Category Archives: Still Life

Boone FUMC, Event, Holidays, Linda, Still Life

Boone FUMC Thanksgiving 2023

November 24, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I realize now that I forgot to wish people a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday. I don’t have a picture that represents Thanksgiving to me this year, but I do hope that everybody had a good Thanksgiving! I had a pretty good one. Enough of one that I am going to have three posts that cover my Thanksgiving.

This first one is from ground pictures I took of the annual Boone First United Methodist Community Thanksgiving.

It was a great event. I’m not sure what the final numbers were, but there were more people fed than expected. I’d guess more people than last year based on the length of the drive-thru line and the fact that extra tables had to be setup. Still more pictures from my Thanksgiving day left to share.

Art, Candid Portrait, Carla, Iowa State, Monica, Still Life, Teresa

Painting with Fire

November 21, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in April I went to The Workspace at the Memorial Union on Iowa State University’s campus with Teresa, Carla, Monica, and Graham and did some painting with fire. I took some pictures of course:

It was a good time! I should go to more activities there than I do!

Alexis, Amy, Andy, Angie, Animals, Bill, Brandon, Candid Portrait, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Derrick, Elainie, Elizabeth, Evie, Funk, Iowa State, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 427 – PORTRAIT

November 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A reminder that if you are looking for a Thanksgiving meal or a place to volunteer on Thanksgiving my church is hosting it’s annual Thanksgiving meal again this year. Information below:

I will be there for at least part of the day!

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I haven’t selected the 52 themes for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. But here is a list of the suggested themes:

-Science
-Remorse
-Necessity, something critical to your way of life
-Monochrome
-Tourism
-Sentimental
-Dog
-Screenshot
-Anything in the world but a cat
-Roman Numeral
-Outside your home county
– Memories/Memorial/etc.
– Clothing
– Out-of-date (I was thinking specifically of technology or items like pay phones and outhouses here, but it could be more expansive)
– Hands
– Struggle (or challenge)
– A stranger
– Fashion
– Starburst
– Symmetry
– Rule of 1/3’s
– Wheels
– Self portrait
– Emotion
– 6:00pm
– Warmth
– Candlelight
– Window view
– Ugly
– Sunday morning
-ANIMAL or PET
-PASSION

Definitely several of these will make next year’s list! Obviously ANYTHING IN THE WORLD BUT A CAT is a no-brainer!

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PORTRAIT! Everyone has taken one or been in one. But did enough people take a PORTRAIT to make it a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, November 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Susanna Funk – 1 week
2-Diane Sharp – 1 week
3-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks
4-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks
5-Elainie Hernandez – 2 weeks
6-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
7-Alexis Stensland – 5 weeks
8-Scott Degeneffe – 12 weeks (3)
9-Sabas Hernandez – 13 weeks
10-Willy McAlpine – 13 weeks
11-Mike Vest – 19 weeks
12-Sheri Fakhouri – 22 weeks
13-Logan Kahler – 23 weeks
14-Nathanial Brown – 24 weeks
15-Jesse Howard – 24 weeks
16-Tamara Peterson – 27 weeks
17-Mindi Terrell – 39 weeks
18-Brandon Kahler – 63 weeks
19-Linda Bennett – 68 weeks
20-Sarah Toot – 69 weeks (2)
21-Angie DeWaard – 73 weeks
22-Dawn Krause – 77 weeks
23-Kim Barker – 83 weeks
24-Joe Duff – 84 weeks
25-Teresa Kahler – 95 weeks
26-Carla Stensland – 95 weeks (2)
27-Micky Augustin – 97 weeks
28-Andy Sharp – 98 weeks (2)
29-Bill Wentworth – 99 weeks
30-Cathie Morton – 103 weeks
31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 104 weeks
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 106 weeks
33-Kio Dettman – 108 weeks (2)

The third week of each month I like to share a map of all the states that have had pictures taken in them that were submitted for this calendar year. Well, I checked my calendar and this is the third Monday of the month. Here is the map, heading into this week:

That is a lot of states filled in. In fact, going into this week, there are only 10 states that haven’t been visited and photographed by somebody that submits here. I don’t think there is any chance we will fill in the entire map this year, but we sure have gotten a lot closer than I ever would have guessed! There are 6 weeks left in this calendar year. I don’t anticipate any more states being filled in at this point. Maybe Indiana. But that is a pretty full map if it doesn’t change.

