Here’s our general schedule til the time changes and our afternoon walks then will start 1/2 hour earlier:

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

But here are some dates when the trail will NOT be open:

Sunday Sept 23
Sunday Oct 14
Monday Oct 15
Tuesday Oct 16
Sunday Oct 21
Monday Oct 22

Gracias, Felipe.

Back again to say hello. All the talk about Caminoing in the last few days was exciting. We covered a certain view of it that we hadn’t done before in our four years, which is hard to imagine. And if we stretched our definition of pilgrimage a little more maybe this blog would be a Camino for me, for us.

So, we walk on into the future. We cherish the whole situation. We plan on making the most of the day. It could rain, it could shine. We have faith that it will all work out. The Camino provides.

Having faith loves, Felipe.

I am still buzzing with the energy of Catherine’s post two days ago about her walk in England. Yes, her and Dana’s and friend’s walk. She took the situation and boiled it down for us here at Caminoheads. You know that she is a writer. Her book Finding Mercy in This Worldis recent and available you’ll.

Today I want to jump back into some of Catherine’s thoughts. Let me copy and paste two of her paragraphs right here:

“The English are a reserved folk always helpful in an exact and unphased sort of way. They are steady and resilient in the face of adversity and simply ‘carry on’ no matter what. There are no whiners or complainers here. They are good teachers in this way. We with our open hearts and our delight seem effusive in comparison, but then we can be teachers too. Here, the people live the old way, mind the sheep, work hard, love the land… it is easy to connect with that.

It is not the Camino and it is very much the Camino in its opportuny to extend kindness and gratitude and receive kindness with grateful humility.”

This has given me an idea or rather an idea has revealed itself. We have been talking about other Caminos, about the idea of us branching out to see what we can discover. And the old tried and true definition of a pilgrimage may need to be stretched and grown to accommodate this. It has been the thinking that the most important thing about a pilgrimage is the destination. That we go through hardship to get next to something in the end. That the value is in the completion of the process, to getting to the goal.

What if…. What if it is almost the other way around. And not that we don’t need you Saint James but what if we could redefine pilgrimage just for now. What if we take into account what we bring as individuals and groups to this. What if we are really talking about a gathering of “teachers” as Catherine calls us. This is what we have stumbled across on Phil’s Camino. We don’t really go anywhere physically here, just in circles, thousands of circles, but we do it together, willingly and enthusiastically, which is the key.

But the goal does seem to set the theme for the journey. There needs to be a theme to give it a “something”. Then there needs to be a shout out to gather a critical mass of “teachers” or the “someones”. Maybe the “somewhere” doesn’t matter all that much really. Oh yes, it needs to have a certain quietude so the group can make it’s own music so to speak. And it needs some level of facilities to accommodate the needs of the “teachers”. These are all things that occurred to us here at Phil’s Camino, a little tiny miniature situation but a situation.

Not long ago here at Phil’s Camino the idea came up that what we are running here is akin to the French salon. That is what we are talking about, right? We walk but we also talk and then we “figure things out”. Things, ideas and solutions start to occur, don’t they?

Well, OK, that’s over 500 words, my cutoff. Don’t want to burden you with my stuff. Time to walk. A little wet out this morning here at Phil’s Camino as I look out the window.

Salon loves, Felipe.

I hear folks liked the post yesterday with Catherine reporting from the trail in England. That route is called Dales Way and I have no idea of it’s story or significance but that could be dug up on Google pretty easily I suppose.

We thank Catherine for that great piece, she had us there with her and Dana in the countryside and the pubs. That was so successful and now at a time when we realize that because of our enthusiasm for pilgrimage we are overburdening the Camino Frances it is also fitting. Is it time to branch out? Time to discover or rediscover new and old places?

Let us welcome people’s stories of new and different trails here at Caminoheads. We have room and time for that. We have had news of different journeys in the past but I never brought them in to talk about them in any big way. So, we will change that.

Way back when in 2014 when I was walking the last 100 kilometers on the Camino de Santiago and the flow of pilgrims seemed like a river overflowing it banks, I was happy. Happy in a sense that wasn’t it wonderful that all these people are here to participate just as I was. And yes, it is good to see the increase in pilgrims but there is a limit to that. The old too much of a good thing comes into play. So, it is fitting that we think about branching out to other trails in Spain. How about the trails in Italy and Ireland and Japan? How about trails that are not so famous? Trails where there are no trails?

Well OK, thank you Catherine for your inspiration on this. Off I go to the day. More thoughts tomorrow. Walking loves, Felipe.

Good morning. Here is a complete email letter from our dear friend Catherine with some news from England and their Camino there. This goes along with getting the word out about “other Caminos”. We are experiencing a crush of pilgrims flooding into Spain. All wonderful but are there other venues to get together in? Check this out, Dales Way.

Hola Felipe,

I tapped out a rather long missive to accompany the previously sent photos, but think it got lost along the way, like a sock in the wash. So mysterious this world of cyberspace.

We begin our 5th day of walking today. We covered about 50 miles so far; our feet and legs tired but good. The countryside varies between a great green pastoral landscape with ancient stone walls, working farms and swiftly running rivers whose water looks an irony brown. It is the tannin from the ancient peat that colors it so. This alternates with climbs and descents up and over foggy windswept moor land with only sheep for company. It is all beautiful and slow.

It is so good to be just walking again, the mind emptying over the miles, the simplest of things recognized as God’s gifts once more. There are 5 of us walking, laughing, unwinding the stories of our lives together, with plenty of miles in silence too. It’s perfect and as you often say. “All good.” At the end of the day we arrive in small stone villages, find a warm pub with pints and crisp to celebrate our day, followed by delicious pies and soft beds to carry us into restful sleep.

