We had a little going away party for Jessika last evening. We made mushroom barley soup and had some white wine. Then we watched Two Popes. That is a great movie and I want to watch it again soon.

Yea, check it out. It is the story of an important moment in history. That is the way to look at it I think. I’m following the thought of film reviewer Sister Rose Pacatte who just wrote about it on FB. If one knew a lot about the two one could possibly start poking holes in it. But it’s strong point is about the change that occurred and that is what we should concentrate on.

There is a wonderful biography about Pope Francis that I read a couple of years ago now. That is Pilgrimage by Mark K. Shriver. As I remember there were three parts to it. First was a rundown on the Jesuits. Second was a view of Buenos Aires and third finally the biography proper. That all worked well and I learned a lot.

But the film added beauty to the whole story for me. It was all well done visually. Part of the time they are just these two guys hanging out in the Sistine Chapel. How can that not be beautiful!

Let’s see what else is beautiful. Earlier two foam boxes filled with dry ice and barbecue came in from Corky’s in Memphis. That is compliments of Bill and Tracey, the in-laws. Beautiful! That’s what’s on the menu for New Year’s Day.

OK, the afternoon walk coming up here shortly.

time to go, Happy New Year loves, Felipé.

Toward the bitter end of 2019 and we are still walking toward Muxia. We are very close and should be there this morning or on the Tuesday walk, the last of the year. I feel this need to go back to Santiago on foot and enter it on the west side. So, let’s do that and that should keep us busy for Janurary.

Jessika is coming for dinner tonight and I am in charge of cooking. I have in mind to make some soup, maybe mushroom, maybe oxtail. Winter time soup making is one of the better things to do in my book. Oh and we might watch a movie this evening. It is a going away party for her as she is on her way to Minnesota for a number of months before the pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Order of Malta in May. High times.

And today is New year’s Eve Eve. Time to start to close out the old and to find the new. I am really looking forward to this, this year. To tell you the truth I have never been big on it but this year I feel a difference. We will talk more about it.

Well, walking in 15 minutes, time to find my boots and gloves. On the downhill into Muxia out there. Who will come today?

feeling the excitement loves, Felipé.

Catherine and I did something radical this morning. We changed our seats, which doesn’t sound like too big a deal but it is. We have been pretty much in our old position for years. We needed a change to hear better mostly so we got right in front of Father and the lectern where he gives the homily. It is close up seats on the fifty yard line. Why didn’t we do this a long time ago?

It is the new year’s inspiration to try something new, I can feel it. At the same time that we moved to a new place this morning we noticed that our good friends Bruce and Gina moved all the way across to our old section, in an opposite move. Hehe.

Anyway what is important is the uncovering of this energy to try something new. I’m feeling it and this has me working on some other new things in my life. Cris put an idea in my head that I am working on but I don’t want to spill the beans yet. It is too new and unformed. I ran it by My Rebecca and Catherine and they liked it. So…

It’s pretty nice outside and I want to get out there. Make some moves on the

Aho’i there, lost in a sea of bowl games. Peach Bowl on right now. Cris from Buenos Aires has no idea what I am talking about. Just a sea of late season football games going on Cris. Amazing how much American energy goes into football.

But trying to navigate through the holiday season is our top priority right now. Pace is important, right? Keep it steady, move along in a relaxed manner. Get it done, no fancy multitasking, just one thing at a time. Well, that’s my plan.

But that is only part of it. Walks on Phil’s Camino are happening. Next one tomorrow at 3:30. And there are projects around the ranch that still need to keep moving along. Right now it is oil changes on the fleet.

And heck there is still time to maybe catch the occasional sunrise or sunset. Beauty happens randomly, right? Poetry even happens sometimes. And pretty soon I am going to be taken with looking for signs of spring. That is special and encouraging. Nothing like spring and it IS on the horizon for us.

OK, time to make stuff happen.

best in between times loves, Felipé.

Where are we? Let’s see, it’s Friday today. When was Christmas, Wednesday? And New Year’s Eve is when? I have to look at the calendar. OK, that is Tuesday coming up. I am so confused with this, It all seems a jumbled.

But one thing that I do know is that not a single fruitcake showed up so far. I know it seems like a small thing but maybe it is the sign of something. Maybe a trend. I’m calling it good.

So, now at this point I am going to just put one foot ahead of the other and walk my way slowly through the rest and of this season. People are coming and going and I just want to smile and make the best of it and get through it.

Am I going to make any resolutions? Hmm. I don’t know. I have never been big on this but I do feel the need to make a change or two.

