Oh, how we long for those carefree days prior to Covid-19. Waiting for the bell to ring, sports played in noisy gyms while family and community cheer from the stands, tedious homework along with the usual trivial social drama.
This too shall pass…
In the northwestern state of Chihuahua, Copper Canyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The combined length of the ravines makes Mexico’s Copper Canyon a whopping four times larger than the Grand Canyon in the United States. In some places, it’s even deeper than the Grand Canyon, with a depth of over 1 mile (1.6 km) The Tarahumara people, or Rarámuri as they’re known in their own language, call the Copper Canyon home. They are a group of indigenous people who have protected their culture and way of life by retreating deep within the Copper Canyon system some 400 years ago when the Spanish arrived in the north. They are so remote and so secretive that there are no accurate estimates as to their population size. The El Chepe Train transports people into the canyon on a railway track that stretches from the city of Chihuahua to Los Mochis on the Pacific coast and consists of 37 bridges and 86 tunnels. ~visitcoppercanyon.com
A visit to Copper Canyon, Mexico, via the El Chepe Train has been on my sister’s Bucket List for 35 years. It’s about time… Below are four videos that document our adventures as we cross the border into Mexico to tackle the Mission NOT Impossible…Copper Canyon, Mexico.
We have FAILED at corresponding with family and friends this year since no holiday cards were sent. We even attempted a photo during our family Christmas gathering! Instead, we have resorted to using social media and this site to feature our greetings and wish our family and friends peace, love and happiness.
Have we really failed? Not in my mind. The money that would have been spent on cards and postage has been donated to the Mefi-Boset Orphanage in Mexicali, Baja, Mexico.
For some time now, I’ve been following, with great interest, the hiking and humanitarian adventures of an amazing, kind hearted nurse originally from our part of the globe along the Minnesota/South Dakota border. From time to time, items are purchased and delivered to the Mefi-Boset Orphanage by this individual living across the border in the United States. The images of these endeavors have spoken to my heart, especially after our visit to small villages and cities along the Copper Canyon region and northern Mexico. I am confident that our donation will provide some much needed items at the Mefi-Boset Orphanage.
Thank you, Peggy, for sharing these images of your visit and for all of your humanitarian efforts. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hey, animal lovers! Elizabeth Meyer Art is having a winter sale for pet portraits! 15 percent off ALL commissions submitted now through the end of February. Submit an order through her website—ElizabethMeyerArt.com—or email her at elizabethmeyerart@gmail.com. 🐩🐈🐄
hay·mow/ˈhāmō/noun
Hay mow (or, hay loft) basketball is a foreign concept to many young, up and coming basketball players these days. Back in the day when big red barns were more of a farm standard, the hay mow was the closest thing young people had to basketball skills camp. I’m sure the reffing was questionable and rules may have been bent, adapted or even eliminated. How did they ever survive?
This lucky young man along with his siblings and cousins have spent many hours playing basketball in this hay mow. Memories made and life lessons learned.
What are YOUR memories of games or shenanigans in the hay mow?
Best salesman ever. Who can resist those sad eyes and timid voice pleading, Compraras, por favor? He nailed it.
“The key is not the ‘will to win’… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important” – Bob Knight
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!
Too wet to mow, so our farm lawn was full of dandelions that had transformed from their bright yellow flower to a light gray fluff, shining in the evening light. While most people would look at them with distain, referring to them as weeds, my grandson was excited to discover so many wishing flowers. I like how he thinks!
