West Highland Way: Milngavie to Drymen

8-29-2015:  Our long awaited start to the West Highland Way has finally arrived.

We stroll down to a cute little dining area with flags at the tables to identify our country. Kind of glad this part of the world isn’t upset with the U.S.A. right now as our flag towers over the table. 

Living large at Best Foot Forward Bed & Breakfast this morning as we fuel up for our first day of hiking with granola cereal, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, toast, juice and most importantly… coffee.

The air is peppered with light conversation as we visit with neighboring tables with flags from Scotland, Germany and Holland. All are here for the same purpose ~ to hike the West Highland Way.

We thank and bid farewell to our hosts and they seem to especially giggle when Randy tells them his name:  I’m Randy! 

Ready or not… here we go!!

Destination:  Twelve miles down the trail to Drymen, Scotland.

 

12 miles later… Ahhhh, home sweet home as we receive a Scottish welcome at Glenalva Bed & Breakfast. We discover that we may be able to eat our evening meal at the oldest pub in Scotland, but we’d better get our names in as soon as we can.

Can’t miss an opportunity like that, so we drop our backpacks and walk into town. Our list of B & B rules says we must be in by 10 p.m.

Not a problem.

Click on the link below and you’ll view a short slide show/video of the scenery on this day. Locals say the views the first couple of days of the West Highland Way are boring, but I’m quite enjoying the sights.

 

 

 

 

Camino Day #11 ~ Melide to Arzua

(Map reads left to right)
We leave Melide, Spain with a little extra spring in our step since today will not be a 30 mile day.

A good day to chit-chat along the way while drinking in the views.

Meanwhile, a couple of tough guys make their way up the hill. Blisters are plaguing Bryon due to the 30 mile hike yesterday.

Well, Madre, time to get Bossy.

She obliges her owner and dutifully follows as she does every day at milking time.

Pilgrims take a break by the river near Ribadiso, Spain.

Your rug is beautiful!

A graffiti filled tunnel provides reading material.

Rocks and flowers left by pilgrims alongside this farmyard.

Another good drying day, but will it last?

We arrive in Arzua, Spain and look for our albergue.

Yep, here it is.  Ah-h-h-h-h… home at last (for tonight)

We settle in (looks like we’ll have several neighbors) and decide it’s time to do some laundry.

Randy washes.

Joan hangs clothing to dry while I take pictures. We all have our roles in life!

Mmmmmm… Paella  on display right on the sidewalk. Not sure if this is enticing if it has been here all afternoon.

We decide it’s worth the risk and go for it and order paella.  They must have been expecting us since the menu is in English.

(I should have lined my body up with the picture of the good looking gal on the ad so it looked like it was me!)

Another pleasant day, but the air is cooler and the sky is darkening.  Makes me wonder what tomorrow will be like?

 

 

 

 

Almost there, but not there… Melide

Today is going to be the longest day of the trip as we cover about 30 miles or close to 50 kilometers.
Portomarine is a couple of kilometers to the left of the map above.

Randy, Bryon and Liz start walking and their destination is Melide which requires walking the full distance of the top map and half-way into the next stage.   Will the feet survive?

Adios,  Italia!!! 

Foggy day in the woods.

Occasionally a cement picnic table will appear to facilitate a quick break.

The path is worn down from centuries of pilgrims walking to Santiago.

Why can’t we stay here?   In March of 2013 we did stay here and woke up to fresh snowfall.

Have Joan and Joyce been kidnapped?  Where could they be?  Um-m-m-m… shopping?

But first we go to the Church of San Juan since it is Sunday. This church was reconstructed brick by brick when the dam flooded the town to build a hydroelectric power plant and they were forced to relocate the city of Portomarine.

We say a little prayer for the other three trudging down the 30 mile path today.
Now we hop into a cozy taxi for a joyride to Melide where we check our group into the albergue.   Every Sunday in Melide you will find a fruit, meat and cheese market where farmers bring their produce in to sell. Randy took my camera so I’m stuck with a low-end cell phone camera and Joan’s Ipod to document the day.

Pigs feet?  Not sure how I’d cook them so I’ll pass this time.

This little piggy went to market…

Norwegian cod caught in Spanish waters. Is this like lutefisk?

The air is filled with noisy chatter.

Joan negotiates our transaction and we will be supplied with delicious cheese straight from the farmer for the next several days.  Delish!

