


Patiently waiting for summer as I edit on a cold, blustery day.
Tucked away along the northwest side of the small community of Gary, SD (pop. 224) you will find a natural setting that is perfect for hosting the Gary Rodeo.
Just for giggles and kicks, I’ve put together a short compilation of still shots along with a few video clips. Stills were shot with a Canon Mark 3 with a 70-200 lens. Video clips were taken with an older Panasonic Lumix with a 25-400 zoom.
I must say I was underwhelmed with the quality of the Panasonic video footage. I have a lot to learn when it comes to video, especially when capturing action. I am aware of keeping the shutter at double the fps which would put the shutter around 100, but it just seems so counterintuitive as a still photographer. After fiddling with the settings we decided to just leave it at auto and take what we get. It didn’t help that my husband was using his cataract eye so everything looked fuzzy to him. Oh, well. That will improve next week.
People in small towns, much more than in cities, share a destiny. ~Richard Russo
Gary, SD is a small community (population 224) nicknamed “Gate City to the West” located along the SD/MN border.
Kudos to graphic designer, Diane Swenson, Canby Print Shop, Canby, MN, for her stellar design work on the 2019 Gary Rodeo poster (which features my image as the background). Canby, MN is a small, southwestern Minnesota town of just 1700 people located 14 miles east of Gary, South Dakota. Our communities may be lacking in size, but we know how to get things done.
You’ll find the Gary Rodeo grounds located on the northwest edge of Gary, SD, in a natural setting with the quaint prairie community of Gary, SD, as its backdrop.
Maybe it’s time for you to take a little trip and experience the life in Gary, South Dakota!
The class of 2018 is cruising down the home stretch and ready to complete their final lap. Be proud of your glory days as they represent a time in your life that can never be repeated. You are probably in peak physical condition due to the rigors of training along with youthful resilience, and have shared bonding experiences with teammates you have probably known and played alongside since elementary school. When this time comes to an end you may feel an unusual combination of accomplishment and sadness.
Are we really saying farewell to the glory days? You couldn’t forget these experiences and memories if you tried. Rather, it’s a time to say to yourself, Wow, wasn’t that incredible?
To quote football coach, Lou Holtz: The answer to three questions will determine your success or failure:
1 – Can people trust me to do my best?
2 – Am I committed to the task in hand?
3 – Do I care about other people and show it?
If the answers to all three questions are yes, there is no way you can fail.
So, be thankful for the experiences, apply the lessons learned and make sure to find a way to make the future even better than the past.
I had no plans of creating the final composite product when I shot these images, but sometimes things just develop and ideas flow. Hmmm. What if…?
Three rambunctious boys ride their scooters down my driveway.Swap images in to add their sister and improve expressions.
Add a colorful sky scene I captured in the Pyrenees back in 2014 (Looks like the South Dakota hills).
Road dust colored in by using Photoshop brushes and finished it off with Topaz edits.
Final product: The Dusty Sunset Gang!
It takes a little bit of crazy to ride those bulls!
Image captured during the 2017 Gary Rodeo located on the west edge of Gary, South Dakota.
Attach a GoPro Hero 2 camera (Redneck style) to a Turtle shell and you have a whole new way of looking at life. Images and video captured with the GoPro camera mounted on the turtle during the Gary, South Dakota July 3rd, 2015 Turtle races.
Below is a short slide show put together on iMovie and uploaded to Youtube including a video clip featuring the results…
It was a warm, summer day as my mother accompanied me on a trip to a little South Dakota town just across the border from Minnesota. A job interview was scheduled for a teaching position and the day resulted in a job with a new life living in a small, farming community.
Yeah, I can see myself doing this a couple of years… which stretched out to 26 years plus additional substitute teaching years.
It was an emotional ending for the last Grant-Deuel High School sporting event held in the Revillo, South Dakota gymnasium. I listen for that memorable roar of Go, Big, Blue!, smell the fragrant concession stand popcorn and gaze at the sea of blue and white filling the stands… now merely memories of days gone by.
Blessed be the memory…
Dig deep. Practice makes better, but you will rarely be perfect.
Help set others up to experience success.
You play as a team, but sometimes you may be the one needed to keep the momentum going.
What it takes is all you’ve got.
Be there for each other. Being positive moves us further in life.
We all have our roles to play, focus on what you can control.
Meet opposition and challenge straight on.
Things may not always go your way. Pick yourself up and move on.
Listen. Everyone has something to offer.
Know that you have done something good in the world.
Appreciate your fans. It is an opportunity to bring family and friends together.
Seniors… buckle up, it’s about to get nostalgic. Remember these walls that have soaked up your pain and exhaustion and know that you’ve learned to win and lose with dignity.
Now, take a deep breath and enjoy the ride with Wildcat pride in your hearts…