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:

Micky Augustin (Sonnette, Montana) – 98 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 107 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 84 weeks

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

Linda Bennett (Jewell, Iowa) – 69 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Dobson Pipe Organ Builders – Lake City, Iowa) – 25 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa)- 13 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 109 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 85 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 23 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Susanna Funk (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Evie Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa)

Elainie Hernandez (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 14 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 96 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 78 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 104 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 105 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Amy Peterson (Idaho Falls, Idaho) – 1 week

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 28 weeks

Andy Sharp (UNI Dome – Cedar Falls, Iowa) – 99 weeks

Andy Sharp (UNI Dome – Cedar Falls, Iowa)

Alexis Stensland (east Des Moines, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 96 weeks

Sarah Toot (New Jersey) – 70 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 100 weeks

34 participants! A pretty good week by current standards!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Idaho
+ Iowa
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 80% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

This is the list of states currently missing:
+ Alabama
+ Alaska
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Indiana
+ Maine
+ Massachusetts
+ Rhode Island
+ Virginia
+ West Virginia

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Canada
+ Peru
+ France
+ Austria
+ Germany
+ Italy
+ Slovenia

The big milestone this week is Bill joining the Triple Digit Club! Also Cathie joins the 2 Year Streak Club. I forgot to mention it last week when Elizabeth joined it or a few weeks ago when Shannon joined and a few weeks before that when Kio joined it! Also, Dawn joined the Year and Half Club!

But it was all good news. Diane couldn’t build on her submission from last week. Monica’s 2 week streak went poof! As did Sara’s. And worst of all… Willy’s streak ends at unlucky 13.

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:

ANIMAL

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

But what is a ANIMIMAL picture? It is simply a picture of an ANIMAL. That could be a live ANIMAL. It could be a stuffed ANIMAL. It could be a box of meat. It could be a pet. It could be a wild animal. It could be something related to an ANIMAL. The possibilities are endless!

While thinking about possible subjects for your ANIMAL picture, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt that you will come up with a fabulous image:

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
-Anatole France

I look forward to 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 ANIMAL in this place that loves dogs and so many other animals next Monday.

Art, Baseball/Softball, Iowa State, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Street Photography, WPC - Alternate

Feel Sorry for Yourself

November 18, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to finish off the March backlog. All of these images were alternates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE in one way or another. Some were for BLUE. Others were for COMPETITION.

It feels good to have the March backlog cleared out. I don’t think April is ready for a backlog clean out yet. Looks like there are some photos in there that deserves their own posts.

Art, Automobiles, Christianity, Road Trip, Ruins, Still Life, Street Photography, Teresa

Davis County Aux. – Vol. 4

November 15, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Here it is. The final collection of auxiliary images I took during THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. Finally being shared almost 14 months after I took them. Closing the book on pictures I took in 2022. To be honest there is one last collection of pictures I took in 2022, but I’m not going to share those. Those I will keep for me.

The final county of town signs I harvested was Davis County. A county I left for last because I wanted to save the Paris, Iowa (there are two unincorporated towns named Paris in Iowa) for the end because I have some family history on my Mom’s side of the family there. Paris is almost a ghost town now. There is a cemetery a couple miles down the road. There are a few houses and there are the remains of a general store. But it was still interesting to visit and I don’t regret leaving it for last, even though it really didn’t have a town sign.

Here is the final collection of images, starting at a general store in Cantril.

I swear Randall’s had this exact same signs when I was a kid.

The artist definitely spend most of their time and effort on the boobs.

Troy

This building housed the Troy Academy. Which was one of the first institutions of higher education west of the Mississippi.

It is also the subject of a painting by Buckley Moss.

Back to Bloomfield

Paris Cemetery

Marshalltown

It is a little sad to close the last page on this photo project. My original plan for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT was to turn it into a book. I have made next to no progress on that. None. I haven’t really made much or no progress on what was going to be my next photo project. I have let you down…

But maybe I will make progress on the book this winter. Stranger things have happened.

I’m not sure what will be posted on Wednesdays going forward. But there isn’t a shortage of RAW images waiting to be edited and shared!

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Funk, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 426 – FOOD

November 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

FOOD! Everybody needs it! But did enough people photograph it to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, November 6, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Elainie Hernandez – 1 week
3-Monica Jennings – 1 week
4-Sara Lockner – 1 week
5-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
6-Julie Sharp – 1 week
7-Mary Green – 4 weeks (2)
8-Alexis Stensland – 4 weeks
9-Scott Degeneffe – 11 weeks
10-Sabas Hernandez – 12 weeks
11-Willy McAlpine – 12 weeks
12-Mike Vest – 18 weeks
13-Sheri Fakhouri – 21 weeks (2)
14-Logan Kahler – 22 weeks
15-Nathanial Brown – 23 weeks
16-Jesse Howard – 23 weeks
17-Tamara Peterson – 26 weeks
18-Mindi Terrell – 38 weeks
19-Brandon Kahler – 62 weeks
20-Linda Bennett – 67 weeks (2)
21-Sarah Toot – 68 weeks
22-Angie DeWaard – 72 weeks
23-Dawn Krause – 76 weeks
24-Kim Barker – 82 weeks
25-Joe Duff – 83 weeks
26-Teresa Kahler – 94 weeks
27-Carla Stensland – 94 weeks
28-Micky Augustin – 96 weeks
29-Andy Sharp – 97 weeks
30-Bill Wentworth – 98 weeks
31-Cathie Morton – 102 weeks
32-Elizabeth Nordeen – 103 weeks
33-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 105 weeks
34-Kio Dettman – 107 weeks (2)

