Category Archives: Still Life

Like a Big Pizza Pie: Webster City Field Work

January 14, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

It has been a minute since I shared a food adventure with all of you. Truthfully I haven’t been on a food adventure for a minute. This is partially as I have been efforting to eat healthier and partially because of the time of year. But don’t worry, I still have several food adventures left in the hopper to share. Hopefully I get out there and have some more food adventures soon though.

A couple months back for our post worship service meal Teresa and I were going to go to a restaurant in Duncombe that was a finalist for Best Tenderloin in 2023. The restaurant is called Stumpy’s Bar & Grill. I wanted to get there sooner rather than later because there is a chance they are going to get kicked out of their building by the owners of the building. The Duncombe American Legion. When you read the news stories the American Legion makes it clear in no uncertain terms that they don’t like the owners of Stumpy’s and giving them the boot is a personal decision.

Stumpy’s is still open, so they must have worked out their differences.

However, on this day we walked in. Their Facebook page indicated that they were serving food. But I guess we should have called. Anyways, they were crazy rude in the way they told us that they weren’t serving food. So I have mentally crossed Stumpy’s off the list of tenderloins I need to try.

The nearest town to Duncombe that had open restaurants was Webster City, so we travelled there and went to Leon’s Pizza. It was a win!

Leon’s is an old time restaurant. It has been open since 1972. It feels like a small town mom and pop restaurant. Exactly my favorite type of restaurant.

Here are some pictures:

Like a Big Pizza Pie: Webster City Field Work

For an appetizer we got the Sampler Platter. $10.95. Then we got the large Deluxe Pizza. $23.75.

The ultimate review is, would I eat here again? Would I search it out? Would I go out of my way to eat at Leon’s Pizza?

You’re darn tootin’ I would! I’m frankly surprised I haven’t eaten there again already.

Leon’s Pizza serves more than just pizza. They also serve burgers, sandwiches, chicken, and other things.

Leon’s Pizza can is located at:

643 2nd Street
Webster City, Iowa

Our next Food Adventure will involve the Tenderloin Trail 2.0. Possibly it’s conclusion!

Calendar, Flowers, Music, Ruins, Still Life, Street Photography, Teresa

Stanhope Watermelon Day – IV

December 29, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the April image for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. It is a picture of tulips taken in Pella:

APRIL

I chose this tulips picture for April cause April is really the beginning of flowertography season. And tulips are really the first flowers of the year that I really like. Daffodils are just kind of okay in my book.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: April 29, 2023 – 10:02 AM
LENS: 17-28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 17mm
APERTURE: f/5.6
EXPOSURE: 1/125
ISO: 100

Tomorrow I will share the May image!

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Time to share the rest of the images from my trip to the Stanhope Watermelon Day with Teresa:

The Foreigner cover band was a bonus. It was a pretty great day and I think I will hit Stanhope Watermelon Day again next year.

Calendar, Candid Portrait, Formal Portrait, Michelle, Nature, Still Life

Sausage Fest

December 26, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the January image for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. It was taken on a foggy morning on the High Trestle Trail Bridge:

JANUARY

Part of the reason I selected this image for January was it suggested the cold of January to me. Especially since it was taken in January.

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: January 3, 2023 – 12:32 PM
LENS: E 70/180mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 180mm
APERTURE: f/4.5
EXPOSURE: 1/500
ISO: 100

Tomorrow I will share the image from February.

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A few weeks ago I was invited by Michelle to attend one of her family traditions. Their annual making party. I took plenty of pictures. Here are a few of them:

The sausage dried for 24 hours and was smoked the next day. I have some of it in my freezer just begging to be cooked up. Probably should do that soon!

Boone FUMC, FNSC, Holidays, Jesse, Still Life, Tenderloining

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: New Hampton Field Work

December 24, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Happy Christmas Eve everybody!

Christmas Eve Worship Service is my favorite worship service of the year.

I hope you had/have a magical Christmas Eve.

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A couple of months ago Jesse and I hit the Tenderloin Trail 2.0 for Friday Night Supper Club. We drove all the way to New Hampton to try the tenderloin at The Pub at the Pinicon. The winner for the Best Tenderloin in Iowa in 2019.

