Category Archives: Boone FUMC

RAGBRAI – LUTHER

Today is a rare double holiday. It is both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. As always, if you are not out romancing it up tonight, I invite you to come to the Boone First United Methodist Church for our Ash Wednesday service. Full disclosure, I won’t be there. I am neither out romancing it up or going to get my ashes on in some stray church. I’ll be in Hilton Coliseum (AKA The Cathedral) watching an Iowa State women’s basketball game with the rest of the real ones.

Since I won’t be getting ashes this year, enjoy this picture of me on Ash Wednesday from a couple of years ago:


Day 61 - March 2, 2022

I always like to share a devotional type thing on these holidays. So today I’m going to share one from Iowa Conference of The United Methodist Church. This one by Reverend Doctor Mary Lautzenhiser Bellon to be exact:

We Are Ashes – Abiding in Hope
by Rev. Dr. Mary Lautzenhiser Bellon (Senior Pastor Collegiate Methodist in Ames)

As we lean into Lent, I wrote this poem for Ash Wednesday. If you are into interactive reading, you can look up the passages in Daniel and John that I reference in the poem. I was working with the idea that ash is a transformed remnant of something: a piece of wood, the remains of a meadow, a life, and in that transformation, it always carries the memory of what it was before, just now it is changed. I apply the idea of God’s unquenchable fire (such as displayed in the burning bush and maybe Biblically remembered in the story of Daniel) that changes and transforms us. As the ashes we use on Ash Wednesday come from the burnt palms of the previous Palm Sunday, that image, too makes its way into the poem.

We Are Ashes

What is born from the flame is ash, life transformed,
black and silvered memories of being held
in fire — maybe like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
who walked in the heat, the flames licking their hands
that were folded in prayer even as they were almost scorched
with a knowledge of God too great for them,
even as they became living ashes:
ones who did not forget but were sent as testimonies,
touched but not burnt, maybe with a sign on their foreheads. [i]

The alchemy of loving means we die and no longer die.
What is here is ash from firelight, also dark and essential,
the ashes we become in grief and in forgiveness and in mercy.

Our pretenses have been burnt away.
We are gathered up in dimly lit certainty,
we are the remnant, you and me
and those who kneel who might be far from us
whose heads are also smudged:
“remember you are dust and to dust you shall return” —
the ash is everywhere – –

hopefully faithful, hopefully able to feel
the webbing root buried in the earth that nurtures us,
and the branch we graft to that stretches
out our lives and then the love,
and then the smoldering embers
of all that is the first and the last;
all that is in each moment.

We are secretly the palms that were spread on the road
where Jesus came to collect us on his way to Jerusalem [ii]
and now we are ashes, smeared
with the oil of His hands,
we are the remnant
from the fire of His resurrection
we are the ashes that mark the way to Him.

Let us be spread again, let us be smudged,
let us be carried from the fire into the world
our bodies some sacred event born in ashes and returned,
the name of love written on our foreheads
the sound of hope sung from our prayers
the burden of care held firmly in our hands
and knowing home in the One who heals us,
in the flame that is never quenched, Alpha and Omega, amen.

[i] Daniel 3: 13-30 (the image I draw is poetic license)

[ii] John 12: 12-17

If you are curious:

Daniel 3: 13-30 – Amplified Version

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a furious rage gave a command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; and these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be thrown at once into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can rescue you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!”

Daniel’s Friends Protected
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and his facial expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then he gave a command that the furnace was to be heated seven [a]times hotter than usual. 20 He commanded certain strong men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 Then these [three] men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their turbans, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [looked and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, “Did we not throw three men who were tied up into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He answered, “Look! I see four men untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like [b]a son of the gods!” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing furnace and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out [of there]! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. 27 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men the fire had no effect on their bodies—their hair was not singed, their clothes were not scorched or damaged, even the smell of smoke was not on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! They violated the king’s command and surrendered their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut into pieces and their houses be made a heap of rubbish, for there is no other god who is able to save in this way!” 30 Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

And John 12:12-17 – Amplified

12 The next day, when the large crowd who had come to the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], 15 “Do not fear, Daughter of Zion; Behold, Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 His disciples did not understand [the meaning of] these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified and exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to tell others about Him.

If you are looking for a place to get your ashes, our service is at 6:30.

While Ash Wednesday is meant to remind us of our own mortality, it doesn’t have to be all gloomy because Ash Wednesday also means the Catholics are going to start having Fish Fry Fridays! WooHoo! Bingpot!

