Today is Alexis’ birthday. So I need to wish her a happy birthday.
I hope it is a magical birthday! Dirty Slytherin…
Time to share the final set of BLACK & WHITE pictures I took on the 4th of July that were alternates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Most of these were taken at Scottie D.’s 4th of July Bash.
4 days of glorious BLACK & WHITE images down! 3 more days to go.
Today is Logan’s birthday, so I have to wish him a happy birthday!
I hope your day is filled with quality garage sale finds and a ton of photo opportunities!
Today is also Derrick’s birthday, so I also need to wish him a happy birthday!
I hope your birthday is filled with camping and some tasty face melting guitar solos. Probably some Pink Floyd as well.
Time to share more alternate BLACK & WHITE images for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. These BLACK & WHITE images I took on July 3.
3 days of glorious BLACK & WHITE images shared! 4 more days to go!
Can you believe that this is the 5,250th entry in the blog known as “An Artist’s Notebook”? Every 250 posts or so I like to take a moment to reflect on where this post has been and post a lot of meaningless stats.
As always on these posts, I like to start by quoting the very first “An Artist’s Notebook” entry that published on August 9, 2006. That first post that published 6,296 days.
That post that started with these words:
So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.
Since those words, I have posted 5,250 journal entries. This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.
On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.
Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:
THE TOP 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #5005 & INCREASE SINCE BEGINING OF 2024)
10. Carla – 632 (#10 – 39)
9. Formal Portrait – 655 (#6 – 6)
8. Teresa – 657 – (#9 – 49)
7. Road Trip – 657 (#8 – 32)
6. Macro – 662 (#7 – 26)
5. Jesse – 754 (#5 – 54)
4. Animals – 833 (#3 – 34)
3. Art – 842 – (#4 – 75)
2. Flowers – 1,010 (#2 – 40)
1. Black & White – 1,221 (#1 – 27)
No categories dropped from the Top 10. The categories with the best shot at cracking the Top 10 in the next 250 posts are Shannon, Nature, WPC-Submissions, Candid Portrait, & Still Life.
THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Candid Portrait – 504 (#9 – 16)
9. WPC-Submissions – 563 (NR – 27)
8. Nature – 568 (#8 – 26)
7. Formal Portrait – 655 (#5 – 6)
6. Road Trip – 657 (#7 – 32)
5. Macro – 662 (#9 – 26)
4. Animals – 833 (#3 – 34)
3. Art – 842 – (#4 – 75)
2. Flowers – 1,010 (#2 – 40)
1. Black & White – 1,221 (#1 – 27)
Photoshop dropped out of the Top 10.
The categories with the best shot of cracking the Top 10 in the next 250 posts are Still Life, Photoshop, Naima, History, and Self-portrait.
THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Willy – 379 (NR – 27)
9. Vest – 388 (#10 – 29)
8. Micky – 399 (#8 – 29)
7. Logan – 428 (#7 – 37)
6. Kim – 441 (#6 – 35)
5. Mom – 473 (#5)
4. Shannon – 615 (#4 – 30)
3. Carla – 632 (#3 – 39)
2. Teresa – 657 (#2 – 49)
1. Jesse – 754 (#1 – 54)
Jay dropped out of he Top 10. The categories that have the best chance of breaking into the Top 10 in the next 250 posts are Andy, Jay, Jen, Sara, and Derrick.
If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 208 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but no real reason. Some of those categories probably need to be purged. I do like to cover the Top 10 of the Bottom 100 though.
THE BOTTOME 10 OF THE TOP 100
10. Nathanial – 82 (+29)
9. Layla – 84 (+8)
8. Commercial – 84 (0)
7. House – 91 (+1)
6. Writing – 92 (0)
5. Becca – 92 (+2)
4. Pastor Sarah – 93 (+2)
3. Pufferbilly Days – 95 (+4)
2. Tenderloining – 96 (+25)
1. Faust – 96 (+4)
The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:
Andree, Flat Earth Joe, Self-Portrait Project, and Sabas
The following categories have the best shot at dropping back into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Russell, Nate, Jill, Blogging, Sabas, and Lowell.
The following categories have the best shot at climbing up into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Andree, Photo Journal, Self-Portrait Project, Flat Earth Joe, and Mary.