I have to say that the experience was two-fold. On one hand, the food was amazing. Loved every bit of it. On the other hand, the service was atrocious. This is not an exaggeration. We waited over 30 minutes from the time we were seated before somebody came to even take our drink order. If it would have been a restaurant in Ames or Boone or Des Moines, we would have left. But we had driven 2 hours and 30 minutes ( 2 hours of this Jesse screaming at somebody from DirectTV on the phone) for this tenderloin, so we sat and waited and waited and waited and waited. We watched 4 different servers walk by us and not even look our way. Finally a 5th server entered the room and actually spoke to us.

On the third hand, we got the pleasure of the guy sitting in the booth across from us ask their server to pee in pop so he could have…

Wait for it…

A Dr. Peeper!!!

Comic gold!

I expect that guy to have his own Netflix special sometime in 2024.

Here are the pictures of what was a fantastic meal… once it arrived:

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Some of the best onion rings I’ve ever had.

That is a lot of freaking onion rings for 2 dudes, that also ordered cheese curds

The tenderloin was excellent. The onion rings were amongst the best I’ve ever had. Despite the fact that the service was awful, I would gladly eat there again. I think the service on this night was an outlier.

The Pub at the Pinicon is located here:

2205 S Linn Ave
New Hampton, Iowa

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve pizza!

Candid Portrait, Formal Portrait, Road Trip, Still Life, Street Photography, Teresa

Stanhope Watermelon Day – III

December 22, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time for another collection of images from the trip I made to Stanhope Watermelon Day with Teresa. This collection of images is from when we returned to Watermelon Day. After the parade we took off to Bradford for lunch. Then we came back for the free watermelon and the Foreigner cover band.

Here are some pictures:

Still one more collection of images to share from this day!

Animals, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

#BreakfastBurritoLife: Boone Field Work

December 17, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

A few months back I stopped at an interesting breakfast joint that is only a few short blocks from my house. Weather or Naut is breakfast (and catering) business that serves breakfast from their driveway.

Here are some pictures from my breakfast burrito meal:

My breakfast burrito was delicious!

To cut to the chase of my review, I would definitely go back. In fact I have already been back!

They are currently closed for the winter and to do some remodeling, but I look forward to their opening again next year!

Weather or Naut is located:

1639 3rd Street
Boone, Iowa

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve the Tenderloin Trail 2.0. For real this time.

Birthdays, Fran, Jesse, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining, Teresa

Sandwiched: Stratford Field Work

December 10, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Jesse’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday!

Happy birthday Jesse!

I hope your birthday was filled with new experiences like watching foreign language movies with subtitles!

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A couple months back Teresa and I went to the Copperhead Saloon & Grill in Stratford for lunch after church. Even though Stratford is close to Boone I had never really considered eating there before. I have to give Fran the finder’s fee credit for the suggestion.

The first thing to know about the Copperhead is that it has AMAZING Halloween decorations.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Fried Mushrooms

The food was excellent! Even though Fran had hyped it, I was still impressed with it. For starters, it is well-documented that I am a mushroom nut! And I love a good fried mushroom. These were amongst the best fried mushrooms I’ve ever had!

For the main course I ordered the Club Grill (on Texas Toast). Described by the menu as Ham, Turkey, Cheddar, Swiss, Tomato, Bacon, Mayo, and honey mustard.

It was also fantastic.

The verdict on the Copperhead is that I will definitely eat there again. And due to its proximity, probably again and again.

The Copperhead is located at:

802 IA-175
Stratford, Iowa

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve hitting the Tenderloin Trail 2.0 again.

Art, Black & White, Still Life, Street Photography

Downtown Boone Street Photography

December 9, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in April I wander around downtown Boone and did a little street photography. Here is a collection of those images:

I do love a good street photography walkabout!

Baseball/Softball, History, Railroad, Still Life, Street Photography, Teresa

Stanhope Watermelon Day 2023 – I

December 8, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Another town festival I attended this year was the Stanhope Watermelon Day with Teresa. This first collection is of pictures I took wandering around before the festival really got started. Before the parade was started.