Category Archives: Baseball/Softball

Feel Sorry for Yourself

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.


Blue Alternate

Blue Alternate

Blue Alternate

Blue Alternate

Blue Alternate

Blue Alternate

Beaver, Iowa

Beaver, Iowa

Beaver, Iowa

Beaver, Iowa

Beaver, Iowa

Beaver, Iowa

Beaver, Iowa

Beaver, Iowa

Graffiti

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

Iowa State Softball Complex

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.

Davis County Aux. – Vol. 3

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.


Davis County - Bloomfield

Davis County - Bloomfield

Davis County - Bloomfield

Davis County

Davis County

Davis County

Davis County

Davis County

Davis County

Davis County

Davis County - Pulaski

Davis County - Pulaski

Davis County - Pulaski

Davis County - Pulaski

Davis County - Pulaski

Davis County - Pulaski

Davis County - Pulaski

Davis County - Pulaski

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

Van Buren County - Cantril

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!

Scott County Aux. – Vol. 4

Time for another collection of images from my trip to Scott County to harvest their town signs for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. This collection was taken entirely in Davenport.

Here is the fourth collection:


Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County -

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Scott County - Davenport

Still one more collection of images from Scott County left to share. Then it will be off to the last county from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT.

Scott County Aux. – Vol. 1

Time to start sharing the auxiliary images from my trip to Scott County to harvest their town signs. Scott County was the second to last county I went to for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. It was a county I knew would be challenging cause of the Quad Cities, but it didn’t turn out to be so rough.

Here is the first collection, the first few pictures were taken on the way to Scott County:


Cedar County - Tipton
Tipton

Cedar County - Tipton

Cedar County - Tipton

Cedar County - Tipton

Cedar County - Tipton

Cedar County - Tipton

Scott County - New Liberty
New Liberty

Scott County - New Liberty

Scott County - Dixon
Dixon

Scott County - Dixon

Scott County - Donahue
Donahue

Scott County - Donahue

Scott County - Donahue

Scott County - Donahue

Scott County - Donahue

Scott County

Scott County

Scott County

Scott County

Scott County

Scott County

Scott County

Scott County

Scott County - Princeton
Princeton

Scott County - Princeton

Scott County - Princeton

Scott County - Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead
Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead

Scott County - Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead

Scott County - Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead

Scott County - Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead

Still so many picture left to share from this trip!

Dubuque County Aux. – Vol. 4

Time for the final collection of auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Dubuque County.

The first few images in the collection are from the New Melleray Abbey. It is a monastery of Trappist Monks that supports themselves by making coffins. Yes. Coffins.

Here is some information about them from their website (newmelleray.org):

New Melleray is a community of Roman Catholic monks. We belong to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists. Disciples of Jesus Christ, we join countless men and women who throughout fifteen hundred years have discovered the Rule of Saint Benedict to offer a challenging and effective way of living the Gospel. Our communal way of monastic life in the Cistercian tradition serves our desire to be wholly oriented to the experience of the living God.

Located southwest of Dubuque, Iowa, New Melleray was founded in 1849 by monks of our Order from Mount Melleray Abbey, Ireland. Like all monasteries, New Melleray Abbey is a school of charity. The monastery is a place where we learn to love God, to love ourselves, and to love each other. Together with its fertile farmland and rugged woodlands our monastery provides us with solitude and precious silence.

Through our guest house and other forms of monastic hospitality, we are happy to offer to our brothers and sisters who follow other paths, a place where they may find acceptance, peace, and prayer. Click on “Visit Us” for various ways to share in our way of life as a long-term guest living within the community.

With Trappist Caskets we support ourselves and supply employment to local men and women by making and selling simple wooden caskets and burial urns of exceptional quality.

I do want to go back and check it out when I have more time, so if you are interested in such a road trip, let me know. I don’t think I’ll get many takers on that one.

Here are the pictures:


Dubuque County  - New Melleray Abbey
New Melleray Abbey

Dubuque County  - New Melleray Abbey

Dubuque County  - New Melleray Abbey

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams
A hot dog stuck in her throat…

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams
They were serious. They had a guard watching people.