Joan and I have the great plan to walk back on the trail to meet the rest of the gang to show support.  We walk and walk, but don’t see pilgrims.  This can’t be right?  We go back, find the right road out-of-town, and wait for them…and wait…and wait… and wait some more.

Finally, after almost every pilgrim has gone by, we finally make radio contact and walk to meet them. The last 10 miles have been brutal and Randy, Bryon and Liz finally limp into town, too tired to take pictures.

Painful feet, blisters and exhaustion dictate the mood tonight.

How about some cheese with that wine?

 

 

 

 

 

 

We begin to descend…

Our trek past O’Cebreiro takes us through little hamlets and rural areas.

Wash day for this family with a  l-o-n-g clothesline.

The chickens don’t seem to mind pilgrims trekking through their turf. As if to say, Whatever…

The Iglesia San Esteban in Liñares was built prior to 1120 and restored in 1963.

I read about problems with mean dogs along the Camino route, but we have Randy, A.K.A The Dog Whisperer, so we pass by with ease.

Beautiful mountain scenery which includes small hay fields.

This wood pile has a Celtic design. Solution to roof issues doesn’t seem to be period correct, however.

Reminds me of The Bear Went Over the Mountain song we use to sing in kindergarten.  And what do you think he saw?  He saw another mountain…

We arrive and take off our boots for the night at Albergue Reboleira in Fonfria which has 86 beds and a nice patio area for relaxing and visiting. Entertaining conversations with German soldiers walking the Camino and a German woman from Minnesota complete a delightful Camino day.

Taking advantage of multiple clothes lines and strong sunshine. Watch your step when you take the clothes off the line, or you may find an unpleasant surprise on the bottom of your shoes!

Pilgrim meal is served in this old Celtic style building across the road from the albergue.  The village gets its name from its fountain Fons Frigida or cold spring. During the 16th century there used to be a pilgrim hospital in Fonfria that would give heat, salt and water and a bed with two blankets to healthy pilgrims and to the sick a piece of bread, eggs and butter as well. ~ galiciaguide.com

The room is quiet at first…

…but the wine begins to flow and soon the air is humming with conversation.

Here we meet Al, a personable Spanish gentleman from Madrid that has worked in Iowa and Texas and is walking the Camino before he moves to Lima, Peru.

Salud!

It’s the end of day #7 and we have walked about 25 kilometers, or 15 1/2 miles up the mountain and now we are working our way down. No wonder I’m so tired and ready so crawl into my cozy bunk bed.

 

Galicia and O’Cebreiro

We are now officially in Galicia. This part of the country has an economy based on fishing, farming, agriculture and increasingly tourism.  While the population is Spanish, they see themselves primarily as “Gallegos.”   When the Galicians talk about nationalism, they are generally referring to the “nation of Galicia”  rather than the nation of Spain.  ~ http://www.galiciaguide.com

In O Cebreiro, all roads lead to the village church. Founded in the year 836, Santa María la Real (Royal St. Mary’s) is supposedly the oldest church on the entire French Road of the Camino de Santiago. The building is embedded into the ground, with sunken floors that added protection against winter storms.

At a desk, a clerk stamps pilgrims’ credentials and sells votive candles.

The building is quite spacious inside.

Many are only short-term pilgrims and are dropped off by large tour buses that wait while they explore the village and pay their respects with a candle purchase.

Villagers lived in stone huts called pallozas until as recently as the 1960’s.  Upon entering a palloza, which typically housed a dozen people (and their animals), you’ll find two simple rooms: the only “private” room in the house, belonging to the parents, and a living area around a fire. Surrounding the fire are clever benches (which were also used as very hard beds) with pull-down counters so they could double as a table at mealtime. Cooking was done over the fire using a chain hanging from a big beam, while giant black-metal spirals suspended from the ceiling were used to smoke chorizo.

Attached to the living area is a miniature “barn,” where animals lived on the lower level, and people — kept warm by all that livestock body heat — slept on the upper level. Thanks to the ideal insulation provided by the thatch, and the warmth from the fire and animals, it was toasty even through the difficult winter.  ~ Thank you, Rick Steves, for the fun facts to know and tell.

It was a little on the cool side and this cat has found a nice sunny spot to guard the beer crate in back of an old cafe.

Shopping is available at the horreo (granary).

… and here it is, but store is closed.

