Craving something different?

"Brains" were just one of the many Halloween treats on display at the all lab/all day Halloween party. Aesthetically speaking, it was my favorite! The taste and texture were also great with only one thing missing to make it the best...CHOCOLATE. :-) Happy Halloween!!
©Dawn J. Sagert

Busy at Headquarters

Jamie McQuillen-Benge, left, of Des Moines, and Sam Dunn, right, of Waterloo, make calls from the Democratic Headquarters in Waterloo, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Cedar Falls vs Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Ben Louviere, 11, of Cedar Falls, watches the field at Cedar Falls' playoff game against Cedar Rapids Jefferson in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


A Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Conner Ruzicka, right, and an unidentified defender take down Cedar Falls' Wes Boyer, left, in the first half of the game in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008. Cedar Falls won the game with a final score of 49-12.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Fall Reflections

Autumn colors reflect on the serene surface of a pond at Hartman Reserve in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert


Leaves collect along the shore of a pond as autumn colors reflect in the water at Hartman Reserve in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008.

©Dawn J. Sagert

Columbus vs Sumner-Fredericksburg

Sumner-Fredericksburg's Dan Zmoos, right, drags Columbus' Patrick Schmadeke as he runs the ball in Waterloo, Iowa, Friday, Oct. 24, 2008
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

NU vs. North Butler

NU's Jimmy McClain, bottom, misses a tackle of North Butler's Richie Vickers (14), in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


NU's Ta'Mone Williams (33), avoids a tackle by North Butler's Jason Edeker, left, only to be taken down by North Butler's Donavan Weidler, lower right, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


NU's Jimmy McClain, right, goes in for a tackle as North Butler's Richie Vickers, left, tries to run the ball in Cedar Falls, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

The Net

Janesville's Molly Bolt, right, attempts to put the ball past Tripoli's Natalie Figanbaum, left, in Tripoli, Iowa, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


Tripoli's Natalie Figanbaum, left, and Kalie Kirchhoff, right, celebrate a point as Janesville's Katie Wright turns in disappointment on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, in Tripoli, Iowa.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Good Help

My subject poses in the foreground (cropped) as my assistant, Falken Jaramillo, takes a break in the background on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
©Dawn J. Sagert


©Dawn J. Sagert
This was one of many breaks that day...have I mentioned that he's mine? That could be why there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm. :-)

Catch and Release

Wartburg's Nick Yordi, left foreground, releases the ball as Loras's Kenny Kikilas, right, goes in for a tackle on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008, in Waverly, Iowa.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

First Time Voters

Fethiye, left, and Taner, right, Tuken at their home in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008. The Tuken's, originally from Turkey, recently became US citizens and will be first voting as a family, for the first time, with two of their three children (in photo in background), for the presidential election on November fourth.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Signs

A cardboard extension to a McCain/Palin political sign is displayed in a residents yard in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Friday, Oct. 17, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


A cardboard extension to a McCain/Palin political sign is displayed in a residents yard in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Friday, Oct. 17, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Complicated Simplicity

A crow stands watch as it is silhouetted by a cloudy afternoon sky in Waterloo, Iowa, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

Fall Colors

Brilliantly colored leaves exude the presence of fall in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert


A squirrel sits among the newly fallen leaves in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert


Decorative ghosts dangle beneath a tree in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

A Day to Play

Rings of rust form on a metal door along a bike trail on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 in Waterloo, Iowa.
©Dawn J. Sagert


Bright red berries cling to green leaf filled branches at Hickory Hills in LaPorte City, Iowa, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008
©Dawn J. Sagert


Just me on a windy day at the park.
©Dawn J. Sagert

Enduring

An enduring Petunia holds it's bright summer color well into fall in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

Foxtail

A Foxtail is glows in the afternoon sun along Hartman Avenue in Waterloo, Iowa, Friday, Oct. 10, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

Farmhouse Theater

Viewed through a hole in the curtain leading backstage, Carolyn Geschke reviews her lines for the openning night presentation of "Harvey" at the Fredericksburg Farmhouse Theater in Fredericksburg, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


The Fredericksburg Farmhouse Theater presents, "Harvey" on openning night in Fredericksburg, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


From left to right, Paula Nicolaisen, Jim Keane, Kathleen Ayers, and Nancy Kriener take the stage during Act One of "Harvey" at the Fredericksburg Farmhouse Theater in Fredericksburg, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Tour de Loo

Sherry Hoefer of Strawberry Point point holds the door for Verna Hoefer of Manchester as they arrive at Screaming Eagle in the Fowler Building, a participating business in the Tour de Loo, in Waterloo, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. Worker Russell Dolan of Waterloo, looks on as area construction and renovations are still underway.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


Judy Thorson, left, and Eric Thorson, right, observe as guide Chris Western, center, reviews future plans at the Public Market in Waterloo, Iowa. The business was a participant in the Tour de Loo on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Building a Robot

Robert Greenlee, 10, of Waterloo begins building with Legos at the 4-H Club, Black Hawk Extension's meeting in Waterloo, Iowa, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. The club will begin meeting on Thursday evenings to build a Lego robot.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Shape & Color

©Dawn J. Sagert



©Dawn J. Sagert

Commercial photographer I am not. I do love playing with the depth of field at 1.4 though. I'm finding that each new lens I have available to me takes time to get used to in the process of making better pictures. Before I had better glass at my fingertips, I was used to shooting with my two well-below average lenses. I find that when I get to experience a new lens, every shot I take seems "amazing" to me, at first. I have to get the playing out of my system, so that I can begin to think more about the image I am making instead of just the quality of picture that I can get. This was playing.

Painted Wood

©Dawn J. Sagert

Metro Meet

Cedar Falls High's Liz Bauer finishes the last stretch at the Cedar Valley Metro Cross Country Meet Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 at Bontrager Park in Waterloo, Iowa.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Oktoberfest

Backlit blades and blooms grow in a planter in Amana, Iowa, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert


Phil Clouse of Cedar Rapids follows through on his wind-up in the Keg-Toss contest as he tosses the keg onto a course lined with bales of hay at Oktoberfest in Amana, Iowa, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

A typical Amana home located on 47th Avenue in Amana, Iowa, lends itself to the overall feeling of German community Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.

©Dawn J. Sagert


Wine dispensers empty and are replenished as wines are sampled at Oktoberfest in the Amana Colonies Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008, in Amana, Iowa.
©Dawn J. Sagert


Sammy, an eight year old Sheltie, watches the Oktoberfest entertainment through her sunglasses at the Amana Colonies Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

College Football

UNI's James Ruffin, left, dives to tackle Nicholls State's Vincent Montgomery in the second half of the game Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008, at the UNI-dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI claimed the game leading 34-14.
©Dawn J. Sagert

UNI's Jamar Thompson, left, and Jeremy Robertson, right, tackle Nicholls State's Jerald Watson, center, in the second half Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 at the UNI-dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where the UNI Panthers won the game 34-14.

©Dawn J. Sagert

Tempting

Pasta Diablo, from Carlos O'Kelly's in Cedar Falls, is the favorite dish nomination of Courier reader Jill Rechkemmer of Waterloo. It's served up fresh for Jill and her guest Chris Burchard of Waterloo, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, at the restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier