Category Archives: travel photography

Camino Crowds Means Good People Everywhere!

Camino day 7 & 8: Sarria to Portos, Spain.

Teenagers take our beds!

O Biduedo to Sarria

The day started with confidence as we assured ourselves that we we will have no problem obtaining beds at the the Monastery of San Xulián de Samo, an active Benedictine monastery in Samos, Galicia, Spain. Upon striking up a conversation with a teenage pilgrim, we discover that the group of 100 or so teenagers passing by are taking ALL of the beds in Samos and more. Plan B is immediately put into action and we start hiking to Sarria. The plus side of Plan B is having son-in-law Tony join us in Sarria today rather than meeting up with him tomorrow.

“Life is 10% of what you experience and 90% of how you respond to it.”  Dorothy M. Neddermeyer 

2022 Camino Day 3 & 4: Double the Prize.

2022 Camino Frances days 3 & 4

2022 Camino Frances Day 2: Where there’s a will there’s a way.

Second video in a series documenting our experiences hiking the Camino Frances in July 2022.

Day two we meet the friendliest Texan in El Acebo…

Camino Finisterre: The End of the World

Here is the link to my YouTube playlist which consists of three videos culminating our Camino experience as we tackled the Camino Finisterre. Buen Camino!

This was my first experience editing with Final Cut Pro and I see many YouTube tutorials in my future. Experience with Imovie was helpful but I have a long ways to go to be considered proficient in Final Cut Pro. Audio voice-overs were recorded with a H1N1 recorder.

The tiny, lightweight DJI Pocket 2 is a great travel camera. I brought along the ND filters but didn’t use them as I stuck to auto settings since the lens wouldn’t go in the case when I shut the camera off with a filter on. The filters were also too fiddly when switching back and forth for quick shots and I was afraid of losing or damaging them. Oh well, another time.

Much to my dismay, the filters seem to have been lost in transit so I guess there won’t be another time. Oh, well… things happen.

Take a Hike

Hiking through a tunnel along the Camino de Santiago. Image by Joyce Meyer. Edited in Topaz.

Winter arrived way too early in Minnesota this year and we are still in the midst of a pandemic. I guess I’ll just have to rely on one of the many lessons learned while hiking… embrace the suck.

Laundry Day

A woman deep in thought while doing laundry in Porto, Portugal. I stare at this image while my own load of laundry finishes whirring in the machine, ready to hang up and dry.

Laundry day… same but different.

Laundry day in Porto, Portugal. Image by Joyce Meyer.

The Return…

I grew up watching the Vietnam Conflict on the nightly news complete with American and VC body counts. Depressing, to say the least. Covid-19, canceled travel plans and the current status of politics has taken its toll on this blog these past few months. I think its about time to get out of this funk… Bring back the music, bring back the excitement of things we love and let’s just get along. For me, faith, music and travel help heal the soul.

You may also feel a little better if you click on the image below for a YouTube video of the song “Get Together” including images from times gone by. May we learn from history rather than forget.

“Get Together,”also known as “Let’s Get Together,” is a song written in the mid-1960s by American singer-songwriter Chet Powers (stage name Dino Valenti). The song is an appeal for peace and brotherhood, presenting the polarity of love versus fear, and the choice to be made between them.

A throwback image with our Italian friends. We treasure time spent with them and others around the world that we have met along the way. Peace out…

Por Favor…?

Divisadero, Mexico | Canon G5X | Topaz Edit

Best salesman ever. Who can resist those sad eyes and timid voice pleading, Compraras, por favor? He nailed it.

Gate City to the West

People in small towns, much more than in cities, share a destiny. ~Richard Russo

Gary, South Dakota

Gary, SD is a small community (population 224) nicknamed “Gate City to the West” located along the SD/MN border.

Background image photography and edit by Joyce Meyer. Canon 5D Mark 3 with a 70-200, 2.8 Canon IS L lens, cropped and sized in Photoshop to fit the 11 x 17 inch poster format with Impressionistic painting effect added using Topaz Studio.

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!