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams
Seriously? They can’t bury those power lines?

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams
That is the corn guard. In the background is the lights of the Major League stadium where the Cubs and Reds played and the White Sox and Yankees the year before that.

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams
The corn guard actually did try to rustle me out of the corn.

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

Dubuque County  - Field of Dreams

This might make me a bad Iowan, but I actually don’t love the movie FIELD OF DREAMS. That being said, the field from the movie still being around is pretty sweet and it is definitely worth a visit. Bring a ball and a glove and “play catch”. Only psychos “have a catch”.

Would you believe that there are only 2 counties worth of auxiliary images left to share? Well, believe it because it is true. Next up is Scott County.

Lee & Van Buren County Aux. – Vol. 2

Time for another collection of images from my road trip to Lee County and Van Buren County to harvest their town signs. All of these pictures are taken in Lee County.


Lee County - West Point
West Point

Lee County - West Point
West Point has a badass window painter.

Lee County - West Point

Lee County - West Point

Lee County - West Point

Lee County - West Point
So I think this is badass. There are scores of towns across Iowa that has their own mini Statue of Liberty. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every single one of them. This is the ONLY one that has a base that is a replica of the base that the actual Statue of Liberty sits on. When I sent a picture of it to a bunch of people I didn’t even get a single response. Not a SINGLE person was impressed by this and this makes me sad. Melancholy even.

Lee County - West Point

Lee County - West Point

Lee County - West Point
I like to hit a bakery on these trips if I can.

Lee County - West Point

Lee County - West Point

Lee County - Fort Madison
Fort Madison

Lee County - Fort Madison

Lee County - Fort Madison
Lee County has 2 courthouses.

Lee County - Fort Madison

Lee County - Denmark
Denmark

Lee County - Denmark

Lee County - Denmark
I bet this place was the bomb in the day!

Lee County - Denmark

Lee County  - Denmark

Lee County - Montrose
Montrose

Lee County - Montrose
If you look closely here you can see a giant white building across the Mississippi River. That is a rebuilt LDS Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois. More on that later.

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Lee County - Montrose

Here is a little history of Nauvoo and the LDS Temple there from the Wiki:

In late 1839, arriving Latter Day Saints bought the small town and in April 1840 it was renamed Nauvoo by Joseph Smith, who led the Latter Day Saints to Nauvoo to escape conflict with the state government in Missouri. The name Nauvoo is derived from the traditional Hebrew language with an anglicized spelling. The word comes from Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains…” By 1844 “Nauvoo’s population had swollen to 12,000, rivaling the size of Chicago” at the time.

After Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, continued violence from surrounding non-LDS members forced most Latter-Day Saints to leave Nauvoo. Most of these followers, led by Brigham Young, emigrated to the Great Salt Lake Valley. In 1849, Icarians moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist commune based on the ideals of French philosopher Étienne Cabet. The colony had nearly 500 members at its peak, but Cabet’s death in 1856 led some members to leave this parent colony.

The Icarians are the same cult that setup shop in Corning, Iowa. The remains of their cult compound still remain today.

More:

The Latter Day Saints made preparations to build a temple soon after establishing their headquarters at Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1839. On April 6, 1841, the temple’s cornerstone was laid under the direction of Joseph Smith, the church founder and president; Sidney Rigdon gave the principal oration. At its base the building was 128 feet (39 m) long and 88 feet (27 m) wide with a clock tower and weather vane reaching to a total height of 165 feet (50 m)—a 60% increase over the dimensions of the Kirtland Temple. Like Kirtland, the Nauvoo Temple contained two assembly halls, one on the first floor and one on the second, called the lower and upper courts. Both had classrooms and offices in the attic. Unlike Kirtland, the Nauvoo Temple had a full basement which housed a baptismal font. Because the Saints had to abandon Nauvoo, the building was not entirely completed. The basement with its font was finished, as were the first floor assembly hall and the attic. When these parts of the building were completed they were used for performing ordinances (basement and attic) or for worship services (first floor assembly hall).

