Hitting that 2016 backlog again. This time, we are going back to when the Boone Fire Department burned down a house on the corner of Mamie and Benton.
Like most people, I like fire. So I took lots of pictures.
Here is the first collection:
There are plenty more fire photos in the hopper! So stay pumped!
After women, flowers are the mostly lovely thing God has given the world.
-Christian Dior
This collection of flower pictures comes from the Iowa State Fair in 2016.
There is good news about this collection.
#1. I am now almost finished editing the pictures from 2016 that need to be edited.
#2. I came to a conclusion while editing these photos that may take me in a different direction with an entirely different photo project.
Here are the rest of the 2016 Iowa State Flower Pictures:
Now maybe I can start editing pictures from my 2017 trip to the Iowa State Fair!
Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.
-Will Rogers
It is Sunday. It is 8 PM. It is time to check in with everybody’s favorite 2017 high school graduate… SAYDIE!!!
I don’t have much more to add at this point, I think I’ll just get straight to the pictures:
We’ll be wrapping up this collection about the time Saydie takes off for Northern Iowa, University of.
A quick announcement before we get to the meat of this entry.
I will be working a concession stand at the Boone Municipal Band Festival today for the church. I will be there. I think some of my family. Some of the kid’s from the youth group. I think the money will go to the youth group, but I’m not entirely sure.
Unfortunately, we have no freedom with the menu. We are being forced to serve beef burgers. I know. Gross. The loose meat sandwich is an abomination that will burn in hell next to the only thing more evil than it. The open faced sandwich.
Oh, you don’t think I’d forgotten about the open face sandwich had you! Oh no, my hatred for you still burns. IT BURNS!
That being said, you could do worse than come out and buying some water or chips or tea from us. You can even buy a stupid loose meat sandwich and then just throw it in the trash where it belongs.
You will be doing 2 good deeds that way. Supporting a good cause and making sure there is one less loose meat sandwich in the world.
Also, the Municipal Band Festival usually has pretty good music.
We will be working the concession stand from 2-7.
While I know I’m not selling you on the food, I had forgot to mention there would also be pie for sale. Delicious homemade pie!
Come and get it!
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Back in May of 2017 I went on a little road trip to Decorah to see their waterfall. I would call it by name, but I’ve seen it spelled about 4 different ways. So we’ll just call it the Decorah Waterfall.
Here are some pictures:
The last 2 pictures are from the Ice Cave. I didn’t go very far into the cave because I was travelling alone and I didn’t want to get stuck in a crevice without somebody being able to point and laugh at me or pull me out. That is the price the Lone Wolf* has to pay to be a Lone Wolf!
*Scientifically documented.
I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some.
― Herbert Rappaport
Digging deep into the backlog here. The following are pictures from an August 2016 trip to the Iowa State Fair. Yes, I have pictures from 2016 I still haven’t even edited.
As many of you know, I the Discovery Garden is my favorite place on the Iowa State Fair fairgrounds. Every trip to the State Fair I make a stop there. This is often when I tell the people that go with me, go do something else. I’ll meet up with you later.
This particular trip to the State Fair was when Baby Got Rack was competing in the Farm Bureau Barbecue Contest. While the meat was smoking, I snuck over and grabbed these photos.
All things by immortal power. Near of faR, to each other linked are, that thou canst not stir a flower without troubling a star.
-Francis Thompson
This post signifies the final batch of photos from Donna’s flower garden. However, before we get into that, I need to make an announcement.
I got two pictures into the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon this year!
A few things I want to clarify:
#1. The Iowa State Fair Photo Contest and the Boone County Fair Photo Contest are not connected. They are completely independent and couldn’t be more unrelated. The Iowa State Fair Photography Salon is one of the hardest photo contests in the country. People from all over enter it. They only display 20% of the pictures that are displayed. Full-time professional photographers often don’t get photos in. Past judges don’t get photos in. The judges change every year, so it is impossible to guess what the judges are looking for every year. I pick the photos I enter into that contest. It is the contest I take seriously, even though I know it can be very arbitrary.
#2. Therefore, the photos I entered were not the same photos that I had people voting on last week. Those photos are for the Boone County Fair. The Boone County Fair doesn’t start for another week. I will enter the photos that people voted on July 21.
#3. I have a rule that I don’t enter a picture in more than one photo contest. Therefore, none of the pictures I entered in the Iowa State Fair were in the list of 50 pictures that people could vote on for the Boone County Fair.
#4. I don’t know what pictures were selected. You are allowed to enter up to 4 pictures. I entered 4, but I Don’t know what 2 were accepted for display. 2 of the 4 entered I haven’t released yet for public consumption. No real reason for that, other than I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
#5. I’ll get to find out what two got accepted for display when I go to the Photographer Reception. I think that is the Sunday before the Iowa State Fair, but I haven’t really looked into that yet.
#6. Finally, if you go to the Iowa State Fair and want to see the pictures in person, the Photography Salon is on the top floor of the Cultural Building. You can ask the attendants where pictures by certain photographers are and they will show you, if you don’t want the challenge of trying to find them on your own.
#7. In about a month I’ll unveil the process of picking the photos for the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. It will be similar-ish to the way we did the Boone County Fair Photo Contest, but with some slight tweaks.
