At Sherie’s in San Diego for the night. Just getting up to get the day going. First a shower then the quest for coffee. It’s that marine overcast sky out, I recognize it.

We are off to ten o’clock Mass at Mission San Diego Alcula (sp?), I think the original mission in SD. Then we are off to the wedding which is late afternoon. That’s some nuts and bolts but we need some thoughts on those in a bit.

But the catch up on yesterday is that the Padres got a walk off homer last night and we watched that with all of Todd and Jess’s family and friends in attendance. There was something like eighty of us all together. Quick Rick and Kelly were there to complete the situation.

The screening went fabulous with maybe thirty in the small venue. The panel discussion was amazing with Dr Arash Asher from Cedars Sinai Hospital. What a great addition to our group of pilgrims and artists. Here is the main idea that he brought to the table: connectivity equals well being. And that is what he was seeing in our film. He sited a study comparing data from 1980 to now in which people where asked if they felt isolated. In other words, do you have anyone to confide in? So, earlier it was one in ten that didn’t and now it is one in four. So, with all our social media we seem further apart. But in terms of cancer rehab, connectivity is important and perhaps one of the major factors in my success.

Just got back from the mission who had a truly amazing service. I wept at communion and after communion there was a quirky occurrence where people applauded because it was so beautiful. It seemed perfectly appropriate but I’d never seen it before.

Well, we are driving to La Jolla in a few minutes. Todd and Jessica getting married after falling in love on the Camino when we walk d in 2014. Yea, connectivity in action.

See you tomorrow, love, San Diego Felipe.

Hi, wherever you are at the moment. I’m up to get ready for our third showing of Phil’s Camino later at noon. Then we are driving down to San Diego to visit Sherie and go to the Padres baseball game. Yea, another full day. I guess yesterday was a full one too, never got the blog written.

Something really quite amazing happened yesterday at the Royal Theater. It was our second showing and was in a smaller venue at the Royal. The day before on our first day we pretty much filled the larger venue with maybe a hundred folks, maybe a few more. Anyway, this time as we got our eyes adjusted to the dark there was only one person there. One! Yea, right smack dab in the center seat was this one and only guy.

It was an Aaaarrrrgggghhhh moment but I got absorbed in the film as usual and forgot about it temporarily. So, the film got done and Annie and I came in close to our precious viewer to do the Q&A. But this one guy was totally on fire. Somehow surprisingly he filled the whole theater with his voice and personality. This seemed like a pilgrimage for him to be there to do this one thing, and nothing was going to get in his way.

He, and I don’t have his name even, ran a hair salon and there played the movie, The Way, on a continuous loop for his clients. He said he probably watched it twelve hundred times. We had a copy of the Camino documentary for him to take with him to change things up. He had walked in Spain and was totally on fire about any and all things Camino. What a time we had fielding his questions. And somehow I have a feeling that we will see him again.

This was a real lesson for me and another case of one vibrant person having the ability to change a situation for the better. Hats off to you pilgrim, you taught us something important and brightened our day! Well, today hoping we will do better on attendance. Also, I am to meet Dr Asher who is our good friend Dr Zucker’s Californian counterpart. We are scheduled to both be on a panel about cancer and exercise. OK, more fun, right?

So the trail goes on here in the Southland. I get my chance to do my own freeway driving today and looking forward to the Padres game tonight! OK, off we go, love you as always, Felipe.

Wednesday noon time here in Burbank, CA. At Ivette’s place in this lovely part of LA. Just had a tour of the Equestrian Center, very horsey. We are off to Griffith Park this afternoon. And then the LA premier of Phil’s Camino tonight at 7:30! Yea, am I ready? Working on that at the moment.

What is it I most need to do? The priority is being with the audience, being present with the audience. What is it that they want/need? Need to thank them for coming, for probably battling to get there. Answer their questions honesty and with humor. Leave time and space for everyone on stage to participate in the process.

Presently I am sitting out in the backyard in the shade of an oak tree. Just found an acorn at my feet, that could be useful. Yup, time to go, will be back to you tomorrow. Many things are going to happen in the next few days and you will hear about them. Thanks. Love, Felipe.x

It was foggy this AM when I awoke. To me it’s a sign of late summer, of harvest time coming. These are luscious days here. But we fly out today to points south to be with the film, to go to a wedding.

The film is doing fantastically well. To me the lovely thing has a life of it’s own as it does what it does to audiences hither and yon. This coming up is the premier LA showing. It is so amazing to think of all that has happened over the last two years. If I am not wrong we started walking in France two years ago tomorrow. And Todd and Jessica were there then, our newlyweds to be, documenting this great new adventure.

Before we leave the film I just want to say thank you once again to everyone involved. What an amazing effort it has been, what a journey in itself. So many people have contributed, supported, cheered, offered. Life is good, you are good.

So, doing the final packing here this morning. I think I will walk a lap around Phil’s Camino and say my rosary for the world. We continue with confidence, love you, as always, Alperfect, SoBlessed, Felipe.x

I remember vividly talking about this two years ago as I walked with Laura in the dust of Spain. We had time, we had occasion and inclination to talk, to find out. It is still going on and I throughly appreciate that. What that is is the feeling and confidence that I am being gently handed from one great caring personality to another as time goes on. There are glitches but in general there are amazing people that love me and they “carry” me exactly when I need them. How does that work?

In some ways I am powerful and in some ways I am fragile. And that fragility is being handled by a number of people in my life that I am so grateful for. And perhaps the areas where I am powerful are helping someone else out. That is probably true. We have the ability to buoy each other up through thick and thin it looks like.