A Sunstone from the original Nauvoo Temple in a case in front of LDS Church’s Visitor Center in Nauvoo
The Nauvoo Temple was designed in the Greek Revival style by architect William Weeks, under the direction of Joseph Smith. Weeks’s design made use of distinctively Latter Day Saint motifs, including sunstones, moonstones, and starstones. It is often mistakenly thought that these stones represent the three degrees of glory in the Latter Day Saint conception of the afterlife, but the stones appear in the wrong order. Instead, Wandle Mace, foreman for the framework of the Nauvoo Temple, has explained that the design of the temple was meant to be “a representation of the Church, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife”.[4] In this regard, Mace references John’s statement in Revelation 12:1 concerning the “woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” This explains why the starstones are at the top of the temple (“crown of twelve stars”), the sunstones in the middle (“clothed with the sun”) and the moonstones at the bottom (“moon under her feet”).

Construction was only half complete at the death of Joseph Smith in 1844. After a succession crisis, Brigham Young was sustained as the church’s leader by the majority of Latter Day Saints in Nauvoo. As mob violence increased during the summer of 1845, he encouraged the Latter Day Saints to complete the temple even as they prepared to abandon the city, so portions of it could be used for Latter Day Saint ordinance, such as baptisms for the dead in the basement font. During the winter of 1845–46, the temple began to be used for additional ordinances, including the Nauvoo-era endowment, sealings in marriage, and adoptions. The Nauvoo Temple was in use for less than three months.

Most of the Latter Day Saints left Nauvoo, beginning in February 1846, but a small crew remained to finish the temple’s first floor, so that it could be formally dedicated. Once the first floor was finished with pulpits and benches, the building was finally dedicated in private services on April 30, 1846, and in public services on 1 May. In September 1846 the remaining Latter Day Saints were driven from the city and vigilantes from the neighboring region, including Carthage, Illinois, entered the near-empty city and vandalized the temple.

Initially the church’s agents tried to lease the structure, first to the Catholic Church, and then to private individuals. When this failed, they attempted to sell the temple, asking up to $200,000, but this effort also met with no success. On March 11, 1848, the LDS Church’s agents sold the building to David T. LeBaron, for $5,000. Finally, the New York Home Missionary Society expressed interest in leasing the building as a school, but around midnight on October 8–9, 1848, the temple was set on fire by an unknown arsonist. Nauvoo’s residents attempted to put out the fire, but the temple was gutted. James J. Strang, leader of the Strangite faction of Latter Day Saints, accused Young’s agents of setting fire to the temple. However, Strang’s charges were never proven. On April 2, 1849, LeBaron sold the damaged temple to Étienne Cabet for $2,000. Cabet, whose followers were called Icarians, hoped to establish Nauvoo as a communistic utopia.[5]

From 1937 to 1962, the LDS Church reacquired and restored the lot on which the temple stood.[8] The church bought the portion that initially housed the temple in an uncontested public auction on February 19, 1937, for $900, after previously being listed and protected by the bank at auction several times because prices were lower than expected.[8] Wilford C. Wood then bought the majority of the remainder of the temple square in 1940, 1941, and 1951 and transferred it to Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[8] The Corporation bought the remainder of the property with purchases in 1959, 1961 and 1962.[8]

In 1999, church president Gordon B. Hinckley announced the rebuilding of the temple on its original footprint. After two years of construction, on June 27, 2002, the church dedicated the Nauvoo Illinois Temple, whose exterior is a replica of the first temple, but whose interior is laid out like a modern LDS temple.

Anyways, I find it fascinating as I like history, religion, and religious history. Mormon history is also fascinating.

There is even more that happened in Nauvoo with Joseph Smith III and the establishment of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, which is now called The Community of Christ, but this is probably enough history for today.