I’m now starting to track what categories have had the greatest gain. These are the ones that have the greatest gain since the beginning of 2024.
THE TOP 10 CATEGORIES BY GAIN
10. Kim – 35
10. Andy – 35
10. Michelle – 35
8. Logan – 37
8. Elizabeth – 37
7. Carla – 39
6. Flowers – 40
5. Teresa – 49
4. Jesse – 54
2. Still Life – 72
2. Street Photography – 72
1. Art – 75
THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES BY GAIN
9. Nature -26
9. Nature – 26
7. Black & White – 27
7. WPC – Submissions – 27
6. Road Trip – 32
5. Animals – 34
4. Flowers – 40
2. Still Life – 72
2. Street Photography – 72
1. Art – 75
THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES BY GAIN
9. Scottie. D. – 33
9. Linda – 33
9. Sabas – 33
6. Kim – 35
6. Andy – 35
6. Michelle – 35
4. Logan – 37
4. Elizabeth – 37
3. Carla – 39
2. Teresa – 49
1. Jesse – 54
If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.
I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who.
10. Naima – 72,941 views
9. Drone – 73,421 views
8. 9 Emotions Project – 98,062 views
7. Weekly Photo Challenge Year 3 – 124,533 views
6. Town Sign Project – 127,555 views
5. Tenderloining – 134,777 views
4. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 172,671 views
3. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 11 – 192,976 views
2. Instagram – 212,131 views
1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 11 – 289,984 views
Galleries that fell out of the Top 10 are:
Las Vegas 2023, Weekly Photo Challenge Year 9, Selfie Project – 2022,
Galleries that fell just outside of the Top 10 are:
Life, 365 Day Photo Project -2013, Memphis – 2023, New Orleans – 2024, Phot Journal Rejects.
But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.
9. 2,508 views
8. 2,812 views
7. 3,774 views
6. 3,875 views
5. 3,999 views
4. 4,020 views
3. 4,305 views
2. 4,816 views
1. 20,050 views
If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:
I think that is enough. We will check back in, in another 250 posts.
Day 7 in New Orleans was supposed to be relatively short. Tony and I had a 10:20 flight. So we would leave for the airport a little after 8. We would grab a connecting flight in Denver and be back in the Cyclone State by 3:30. But the best laid plans of mice and men…
Here are the pictures from Day 7. The final day.
About the time I was going to order an Uber we got a message from Southwest Airlines. Our flight had been delayed until noon! We decided to delay our trip to the airport until 10. That gave me time to go down and try to see the famous Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1. I didn’t get to see it because you have to pay for a tour, which is fine, but the tour lasted too long for me to take it. Anyways, saw this sticker. Enjoyed it.
On the way to the airport we got a text from Southwest that our flight had been moved back to its original flight time. Meaning that we missed our flight. Southwest was less than helpful. They told me to run and I might make the flight. Yeah, this was the security line. While waiting in it (this is TSA Pre-Check) Southwest sent me a message that my flight had left. Thanks!
I had to go back and get booked on a flight that wouldn’t leave until after 6. The fortunate thing for me was that they had checked my bags in. So I could go into the airport. They hadn’t checked Tony’s bag in, so he couldn’t go into the airport until 4 hours before the flight.
Not a fan of Southwest.
Another look at the security lines. This is the one that isn’t TSA Pre-Check.
Waited with Tony for a bit before going in.
Thanks airport.
NASA display.
Southerners love their Moon Pies!
Airport art.
Southerners love their Moon Pies!
Southerners love their moon pies!
Not in the mood for this toy at this time.
No lies detected.
For the Swifties that also love crawdads!
I know a big fan of the Golden Girls.
Southerners love their moon pies.
Finally in the air!
Bellisimo!
Landed in the home of Toasted Ravioli!
This sign made me so happy!
Goodbye Land of Toasted Ravioli.
Tony and Shannon dropped me off at my doorstep a little after midnight. It was a long, boring day. It was good to be home. 2 days later I would be welcoming Bokeh into my life and this trip feels like such a distant memory, even though it was only a month ago.
At some point I’ll begin sharing the pictures I took of New Orleans with the real camera!
Today is my mother-in-law Colleen’s birthday, so I need to wish her a happy birthday.
I hope your birthday is magical!