Life always seems to be much more complex and rich than we think or at least I think. It is always surprising me with it’s surprises. Right now at this moment I am feeling grateful for all you that have your finger on the pulse of my life. It is all so amazing. Feeling SoBlessed. Love on a Tuesday, Felipe.x

Hey there Felipe-
A short movie monday because of preparations for this week! Thursday night our LA Premiere, and today is the last day to RSVP (of course I will fit anyone else in, but we really want a head count to give the theater so they can plan where to put us).

I am attaching the invitation in case you can put that up.

The really big news that has kind of gotten lost in my putting all my attention on LA and your upcoming visit, and the wedding (that is a whole other post!!!) is that PHIL’S CAMINO will be screening in seattle on Sunday July 31. While we will be at Todd and Jessica’s wedding, PHIL’S CAMINO will be part of the STIFF Film Festival. Here is the link for tickets: Phil’s Camino + Sensational Short Films STIFF 2016

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Phil’s Camino + Sensational Short Films STIFF 2016
Phil’s Camino Directed by Jessica Lewis & Annie Oneil Free spirit Phil, a man living with Stage 4 cancer and dreaming of walking the 500 mile spiritual pilgrimage C…
View on www.eventbrite.com
Preview by Yahoo

I believe that Wiley and Dom and Jordan and Dr. Zucker will be going, and may even do the Q&A afterwards! So cool! If only we could be in two places at once right!?!

OK, gotta run, we are going to do the final fixes on the film this morning! We tweaked the sound mix and score last week, and today it is fixing some very minor issues so that Thursday’s screening will be the best ever!

Love to you and Caminoheads everywhere <3 Peace- Annie Annie O Neil Director/Producer: Phil's Camino www.philscamino.com Co-producer and Pilgrim: Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago www.caminodocumentary.org Author: Everyday Camino with Annie www.everydaycaminowithannie.com 310-403-4228

Phil’s Camino the trail:

Monday 0900-1000
Tuesday 1600-1700
Thursday 0900-1000
Sunday 1600-1700

Alperfect, Felipe.x

Beautiful morning here on Vashon Island. We locals have a greeting where we say, “Another day in paradise!” Yea, high summer here and things sort of don’t get any better.

I still feel like a day behind on my blog since I missed publishing on Saturday. I miss a Saturday now and then. But we had a nice walk yesterday, Sunday, and then tapas. Commando Bill and his lovely wife Janeen have been all inspired about cooking lately and we have been benefiting from that around the tapas table. They brought a shrimp dish and a chocolate pie. The chocolate pie was a little rowdy for tapas but we did our best to choke it down. Hehe.
Thanks Janeen, it was delicious! And the shrimp/pie combo reminded me of one of my memorable breakfasts along the Camino in Spain of sardines and chocolate. Never a dull moment.

We have a walk this AM. Travis, an old friend of ours is supposed to show up. Someone who we haven’t seen for four or five years. We will walk and catch up.

Starting to think about packing for our big trip to Southern California coming up on Wednesday. We have people to see that are old friends and also folks associated with the film to see that we have never met. That’s exciting! Then the wedding of super Caminoheads Todd and Jessica will be very cool. And three showings of Phil’s Camino with three Q&A’s, two panel discussions and a partridge in a pear tree. Yup, coming soon.

Have to go for now. I hear there is a pic of me on FaceBook this morning. Amy my neighbor caught me out in the corn weeding. OK, you all, make it happen today, love, Felipe.x

Sorry that I didn’t get a blog post out yesterday, too busy I guess. But had two great guests then and that took up my time. So yea, blame it on them. Well, I don’t mean it like that but I did run out of time.

Then My Rebecca took me to a cultural event last night, a community theater production of Chicago. We are working on getting ideas for our own musical with the working title Cancer the Musical. So, it was research and development.

Oh, there is a nice breeze right now keeping the heat away. Just got a comment from Carol from Southern California that it is really really hot down there were we are going on Wednesday for the weekend. We’ll probably wilt since we are so unused to that.

So yesterday Janet showed up on a trip up from LA. She saw a rough cut of the film with Annie and wanted to make the pilgrimage here. She walked last summer, the Camino Frances. She started out three months ago emailing and reading Caminoheads blog.

Then just yesterday, Amon, a friend of a friend showed up and we grabbed him to come walk. He had biked the Camino with friends back in 09 so he had good things to add to the conversation. They both had time to watch Phil’s Camino also.

That’s what it looked like yesterday. Then today we had the afternoon walk and tapas and four people showed up. That was fun. Then over to Quick Rick and Carolyn’s for dinner. Kelly joined us. Did we really do all that?

Yup, I’m bushed. Will catch you tomorrow, love, Felipe.

It didn’t sound like there was any lightning just rumbling. Sort of a violent lullaby, part of the old Wild Kingdom around here.

I’m off to the hospital today to get Pancho, my portable chemo pump back. Hoping to run into some interesting people there. Maybe pick up some more material for Cancer the Musical. My Rebecca is hot on this and we are starting to sketch out characters.

Strange times now with the political conventions going on. I’ll be really glad when it is over and we can return to our normal selves. We will weather the storm just like we always do. I have a vivid memory of sitting in my Volkswagen bug in the dark listening to the 1968 Democratic Convention on the radio. Those were tumultuous times there and we survived and learned from them. Makes me want to listen to Janis Joplin one more time.

OK, starting to get ready for our California Dreamin Tour. We have like two weeks of stuff crammed into six days. Are we ready for that Felipe?

Just finished Eileen Elliott’s book Miles of Pies. She was here to walk and left a copy for us. It is all about the life and times of her family who farmed in South Dakota. Man, we are talking resilience, fortitude and that kind of good stuff. The kind of stuff we need a little of today.

Thanks for putting up with me. Off to make something out of the day, love you with all my resilience and fortitude, Felipe.x