I’m going to break down some area fish fries for you, my people, but I will wait until Friday to do that. Don’t worry, I’ll feed you baby birds!

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It is also Valentine’s Day. So I need to wish you all happy Valentine’s Day in my way:


Happy Valentine's Day - 2024
LOVE STINKS!

So first things first. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Second. You might be wondering why this picture is called “Love Stinks”. This was at the insistence of my photo assistant for this project. She complained that this heart shaped sparkler absolutely wreaked! She backed this up by claiming that the sparkler gave her a sore throat for like 5 days. Because she suffered for my art, I have granted her request that the name of this photo is “Love Stinks”.

On holidays like Valentine’s Day I do like to do power rankings. Last year I did romantic comedy power rankings. However, I know many people who absolutely despise Valentine’s Day. So I thought rather than doing something positive about the concept of love, I would do a power rankings based on the negatives of love. My power rankings this year are the 5 Worst Couples! This is a personal list. No apologies if you think, “wait I’m in that couple or throuple” (no judgment). The couples that personally annoy me. Cause love stinks! It often has lots of sulphur and gives you a sore throat for several days. Metaphorically speaking of course!

5 WORST COUPLES POWER RANKING

5. EXCESSIVE PUBLIC AFFECTION COUPLE
I don’t run into this couple that much any more. Mostly because I don’t run with a lot of teenagers or college students and most of the couples I know have been married for years, so the concept of public affection went out the door years ago. But you know the couples. They can’t stop touching each other, right in front of you. All you are trying to do is eat a bowl of soup and they are treating you to the opening scene of BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR*. There is also a variant of this couple that wants to go into great details about their sex life. I didn’t sign on for any of this. Put it in your diary. The phrase “get a room” exists for a reason.

A sidenote on this couple. It doesn’t have to be physical. This can also be the couple that has the just too precious nicknames for each other. PUKE! And couples that call each other “mom” and “dad”… GROSS!

4. THE CONSTANTLY BREAKING UP COUPLE

You know this couple. They’ve broken up 7 or 8 or 9 times, at the very least. And every time, you have to hear about it. You listen to all of the terrible things that one of the people in the couple did. You hear about all of their inadequacies and flaws. Then 24 hours later, the same friend that was dumping all of this stuff on you, they are back with this deeply flawed person that does all of the terrible things. In a couple weeks you will be hearing all the same things again and you stopped caring somewhere around the 3rd breakup.

3. THE SIT ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE TABLE WHEN DINING ALONE COUPLE

This couple probably seems harmless to you. Maybe I can’t defend how I feel about this couple, but I find them SUPER creepy. Sit on opposite sides of the table! At least then you can stare into each other’s eyes lovingly, while eating the Super Nachos Deluxe you ordered for an appetizer. It is well documented that nachos are the most romantic appetizer, but that is a power ranking for a future Valentine’s Day.

2. THE PUBLIC FIGHTING COUPLE

All couples fight. Not all couples have to fight in front of you, all the time. They might argue that fighting is just an example of their passion. They might even argue that fighting is their love language. My love language is handing you a card for a therapist. Go to counseling!

1. THE HOSTAGE COUPLE

This couple can’t do anything alone. Donna is going out for margaritas with her high school girlfriends. But Donna insists on bringing Bob along, cause Donna can’t do anything without Bob. Or Donna does finally join her friends without Bob, but the entire time she is having to check in with Bob. And Bob is having to check in with Donna. This same couple probably has shared social media accounts. The worst! If they don’t have a shared social media account, these are the ones that post super flowery tomes about the greatness of the significant other. They have to know that everybody is reading this is thinking, “oh, they about to get divorced.” And I’m not saying I’m rooting for divorce when I stumble across these… but I’m not saying that I’m not NOT rooting for divorce. Even if it is fleeting.

This list is definitive and is beyond contestation. No interviews at this time.

When I decided to do an anti-love post for Valentine’s Day, I checked in with some of the most ardent haters of Valentine’s Day I know. I simply asked them what couples they think are the worst. Almost without exception, I instead got a long diatribe about why they hate Valentine’s Day. Which wasn’t what I asked, but I did find hilarious. I confess I didn’t really read that part of those messages, cause it was a lot of blah, blah, blah, same things I’ve heard for years. I assume.

Interestingly, only Scottie D. asked me what I think about Valentine’s Day. And I might just tell you someday.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all who celebrate! Happy Valentine’s Day to all the people who bah humbug it! Happy Valentine’s Day to all the people who dread it because it makes them feel all alone! I can save all of you a seat at the Iowa State women’s basketball game!

