Category Archives: Olympic Sports

Alexis, Becca, Bethany, Billy, Birthdays, Candid Portrait, Carla, Dory, Elainie, Formal Portrait, Jason, Laura, Mom, Nate, Olympic Sports, Shorty, Teresa, Tim

2009-11-23

May 30, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start this post by wishing the happiest of birthdays to my bro Nate. Happy birthday Nate!

Truth is, I just hope Nate gets a good nap on his birthday!

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The pictures in the folder 2009-11-23 are from a trip I made with the family to Kansas City to watch Alexis compete in a cheerleading competition.

If you niece and nephew are going to compete in a sport, they can do worse than cheerleading. The routines last maybe a couple minutes. The you can leave. It isn’t a several hour commitment. Which is key, because I love my nieces and nephews dearly. But I care nothing about other people’s nieces and nephews. I don’t want to spend hours watching them compete, just to get to watch my niece and/or nephew compete. I want to watch my niece compete. Then I want to go get some tasty barbecue.

What I’m getting at is this, never, under any circumstances, agree to go to a gymnastics meet. There are multiple events and 10,000 kids. The worst part, they all use the same music for the floor exercise. Trust me, you don’t want to hear the same 30 second clip of some horrible song 10,000 times in one day. It will make you psychotic. Just saying…

One caveat though… cheerleading moms 100% live up to the stereotype.

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entries to their original glory:

Be Aggressive

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve Jill and her foot.

Candid Portrait, Derrick, Football, Iowa State, Jen, Olympic Sports, Sara

2009-09-27

March 28, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures from the folder 2009-09-27 come from a Saturday when I went down to Des Moines to watch Jen compete in the Des Moines Regatta and watched Iowa State beat Army in football.

All the pageantry that comes with Army coming to your stadium is pretty amazing. Iowa State was also schedule to play both Navy and Air Force, but both those games got cancelled after the Big 12 went to a 9 game conference schedule and some nonconference games had to be cancelled. I still wish those game would get rescheduled, but I know it will never happen.

I’m not sure if this was the last Des Moines Regatta that Jen ever competed in, but I’m pretty sure that it was.

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entries to their original glory:

Des Moines Regatta
Army

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve an Art Festival.

Alexis, Brandon, Candid Portrait, Carla, Elainie, Holidays, Jason, Logan, Mom, Olympic Sports, Russ, Teresa

2009-05-10

August 24, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures in the folder 2009-05-10 are from a Mother’s Day Celebration. I think it is the first family celebration I hosted at my current abode. Might have been one of the last.

I don’t know that I will ever host one again because my house is on the smaller side, but I do have a new grill and a “new” 60 year old dining room table that seats 8.

Here are some pictures:

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery I was able to restored the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” post to its original glory:

Mother’s Day

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a lift and some socks.

Art, Event, Olympic Sports

RAGBRAI – VOLUME 4

July 31, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

This is my final collection of RAGBRAI pictures from last year when RAGBRAI passed through Boone.

Now that I’ve published last year’s RAGBRAI photos it is time to hit the backlog and publish pictures from last year’s balloon festival.

Candid Portrait, Event, Olympic Sports

RAGBRAI – VOLUME 3

July 24, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

As the 2019 RAGBRAI continues to wind its way across Iowa, now seems like a good time to publish more pictures from the 2018 backlog of when RAGBRAI passed through Boone.

Art, Candid Portrait, Event, Olympic Sports

RAGBRAI – VOLUME 2

July 17, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

As we get very near the beginning of another RAGBRAI, I need to get more of
last year’s RAGBRAI journey through Boone.

As I was looking through these photos, I realized how great it would have been to have Rodan139 back then to get some aerial images of the mass of humanity that rode their bikes through Boone. Maybe this year, but let’s face it probably not. I’ve been hemorrhaging PTO lately and I think I’m about to ask for a bunch more.

Here are some more images:

I have plenty more RAGBRAI photos left to share!

Candid Portrait, Event, Olympic Sports, Still Life, WPC - Reminder

RAGBRAI – VOLUME 1

June 21, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

In 2018, RAGBRAI went through Boone on its way to its overnight destination of Ames.

If I remember correctly, I worked 7-9 in the morning, then hung up my pick axe and came to Boone to photograph the riders as they came through Boone or stopped in Boone to enjoy the festivities that we offered.