Have no fear!  Gypsies decide to set up shop right by a cafe sign so I guess I can shop, after all!

  I’m taking photos of the cute dog, right?  Oh, and there just happens to be Gyspies in the background.

Group shot just outside O’Cebreiro as we begin our descent to the other side of the mountain. We’ve enjoyed our little noon break in this quaint village with so much Celtic influence and history.

Now it’s back to hiking with Fonfria as our destination.  We enjoy conversations with other Pilgrims, but I can’t say the trail is over-crowded.

Waking up with the monks… Day #3

It’s 6:00 a.m., the lights go on along with the repetitive sound of chanting monks wafting throughout the Roncesvalles albergue. (Click on video) No alarm needed when 183 people get ready to start their day.

Our goal today is to get five beds in either Zubiri or Larrasoana which will be between a 22 and 25 km walk.  Many pilgrims walking and biking today so we may be homeless, when it’s all said and done.  Should we have packed tents, too?

We say our goodbyes to Roncesvalles and start down our path for Camino de Santiago day #3.

The air is crisp and talk is minimal as most put their heads down and concentrate on loosening their muscles for the day. Come on, aspirin, kick in!

The early morning fog creates a surreal feeling.

 

Time to fortify our lunch supply as we stop at a little grocery store as we near Burguete.

I hope the birds don’t decide that Joan is their lunch, too!

The path continues as farms mix in with the small village buildings.

The first town to appear along our route is Burguete, renowned for its sturdy Pyrenean style farmhouses.   The author, Ernest Hemingway, stayed here in 1924 and 1925 while on fishing trips and also describes the village in the book, The Sun Also Rises.

Burguete is a cute little village with flower pots near many a doorway or window sill.

There had once been a witch’s coven in the Burguete area in the sixteenth century. The surrounding forested region, part of the province of Navarre, was known as the Wood of Sorginaritzaga or Oak Grove of the Witches. Medieval people had believed that the presence of a white cross would save them from such evil. Spain had repressed witchcraft in this Auritz-Burguete area and eastward around Roncesvalles more fiercely than anywhere else in the country. Long before the Spanish Inquisition began in 1478, a major raid against witches took place here in 1329. This resulted in the burning of five alleged witches in a village square.  ~http://www.heatherconnblogs.com/tag/auritz-burguete/

Our path wanders through pastures as this farmer checks his cattle.  Just like home.

 

The path turns to gravel with rolling hills.  Not a bad hike today!

We wind through a small village to find a meticulously stacked woodpile, a clothesline and a neatly placed row of flower pots. To me, that is a beautiful sight and I know I could never stack wood that neatly.

The path becomes more challenging as we proceed to Zubiri.

The views make it worth the walk.

Maybe this should be our mantra today!

Puente de la Rabia ~ Google

We arrive in Zubiri, which means “village of the bridge,” after crossing the Puente de la Rabia (Rabies Bridge).  In days gone by, they believed that you could walk a rabid animal three times around the central arch and cure it of rabies.   ~Brierley   

We are happy to arrive in Zubiri as we hope to stay here, but sad to find that we are homeless…

Hmmm…  what to do?  Maybe if we walk around the bridge three times we will find beds to sleep in?  Well, at least we won’t have rabies.

 

 

 

Dance on the prairie…sing to the skies.

Winter has finally succumbed to the ever persistent nudges of spring.  Dance on the prairie… sing to the skies.

Rejoice.

Prairie Dancer (Gary, SD Cemetery View)

Canon 5D Mark 2 ~ ISO 200 ~ F 8.0 ~ 1/200 ~ 70-200 IS Canon L lens zoomed to 200

Marietta, Minnesota & Yesterday’s Dreams

The first time I’d heard reference to Marietta, Minnesota, I was a college student living in a large, North Mankato, MN, rental house  – 1976, I believe. (The summer of “Afternoon Delight” to add a music reference)   A room was available and in moved a recent high school graduate to the top floor of the old Range Street house.
Me:  Where are you from?
Her:  Marietta, Minnesota
Me:  Hmmm… never heard of it. Where is it?
Her:  East of Watertown, South Dakota and west of Madison, Minnesota
Me:  That doesn’t help – haven’t heard of them, either.

Main Street Marietta, MN 1999
BW medium format film / processed in darkroom / hand colored
Bronika ETRSi medium format camera
scanned as digital file / dirt texture added in Photoshop CS5

As fate would have it, 7 years later I would find myself living 7 miles west of Marietta, Minnesota and would soon learn the geographical locations of villages and towns that could have been part of the wild west.