If you don’t do the Juicy Wiggle, was it really even a holiday?

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After we left Jefferson, Logan and I parted ways. I went home for a bit and then decided to go check out RAGBRAI in Ames. As a lark, I decided to head up to Luther since it was one of the towns that RAGBRAI was passing through. I really thought that by the time I got there, it was going to be too late to see much of anything going on. But Luther was packed! I bet Whatcha Smokin’ made a mint that day!

I was impressed with the job that Luther did with RAGBRAI. I hung around and took a few pictures:


RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023
I’d never heard them before, but they were a pretty solid classic rock cover band.

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023
Oh man, I haven’t had wheat grass since Sara got over it.

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

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RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

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RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023
I’m not a badmouth the younger generation guy. But in my day, when we climbed on a roof, it wasn’t to stare at our phone. We were probably breaking stuff. Okay, maybe the younger generation is better.

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

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RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

RAGBRAI - Luther - 2023

Still one more collection of RAGBRAI pictures from this day to share.

* I actually haven’t seen BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR, so I have no clue what the transpires in its first scene. It could be very boring. I understand the historical and cultural significance of the movie, but pornography just isn’t my bag.

And You’ll Be the One Who’s Crying

A couple Sundays back my church honored our Building Engineer. He retired after 43 years with our church. Which is amazing when you think about it. Yesterday was my 18th anniversary with the computer mine. I can’t imagine working another 18 years there. Let alone another 25 years. Wow!

I used it as an opportunity to take pictures for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme SUNDAY MORNING. Here are some of the alternate images I took for the theme:


Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

Ben's Retirement

It was a pretty great Sunday morning at the Boone First United Methodist Church!

WPC – WEEK 434 – SUNDAY MORNING

SUNDAY MORNING. Everybody has one. But did many people take a picture on SUNDAY MORNING or a picture that suggests SUNDAY MORNING to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 1, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Sara Lockner – 1 week
2-Brandon Kahler – 1 week
3-Carrie Moellers – 1 week
4-Amy Peterson – 1 week (2)
5-Mary Green – 2 weeks (2)
6-Scott Degeneffe – 19 weeks
7-Sabas Hernandez – 20 weeks
8-Mike Vest – 25 weeks
9-Sheri Fakhouri – 29 weeks (2)
10-Logan Kahler – 30 weeks (2)
11-Nathanial Brown – 31 weeks
12-Jesse Howard – 31 weeks (2)
13-Tamara Peterson – 34 weeks
14-Mindi Terrell – 46 weeks (3)
15-Linda Bennett – 75 weeks (3)
16-Sarah Toot – 76 weeks
17-Angie DeWaard – 80 weeks
18-Dawn Krause – 84 weeks
19-Kim Barker – 90 weeks
20-Joe Duff – 91 weeks
21-Teresa Kahler – 102 weeks (3)
22-Carla Stensland – 102 weeks (2)
23-Micky Augustin – 104 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 105 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 106 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 110 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 111 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 113 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 115 weeks

Reminder. Here is the updated 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 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@photography39.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 5.
3. Sometimes, for special people, for special circumstances, we can negotiate something.

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:


WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - ALEXIS STENSLAND
Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 106 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 81 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 107 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - BRANDON KAHLER
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 2 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 103 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Waukee, Iowa) – 111 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett (Boone First United Methodist Church – Boone, Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 85 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 112 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 32 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 92 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 116 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Iowa) – 91 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 76 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 31 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - LOWELL DAVIS
Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Michigan) – 3 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Michigan)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING -MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 105 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Iowa) – 26 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 47 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 32 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 21 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 77 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SCOTT DEGENEFFE
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 20 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 114 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 30 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SUSANNA FUNK
Susanna Funk (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 35 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 103 weeks

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

WPC 434 - SUNDAY MORNING - WILLY MCALPINE
Willy McAlpine (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week

32 participants! That is a pretty great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Michigan
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the Year 11 list of states where submissions have been taken:

+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Michigan
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Particularly exciting about this week’s participants was Lowell’s first ever submission! WooHoo! Also, Michelle came out of retirement! WooHoo! Hoping for big things from both of them in the future.

The big milestone this week was Vest joining the Half Year Streak Club!! WooHoo! I wonder if I can get Monica to design badges for these clubs? First I have to get Monica to start submitting again. Horse before the cart.