At the time, I remember being worried that I would miss most of the riders as I saw many of them already pouring into Ames on my way from the mine back to the Photography 139 Studio. As you’ll see, that was a fool’s worry.

I took 400 pictures, so as I pick out a few of my favorites, they will be broken into a few volumes.

There are plenty more RAGBRAI pictures in the chute!

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

BREAKFAST

BREAKFAST. Easy enough.

Happy photo harvesting!

Candid Portrait, Formal Portrait, Holidays, House, Jay, Jesse, Night, Olympic Sports, Scottie D., Shannon, Still Life, Willy

11-01-08

March 9, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 5 Comments

The images from the folder 11-1-08 are all over the place. They include pictures of Jesse and I exploring the disc golf course in McHose Park to pictures of Shannon before she made a donation to Locks of Love to pictures of my Hoosier before it got fixed up to pictures Halloween in 2008.

I’m not a frolfer, but I do think that McHose Park has a badass disc golf course. The first 9 holes are nothing special, but the back 9 is a man’s golf course. When I say man’s golf course, what I really mean is that it isn’t for the faint of heart. It is for people that aren’t afraid to get lost in the woods and never heard from again.

The Hoosier pictures were taken from before Shannon’s dad came to pick it up. It was in storage and he did a wonderful job making it presentable again and he did it in plenty of time before I found a house to call home. Which was quite the feat, even though I did take my own sweet time with my house hunt.

The pictures of Shannon before she cut off her hair were taken in Brookside Park. This was Shannon’s 3rd donation to Locks of Love. In that collection of pictures is one of my favorite pictures of Shannon and I believe it is safe to say that I have taken lots of pictures of Shannon.

Finally, the 2008 Halloween pictures includes a picture of Willy in what was definitely the best Halloween costume he has ever had.

Have a look:

The stick figure pumpkin is the best pumpkin I have ever carved. Jay hated it. I’m not bitter about that, otherwise I wouldn’t be bringing it up over 10 years later.

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entries to their original glory:

McHose Park Mystery

All Hallow’s Eve

Before

Another Before

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve another trip to Ottumwa and what Shannon looked like after she cut off her 12 or so inches of hair.

Art, Black & White, Derrick, Flowers, Jay, Jen, Olympic Sports, Portrait, Sara

09-28-08

January 5, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures in the folder 09-28-08 are from the Des Moines Regatta.

Back in the day, Jen used to row and her team competed in the Des Moines Regatta. A rowing event on the Des Moines River that ends in Prospect Park.

On that day Derrick (duh), Sara, Jay, and I loaded into a convertible and went down to watch her.

I took a few pictures of the event.

Here are some of those pictures:

Looking at these pictures I’m reminded that I used to have friends that were foolish enough to smoke. I don’t know that I have any friends that smoke any longer.

I have friends that vape, which is kind of a trade-off. They don’t smell as bad as smokers smell, but they also constantly talk about vaping. Which is almost more annoying.

This day is also the day that will live in infamy as the Sara Film Camera Incident.

I handed Sara a film camera to hold onto while I prowled around the regatta grounds. When I came back, she told me that the camera had made a funny noise and wouldn’t take pictures.

She thought the camera was a digital camera and had shot completely through an entire role of film.

Ahhhh… memories!

By adding these images to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entries to their original glory:

My Saturday (Volume 1)

My Saturday (Volume 2)

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve senior pictures for Brandon.

Alexis, Art, Commercial, Football, Olympic Sports, Politics, Portrait, Shannon

09-23-08

December 29, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

The images in the folder 09-23-08 are a little bit all over the place. There are pictures from a Little White Lye Soap sales event. Pictures from Alexis reveling in athletic glory. Plus a sticker given to me by Janice. Finally a strange sculpture that I think is uniquely Midwestern.

Have a looksie:

All of Alexis’ medals came from a gymnastics meet. A sport she would have no doubt dominated, but fortunately she had the good sense to leave it behind in her youth.

I believe I placed that sticker on the side of my work computer. That was 3 work computers ago, so who knows where that sticker resides now.

By adding these images to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entries to their original glory:

First Meet

1928

New Sales Record

Next weekend’s stroll down memory lane will involve the Des Moines Regatta.

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