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Camino Day 14: Hornillos to Castrojeriz

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September 14, 2016: Having survived the horrendous dust storm coming into Hornillos yesterday, we appreciate the weather today as we leave town. However, the temps have dropped considerably, Joan’s legs are getting cold, and she is enviously eyeing long pants on the other pilgrims.

We walk a while with Linda, from Ireland, who excitedly relates her experience of staying at the albergue run by the in-laws of Emilio Esteves’ son. Pretty cool.

We check into Albergue Ultrea in Castrojeriz and are greeted by a warm, gregarious gentleman who makes his guests feel welcome.camino-1020645ecrWe stroll around town and up the hill to view the castle ruins high above…camino-1020652e …along with bodegas built into the hillsides.

Coming back from our exploration we bump into an Australian pair and receive a nice hug they deliver from Randy. Little did we know, Randy ran into these friends (as he sadly made his way to the bus station in Burgos) upon leaving the Camino and us behind. Another shout-out to Sinaed from Ireland who has also become part of our Camino family. Buen Camino!camino-1020659eUnusual decor ~  Looking up, we see a wine-press which is demonstrated in an animated fashion (See video) followed by a tour of the bodega down below the albergue.

Top three photo picks of the day:

camino-1020619ecr camino-1020584ecamino-1020561e

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Camino Day 12: Exploring Burgos

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9-12-2016:  Today we are tourists  exploring the city of Burgos, Spain. Click on the link below for a short highlight video :

camino-1020370Construction on the Cathedral began in 1221 and was completed in 1567 which included a hiatus of nearly 200 years with the work resuming on the Burgos Cathedral towards the middle of the 15th century and would continue for more than 100 years. The work done during this time consisted of embellishments of great splendour, assuring the Cathedral’s continued world-renown status. ~unesco.org  Audio tour is full of historical facts and I find it difficult to absorb all of the grandeur and history. Truly immense and I’m in awe.

camino-1020366eshWe are seeing more beggars in the tourist areas of town.  Scam artists? Hmmm…

camino-1020464We climb the hill and explore massive fortifications of the rebuilt Castillo de Burgos. Dating from the 9th century, the castle has a turbulent history, suffering a fire in 1736 and blown up by Napoleon’s troops in 1813. There’s a small museum featuring the history of Burgos.

camino-1020466The impressive view from the castle reveals an aerial view of our hike yesterday and we can see why the Camino path into Burgos seemed endless. We also view the route we will take out-of-town tomorrow as we face the meseta.

camino-1020443A special happy hour tonight since it’s Randy’s last night with us.  We improvise by making a tablecloth from a disposable sheet Randy saved from a previous albergue. This will aid clean-up since we aren’t suppose to eat in the room.( Sh-h-h-h… don’t tell!) Add bread from a local bakery washed down with very cheap (0.62 euro?) box wine and life is good. Don’t judge…

We meet Jim and Mary Ann (Leascomadventures.com) for the evening meal. Last time we see this lovely pair as they will proceed down the path ahead of us from now on. Buen Camino!

Top three photo picks of the day:

camino-1020442e camino-1020422webcamino-1020406e

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Camino Day 11: Ages to Burgos

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September 11, 2016:  We leave the quaint little town of Ages, Spain with anticipation of reaching the large town of Burgos along with a little dread.  The last stretch will be along busy roads, but we continue to simply follow the yellow arrows. san-juan-ortega-to-burgos-elevation-map

This is Randy’s last day of hiking the Camino as he will be returning to the life of a farmer in Minnesota. Harvest awaits…

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino Day 10: Belorado to Ages

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September 10, 2016:  Belorado to Ages ~ 28 kilometersbelorado-to-san-juan-de-ortega-elevation-mapOver-achievers today as we go a few kilometers past the elevation map above.

We find beds in the Ages Municipal Albergue and wander the streets exploring the village.camino-1020241eWhile exploring Ages we stumble upon a small museum of miniatures that Marcial Palacios creates of regional sites, as well as historical methods of labor in the village and on the farm.camino-1020239e The passion that Marcial puts into his works and animated explanation of each miniature  is  interesting as I try to comprehend with my limited Spanish skills along with gestures. Best salesman ever as we purchase a small, lightweight toy.camino-1020229eJunk sculptures line stone fences and fill the yards of this unique street in Ages. I couldn’t find info about these displays so your guess is as good as mine.camino-1020253eShout out and buen camino to Jim and MaryAnne Leas of leascomadventures.com.