But it wasn’t all new participants, old friends coming back into the fold and major streak accomplishments! There was some heartache involved. Sara, Carrie, and Amy could not build on their submissions last week and their streaks are over before they even began.

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 435 - UGLY
UGLY – SUGGESTED BY SARAH TOOT

UGLY! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEEKLY 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 all be sharing your idea of UGLY in this place that finds most things beautiful next Monday.

WPC – WEEK 432 – GREEN

Friendly Reminder: Next Monday is New Year’s Day. While the bank and government employees get the day off, there are no holidays for Photography 139. If you are busy around the New Year’s holidays (and a lot of people are) plan on getting your submission in early this week.

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Merry Christmas! Christ is born!


Merry Christmas - 2023
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you have a great Christmas!

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As most of the Photography 139 Calendars have been distributed it seems like a good time to start sharing the images for the 2024 calendar.

Here is the cover:


2024 Calendar - Front Cover
FRONT COVER

I don’t usually include pictures of people in the calendar, but I included this one of Jesse and Willy because it was the picture that was displayed at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon this year.

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: May 29, 2022 – 6:13 PM
LENS: 105mm f/2.8 Sigma Art Macro
FOCAL LENGTH: 105 mm
APERTURE: f/2.8
EXPOSURE: 1/8000
ISO: 800

Tomorrow I will share the image from January.

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It is the last collection of submissions of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

IT SHOULD BE POINTED OUT THAT SOME OF THESE MIGHT CHANGE STARTING NEXT YEAR. FOR EXAMPLY THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS WILL CHANGE TO 2 STARTING NEXT YEAR.

What skill level photographer can participate?

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is open to photographers of all skill levels. From award winning photographers to professionals to the highly ranked amateurs to those that are just beginning to those who don’t even know how to focus a camera. All skill levels are encouraged and welcome. You can’t be too bad and you can’t be too good! Everyone has room to learn and be challenged!

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 10 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
NO.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that starts to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.

If you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.

This limit will change to 2 starting with next year’s first theme.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough for me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Do I have to wait until Monday morning to submit?

Absolutely not! In fact I appreciate the submissions that make it to me by Sunday evening. Makes the job of putting this together on Monday morning much easier!

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their widest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.

GREEN! A great theme! But was it great enough to make it a popular theme. You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, December 18, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week (2)
2-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks
3-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks
4-Scott Degeneffe – 17 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 18 weeks
6-Mike Vest – 23 weeks
7-Sheri Fakhouri – 27 weeks (2)
8-Logan Kahler – 28 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 29 weeks
10-Jesse Howard – 29 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 32 weeks
12-Mindi Terrell – 44 weeks
13-Brandon Kahler – 67 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 73 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 74 weeks
16-Angie DeWaard – 78 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 82 weeks (2)
18-Kim Barker – 88 weeks
19-Joe Duff – 89 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 100 weeks (3)
21-Carla Stensland – 100 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 102 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 103 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 104 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 108 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 109 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 111 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 113 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:


WPC 432 - GREEN - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 114 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole Foley (Honey Hollow – Rural Warren County) – 112 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 110 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Waukee, Iowa) – 109 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Saint Louis, Missouri) – 105 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Saint Louis, Missouri)

WPC 432 - GREEN - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska)

WPC 432 - GREEN - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 104 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Orlando, Florida)- 103 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 101 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Reiman Gardens – Ames, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Boone – Ogden, Iowa) – 101 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (Houston, Texas) – 90 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (Houston, Texas)

WPC 432 - GREEN - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Ames, Iowa) – 89 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 83 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Reiman Gardens – Ames, Iowa) – 79 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Chicago, Illinois) – 75 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Chicago, Illinois)

WPC 432 - GREEN - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 74 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WPC 432 - GREEN - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 45 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 33 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Branson, Missouri) – 30 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Branson, Missouri)

WPC 432 - GREEN - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 30 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Le Mars, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 29 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Reiman Gardens – Ames, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 28 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 24 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 19 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - SCOTT DEGENEFFE
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 18 weeks

WPC 432 - GREEN - EVIE GORSHE
Evie Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 432 - GREEN - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 432 - GREEN - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - ELAINIE HERNANDEZ
Elainie Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 432 - GREEN - WILLY MCALPINE
Willy McAlpine (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 432 - GREEN - ALEXIS STENSLAND
Alexis Stensland (Parkersburg, Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 432 - GREEN - ALEXIS STENSLAND
Alexis Stensland (Parkersburg, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - ALEXIS STENSLAND
Alexis Stensland (Parkersburg, Iowa)

WPC 432 - GREEN - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett (Reiman Gardens – Ames, Iowa)

30 participants! That is a pretty great week, considering the holiday!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Florida
+ Kansas
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Missouri
+ Nebraska
+ New York
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Indiana
+ 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
+ Virgin Islands
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

41 states and 1 district and 1 territory! That is pretty impressive! Over 80% of the way there!