By the time I arrived,  Marietta was a quiet little village with very little commerce.  Not always so, according to local historians (AKA relatives).

Circa 1967:

• Why Go Restaurant: (Kids hangout)
• Hardware store
• Millie’s Popcorn Stand
• Johnson’s Chuckwagon Cafe.
• Nelson’s Jewelry Store
• Maas Recreation Hall
• Carl Raetz Marietta Produce
• Forest Ward Standard Oil
• Dahle’s Value Mart
• Bank
• Orpheum movie theater
• Red Owl Grocery Store
• Elevator
• Coop station
• Telephone Office
• Silvernale’s Drug Store & soda Fountain
• Don Russell’s Barber Shop
• Roth’s Cafe
• Post office
• International dealer
• Bud’s Station
• Kanthak’s Auto Service
• Idle Hour: bar/pool hall
• Lily Mills Thread Store
• American Legion
• Les Hoium’s Butcher Shop
• Creamery
• Hotel
• A 2nd grocery store?
• Laundromat
• Pool Hall
• Red Owl Store
• Shackelfords Lumber Yard
• K-12 High School
• Three churches

Imagine my surprise as they reeled off such an extensive list  of establishments that have been part of the history of Marietta, Minnesota during the years of love, peace and the Vietnam War ~ the1960’s.

What happened?

The talented Charlie Roth featured Marietta, Minnesota in his music video, Broken Ground, and tells the story well.

Can this town be saved?  Technology and the work ethics of its people may be the ticket to help this town and other typical rural communities.  Living in a slower paced, small  town or rural location may be a lifestyle dream someday for those tired of the traffic and rush that urban living requires.

As Mr. Rogers said so well:  Won’t you  be my neighbor? 

 

Prairie Whispers

The prairie softly whispers in hushed tones as the brisk air of night surrounds our world.

Photo info: Canon 5d Mark 2 / 70-200 lens / aperture 5.6 / shutter 1/200 / Time of day – 11 a.m.
Blended with cloud images and snow added from Albums DS art

You don’t choose your life… you live it.

~The Way

Another phase of my life goes by… taking a career break from traditional portraiture.

This has been in the planning stages for the past 4 months and I was going to wait until mid October to announce my future plans, but I guess now is as good a time as any.

It’s been 16 years of growth and transformation, starting with 35mm and medium format film, darkroom processing and now the digital age with Lightroom and Photoshop. It is time to move on, so I will be closing the traditional portrait studio as of October 15, 2013.  All sessions scheduled up to that point will go on as planned and the current website will be up until May 1, 2014 to facilitate senior orders.  After that, I’ll start working on a new website reflecting the art of both Randy and myself.  The studio will then be transformed into Randy’s painting studio and workshop.  It’s his turn now.

I still love photography and hope to continue learning and exploring new, unusual techniques and push for a more and more creative style. Maybe even try an impressionistic painting style of photography.  I also plan to continue showing art work in galleries, promote the arts,  and hope to find time to put together other products using images.  (Greeting card line?)  I may ask to borrow some of your kids if I get an idea for some prairie photography because, after all, southwest Minnesota/Eastern South Dakota is a great place to raise children and that is a theme near and dear to my heart.

I will not be twiddling my thumbs and eating bonbons by the truck load, as I move into this phase of my life.  I’ll need to complete this year’s photo orders, try to be Randy’s farm hand/gopher, occasionally Granny Nanny (Grandkid #2 is expected in March 2014), clean/organize/paint inside the house and sheds (long overdue), continue involvement with community and art organizations, garden and go back to the classroom environment as a substitute teacher – look out, G-D!

Then, in my spare time, I’ll learn Spanish, how to knit/crochet, bike/hike or maybe even jog, work on songs with Randy (maybe my sister will dust off her accordion and we can hit the nursing home circuit!), read the books I haven’t had time to read and travel / hike anywhere I can, as well as visit friends and relatives.  Yep, lots to do.

Don’t worry, I’ll still blog about whatever trail I’m on or something that wanders through my mind and conjure up some “thought for the day” to amuse myself and the world from time to time.  Hey, I may even bring back “Photo Friday” with educational topics.

Thank you to all who have been on this journey with me…  It’s been a good ride.