OK, a shortie today. Might be halftime in the holiday season. Time to take a breath and regroup.

what is candied fruit anyhow, loves, Felipé.

Monday 0900-1000
Tuesday 1530-1630
Thursday 0900-1000
Sunday 1530-1630

Hoping you will come by sometime, Felipé.

The year was 1966 and there I was, there we were, at infamous Parris Island, South Carolina. This takes the cake for my craziest Christmas ever. They say there is the right way and the wrong way and the Marine Corps way and I was definitely armpit deep in the Marine Corps way.

Actually I was there for the whole holiday season including Thanksgiving. The program was twelve weeks long down from sixteen weeks during peacetime. The leader of these merry times was my Chief Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Everette MacDonald. I actually tracked him down a while back and talked to him for an hour just before he died. My knees were shaking the whole time.

But I just really want to tell you about the Christmas “Party” that Sgt Mac Donald threw for us. For weeks packages had been arriving from various guys mom’s with goodies. We looked on with joy. They were all carefully stacked in one particular closet. Then sometime at the appropriate time we were informed that it was time for the party. We were aglow as the boxes were laid out before us.

All the Assistant Drill Instructors were there for the festivities. And the announcement was made that training commenced in ten minutes so we had 9 minutes and some seconds to finish all this stuff up. One hundred and seven guys ripped into this mound of boxes and started stuffing things in our mouths. There were boxes from maybe all the States, Canada, Mexico, Indian reservations included. No one knew whose Mom’s stuff was whose which was kind of a Holy Communion in itself. I remember eating half a dozen candy bars wrappers and all. It was nuts but we survived and had a “good time”.

Just a little cheery glimpse into Marine Corps training holiday type. It was always challenging, demanding and included some sort of spiritual/ historic component. Also, it was largely geared to teach how to operate in environments that don’t make sense. I just wanted to throw this paragraph in because I think that this is key in dealing with cancer. Cancer does not make sense, no way. But somehow I have an advantage and have been able to operate there, just a thought.

cheery holiday loves, Felipé.

Here it is before anyone is up. Time to think of you and yours in places near and far. Wondering how you are. Wondering how you are faring. Well, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

There are so many wonderful posts on FaceBook this morning. Thank you for sending those around. My favorite was Ronaldo’s (CABC) with the sugar packet nativity scene. Just like some pilgrims would cobble together on the trail.

Well, cuteness, cleverness and profundity escape me this morn as the yule log burns on TV. Just want to wish you a Merry Christmas and thank you for your friendship.

Only the best loves, Felipé.

Here we are at Christmas Eve. Wasn’t it just the Fourth and the Veranda. Yea and now to but a few last minute items in order. Everything is looking pretty organized for the holiday tomorrow. We are off to Henna’s parents place here on the Island, just a sleigh ride down the hill.

I signed up to usher this evening at the Christmas Vigil at 5pm. That is more fun than work but somebody has to do it. But by going tonight I can be free in the morning to be with the fam.

Oh and there is a walk this afternoon because it is Tuesday. No holidays at Phil’s Camino apparently, everyone keep marching. It is a little wet out there with a little standing water in places and the intermittent creek is running. It looks like winter but we are still walking.

There was just a story on the news about a little Christian town in Syria that now is in a peaceful zone and able to celebrate Christmas after many years of conflict. Just a little feel good story that they like to throw in at times like this but still we need to be thankful. Thankful for that instance in particular and thankful for our own wide spread peace and religious freedom.

Time to get to my last minute preparations so I will leave you with a hug and a warm place in my heart for you there at your place wherever near or far. Thanks for stopping by.

vigil loves, Felipé.

Yesterday afternoon no one came to walk with me so I did one lap and then we raced for the ferry. And then on up I-5 to Edmonds, WA. Henriette brought a friend with her several weeks ago to walk here and Donna has a labyrinth set up in her backyard so we went to walk it. It was a party in the semi dark with candles and torches and music. Sort of very medieval there.

Then Henriette and her daughter Emily and us found a place to have dinner and talk it over. Emily is a US Naval Officer and serves aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R Ford. In the process of dinner she is telling me that she participated in a 5k run that consisted of laps around the flight deck of the carrier deck. And not that many laps either. It was so Phil’s Camino, so labyrinthine.

Just all kinds of movement was going on during our seven hour trip. I am so glad that we went as we were needing to get away from the ranch for a while.

To change the subject completely it is Cris’s birthday today. Please send her your love in one form or another. Happy Birthday Cris!!!

labyrinthine loves, Felipé.