The missing states are:
+ Alabama
+ Alaska
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ 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
+ Belize

The major milestone stone this week was Andy joining the 2 Year Streak Club.

But it wasn’t all fun and reindeer games. Suzie couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Jen’s streak ends at 2. Sara’s streak ends at 4. Sadly, Brandon’s streak ends at 67.

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 433 - HUMANS
HUMANS

ONCE AGAIN. DON’T FORGET THAT NEXT MONDAY IS NEW YEARS DAY! PLAN ON GETTING YOUR SUBMISSION IN AROUND THE HOLIDAY! OTHERWISE, THERE COULD BE A TON OF STREAKS BITING THE DUST.

HUMANS! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! Even if HUMANS are mostly a failed species.

But what exactly is a HUMANS image? Simply put it is a picture that captures either a collection of HUMANS (or just one HUMAN) or the effects of HUMANity. A place where you can look at for inspiration is Humans of New York. After all, it did inspire this theme.

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

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.
-Albert Einstein

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 HUMANS in this place that is ran by one next Monday.

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: New Hampton Field Work

Happy Christmas Eve everybody!


Christmas Eve Service - 2022

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

I hope you had/have a magical Christmas Eve.

+++++++

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…

Wait for it…

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

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon
Some of the best onion rings I’ve ever had.

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon
That is a lot of freaking onion rings for 2 dudes, that also ordered cheese curds

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Pub at the Pinicon

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!

Boone FUMC Christmas Pageant

Sunday was the Christmas Pageant at Boone First United Methodist Church. I think it was the first one that we’ve had since the pandemic, but I could be wrong about that. The play the kids put on was call “The Three Wise Guys” and told the story of how a mafia Godfather Don Amato gave the three gifts that the three wise guys gave to baby Jesus. It was messy, chaotic, hilarious, meaningful, and everything a Christmas pageant should be.

Here are some pictures of it:


Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

Christmas Pageant - 2023

I think they should put on a play every week!

Rodan139: Boone FUMC Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving I took Rodan139 out for a very brief spin to take some pictures of the Boone First United Methodist Church’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner. It was very brief as Rodan139 was constantly be harassed by a flock of birds (the same flock of birds I photographed for my ANIMAL submission) so I brought the drone down after only a few minutes.

Here are some of the pictures I took:


Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Hopefully I can get Rodan139 out again sometime soon. We will have to see.

Boone FUMC Thanksgiving 2023

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.


Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

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.

Photo Drop-off Road Trip I

If you or somebody you know is looking for a Thanksgiving Meal, my church is having it’s annual FREE Thanksgiving Meal again this year. Check out the flyer below for information:



I should be there for at least part of it. Hope to see some of you there!

+++++++

This is a collection of images from the road trip I took with Nader where I dropped off my pictures for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. After we left State Center, we went down to Des Moines to drop off the pictures. We had a bit of time to kill before they Cultural Building opened up to take submissions. So we hung out around the Asian Garden in downtown Des Moines. After that we went to Hamelin to have a delicious tenderloin at Darrell’s Place. Then up to Audubon to check out Albert the Bull.

Here are some pictures:


Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Hamelin, Iowa
Hamelin

Hamelin, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa
Audubon

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Audubon, Iowa

Still many more pictures from this little sojourn.

Post 5,005

I need to start this milestone post by wishing Elainie a happy birthday!


Day 57 - February 26, 2022
Happy birthday Elainie!

I hope your birthday is amazing!!

+++++++

Today is also Layla’s birthday!


Day 278 - October 5, 2021
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAYLA!

I hope you have an awesome birthday!

+++++++

Can you believe that this is the 5,005th 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. I meant to post this post on Sunday night when it would have been Post #5,000, but you know how my week went. Not great.

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 5,005 journal entries. (Normally I would do this little exercise on post #4,750, but I was in Vegas at that time.) 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.

5,005 posts. I can’t even measure the elevation changes my life have taken since then. Major ups. Major downs. Peaks and valleys. 5,005 posts and I vow to keep on chugging along.