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Prime of My Life

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Apparently, I’m in the “prime” of my life…

A prime lens has just one focal length (in contrast to a zoom lens that covers a wider range of lengths).

Back in the day I used prime lenses while shooting with medium format film cameras, but the digital world has found me using zoom lenses exclusively for several years.

Why would I want a prime lens when I could have a zoom that covers a variety of lengths? Easy answer – money.  In the midst of downsizing equipment, I’ve found myself in need of an affordable lens to go on an older body. Quality and price are both factors and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM seemed to fit the bill. My other lenses open to 2.8, so having a faster lens at 1.8 could be interesting. Maybe I’ll reinvent myself as a low light street photographer – you never know.

So, at sunset I took my new little lens to our nearby slough to try it out… pretty much straight out of camera except for tweaking exposure.

ISO 250 / F 6.3 / 1/800
ISO 250 / F 6.3 / 1/800
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ISO 250 / F 1.8 / 1.500
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ISO 100 / F 4 / 1/125

Used this 50mm lens while trying out a DIY  beauty dish, of sorts, with equipment I already had on hand – cheap $37 slave that screws into a regular light socket inside a silver chick warmer. Not much for catch lights, but kind of worked.

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ISO 100/F 1.8/Shutter 1/60
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ISO 100/F 11/Shutter 1/500

Price for this handy little lens?  $125 – much less than the $1600 price tag for a new 24-70 Canon 2.8 zoom. While I like the lens for stationary subjects, I did find the autofocus slow when trying to capture moving subjects.

Following is one of many reviews:  Digital-Picture Review of Canon 50 mm EF f/1.8 STM Lens

All images posted were taken by myself, Joyce Meyer, in Manfred Township, Lac qui Parle County, located in Southwest Minnesota.

 

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Camino Day 8: Najera to Santo Domingo

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September 8, 2016:  A short video of the day…

This morning finds us departing in the dark hoping to find available beds in Santo Domingo. We are meeting more Camino friends as we trudge along and cherish these conversations and chance encounters. You know who you are!!! We look forward to and enjoy the e-mails updating us on their Camino journeys and life in general.

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camino-1020049eBest welcoming committee on the Camino with wine in a jug, tapas and friendly staff at the Santo Domingo de la Calzada albergue operated by the Spanish Confraternity. Nice backyard area with outdoor laundry facilities, kitchen and spacious lounge/dining area. A bonus is that many of the pilgrims we have encountered along the way are staying here.

20160908_121838_resized-2ecrApparently, English and German-speaking pilgrims need rules, so we make good use of the wonderful laundry facilities in the backyard. Randy is extremely  impressed with Julio’s Scrubba Portable laundry bag (Click on link).

camino-1020077ecrOur Irish hospitalera enjoys friendly conversation with Randy and leaves him with a bro hug. camino-1020061ecrA tour of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada includes viewing a live rooster and hen. A gothic henhouse was built during the middle of the XVth century to keep alive a hen and a rooster in memory of the most famous of Santo Domingo´s miracles. Click on this link:  Hen and the Rooster Miracle for the full story behind this live display. I was told they switch out the fowl every 14 days, so I’m guessing chicken soup is on the menu every couple of weeks.camino-1020081eAfter wandering down our street we pathetically gaze inside a restaurant at 6 p.m. and inquire as to evening meal service. 7:30 p.m. is the meal time and our sad, hungry faces must appeal to the gentleman’s heart-strings as he pauses and decides to make an exception.  He rushes around and quickly sets a table for us. The best paella EVER!!!camino-1020083eThe Irish hospitaleras invited us to a prayer service in the basement of the albergue, so this early meal time means we return in time to attend.  Hard to stay awake, but glad we participated since we need all the help we can get. Bonus is this piece of artwork on the wall of the prayer room.