The Windy City: Day 2C

This final collection of images from Day 2 in Chicago start as I was doing a walkabout of Wrigley Field. When I was a kid I really loved baseball, but as an adult that love has really waned. I hate to say it, but baseball is boring and it takes WAY too long. Plus things like analytics have really ruined the game. However, I have to applaud Major League Baseball. The changes they have made to speed up the game are fantastic. It was late in the game before I knew it. It was much more enjoyable than the game I went to last year in Miami. Not just because it was in a much better stadium or involved a team that I despise.

But we continue during my walkabout:


Chicago, Illinois
The right field scoreboard.

Chicago, Illinois
Right field.

Chicago, Illinois
The iconic manual scoreboard.

Chicago, Illinois
Lowell. The usher in our section was livid that I took this picture. I thought she was going to kick me out of the stadium.

Chicago, Illinois
She is on the right.

Chicago, Illinois
Left field.

Chicago, Illinois
Every other usher in this stadium was cool. Except ours.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
I think there was a chance I could have snuck in here, but I didn’t press it.

Chicago, Illinois
Would be cool… someday.

Chicago, Illinois
Good Sport Section… something that doesn’t exist at the Boone National Little League Park.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Sorry, I really dug the left field area.

Chicago, Illinois
Big screen outside of Wrigley.

Chicago, Illinois
Not a bad seat in the… okay lots of bad seats at Wrigley.

Chicago, Illinois
This is unique, but probably necessary because so many seats with obstructed views.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
This girl. Think about the thing you love most in the world. Think about how much you love your children or your dog or your car. This lady loves the song “Y.M.C.A” more than you love your children. She worked the entire section during the song. Then shortly after it was over she started dry humping Kyle Schwarber’s leg until he was ready to leave. I think she is a national treasure.

Chicago, Illinois
The Cubs let me down and let the Dodgers beat them. I guess it doesn’t matter since the Padres SUCK!!!

Chicago, Illinois
Wrigleyville.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
This made me think of Carla.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
I love stoned Mr. Peanut!

Chicago, Illinois
Reminds me of Miami Beach.

Chicago, Illinois
We didn’t eat here, which I’m considering somewhat of a miss. But our Uber driver did pick us up here.

We took an Uber back to the hotel. I think we mostly crashed. It was our last day without the rest of the miners around. Tomorrow was potentially a very busy day.

+++++++

NOTE: I’M THINKING OF DOING AWAY WITH THIS FRIDAY REMINDER. LET ME KNOW IF YOU STRONGLY OBJECT TO IT. IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, I WILL END THESE AT THE END OF THE MONTH.

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


WEEK 405 - FLOWER
FLOWER

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

But what is a FLOWER picture? Come on! You aren’t new here. You know about Thursdays! A flower picture is simply a picture of a FLOWER. Live, dead, painting, sculpture. Doesn’t matter. Time to get your flowertography on! Or as Micky might say, your flower porn on!

This is not the first time that FLOWER has been a theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Have a look at some past submissions for inspiration:


WEEK 45 - FLOWER - CARLA STENSLAND 2
Carla Stensland – Week 45

WEEK 95 - FLOWER - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin – Week 95

WEEK 118 - FLOWERS - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley – Week 118

WEEK 205 - FLOWER - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen – Week 205

WEEK 259 - FLOWER - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker – Week 259

WEEK 316 - FLOWER - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley – Week 316

WEEK 351 - FLOWER - SARA LOCKNER
Sara Lockner – Week 351

WEEK 95 - FLOWER - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett – Week – 95

Happy photo harvesting!

THE WINDY CITY: DAY 2B

Last time we left off with The Windy City Chronicles Lowell, Tony, and I had just arrived at Wrigley Field. Due to rain, the game had been postponed an hour. This gave us some time to walk around Wrigley Field and take in the ambiance of Wrigleyville.


Chicago, Illinois
I don’t care about the Cubs one way or the other, but I hate the Dodgers.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
It would be pretty sweet to watch a Cubs game from a roof top.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Apparently the souls of the children Harry Caray murdered?

Chicago, Illinois
Would also love to watch a game from the bleachers.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
More expensive to watch a game from there than from inside Wrigley Field.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
A beautiful view.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Majority of concession stands at Wrigley were self-serve, which kinda sucked.

Chicago, Illinois
I never actually had a Chicago Dog in Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
My Savannah Bananas shirt made me popular with every usher in the stadium, except the one in our section.

Chicago, Illinois
The salespeople showed up about halfway through the 3rd inning. They left about halfway through the 4th inning. At least that is what it felt like.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Still one more collection of images to share from Day 2 of my work trip to Chicago.

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NOTE: THERE ARE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS WEEK’S THEME, SO MAKE SURE TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THEM. JUST DON’T SKIM BY THEM. NOT THAT ANYBODY DOES THAT. EVERYBODY HANGS ON MY EVERY WORD.

This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is SLICE OF LIFE.


WEEK 404 - SLICE OF LIFE
SLICE OF LIFE

SLICE OF LIFE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a SLICE OF LIFE image? This is where I normally give you kind of a broad definition of the theme, but not this week. For those that don’t know SLICE OF LIFE is the name of the postcard company that my Dad started and ran out of the basement darkroom in our house.

Here is the Trade Name documentation he filed in March of 1984:



He passed away in December of the same year.

He specialized in black & white postcards of local interest. Here is this week’s assignment. It is to take a picture that you could see being used on a postcard. Now back in the day, they used to take pictures of all sorts of things and put them on postcards. So don’t think that there is nothing in your area that would make it on a postcard. It could be a building that is interesting looking or has a historical significance. It could simply be a pretty scene. Back when I was doing THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT, sometimes they took pictures of downtown intersections and put those on postcards.

While I will require your submission to be a postcard like image, meaning don’t try to “interpret” Slice of Life to mean something different, I will only strongly encourage you to submit the picture in black & white and also only slightly encourage you to throw some text on the image, if you have the editing skills or software.

There is one more thing. The is the one and only theme where if you write a SHORT description of your image (like you would see on the backside of a postcard) that I will include it along with your submission.

Here are some examples of my Dad’s postcards that will hopefully inspire you (excuse the low quality of the scans):


Slice of Life Postcards

Slice of Life Postcards

Slice of Life Postcards

Slice of Life Postcard

Slice of Life Postcard

I don’t manipulate the order of themes for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I put the 52 themes in a random generate it and then I have it generate the theme the number of times as there are letters in the name of my favorite person at that moment*. EXCEPT for this theme. This theme I put this week specifically. This week is my Dad’s birthday. So it seemed apropos to put the theme that is an homage to him during this week.

Happy photo harvesting!

The Windy City: Day 2A

Day 2 in Chicago was the first day where I actually had to work. Kim was setting up things at the convention center in the morning and let us know when to head over to do our thing. Tony, Lowell, and I got breakfast at the hotel and then walked around the neighborhood a little bit. We scouted out the location of Garrett’s Popcorn and then looked for a mailbox that was closer than the one I had found the night before.


Chicago, Illinois
I wish more things in Iowa were covered with stickers.

Chicago, Illinois
There was supposed to be a mailbox in this building but it was closed.

Chicago, Illinois
I’ll do my best sidewalk sticker.

Chicago, Illinois
Here’s the best part. In the convention center there was a mailbox. Problem solved.

Chicago, Illinois
The Computer Mine Booth. Kim got a guy fired for smoking a joint while putting our booth together. Narc.

Chicago, Illinois
And that made us popular with the rest of the union guys.

Chicago, Illinois
Computer Mine Booth, reverse angle.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Hooking the HDMI cables up to these monitors and then getting these monitors mounted, what dreams are made of… I meant nightmares.

Chicago, Illinois
Tony’s thinking pose.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Home the next several days.

Chicago, Illinois
The reception desk.

Chicago, Illinois
The closet. Where union guys go to change pants and miners go to hide from customers.

Chicago, Illinois
The snack selection. Tony, Lowell, and I crushed those Slim Jims. Not sure anybody else got any.

Chicago, Illinois
Hello Kim!

