It’s true, Hildegard of Bingen. She is reaching across the centuries to hold my hand as I walk my Camino. This is the role of saints to help us and in my case she is definitely present at this time and place.

I’m out of time today, sorry, have to run to Seattle and the hospital. Things are good, fall is here, blessings abound, love you, miss you, Felipe.

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

Felipe.x

Good, I am back to the ranch. Thursday is the in between day with my Wednesday and Friday in Seattle. I have an outdoor carpentry job scheduled and the weather looks perfect.

But yesterday was beyond memorable. Any day spent with Erica de America is bound to be memorable and beyond. That was on top of all the great folks that checked in with us during the six hours there. I have developed so many great connections with staff and patients there and many manage to stop by at some point to at least say hi if not to spend a minute in their busy journey. Very heartwarming, it buoys me up and visa versa.

But back to Erica. I am terming her the modern reincarnation of St Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), amongst other things a healer extraordinaire. She has convinced me to make some changes in my diet and life style.

This is on the back of seeing “The C Word” at the Port Townsend Film Festival. That is a documentary about the journey of Dr David Servan-Schreiber with his own cancer. The message he gave me was synchronistically similar to E de A’s. Do you think. that it is time?

OK, time to walk the trail. Catherine y Dana will be here. They just got back from a wedding in Wyoming and me back from the festival so we will be playing catch up.

Make the most of your day there where you are. God loves you and there is nothing you can do about that. Big loves, Felipe.

Conclusion of a great day here, worn out. We were at the treatment center, Erica de America and myself, for the full day. We conferenced about a new project in between so many good folks coming to check in. Today was so busy that here I am writing this at 10:07 PM.

OK, L love you but have to short change you today. Have to rest up, maybe overdoing things, a cold coming on. Pace, pace, pace.

But the fact remains that you guys are the best. Love you, Felipe.

Here we are regrouping after an incredible weekend adventure at the Port Townsend Film Festival 2016. Time to get back to the adventures of Ordinary Phil here at Raven Ranch, writing blog posts and such. Was just looking on Facebook and there are great pics that I shared, so check those out.

I might share some of the high points on PTFF for me. One was the birthday dinner for My Rebecca on Sunday evening, she had so much fun after not getting into a movie that she really wanted to see. Sometimes Plan B’s can be better than Plan A’s.

The Q and A’s after the screenings are always special. Talking with audiences is precious. They come up with so many great questions and we do our best to answer them, to honor them. We are always with the people from other short docs so it is interesting to see how they operate. This time we were “thrown” in with Coffin, the yoyo master, with the film “Throw”. I will have to say that I enjoyed him immensely after getting to know him. Someone in our group took some pics of us together, would you get them to me?

I think that I wrote about this before but I got a kick out of how many people recognized me and My Rebecca on the street. We had numerous great conversations continually. It was hard to get to anywhere on time for everyone saying hello and wanting to ask a question.

Then hanging with our Camino buddies is always special. Every evening we had a get together to tell stories and laugh. Well, you already know if you have been reading this blog that hanging with Camino people is pretty much my vision of heaven.

OK, Erica is coming here today so that will be special. And I have a couple of jobs to take care of before that. Time to go for now, cool hanging with you, Love, Felipe.

Monday morning at the film festival camp out. Some of our folks have taken off for home and some are still here, waking up slowly right now. We are in a big old army barracks that is available for lodging for the event. It’s pretty funky quaint but pilgrims can put up with about anything and still have fun.

The festival has been really exciting and rewarding. We had a chance to see more movies than we usually do. And this was a great gathering of our far flung crew. It was hard to count but I think we had eighteen people total associated with Phil’s Camino. Half of those flew in from California and half were here from Western Washington.

And for me, I really enjoyed talking to so many people. I could barely walk down the street in some places because so many people recognyized me and wanted to say hello and ask a question. Most of this was due to the fact that a group of films was shown to the staff of two hundred volunteers before the festival and Phil’s Camino was one of them. So, those folks had seen me and wanted to say hello.

There were so many good and deserving films at the festival. I wish we could have taken in more but we have a new list of titles to keep our eyes open for.
We didn’t garner any awards but did get nominated for one. But it was really great to see Doug Blush get at least two for the Jim Foley Story that he had edited. Doug is our Supervising Editor.

Yes, and so in a minute I am going to get serious about finding some breakfast and a big old mug of coffee. Then we have a couple of hour drive back to our island paradise, another festival under our belt. Have a good one where you are, love, Felipe.

I’m up early to take a shower and get prepared to be off to church, St Mary Star of the Sea, with a carload of our crew. A prayer of thankfulness is in order for all the blessings that have come down on me/on us. Also today is My Rebecca’s birthday so a prayer there for her.

Yesterday was another great day. There was another showing and another Q and A with the audience. Our film is in a group of films, all short docs and they are shown together. So, part of the fun is hanging with another folks from those other films. I have already talked about Pat from “These C*cksucking Tears, a gay country singer. We remember him from earlier blogs and other festivals. One of the new film subjects in our lives is a twenty four year old black man who is a yoyo master from the film “Throw”. I don’t know where to start to describe him but he is a force, a very strong spirit. All three of us, Pat, Coffin and myself showed in the group called “Characters With Characters”.

We also were able to view, “Chicken People”, the story of the quest by poultry raisers to produce the perfect fowl. There was “Pickle”, the story of a couple that took pets rescue to a new level. We also saw “The C Word”, the story of the work of neuroscientist Dr David Servan-Schreiber, himself diagnosed with brain cancer. Today after Mass we are off to “Year By The Sea” a feature length narrative with With Karen Allen of “Raider’s of the Lost Ark” fame.

We had a wonderful dinner last evening with sixteen of our folks, a couple were unaccounted for, we had eighteen total I think. What an amazing group of people, comprising an amazing set of talents. We toasted our project numerous times!

So today more to do. I enjoy roaming around beautiful Port Townsend taking in the sights and talking to folks. So, will be back with you tomorrow with another view, good love, Felipe.

Tony one of our guys at the festival just came up with that. And I am pretty much sticking with it. Love you always, Felipe.

Let’s see what happened today? We were is a parade. Had a salmon dinner. Did a radio interview. Had a showing of Phil’s Camino in a group of five other awesome films. Had a Q and A that was one of the best. Right now unwinding at Fort Worden. Today is my Rebecca’s and my thirty eighth anniversary and the gang of our folks bought us some nice presents.

Kelly, Quick Rick and Carolyn came for the day today. All the folks that were with us yesterday are here today for everything. So we are organized for cruising along for a couple more days of festivities.

Have to go get some sleep. Where’s my toothbrush? All good here, love, Felipe.

Our Carol, Handler Carol, just sent out a contact sheet of all the folks converging on Western WA for our Magical Mystery Tour, the Phil’s Camino entourage at the Port Townsend Film Festival. These are my Doctors, Lawyers and Indian Chiefs and we have a critical mass of them coming together. I must remember to breathe.

I am really now so glad that we didn’t get into the Seattle Festival because the whole emphasis switched over to PT. And PT looks like an absolutely great place the have the kind of get together that is shaping up here. This has the feel of the Dubuque festival which was small enough to be personable and workable. It’s going to be a blast!

In a moment is a walk which I need terribly to ground myself. It’s misty and foggy out. The perfect morning to see the mysterious cougar that has been roaming around. The trees are all laden with fruit and there are apples and pears all over the ground. The deer are fat and happy and the cougar is grabbing an occasional one, Wild Kingdom.

Wish you were here with us for the weekend. But I will continue to blog and be reporting on events. All the best, love, Felipe.