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.
May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right ~Peter Marshall Gary, South Dakota is the kind of community Norman Rockwell may have used as inspiration for a painting with picturesque surroundings, historic buildings and friendly people. The small town swells with pride and people during its annual flag waving July 3rd and 4th Celebration.
Our local American Legion and Legion Auxiliary organizations are made up of proud, selfless individuals who support our community, especially the youth, through summer baseball/softball programs as well as a Junior Legion Auxiliary organization. You will find these people volunteering their time at community events, parades, Veteran funerals, playing taps, etc. Click on the link for a history of the Peden-Cole American Legion web page thanks to the American Legion Centennial Project.
Much controversy has revolved around a professional football player kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality against people of color. This is his right… Maybe it was an efficient way to bring attention to his cause and he’ll go down in history books as some sort of hero. Or, maybe it backfired and came across as being selfish, bringing negative attention to his team. So much publicity involved not respecting the flag and the United States that it may have taken away from the actual purpose of his protest. Our country is all about standing up for what you believe in, but needs to be done in a way that conveys the actual point you wish to make. And above all, be kind.
The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other …again and again and again. If you can find beauty every step of the way, you are truly blessed.
An early start to a thirty kilometer walk today with random conversations and historic villages along the way. I arrive at the steps reaching the bridge into Logrono catching the tourist information office gentleman at the top just as he is about ready to close. The excellent map he gives me makes my journey to tonight’s lodging a piece of cake allowing me time to pay it forward and help another young pilgrim find the municipal albergue in time for her to get a bed.
Seems like I’m just getting my trail legs and this Camino has ended. The departure process now begins with a bus, three planes, my very first Uber ride until my little red car takes me all the way back to the border of Minnesota/South Dakota.
It may be time to go home, but it’s never too early to start planning the next adventure… I am truly blessed.
Hard to believe the base for this composite image was captured May 1, 2017. No wonder we never get bored with our weather along the Minnesota/South Dakota border.
I have been photographing silhouettes for many years dating back to the days of film, yet never tire of them. Very simple in form while triggering the emotions, drawing you into a deeper, more meaningful moment or romantic story. Capturing silhouettes with a camera is quite simple as long as you expose for the sky turn off your flash.
Click on the following link for a more detailed tutorial on capturing silhouettes: How to Capture a Silhouette
Thank you to my wonderful family for organizing our team as we finished our third Brookings Relay Marathon, in Brookings, SD. Shout out and thank you to Brandi Brintnall for being an official Meyer for the day. Brookings, SD Marathon event organizers did an excellent job providing an amazing event. Can’t wait until next year!
Images and video were captured with a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone.
Soon the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas will fill the air bringing with it flashbacks of memories from holidays long ago. What is it about these sensory experiences that can instantly take us back in time…
Image from the movie “A Christmas Story.”
I’m interested in winter memories from the Gary, South Dakota area. These memories give us a personal insight to our regional history and how events locally and throughout the world may have affected a particular era. What was Christmas and winter like for families during the Great Depression? War time? Blizzards? Commerce in Gary, SD?
Please leave a comment and share this post if you have any interesting memories from years gone by. I would like to share some of these memories during the Gary Community Club Christmas event on December 4, 2016 at the Gary American Legion starting at 12 noon.
Thank you for helping us walk down memory lane.
An example from the late Bernice Jensen, Gary, SD: …In the 40’s I was cleaning up stairs. I opened Mothers trunk and there were gifts for everyone, mixed nuts, and candy. I went downstairs and told Mother I found all the good stuff. What do you mean? We came up stairs and she looked with in the trunk with a worried look on her face. That looks like Jackie’s work. When he came in he was put on the hot seat. He was about ten years old, and he had purchased a defense stamp and when you filled a book it was worth 27.50, I believe. Jackie looked so pitiful with tears in his eyes. He looked at Mother and said, what would you rather have, 27 dollars or good memories. The next Christmas brother Henry was not with us. He passed away the October before. When we opened our gifts, it was quiet. Mother turned to Jackie and said, Jack, you were right, memories are better than money. Remember how pleased Henry was over his gift. You gave him a new billfold. That’s enough of digging up old bones. Cherish your beautiful memories and forget the bad ones. ~ excerpt from “Down Memory Lane” by Bernice Jensen
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