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 #4757 & INCREASE SINCE THEN)
10. Carla – 582 (#8 – +52)
9. Teresa – 590 (#9 – +65)
8. Road Trip – 611 (#6 – +42)
7. Macro – 627 (#10 – +132)
6. Formal Portrait – 638 (NR)
5. Jesse – 684 (#4 – +54)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

Dropping from the from the Top 10 was Shannon, a category that was #7 in Post #4757.

The 5 categories that have the best shot at making the Top 10 in Post #5,250 are Shannon, Nature, WPC-Submissions, and Candid Portrait.

It should be noted that some of these increases are caused by my working on the categories on some older posts.

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Photoshop – 432 (#10 – +43)
9. Candid Portrait – 475 (NR)
8. Nature – 538 (+101 – #8)
7. Road Trip – 611 (#5 – +42)
6. Macro – 627 (#6 – +132)
5. Formal Portrait – 638 (#8 – +191)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

WPC-Submission fell out of the Top 10. It was ranked #7 in Post #4757.

The categories that are just right outside of the Top 10 are Still Life, Naima, History, and Self-Portrait and Christianity.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Vest – 350 (NR)
9. Jay – 353 (#6 – +5)
8. Micky – 359 (NR)
7. Logan – 380 (#9 – +61)
6. Kim – 395 (#7 – +53)
5. Mom – 464 (#5 – +6)
4. Shannon – 576 (#2 – +37)
3. Carla – 582 (#3 – +52)
2. Teresa – 590 (#4 – +65)
1. Jesse – 684 (#1 – +54)

Dropping from the rankings was Willy and Derrick.

The categories that have the best shot at cracking the next Top 10 are Willy, Derrick, Jen, Andy, and Sara.

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.

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 203 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into the life of this website by birth (Jonah Kahler) or another way (Nathanial, Mindi, Fran). Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #203 probably needs to be purged.


THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100

#10. Andree – 77
#10. Flat Earth Joe – 77
#10. Self-Portrait Project – 77
#9. Photo Journal – 79
#8. Commercial – 83
#7. Sabas – 84
#6. Becca – 89
#3. Pufferbilly Days – 91
#3. Pastor Sarah – 91
#3. House – 91
#1. Faust – 92
#1. Writing – 92

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:
Kelly, Lowell, and Suzie.

The following categories have the best shot at dropping back into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Sarah Toot, Lowell, Suzie, Russell, and Nate

The following categories have the best shot at climbing up into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Layla, Kelly, Vacation, Saydie, and Kalista

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from the fact this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

Now I don't want your sympathy
10. Naima – 64,796 views

Tenderloin Trail 2.0 - Stumble Inn
9. Tenderloining – 75,558 views

9 Emotions Project - Elainie
8. 9 Emotions Project – 81,405 views

Day 267 - September 24, 2022
7. Selfie-Project – 2022 – 88,632 views

Rodan139: Water Works Park
6. Drone – 99,708 views

WEEK 364 - COLORFUL - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
5. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 108,852 views

Anita, Iowa
4. Town Sign Project – 118,563 views

Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Las Vegas 2023 – 169,257 views

Plymouth County - Le Mars
2. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 219,546 views

WEEK 414 - ART - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 10 – 323,781 views

Galleries that fell out of the Top 10 are:
Christopher D. Bennett, Miami Beach, Jayton Poole, and Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020

Galleries that fell just outside of the Top 10 are:
Sleeping Angels – 2023, Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 6, Photo Journal Rejects, Iowa State Cyclones Football – 2008, and Christopher D. Bennett.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

Sleeping Angels Fun Run - 2023
10. Sleeping Angels Fun Run – 2,772 views

Maven's Birthday Party - 2022
9. Maven’s Birthday Party – 2022 – 2,820 views

Community Thanksgiving - 2022
8. Boone FUMC Thanksgiving – 2022 – 3,073 views

Color the Wind - 2023
7. Color the Wind – 2023 – 3,149 views

Celtic Dancing - Renaissance Fair - 2022
6. Renaissance Fair – 2022 – 3,302 views

Fran & Pepper - 2022
5. Fran and Pepper – 3,687 views

World Food Festival - 2022
4. World Food Festival – 2022 – 3,754 views

Howards - 2022
3. Howards – 2022 – 3,976 views

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023
2. 2023 Barbecue Contests – 4,168 views

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
1. Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship – 18,045 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:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500
Post 4,757

I think that is enough. We will check back in, in another 245 posts.