Top three photo picks of the day:
 camino-1020054e camino-1020055e

 

 

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Camino Day 7: Logrono to Najera

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September 7, 2016:  Scroll down for a short video of the day.115467

We stock up on water and food because for the next few hours of the journey we will not have much for shops until the town of Navarrete 13 km away.  camino-1010948eThis will be a thirty kilometer day, so we get an early start to beat some of the heat.camino-1010965eRandy finds a little store in Navarette with everything under the sun crammed inside and he needs a bandana to protect his ears and neck from the scorching sun. Hanging around the counter, he takes forever to make a decision… could it be the posters below the counter that distract him? (Click on the image for a larger viewing window.)
camino-1010969ePlump grapes are plentiful and tempting as we pass through numerous vineyards and hear recordings of birds in distress and canon explosions to keep  birds away from the ripened fruit. We have seen many small tractors with spray tanks behind heading out to the vineyards. No wonder there are no flies or bugs of any kind on the grapes. It’s not very healthy to be eating unwashed grapes that have been in contact with a pesticide besides the fact that it would be stealing. Enough said.camino-1010988eInteresting “bee hive” hut along the trail would provide shelter, if necessary. It appears to be of modern construction and quite messy inside from garbage left by people. The mom in me wants to lecture… Pick up after yourselves!camino-1020002eRandy and Joan are strategizing in the cute little Vino y Camino apartment that Joan found in Najera.  We are in heaven with kitchen facilities, washer/dryer provided, our own bathroom/shower and they even provided us with a bottle of delicious red wine. (Hence, the name.) All in all a good value.

Top three photo picks of the day:

camino-1010958ecr camino-1010974e camino-1010990eA-a-h-h! Buen Camino!

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Camino Day 6: Torres del Rio to Logrono

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September 6, 2016:  Scroll down for a short video with some Creedence Clearwater Revival plus proof that Joan can still stop traffic!

etapa-07-camino-frances

As you can see by the elevation map, we start the day with a hill work-out while the rest of the day appears to level out a little. However, the heat continues to sap our energy as we plod down the path.
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We meet a friendly, interesting young man named Julio from California  sitting by the side of the road switching out socks due to blisters. Conversations flow throughout the day about observations and plans while on the Camino, as well as life, taking our minds off the heat. We often wonder about the rest of his journey to Santiago as we lose track due to a different pace as we do with many people we meet. A good lesson learned:   Live in the moment and make the best of it while you can.

We also meet a new friend, Julius, today and have been in touch with this talented photographer/animation artist from Poland living in Dublin. It was great to talk about photography with someone who understands me.
camino-1010918ecrGraffiti in the tunnels plus the shade provide a little respite from the heat.

20160906_083733rWe find beds tonight in the Apostol Hostel in Logrono with a familiar scene on the wall of our room. I don’t think this means I can cross the Statue of Liberty off of my Bucket List.

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1010878ecamino-1010915ecamino-1010929e

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The Magic of Snow

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Make your own kind of magic this holiday season.

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Image by Joyce Meyer ~ Santaland located in Madison, MN

(Click on image for a larger viewing window.)

 

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Photographing children and holiday lighting

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‘Tis the season… to photograph children and holiday lights.

I had the opportunity to photograph this little tyke at a festive location:  Santaland in Madison, Minnesota.

knock-2771eweb knock-2808e2web knock-2872ecrweb

Available light gives such a “magical” look when photographing children with holiday lighting with the goal being a pleasantly lit face with glowing lights. So… shut off your flash.

Tips for photographing lights:

Basic camera settings:
1) Set a wide aperture (low f-stop number) like f2.8, or as wide as your lens will go.
2) Bump up your ISO to around 800-1250 (not an exact science) I topped out my ISO on some of these since it was such a dark area with no outside lighting.
3) Make sure your shutter speed is at least 1/100th to freeze the subject. I had an active 1 1/2 year old subject so I cranked the shutter up to around 200.

Now those numbers above aren’t a magic formula, but they give you a good starting point. If the Christmas lights aren’t bright enough, bump up the ISO or slow down your shutter speed (just not too slow unless you are going for a blurred motion look!!). It may help to have a little available light coming in through a window to light the subject, but not too much and no direct light since that would overpower the glowing holiday lights. Even lighting on the face is important.

Image color look pretty weird? Either set the white balance in your camera while taking photos or adjust it in the post process in Lightroom or Photoshop. I shoot in Raw so I worry about it during the post-process steps.  More information can be found on white balance here:  What about White Balance?

I’d highly recommend a trip to Santaland located upstairs above Heather Floral right on Main Street, Madison, Minnesota.

… and don’t forget your camera!!