Category Archives: Still Life

Junk Jaunt

Back in October I went on a Junk Jaunt with Carla and Teresa. I didn’t buy much, a few stickers here and there, but I did have a great time and saw many interesting things.

Here are some pictures from the day:


Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Junking Jaunt - 2022

Hopefully we will be able to go on one of these again next year!

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is SILENCE:


WEEK 385 - SILENCE
SILENCE

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

But what exactly is a SILENCE image? I mean you can make the case that all pictures are in SILENCE, but for this theme I urge you to really search out a place of SILENCE and capture your image there, while not breaking the SILENCE.

Happy photo harvesting!

Washington County Aux. – Vol. 1

Back in early July I took a day and tooled around Washington County harvesting their town signs. The two best things in Washington County is that it is the home of Riverside, which is the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. The other awesome part is it is the home of Kalona, my favorite town in Iowa to visit. However, I didn’t spend much time in Kalona on this trip.

Here is the first collection of images:


Johnson County - Oxford
Oxford

Johnson County - Oxford

Johnson County - Oxford

Johnson County - Oxford

Johnson County - Oxford

Johnson County - Oxford

Washington County - Riverside
Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

Washington County - Riverside

There are many things up for debate in this world. But one thing that isn’t, is that the best captain the Enterprise ever had or will have was James T. Kirk.

Still more to share from this trip!

Christmas 2022

Need to start today off by wishing Angie a happy birthday:


04-30-08

I don’t know I’ve seen Angie in person in years, so that is a picture of her pitching Little White Lye Soap.

I hope your birthday has all the mirth that you desire!

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I had a good Christmas. I got up and went to church, cause it was on a Sunday. Then I went over to Teresa’s house for homemade pizza. We probably made too many pizzas, but since some were experimental, that was okay. Then I went out to Carla and Jason’s for a bit to watch ALIEN. Or at least the beginning of ALIEN.

Here are some pictures from Teresa’s:


Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Some of these pictures were taken by Logan.

I hope your Christmas is one you still remember fondly.

WPC – WEEK 384 – RED

RED. A great color. I don’t know a person who doesn’t look great in cardinal. However, was RED a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Nathanial Brown – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week (2)
3-Monica Jennings – 1 week
4-Sara Lockner – 1 week
5-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
6-Mike Vest – 2 weeks
7-Tamara Peterson – 11 weeks
8-Brandon Kahler – 22 weeks
9-Linda Bennett – 25 weeks (2)
10-Sarah Toot – 26 weeks (4)
11-Angie DeWaard – 30 weeks
12-Dawn Krause – 34 weeks
13-Kim Barker – 40 weeks
14-Joe Duff – 41 weeks
15-Logan Kahler – 43 weeks (3)
16-Teresa Kahler – 52 weeks (2)
17-Carla Stensland – 52 weeks
18-Micky Augustin – 54 weeks
19-Andy Sharp – 55 weeks
20-Bill Wentworth – 56 weeks
21-Cathie Morton – 60 weeks
22-Elizabeth Nordeen – 61 weeks
23-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 63 weeks
24-Kio Dettman – 64 weeks

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:


WEEK 384 - RED - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 31 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 53 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 62 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 55 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 56 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 57 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (Texas) – 42 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 65 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 26 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WEEK 384 - RED - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 44 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 64 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 27 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 12 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Missouri) – 2 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Missouri)

WEEK 384 - RED - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Missouri)

WEEK 384 - RED
Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 53 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Florida) – 61 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Florida)

WEEK 384 - RED - BRANDON KAHLER
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 23 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - SARA LOCKNER
Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

WEEK 384 - RED - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 384 - RED - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 35 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 384 - RED - MONICA JENNINGS
Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 2 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 384 - RED - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

WEEK 384 - RED - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Iowa) – 41 weeks

WEEK 384 - RED - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE
Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 384 - RED - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Iowa) – 3 weeks


29 participants! That is an awesome week! The best so far this year!

We had submissions taken in:
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Florida and Missouri are new additions to the map, Making this year’s list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

That is 9 states. We’ve covered almost 20% of the states!

Once again, I did not help. I took my picture in my living room. But Nathanial and Cathie filled in a couple more states for us!

It wasn’t all good news though. Willy’s couldn’t extend his streak to 2 weeks.

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:


WEEK 385 - SILENCE
SILENCE

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

But what exactly is a SILENCE image? I mean you can make the case that all pictures are in SILENCE, but for this theme I urge you to really search out a place of SILENCE and capture your image there, while not breaking the SILENCE.

While considering a place of SILENCE for you to photograph, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will capture a great SILENCE image:

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.
-Mother Teresa

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 SILENCE in this place that’s anything but next Monday.