I didn’t take many phone pictures on Day 2 and Day 3 in New Orleans, so I’m combining them into one post. Day 2 is when the work begins on setting up for The Big Meeting. Day 3 involves a “training” session and then finishing off setup. But I had sometime to explore on those days.
Here are the pictures:
Then I took a walk up to Jackson Square to see if it was open. It wasn’t.
But got a nice view of the Saint Louis Cathedral.
Then I walked down the river walk and found this cool collection of love locks.
I would love to know this story.
Preach.
Tony and I got to the Convention Center while they were still putting the booth together.
This is by far and I mean by FAR the fastest internet we’ve ever had in a booth.
These snacks were delicious!
The booth put together.
Back at the hotel. I’m kind of a connoisseur of southern mayonnaise. This one has ALL the yolks.
One of my goals was to ride the trolley.
They stopped the trolley so this girl could take a graduation photo with it.
Inside trolley.
Pralines!
That night I had supper with Kim, Michelle, Diane and Gina. Afterwards I ended back up at Jackson Square.
This is the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial.
Final picture I took before going back to the hotel.
Day 3 starts with a 4 hour training session that feels like 8 hours.
Back to the Convention Center.
Got done early enough that I could see the inside of the Saint Louis Cathedral.
They took credit cards.
It is pretty in there.
The altar.
I didn’t take a horse and carriage ride. But I wish I had.
Best name for a restaurant. Ever!
The Rolling Stones played the Jazz Festival the night before.
Taking the trolley to the Garden District.
This guy openly boozed on the trolley. Was super friendly.
Nood Fountain in Audubon Park.
Back on Canal Street. Maybe my favorite graffiti ever.
Last cell phone picture of Day 3.
Still 4 more days of cell phone pictures left to share.
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:
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! 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.
So this is the final collection of images from my third trip to the Iowa State Fair. This might be my favorite collection as while I love taking pictures at any part of the Iowa State Fair, taking pictures at night is maybe my favorite. Although taking pictures before dawn is also pretty great. Even though I went to the Iowa State Fair 4 times last year, this was the only time I was there after the sun went down. That seems like an oversight I should remedy this year. Maybe I’ll take in a concert at the State Fair this year. I do have my eye on one anyways.
I want one of these shirts really bad.
Sabas even asked if he could buy one, but that is strictly against company policy. Boo!!
And you know I only boo for important things! Like turning the lights on.
Never been a fan of poutine.
Although this is the end of the images from my third trip to the Fair, next Friday will begin the collection of images from my final trip to the Fair. Although that collection will be smaller. It was the final day of the Fair and the temperature was close to 100. It wasn’t pleasant, to say the least.
The Saturday after the Iowa State Women played for the Big 12 Championship, the Men did the same thing. The played the #1 team in the country, the Houston Cougars. The two teams had split the regular season games. Each team winning on their home floor. Both schools went undefeated at home this year. The only two schools to do that. I was expecting a very tight and hotly contested game, but the rubber match ended up being not much of a game. Iowa State blasted the #1 team in the country by 28 points. The first victory for Iowa State since all the way back in 2022. It was one of the largest margins of victory over the #1 team in history.
It was a completely unexpected result. A conference championship was a little unexpected for the Cyclones at the beginning of the season. They didn’t get a single vote in the AP Preseason Poll. However, they were expected to be at least decent. That lost some pieces from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, but they brought back almost all the key pieces. Plus they brought in some scoring punch for the backcourt in the transfer portal ad they brought in 2 freshman that are expected to play in the NBA. But, Iowa State ended up being much better than expected, thanks mostly to the vast improvement of Tamin Lipsey from his freshman year to his sophomore year.
Here are some pictures from the trip I made to the game with Jesse:
Garth Brooks played the Boone County Fair, we didn’t hang a banner for it.
Pretty much every Houston fan at the game in one picture.
The best point guard in the country, hope he is healthy next year.
This guy made his hat.
MVP!
Best coach in Iowa State history?
BRE!
This picture was for a project I’ve already decided to abandon.
Charlie Hustle had a pop up store. All the clothing in there was super cool!
It was a great day! But it wasn’t the last road trip I took to watch Iowa State play in the postseason!
