (12)
+ South Dakota (3)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (20)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)

25 states so far! 1 foreign country! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:

+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA) – 7
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA) – 6
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA) – 4
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV) – 4
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN) – 3
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS) – 3
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE) – 3
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BS) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL) – 2
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL) – 2
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Sara Lockner (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO) -2
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO) – 2

Andy holds a 1 state lead over Jen to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!”

There were no big milestones reached this week. However, Layla submitted for the first time this year! WooHoo! There was some sadness. Evie couldn’t build on her submission from last week and her streak is over before it began. Elainie’s streak is over after 2 weeks. But worst of all, Steph’s streak goes down after 6 weeks!

PASSION – SUGGESTED BY SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY

PASSION! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I’m not describing the themes this year unless I think they need a little explanation. One thing to remember that PASSION is not just something you like bunches and bunches. PASSION is something you are willing to suffer for. When you take your pictures, would you be willing to take a punch to the face for this thing? Would you be willing to take something worse for this thing? If the answer is “yes”, then you have a PASSION subject.

I look forward to your interpretation!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see your idea of PASSION in this place that is a bit of passion project next Monday.

Art, Dad, Macro, Mom, Nature, Still Life, WPC - Alternate

Does She Mean You Forgot About Me?

March 26, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

A few weeks back the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme was SENTIMENTAL. Thought I would share some of the spare images I took for the theme that didn’t make the cut.

SENTIMENTAL was a good theme. A real thinker! I hope everybody enjoyed it as much as I did.

Nature, Railroad, Ruins, Self-Portrait, WPC - Alternate

And I Thought My Heart was Detached

March 12, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Seems like a good time to share some alternate images I took for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme LEADING LINES. I took all of these pictures on a hike through the backside of McHose Park.

These pictures are almost 3 weeks old, but looking at them, it dawns on me that I should get some pants that fit better. No promises though. I’m still not finished with my cleaning out my closets project. I’m close though. Pretty dang close!

Nature, Still Life

One More Girl Who Brings Out the Better in You

March 9, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Been a minute see I cleared out the backlog. All of these images are from June of last year. They just never quite found their way into a post. Some are from the first use of the pizza oven. Some are of a sunset. Some are from a quick trip to Boxholm.

Always feel good when a little backlog gets cleared out!

Flowers, Lensbaby, Naima, Nature

I Fall to Pieces

February 22, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I fall to pieces
Each time I see you again
I fall to pieces
How can I be just your friend?

You want me to act like we’ve never kissed
You want me to forget (to forget)
Pretend we’ve never met (never met)

And I’ve tried and I’ve tried
But I haven’t yet
You walk by and I fall to pieces

I fall to pieces
Each time someone speaks your name (speaks your name)
I fall to pieces
Time only adds to the flame

You tell me to find someone else to love
Someone who love me too (love me too)
The way you used to do (used to do)
But each time I go out with someone new
You walk by and I fall to pieces
You walk by and I fall to pieces
-Written by Hank Cochran & Harlan Howard
-Made Famous by Patsy Cline

I do love the song “Crazy” but “I Fall to Pieces” is really my favorite Patsy Cline song.

But Thursdays are for flowers. And most of this flowertography session took place in my yard, but there are some bonus pictures (including one of Naima) that I took at Dickcissel.

The next flowertography collection will be less experimental. A bit more macro.

Basketball, Nature, Olympic Sports, Still Life, WPC - Alternate

For You

February 6, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

I took a few pictures for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme RULE OF THIRDS. Mostly around Memorial Park, but a couple at Franklin and a couple in downtown Boone. Here are some that I liked, but not enough to submit for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

We did so well with the rule of thirds, I think next year I will have to make the golden ratio or the golden spiral a theme. What do you think?