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Only slightly smelled like pot.

Chicago, Illinois
After we were done, we headed outside to catch an Uber.

Chicago, Illinois
It took us about 15 minutes to get to the convention center on the shuttle in the morning.

Chicago, Illinois
It took over 30 minutes to get back to the hotel.

Chicago, Illinois
Which sucked because we were going to a Cubs game that night and we were in a time crunch.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Our Uber ride back to the hotel.

Chicago, Illinois
The ride from the hotel to Wrigley Field was about 45 minutes. We got there 30 minutes after the game was supposed to start.

Chicago, Illinois
Which ended up being okay, because the game started an hour late.

Still plenty more pictures from Day 2 to share. Most of them from Wrigley Field.

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


WEEK 403 - TEXTURE
TEXTURE

TEXTURE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! Also, this theme was suggested by Sarah Toot.

But what in Wes Wallace is a TEXTURE image? Well, let’s start with the definition of TEXTURE: the structure, feel, and appearance of something (as a fabric) the smooth texture of silk. wood with a rough texture. In photography that means: the visual depiction of variations in the color, shape, and depth of an object’s surface. What you are trying to do here is to convey the feel of the surface of an object through photography.

This is not the first time that TEXTURE has been a theme. Here are some past submissions for TEXTURE that might get your creative juices going:


WEEK 17 - TEXTURE - ANGIE DEWAARD 1
Angie DeWaard – Week 17

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland – Week 227

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - SARAH KARBER
Sarah Karber – Week 227

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson – Week 227

WEEK 227 - TEXTURE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett – Week 227

Happy photo harvesting!

WPC – WEEK 393 – COMPETITION

EDITOR’S NOTE: MY WORK SCHEDULE HAS TEMPORARILY CHANGED DUE TO EXTREME SHORT STAFFING AT THE COMPUTER MINE. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE PUBLISHING OF THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE POST MIGHT GET MOVED BACK AT LEAST 30 MINUTES UNTIL THE STAFFING SHORTAGE HAS PASSED. WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

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

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

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 5 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 start 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 participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

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 to 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.

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 largest 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.

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

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

+++++++

COMPETITION! A great theme! But did it fire up the competitive juices of a ton of people? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week (3)
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
5-Mindi Terrell – 5 weeks (2)
6-Suzie Brannen – 9 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 9 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 9 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 10 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 10 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 20 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 30 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 34 weeks (2)
14-Sarah Toot – 35 weeks (3)
15-Angie DeWaard – 39 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 43 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 48 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 50 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 51 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 61 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 61 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 63 weeks (2)
23-Andy Sharp – 64 weeks (2)
24-Bill Wentworth – 65 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 69 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 70 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 71 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 74 weeks (3)

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 393 - COMPETITION - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 40 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 66 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 62 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (Texas) – 51 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 75 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 35 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 72 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 21 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 65 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 6 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - WILLY MCALPINE
Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 64 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 71 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE
Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 44 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MONICA JENNINGS
Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 10 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 10 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 62 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Iowa) – 49 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 11 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - BRANDON KAHLER
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 31 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 70 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 36 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

WPC 393 - COMPETITION - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 10 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Iowa) – 11 weeks

WEEK 393 - COMPETITION - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 52 weeks

29 participants! That is a great week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

There were no new states added to the map.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 15 miles from my front door. So I didn’t add to the map, yet again.

There were a couple of big milestones this week! Suzie, Monica, and Jesse both reached double digit streaks. Logan reached the One Year Club!

But it wasn’t all sunshine and happiness! Scott, Sara, and Becky couldn’t build on their submissions last week to get to two week streaks!

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 394 - BLUE
BLUE

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

But what is a BLUE image? It is simply an image where the subject or a major compositional element of the image is the color BLUE. That is it! Almost too simple!

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

She had blue skin, And so did he. He kept it hid; And so did she. They searched for blue; Their whole life through, Then passed right by – And never knew.
–Shel Silverstein

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 BLUE in this place that hopefully never gives you the blues next Monday.