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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:

camino-1020222e camino-1020199e camino-1020179ecr

 

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Camino Day 9: Santo Domingo to Belorado

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September 9, 2016:  As we put our boots on this morning we share a moment with a forlorn Damion from the UK as he contemplates whether to continue his Camino with very sore blisters or call it quits. We’ve enjoyed his wit, humor and banter, so are hoping he continues. Final answer…?  A very somber ending as he makes plans for catching a flight back home.  Camino hearts are breaking for this well liked and kind gentleman as we all know how hard it is to accept defeat.  Safe journeys, Damion.

Today should be close to a 25 kilometer day so we leave the albergue early, making our way down the dark streets of Santo Domingo.
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We enjoy the company of Roger and Nancy from Colorado and interesting conversation makes the day click by so much faster. Thank you for sharing your day with us and we are curious as to your Camino experiences after we parted ways.

What… am I hallucinating?  A huge stuffed animal is hiking towards me!
camino-1020148ecr Following is a link to a short video explaining their project:  osoperigroso

camino-1020147eSmiles on the Way is a site that has information about these two and their walk.

We arrive in Belorado finding only top bunks with no bed rails available, so Joan will face her ultimate challenge tonight. The room is very tiny and there is no room to throw her mattress on the floor for sleeping. Will she sleep walk and fall out of bed or not sleep at all? We will see…

A bonus tonight is meeting and spending meal time with charming Alexandra who lives and works in Malega. I am so tired that I can hardly speak, but the table conversation still flows freely.  Buen Camino, Alexandra!

Top three photo picks of the day:

camino-1020138cre camino-1020120ecr camino-1020129e

 

 

 

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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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Nostalgia…

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Maybe we all just long for some connection to a life where a rooster still crows in the yard…koerlin_composite_3bAs farms become larger and automated with huge equipment, (Hey, you don’t even have to steer the tractor these days!) the farmers of yesterday have found themselves in the category of nostalgia. Fewer farms today require daily manual labor of the past… cows to milk, a variety of animals to feed/butcher, eggs to collect and bailing hay meant stacking heavy bales on the hayrack by hand. Farm kids didn’t need the weight room to excel in sports as their daily chores took care of that. Kids were not asked to work, but rather expected to earn their keep. (as my father-in-law used to say)

Sounds like a tough way of life, but those who grew up on a farm “back in the day”  most likely also have fond memories of life as well as a tremendous amount of respect for the parents who raised them.

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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.
camino-1010916e

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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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!!

 

 

 

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Dance, Dance, Dance

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xmas-0417roseblendplweb
Blended image by Joyce Meyer
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Day 4 ~ Camino de Santiago…Estella to Los Arcos

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Sunday, September 4, 2016:

estella-to-los-arcos-elevation-map

Rats!! Apparently we missed a huge party last night in Estella as at 6:00 a.m. this dark, Sunday morning we hear the revelers still going strong from the downtown area of Estella, Spain. We did enjoy our Pilgrim meal last night in Oceana Youth Hostel (Ignore the name – they take in old people like us, too!) as recommended by a colorful character from Amsterdam. Our table included people from France, Germany, Brazil, Australia and ourselves from the United States so the air was peppered with the sounds of these  languages and accents. Our stay also included a nice visit with a brother and sister from Israel as they shared some insight to their culture and way of life. The hostel is in an old school turned dormitory and serves us well for a good night’s stay, especially when we weren’t sure we’d even get a bed.

camino-1010723eTwo choices of routes leaving Estella – Go left to experience the wine fountain “Fuente del Vino” beside the Monastery of Nuestra Senora la Real de Irache... that is the route we choose. Free wine? Can’t pass that up! A community of monks served pilgrims here since the 10th century but were forced to vacate in 1985 and it is now a museum.  ~A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino de Santiago by Brierley.

camino-1010738eThe ruins of 10th Century St. Stephen’s Castle are at the top of the mountain and can be seen from Villamayor de Monjardin.

camino-1010808ecrAnother incredibly hot day of hiking and Joan may have sucked her bladder (water supply in her backpack) dry. Interesting conversations with other pilgrims help take our minds off of the heat today.

Short video of our day:

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1010770e camino-1010741e

camino-1010815ecrCeiling view of Iglesia de Santa Maria de los Arcos XIIth C in Los Arcos, Spain

 

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I believe in the magic…

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hennings-5x7websmpw
Image and editing by Joyce Meyer

We soon must trade in our fallen leaves for falling snow. Yes, that first magical snow where you go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in a winter wonderland. Children are excited (Ask any classroom teacher today!) and adults are scurrying about getting prepared for the worse case scenario of a raging blizzard. Stock up on groceries, fuel, get the snow removal equipment  ready to go and the list goes on.

Whether we like it or not, I guess we all are excited about the first snowfall in our own little way. Call me delusional, but I prefer to believe in the magic…