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

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Andy Sharp (Omaha, Nebraska) – 98 weeks

Andy Sharp (Whistle Stop Cafe – Boone, Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 99 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Story City, Iowa) – 63 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 103 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (The Feed Mill Restaurant – Audubon, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 77 weeks

Diane Sharp (Omaha, Nebraska) – 1 week

Elainie Hernandez (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa) – 104 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Jesse Howard (The Feed Mill Restaurant – Audubon, Iowa) – 24 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 84 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 83 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 108 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 68 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 23 weeks

Micky Augstin (Iowa) – 97 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 19 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Smokey D’s BBQ – Des Moines, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 69 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 106 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 22 weeks

Susanna Funk (Iowa) – 1 week

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 27 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 13 weeks

34 participants! A pretty good week by current standards!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Canada
+ Peru
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ France
+ Austria
+ Germany
+ Italy
+ Slovenia

There were no major milestones this week. The first ever submission by Diane Sharp though!

It was a bloodbath of streaks though. Becky, and Julie couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Mary’s streak ends at 4.

PORTRAIT

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

But what is a PORTRAIT? It is simply a picture of somebody. Can be one person. Can be several people. Can be you. It can be a posed picture. It can be a candid picture. The options are aplenty!

While thinking about possible subjects for your PORTRAIT, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt that you will come up with a fabulous image:

My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain.
-Helmut Newton

I look forward to your interpretation!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of PORTRAIT in this place that is a self-portrait next Monday.

Anela, Birthdays, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Tenderloining: Prairieburg Field Work

November 12, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Anela’s birthday, so I have to wish her a happy birthday!

Happy birthday Anela!

I hope you have an amazing birthday!

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Back in August I took an opportunity while I was on vacation to get another stamp on my Tenderloin Trail 2.0 Passport. I went to Prairieburg (Population of 160) to try the tenderloin at PrairieMoon on Main. The winner of the Best Tenderloin in 2020.

Here are some pictures:

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: PrairieMoon on Main

I went with the “fresh portabella fries”.

Coke. Sigh.

It was a very good tenderloin! I would definitely eat it again if I was in the area, but let’s face it, Prairieburg is a bit out there. The reason to go to Prairieburg is for this tenderloin or this restaurant. Prairieburg is about 45 minutes north and east of Cedar Rapids. It is about 2 and half hours from Boone.

I also loved the portabella mushroom fries. I am a well-documented mushroom freak. I probably eat mushrooms 3-4 times a week. If anything, I wish it was less breading and more mushroom, but they were still excellent.

You can find PrairieMoon on Main here:

103 East Main Street
Prairieburg, Iowa

But if you find Prairieburg it is about the only business in the town, so you can’t miss it!

It isn’t open that much. The current hours are:

Thursday: 11:30 – 9 PM
Friday: 11:30 – 2 & 4-9 PM
Saturday: 11:30 – 9 PM
Sunday: 11:30 – 5:30 PM

The next time I share a food adventure, it will involve ice cream at a barbecue contest.

Black & White, Candid Portrait, Evie, Gretchen, Holidays, Layla, Nature, Night, Railroad, Still Life, Street Photography, WPC - Alternate

But Don’t Tell Me You’re Sorry, Boy

November 11, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Veterans Day. A day that celebrates all those who served in the U.S. Military.

Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans I know! And to the ones I don’t know too.

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Time to hit up the backlog again. These pictures are from March and they just didn’t fit into any previous post. Some are sunset pictures. Some are from Gretchen’s birthday party. Some are pictures of gas stations.

Have a look:

Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of Gretchen or Maven. I kinda suck.

There are still plenty more images in the March backlog to share.

Art, Baseball/Softball, Flowers, History, Road Trip, Ruins, Still Life, Teresa

Davis County Aux. – Vol. 3

November 8, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

This is the second to last collection of auxiliary images from trips I made to harvest signs for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. I made this trip with Teresa. This collection starts where the last collection left off. Just outside of Bloomfield.

The Dutchman’s Store is located in Cantril and I would also recommend visiting it if you are ever in the area. Hard to believe there is just one collection of THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT auxiliary images left to share!

Art, Derrick, Evie, Holidays, Iowa State, Jen, Layla, Lists, Night, Still Life

Happy Halloween – Late

November 7, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Because last week was so messed up, I didn’t get my planned Halloween post put together, so here it goes.

I hope everybody had a good Halloween. I had 51 trick-or-treaters, which was less than last year, but about average.

Now time for my annual Halloween Candy Bar Power Rankings

CANDY BAR POWER RANKINGS

10. PayDay
9. Snickers Almond
8. Skor
7. Pretzel M & M’s
6. Twix Caramel
5. Snickers
4. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
3. Peanut M & M’s
2. Take 5
1. Whatchamacallit

Please respect my decision. There will be no interviews at this time.

About a week or so before Halloween I made a trip to the Reiman Gardens annual Jack O’Lantern thing with the Gorshes.

Here are some pictures of my favorite pumpkins.