How come I keep coming back to tapas? No matter what the problem I seem to think that it is a good answer. Is it the big solution to all problems? The more I think about it the larger it grows. This all came from Steve Watkins‘ post on FB this AM. He was saying that maybe peace was more important than happiness. And I wise cracked that we can’t leave out tapas. Well, we can’t.

When a boat comes in to a harbor after a long rough day with work well done, is basically how I think about tapas. We all have dings and scrapes from the “work”. We may have done things and seen things which are heroic or stoic or regretful or beautiful. Tapas are the time to unravel those. Tapas are the time to celebrate and maybe that is above all.

We all have been missing them here at the ranch. Will we ever get back to it? Doesn’t seem like we will get there in the near future. But by August 2021 can it be done? Can we get some reasonable facsimile accomplished by then? That seems something to work for.

Off I go to work in the corn. The big race is on to keep ahead of the weeds. Corntine a’comin! That is the big challenge right now.

later loves, Felipé.

by Antonio Machado

Wanderer, your footsteps are
the road, and nothing more;
wanderer, there is no road,
the road is made by walking.
By walking one makes the road,
and upon glancing behind
one sees the path
that never will be trod again.
Wanderer, there is no road–
Only wakes upon the sea.

Sometimes only a poem will do. Thanks Dana.

That is where I left off yesterday. I have more questions than answers. Well, maybe that is just about right place to be for this time, our time. Answers maybe will be slow in coming since the problems are so knotty and layered. So, I know for me I don’t feel comfortable without answers. But other things remain without answers like my health for instance, I have to remind myself.

So, we walk on watching to learn what way is the right path. We are feeling our way along. It is not the time for running and racking up huge mileage. It is also not the time to just sit still. Life goes on not matter what requiring us to give attention to many things. This is our story right now.

Times they aren’t pretty but they are real loves, Felipé.

Robbi had a comment this morning that got me thinking. It was about how the Camino has been removed from us. This thing that we long for has been snatched away. Well, not the European trail itself. It will last and wait patiently like it always has. But for us to be removed from the closeness, the eternal mixing of the pilgrims is the opposite of the direction we want to go in.

How did we get here? One month we were fine and the next we weren’t. One minute we were hugging to our heart’s content and the next we were staying six feet apart. Never do I remember in my lifetime such a disruption not just in the physical realm but in the realms where our minds and souls reside.

But maybe we are given this obstacle, a challenge really, to explore our own “aloneness”? Maybe we need to walk on in solitude to get the hang of that? Maybe that is our lesson to learn at this point. In some ways it is a bitter pill but maybe there is a need for it.

The Camino as a trail has seen many changes over its life, wars and epidemics and funerals and coronations. It’s popularity has waxed and waned. But we are the ones “on” Camino, “on” pilgrimage whether we are there physically or not. Maybe that is what we need to explore?

more questions than answers loves, Felipé.

Yesterday I was writing about opening up “after” the pandemic. And both Cris and Ron fired back comments to me/ to us. Their view is that we are no where close to opening. This “after” the pandemic might be an illusive idea. I will print the body their comments:

From Ronaldo, Caminoheads Astorga Bureau:

It is too early to make broad and accurate statements on the Camino ‘opening.’ It will be different and I will forward reliable info as it happens. I remind myself, and each reader, that each of us has a personal pilgrimage experience.

Stand-by for info as it is published by responsible groups.

I plan to walk a day on the Camino in a week or two but I don’t expect an albergue to be open, likely a taxi ride home.

I am hoping to walk the Ingles from Ferrol in the fall. We will see.

From Cris, Caminoheads South America Bureau Chief:

Just keep being safe… this situation is not at all “over”… we are just getting used to it, and living with it, but still by no means we can let ourselves “be at ease”… I have been reading posts of people assuming when the Camino will open or even suggesting ideas to do so… And I was wondering that maybe, we can encourage any pilgrim or future pilgrim, to drop down this idea for 2020&2021 and instead, start using their imagination and do their own “backyard” Camino… Maybe because I am on “the other side” (on the medical side), I see these questions and my stomach aches… but on the other hand, I think “we” can also share with “them”, that a lot of the Camino happens being close to the other, listening while they speak really softly, almost as if we were their priest listening to their confessions; and also hugging each other, while laughing loud in a pilgrims table… in the social distancing world we must keep living for a while (for the health and safety of all of us), those things shouldn’t happen…

I know… it is sad… but I have been thinking that there should be a way to honor the ones who have died and the ones who have lost their loved ones due to this pandemic… and maybe we can do that aware that the health of the other is “in our hands”…

Well, there you have it for Sunday June 7th. Off to walk my “church” walk with Catherine.