I’m pretty stoked. Glad I came out of Photography Contest Retirement!
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Here are the rest of the flower pictures:
Don’t worry Russell, there is plenty more flower pictures in the backlog!
Naima turned 7 today!
Here are some of my favorite pictures of her over the years:
I hope Naima had a happy birthday! We will do some of her favorite things any way. Sleeping. Going to the park. Eating.
It is Sunday, so it is time to check in with everybody’s favorite Boone High graduate Saydie!
Time for some more great advice on Saydie’s next adventure, college life!
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
-Ben Franklin
After this, are more than halfway done with Saydie’s Senior Photo Shoot!
Will convene back here next Sunday to continue our celebration of Saydie!
This is my telling of my experience on the Boone First United Methodist Church Youth Group’s Mission Trip to Houston (Vidor). There were 18 people on the mission trip and all of them experienced the mission trip in a completely different way than I did.
Therefore, you should pull your tired bones out of bed on Sunday, July 8 and drag yourself to the basement of the Boone First United Methodist Church (703 Arden Street) between worship services (approximately 10 AM) and listen to the other 17 people give their testimony about the mission trip. I’ll probably run my yap as well. There will also be a video. Also, there will be refreshments.
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The last day of the Mission Trip was the shortest as it is only a quick 8 hours from Tulsa to Boone. I spent most of the day driving and we stopped for lunch at an IHOB in Liberty, Kansas for lunch. Jordan’s choosing. We stopped at the Junction Creamery in Osceola for ice cream to celebrate Summer’s Gotcha Day. Other than that, the day was just bathroom stops.
I drove almost the entire day, so there aren’t many photos.
But here is my day in photos:
As the kids were packing up the van, I took a few quick shots around downtown Tulsa.
Bathroom break and gas stop.
This is a stupid rule.
Stopping in Osceola for ice cream!
Watch out Anna, that lady behind you is eyeing your Cookie Monster!
This is how Summer smiles!
This is how Summer shows joy.
Emily and officially the last picture of the mission trip.
We got home a little after 6. Sadly, when we got home we found out that Megan’s car had been towed. Nobody had paid attention to where she parked and the city towed her.
After that was sorted out, I somehow got out of returning the vans to Ankeny, so I went home. Saw Naima and tried to re-orient myself back to normal life.
It was an amazing trip on just about every level. I really can’t recommend going on a mission trip enough. Especially with a youth group. It is rewarding beyond your imagination.
This is my telling of my experience on the Boone First United Methodist Church Youth Group’s Mission Trip to Houston (Vidor). There were 18 people on the mission trip and all of them experienced the mission trip in a completely different way than I did.
Therefore, you should pull your tired bones out of bed on Sunday, July 8 and drag yourself to the basement of the Boone First United Methodist Church (703 Arden Street) between worship services (approximately 10 AM) and listen to the other 17 people give their testimony about the mission trip. I’ll probably run my yap as well. There will also be a video. Also, there will be refreshments.
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Friday morning everybody works on cleaning the building. Then you have a quick breakfast (usually this is a packed breakfast), everybody says goodbye and then you hit the road for the long, long, long trip back to the Cyclone State.
After cleaning the building, the kids got to put a pie in the face of each of the YouthWorks employees as a reward for buying so many shirts.
My day in pictures:
Jaxon packed up and ready for the road!
Our toilets for the last 18 hours.
Breakfast!
Megan got one of the honors.
Pie in the face!
This was Talia. I think she was literally in pain.
Ashley was next. She was the Site Director.
Last was Brogen.
Our super caring kids did lead blinded Talia to the water.
Group photo!
Before we headed back we stopped by the Texans’ practice field. Megan’s “hot” older brother is the turf manager for the Texans.
He oversees their 3 grass practice fields.
He also see the turf on their indoor practice field.
The guy is like 26 and he already has his dream job. Thanks to a degree from Iowa State University.
Group photo on the Texans logo.
A closer photo.
Overturning a practice tire.
Kyle sized tire.
The Schoff Bros.
I was shocked to see that the Astrodome is still standing. They are turning it into a parking garage.
Inside NRG Stadium. He is also in charge of the turf in the stadium.
We also got a tour of the stadium where Houston’s professional soccer teams play.
Also managed by somebody from Boone County. This time from Ogden. Also an Iowa State graduate. Seeing a trend?
Most the tour was of the concourse, we weren’t able to go down onto the field because the Houston Dash had a game that night.
Celebrating in the pool at the hotel in Tulsa. (Photo cred: Tiffany)
Not pictured:
Most of the day. After we left Houston, most of the rest of the day was spent on the road with one mission. To get to the hotel in Tulsa before the pool closed at 11. We ate lunch at a Chick-Fil-A. Then we drove with only bathroom stops all the way to Tulsa. We got there a little before 10.
Andy was a swell guy and ordered up a bunch of pizzas from a local pizza place in Tulsa. I think the place was called Mazzio’s. It was delicious.
The kids got to swim in the pool until almost midnight, before the hotel employees realized they were still in there and kicked them out.
For the first time in over a week, I got to sleep in a bed. It was glorious! It was everything I remembered that sleeping could be!