I told you I would give you the info on as many local area fish fries as I could, on this the opening day of Catholic Fish Fry season. Here is the list I have compiled:
St. Malachy, Madrid
Feb. 16 & 23 & March 8 & 22
4:30-7
Prices Unknown
Sacred Heart, Boone
Feb. 16 & March 1 & 15
5-7
Prices: Unknown
Saint Cecilia, Ames
Feb 23 & March 1 & 8
5-7 PM
ADULT: $12
CHILD: $5
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Ames
Feb. 16 & March 22
5-7
Adult $10
4-12: $5
Group of 4: $35
Assumption, Granger
Feb. 16 & 23 & March 1,8, 15, 22
5:30-7
Prices: Unknown
Sts. John and Paul Catholic Church, Altoona
Every Friday
4:30-7
Adults $14
Children 6-12 $6
5 and younger – FREE
1401 First Ave. S., Altoona
Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church, Ankeny
Feb. 23, March 8, and March 22
5-7
Free Will Offering
510 E. First St., Ankeny;
St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, Ankeny
Feb. 16, March 1, and March 15
4:30-7
Free Will Donation
1102 NW Weigel Drive, Ankeny
All Saints Catholic Church, Des Moines
Every Friday except Good Friday
5-7
Adults: $11
Children 5-12 $8
Under 5: FREE
650 NE 52nd Ave., Des Moines
Basilica of St. John, Des Moines
Feb. 16 & 23; March 1, 18, 15, & 22
4:45-6:30
Adults: $12
Children 4-10: $5
3 and Under: FREE
Max of $50 for families
1915 University Ave., Des Moines
Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Des Moines
Feb. 16 March 1 & 22
5:30-7
Adults: $12
Kids 5-11: $6
2926 Beaver Ave., Des Moines
St. Ambrose Cathedral, Des Moines
Feb. 16 & 23 & March 1, 8, 15, & 22
11:30-1
Flat $8
607 High St., Des Moines
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Des Moines
Feb. 16 – March 22
4:30-7
Adult: $13
Kids: $5
Under 6: FREE
Family Max: $40
3300 Easton Blvd., Des Moines
St. Mary of Nazareth Catholic Church, Des Moines
Feb. 16 & 23 – March 1, 8, & 22
5-6:30
Adult: $13
Couple: $25
5-12 $7
Under 5: FREE
4600 Meredith Drive, Des Moines
St. Theresa Catholic Church, Des Moines
Feb 16 – March 22
5:30 – 7 PM
Free Will Offering
1230 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines
St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, Norwalk
Every Friday during Lent
5:30-7
Adult: $12
5-12: $10
720 Orchard Hills Drive, Norwalk
St. Boniface Catholic Church, Waukee
Every Friday during Lent
5-7
Adult: $12
5-7: $7
4 and under: FREE
1200 S. Warrior Lane, Waukee
Sacred Heart Catholic Church, West Des Moines
Every Friday during Lent
5:30-7
Adult: $14
4-10: $7
Under 4: FREE
Family Max: $45
1627 Grand Ave., West Des Moines
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, West Des Moines
Every Friday During Lent
5:30-7
Adults: $15
6-11: $5
Under 6: FREE
7075 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines
I think I’m going to hit up the fish fry in Boone tonight. FNSC is going high end the following Friday, but then I might be back on the Fish Fry Circuit the following Friday. I definitely want to hit the fry in Granger at some point. Maybe one in Ames. Maybe one down in Des Moines. What can I say? I like fish and some of the ones in the Des Moines area are very intriguing. Some have fish tacos. Who has 2 thumbs and loves fish tacos? You can’t tell but right now I’m pointing back at me with both my thumbs. Take my word for it.
It feels like a good time to release some of the pictures I took on my trip to the State Fair with the Degeneffes. I went down there with them to help and document Austin competing in the State Fair barbecue contest. We got to the fairgrounds like 4:30 AM. Which seems early, but is a great time to roam the fairgrounds in the dark with virtually nobody there. It is actually kind of amazing, actually.
Here are some pictures:
I hope somebody I know makes it to the State Fair barbecue contest again next year, so I can wander around the fairgrounds mostly alone again.
Still plenty more pictures to share from this trip to the fair to share!
Time to share the rest of the images that were rejected for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. Some of these are similar to ones included in the calendar. They come from a wide range of projects. From auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to alternates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE to some just good old flowertography
There is still one more post about the 2024 calendar left. Then we can put it to bed or up on some walls.