Dreaming of opening loves, Felipé.

So far so good on opening up Phil’s Camino in the middle of the pandemic. I am satisfied that we are being safe and getting in a significant portion of our pilgrimage, minus the hugging of course. But it is happening so come back. Don’t let us fall off your radar!

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

lace’em up, Felipé.

I think that I caught the news that things are starting to open up in Spain for some sort of pilgrimage experience. Don’t think that I made that up. Feels like we all have been living in a cave for far too long now. If anyone gets any reports in an pilgrims resuming the Camino please get them into us. Maybe Ronaldo and Ann in Astorga would have and idea on this.

When I think of my Camino experience with Kelly and Rick and the camera crew and our Camino family and the general crush of people it is hard to think of translating that into a virus safe situation. That would take some major engineering. But it needs to happen somehow. What a challenge!

And slowly here things seem to be opening up. Had a great walk Thursday morning with old pilgrim friends Jim and Jen. They hadn’t been here to be with us since the end of February or the beginning of March. After our three laps we sat on the deck with My Rebecca, in distant seating of course, and gabbed. We are starting to reconnect.

Well, maybe we can prepare by thinking about reopening. Maybe we can sort of will it into being, safely though. And we got our first issue of Atlantic Magazine which Rebecca sprung for, keeping the Felipé informed.

making it happen loves, Felipé.

Seattle is the only place I have ever been that has apologetic weather reports. The weatherman said that this morning as I was looking for the local news on the TV. I’ve never heard that one before but I am used to the phenomenon. We can have 35 days of rain in a row and each day they come up with some new creative way to describe the same rain. Well, they are certainly working hard for their paychecks.

Today I will be out under the gray skies hopefully pretty soon. Also I have a little writing to do today with a project that Catalina and I are working on. She is trying to boil down the material in this blog, all seven years of it, one year at a time. We are working on the first year now, 2014. We are trying to get the volume of words down to something like 1/12th the original. So, I have been reading my blog material from the very beginning with this effort. That’s before, during and immediately after Spain. To read my words about my reentry is very moving. That was such a powerful era to revisit.

In these turbulent days please find your calm and maintain. 2020, who would have thought.

Friday loves, Felipé.

I was successful with getting in and out of town in a safe and timely manner. The Institute was geographically between two different protests, one on Capital Hill and one Downtown. Activities at the Institute were going to shut down at 3PM as opposed to the normal 5PM to get everyone on the road and out of there.

So, got back and had some dinner and a wine and participated in a Zoom with other cancer patients. This was something that Patti of the Survivorship Program was involved in and asked me to show up. After so many years of conferring with cancer patients it all seems pretty easy to just show up and just brighten the day.

Yup, the times are pretty crazy and hopefully we are bringing some new positive ways into being after is all said and done. It is amazing reading the latest from George Will and General Mattis this week. They are not the usual loud characters so I welcome their strong and measured words at this time.

Speaking of time, have to go and find my boots and get awalking.

awalking loves, Felipé.

So, having announced the dates for Veranda 2021 we already have three people signed up to come. How about that for enthusiasm?! It is warming my heart. Now Felipé all you have to do is get there.

This summer will be the 🌽 Corntine 🌽 and that is August 22-23, Saturday and Sunday for locals only. No traveling from out of state.

And the dates for Veranda 2021 are August 20-23, Friday through Monday. Yea, this will happen! Make plans now!

This is way too much fun just to think about. For now I need to clean up and head to the Institute for my meeting with Nugget. Will be in and out of Seattle as quickly as possible although it looks things are quieting down somewhat.

miss you all loves, Felipé.