The English are a reserved folk always helpful in an exact and unphased sort of way. They are steady and resilient in the face of adversity and simply ‘carry on’ no matter what. There are no whiners or complainers here. They are good teachers in this way. We with our open hearts and our delight seem effusive in comparison, but then we can be teachers too. Here, the people live the old way, mind the sheep, work hard, love the land… it is easy to connect with that.

It is not the Camino and it is very much the Camino in its opportuny to extend kindness and gratitude and receive kindness with grateful humility.

So my friend. As you slumber we begin. The rain is pouring. ‘Twill be a wet one for sure.
Hope all are well at Raven Ranch. I send our love. “Bahhhh”

Xo C.

Thanks Catherine. The neighborhood misses you guys. See you soon.

Well, summer is blending into fall here on the Island. We scurry to get ready for the winter ahead. I hope to get some time to work on the corn today. Autumn loves, Felipe.

Ever since I heard of this notion it has been a part of my thinking. And maybe it explains how and why things work around here as they do. Then there is the word notion that is vague enough to be very useful. So, yes there is this notion and we have talked of it before and it is popping up again in my mind today. Actually this all started with a conversation that I was in Saturday evening.

Some friends came over to hang out with us after the wedding on Saturday and with these particular friends talk often turns to the Bible and Godly matters after a bit. The conversation prodded me into thoughts about the notion that there are three pathways to God, Truth, Beauty and Goodness. Well, these are the three major attributes of God in a way of thinking and they to me then turn into three pathways. But now over time I have come to view them as three ways or attitudes within me that need to be balanced. My feeling is that they all have their place and my job as a human is to keep them in an equilibrium where they help one another and they are my best connection.

I think that it is easy in our culture to overweight Truth to the detriment of the other two. When it becomes too heavily weighted in that direction the whole fabric of my understanding becomes warped and unbalanced. Somehow in the past it was easy for me to get wrapped up in this way and I have come to realize that. But it is also possible to go overboard in the other two directions.

Yes, it is time to wrap it up for today. Maybe tomorrow we can go further with this but hopefully you get the basic idea. The rest of life calls including a walk here in a moment. Take care, balanced loves, Felipe.

The season is changing so Mother Nature is adding in a little rain and a little wind. But it won’t be muddy like winter. The leaves are turning color and we will be filling the bird feeders again. When the time changes we will be walking at 3:30 instead of 4:00 and that is coming up. Also in October I know that the trail will be closed on the 14th, 15th and 16th. And there will be a few more days later in the month.

This is our regular schedule:

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

Hope to see you soon, Felipe.x

Just thinking of our pilgrim friends on their journeys. Catherine y Dana are walking Dale’s Way in England. And also right now Sybil and Mary are somewhere around Burgos I would guess. I hope they are all carrying on like quality pilgrims being brave, helpful, resourceful, cheerful, somewhat cheeky and hopefully reverent at the right times.

Can’t wait to see them all again and get the report. Their enthusiasm will fuel us. I just know that. That is how it works. It is all so contagious.
It is such a good antidote to those times of isolation that we are all susceptible to. Stand next to someone fresh off the trail or just hearing about it can give me the goosebumps. You know that feeling. It’s alperfect in all its glory and imperfection.

Time to go to My Rebecca’s church. They are celebrating their 125th anniversary. Special music, slide show and catered lunch for us. Take care on this Sunday. Anniversary loves, Felipe.

Just clearing my mind of all the details that pile up like snow drifts. It’s a fight to get to some clear space to operate from. Well, first of all I need to be grateful and then things usually work themselves out given a little time and quiet.

We have a wedding this afternoon to go to. Island friends in the cast and crew on that. Another wedding you say? Yes, we just had one but can you really have too many.

Looks like I have to go. My Rebecca has a flat tire and that has to be solved here in short order. Yup, a few too many details. See you soon, auto repair loves, Felipe.

So many things in the news near and far it just seems comforting to have a weekend in the offing. Maybe things will calm down for a bit and we can take a deep breath. We are supposed to have a dinner later with friends coming over, always enjoyable. We are going to try and get one more meal out of the sweet corn.

I have been getting some great comments lately from you all. The comments really make this blog for without them I would just be howling in the night. Having your ideas come in is so important to me. They get folded into the dough here that turns into tomorrow’s bread. Steve-O our long time friend sent this one in and I would like to give it to you here:

“I am often reminded of the Barrigan Brothers. Of Niebuhr. Of Schindler. Carl Rogers and Martin Buber. Many others, the famous and the obscure; all taking principled and conscience-driven stands and living their beliefs on behalf of the well-being of others.
Examples. Examples in a long line of courageous people of faith and principle that do good, know and embrace their callings, and knowing their unique aptitudes for giving where they can best make their own contributions. Those reflections inform my understanding of the tasks that are most important, understandings that are most helpful, wisdom that must be sought in times as turbulent and fraught as the times we live in now.
A community of others who are seeking and striving towards these goals, with similar aspirations for doing good – it seems to me that therein lies the comfort and therein lies the strength and therein lies the sustenance that we all need to experience an everyday joyfulness. Caminoheads– the blog and all of you, surely contribute to my experience of growth and everyday joy.”

Well, so there! How about that? Maybe we deserve a raise, right? OK, let’s keep on doing what we have started then. It seems to be working in it’s own little way in the very midst of the turmoil around us.

I am glimpsing some blue sky here out the window here at the hospital. Yea, it is brightening up! The best to you there where you are, buoyed up loves, Felipe.