Allamakee County Aux – Vol. 3

Time for the third collection of auxiliary images I took on my road trip with Teresa to harvest the town signs of Allamakee County.


Allamakee County - Lansing
Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - Lansing

Allamakee County - New Albin
New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

Allamakee County - New Albin

I reckon that the bridge in Lansing over the Mississippi River is one of the most photographed bridges in Iowa. At least for its fairly remote location. Something I learned on this trip is that there are surprisingly few bridge that cross the Mississippi River in Iowa.

I’ve seen that bridge in Lansing photographed several times. It is an iconic bridge in a beautiful setting. However, on this trip a Lansing local informed us that it was going to be replaced in the next couple of years. If you want to see it, don’t dawdle.

There is one more collection of images from this trip left to share.

Krestmarkt!

Back in early December Carla, Teresa, and I went to Pella to experience their Krestmarkt. A Krestmarkt is a Dutch open air Christmas Market. It was pretty dang cold that day. If we would have went the day before the temperature was in the 50s. I think it was in the low 20s or teens when we were there. It was a pretty good time!


Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

Pella Krestmarkt - 2022

It was a great trip and I hope we make it back again next year. However, that wasn’t the end of the trip…

Just for You to Say You’re Not the Compliment Type

One of my unwritten (spoiler: they are all unwritten) goals for 2023 it to bring back the wishing of happy birthdays to the important people in my life.

So happy birthday Tim!



If I don’t wish you a birthday of happiness on this website, it is because I forgot, or don’t know when your birthday is, or don’t love you. You will have to figure out which one it is.

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One of these days, I’m going to get back to Formal Portrait Sunday. I swear it. But, this isn’t this Sunday. This Sunday I’m going to clean out all the pictures from February of last year that just didn’t have a spot in other posts for various reasons.


Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Just for You to Say You're Not the Compliment Type

Another month cleaned up. Feels pretty good!

Tried So Hard to Be Everything that You Liked

Today seems like a good day to share the rest of the pictures that I considered for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar, but did not use.


2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

Last Penny - 2022

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject

2023 Photography 139 Calendar Reject


Just because I rejected these images this year, doesn’t mean that one of them couldn’t show up in a future calendar.

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES:


WEEK  382 - TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES
PLANES, TRAINS, & AUTOMOBILES

But what is a TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOBOMILES picture? Simply put it is a picture that involves a TRAIN or a PLANE or an AUTOMOBILE. All 3 don’t have to be in the picture. One will suffice. The picture can also be of anything that is tangential to TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOMBILES. Roads, bridges, train tracks, terminals, stations, are all fair game.

I made this a theme this year because it will be one of the categories in this years Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. If you submit a photo for this theme, you have a picture you can enter in the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

Happy photo harvesting!

Hello 2023.

It is the first day of 2023. I’m not really a “resolutions” person. Pastor Adam was on vacation today so we had a substitute seromizer in church this morning. He gave an impassioned, longwinded sermon on resolve. It took more than a bit of my resolve to stay awake during the longest sermon these ears have heard in quite sometime.

But if I were to take the words on resolve to heart, I would say that I’m not without goals. Last year my main goal was to complete THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. I did that.

My main goal in 2023 is to complete Phase 2 of THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT and put the book together. I should be freeing up sometime to work on that buy dropping a couple of photo projects that I did in 2022.

My second goal in 2023 is to begin work and complete my new photo project. Details are still foggy, but it is to create Boone postcard. Not a bunch of Boone postcards. Not even to print up a bunch of one Boone postcard. But to make one big image of one Boone postcard. While the end goal is one image, it will involve taking at least several hundred (probably thousand) images. It will make more sense when I get going on it.

My third goal in 2023 is to keep the positive momentum that was achieved in 2022 in participation rates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I’m not likely to go out and beat the drums looking for participants, but doesn’t mean you guys can’t. Right?

My fourth goal in 2023 is to consider and maybe take action on visiting and photographing every State Park in Iowa.
That seems more straight forward than it actually is because in addition to State Parks there are State Forests and State Preserves and State Recreation Areas. Boone County contains 3 Minor State Forests alone! We will see where this one goes, but we all know I could use the exercise.

I don’t have any goals related to the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. That type of stuff is a considerable amount of luck. So best not to have goals that are out of one’s hands. Maybe my goal should just be to give my best effort.

Hopefully 2023 is a good year for all of us!

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Time to share the December images for the FatMumSlim Photo A Day Challenge. This is also the final collection of images as I will be dropping this pursuit in 2023. It doesn’t take a lot of time, but it still eats up a fair amount of time. Hopefully time freed up that I can use to pursue some of those 2023 goals.

Here are the December images:


December 1
December 1 – I Love This!

December 2
December 2 – I Bought This!

December 3
December 3 – Starts with T

December 4
December 4 – I Held This

December 5
December 5 – Something Red

December 6
December 6 – Peace

December 7
December 7 – Tree

December 8
December 8 – Looking Up

December 9
December 9 – Small

December 10
December 10 – Out + About

December 11
December 11 – Free Choice

December 12
December 12 – Lights

December 13
December 13 – Something Green

December 14
December 14 – Decoration

December 15
December 15 – A Star

December 16
December 16 – Candy Cane

December 17
December 17 – A Hat

December 18
December 18 – I Made This!

December 19
December 19 – Joy Is…

December 20
December 20 – Begins with S

December 21
December 21 – On the Floor

December 22
December 22 – A Gift

December 23
December 23 – A Tradition

December 24
December 24 – Someone I Love

December 25
December 25 – My Day

December 26
December 26 – This is Delish

December 27
December 27 – Colourful

December 28
December 28 – A Book

December 29
December 29 – Us

December 30
December 30 – How I Relax

December 31
December 31 – Best Part of 2022

Top 9
Top 9 Most Popular Images

I did enjoy this project and I’m not walking away from it because I didn’t enjoy it. I “met” numerous other people in this community that I will continue to follow, like @bea.photoaday, @sara.fms.photoaday, @outnbout, @gerkgirl, @pink_koffie, and @lostfate13.

But there were other things I didn’t like. Most people used the challenge to curate images, rather than take new images every day. The person that ran the challenge is Australian. That meant that a lot of the prompts were seasonal for Australia, meaning they weren’t seasonal for Iowa. Prompts repeated an awful lot. Not that they wouldn’t after 365 days, but I felt like they repeated more than necessary.

These minor complaints aside, I would consider doing it again in a future year. Just not this year. I’m sure many of you have minor complaints about how I run THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE as well.

Westhaven Christmas

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas. This little picture is my way of saying Merry Christmas to all of you:


Merry Christmas - 2022
Merry Christmas!

I would like to share a Christmas Devotional with you:

Merry Christmas
By Rev. Ronald Carlson Jr.
Dean of the Cabinet and District Superintendent of Riverview Park District
“Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them.”
– Luke 2:18 (CEB)
In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. 2 This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. 3 Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. 4 Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. 5 He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. 8 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. 9 The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” 15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. 18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. 20 The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told. Luke 2:1-20 (CEB)
Luke says it all… perfectly.

Let us pray.

O almighty God, by the birth of your holy child Jesus, you gave us a great light to dawn on our darkness. Grant that in his light we may see light. Bestow on us that most excellent Christmas gift of love to all people, so that the likeness of your Son may be formed in us, and that we may have the ever brightening hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen (The Book of Worship 1965, ALT.)

On certain holidays, I like to share some power rankings. I’m not going to go in depth on this as I originally intended. When I made some plans for this, I didn’t realize a new season of JACK RYAN and EMILY IN PARIS were both being released this weekend!

But without further adieu, here is my Christmas Movie Power Rankings.

CHRISTMAS MOVIE POWER RANKINGS
10. Meet John Doe (1941)
9. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
8. Gremlins (1984)
7. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
6. Die Hard (1988)
5. Elf (2003)
4. A Christmas Story (1983)
3. Scrooged (1988)
2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

Please respect my decision. There will be no interviews at this time. Maybe next Christmas I will go in depth on this list.

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Time to reveal the June image for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar:


2023 Calendar - June
June

This image was my submission for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme SLICE OF LIFE. That theme is named in honor of my Dad’s postcard company. This image is my interpretation of his style of postcard designs. However, you can look at this and know it wasn’t that hard for me to put this together in Photoshop, but try to think of how hard a similar design would have been to make in a darkroom.

You might have noticed that usually the June image in the Photography 139 Calendar is Black & White. That is because I affiliate my Dad mostly with black & white photography because he had a black & white darkroom in our house at 415 Greene. The 38th anniversary of his death was on Friday. He was born in June and that is why this homage is the June picture for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar.

There are no technical details for this image since it is a composite image.

Tomorrow I will unveil the July image for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar.

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Once again I am going to skip Formal Portrait Sunday. Instead I’m going to share some pictures from when I got together with some of Olivia’s family for Christmas at Westhaven a couple weeks ago. Not everybody could make it because of illness, but sometimes in life you have to be happy for who is there and not be sad about who isn’t there.

Here are a few pictures from the celebration:


Shorty Christmas

Shorty Christmas

Shorty Christmas

Shorty Christmas

Shorty Christmas


Triplets man… So much energy!