Thank you to the women’s group at St. Peter and Paul’s Church, Heart of Mary for a great event this morning. We went to Mass at 0700 then Adoration, breakfast and Phil’s Camino the film. Then after the film we had a great question and answer session.
Thank you Holy Spirit for the help on the talk. My Rebecca said I did fantastic and she is a hard grader. It was fun for me so it must have been good, right? That was my last engagement for the weekend so now it is all fun and games.
We are driving now in the mountains going up to Big Bear. Loretta and her husband Bruce have a cabin up here so it is going to be the second big Marauder get together. Then tomorrow we are off to Lake Arrowhead. This is all new territory to me so I’m happy.
We are getting close to our destination so I will sign off for now. Oh, 5000 feet. We are at 6800 now. So, see you tomorrow, Felipe.x
Avocados from the backyard tree.Last night’s showing at Holy Name of Mary.Damian High School gym.
That is every school day morning thirty nine 4th graders at St Joseph’s school in Upland pray for Mr Phil. Really? Yea, this is Loretta’s class and we were there with her today meeting the kids. What a dream class. They sang a song for me and each made a heart shaped card for Mr Phil.
We had a few minutes also with the eighth grade class who had seen Phil’s Camino. They were a little more formal than the fourth graders but enthusiastic. They will graduate hopefully at the end of the year and then be at the local Catholic high schools. That’s when the boys and girls separate.
So we were with the sophomores and the seniors at Damien High School, the boys. We showed them Phil’s Camino in the gym and then I got to speak to them for half an hour. This was another case of grace under fire for Felipe. It was a little daunting but I was all over them with tales of pilgrimage and sage advice. I really have to admit that I impressed myself with my skill and energy with this one. I may have potential in this field.
So we are off work for today. There is a big party at Loretta’s for her friends and us. This is most all of the Marauders and some extras I think. Carol my handler is here also to be with us. Right now relaxing on the patio of where we are staying and resting up for this upcoming shindig.
I was talking with Carol at lunch saying that I really have been impressing myself with my handling of these audiences. I don’t mean that bragging but just matter of factly. She said something that was helpful and clarifying. She told me that it is best when you are just yourself. Don’t try the be someone else. Maybe that is what is happening that I have finally arrived at me.
Yea, ok. So, I have to remember moderation tonight at the party. Food and drink are easily had so slow down. And over the days sleep is hard to come by so get as much of that as possible. For Felipe these junkets require some management.
Well, I think that we have covered it. Time to get ready. Miss you, love, Felipe.
In the true spirit of wining and dining we were treated to wonderful Italian lunch by the Marauders which included wine. I AM trying to gain weight, as you know. Right now just here being with you and let you know what is going on.
We had a nice showing this morning at Holy Name of Mary Church in San Dimas. About fifty folks tumbled out of morning Mass and into coffee and pastries with Phil’s Camino. Did I mention I was trying to gain weight? So I did a good Q and A session for the fine folks. That was the first of the engagements that we signed on for. We will be back tonight at the same place for an evening session if you are in the neighborhood.
Having so much fun with the folks here, well we knew we would. I don’t know what to add to that really. It just happens or it doesn’t, right? People have the chemistry or they don’t. It’s good here.
OK, I have to get back in the saddle and continue on into our itinerary. Thanks for being here and keeping up with us here at Caminoheads. Loving you once again, Felipe.
Getting my mind ready for the Marauders, that’s what I am doing sitting here on the 737. Clearing the decks for five days of California adventure. I know that we will be in good hands there and have a good time, no problem.
I have been so many engrossed in things back home that it will be good to get away and come back to it with a fresh mind. Maybe have a fresh perspective. Maybe problems will seem less thorny.
Just looking over at My Rebecca, she is just across the aisle. She is napping out over there wrapped up in her knitting project. It’s got needles sticking out of it, somebody could get hurt. Man, how did she get on board with those? I had to ship my Leatherman tool home from security and it cost me thirteen bucks. How many planes have I tried to sneak that aboard?
Let’s see, Loretta is picking us up at Ontario Airport and we are staying with one of the Terri’s. We don’t have any engagements tonight. So, I hope there are some baseball fans involved in this
operation as this is the day of game seven for the Astros and the Dodgers. Nothing better than a game seven!
Here comes the flight attendants recycling all the junk from us passengers. Catherine was talking about this the other day, how much effort the airlines were putting into this effort. The little pudgy red haired flight attendant guy is sweating from the effort. OK, Eric!
I’ll have to admit that I have been, what’s the right word, not as enthusiastic as I should be about recycling. But two things happened recently that have affected me. One was our ride aboard the environmental patrol boat out of Tacoma early in October. One thing that the captain was talking about was the amount of plastic particles in the seawater, too small to see but there. That was enlightening. And then I saw a thing on Facebook about a Minke whale that had died and was autopsied and it was full of plastic bags. Yuk, something wrong here.
Well, OK, enough of that. The sun is shinning out the window of the airplane and the view of the mountains of California is spectacular. It think a plane with a glass bottom would be cool.
Feels like we are descending, yea! One really has to work hard at making traveling fun any more. I mean it’s funny but not really fun. I’m starting not to make sense, time to go. Love you all, Felipe.
I had plenty of time to think lately since I have been deer hunting. Sitting in a tree just thinking. The deer are not taking this whole thing seriously but that is another story.
We are off tomorrow to San Demis to be with the Marauders. I thought of that name for them and they seemed to have liked it and have kept it. The marauder theme has to do with their spirits really, other than that they are pretty mild mannered. Mostly a bunch of school teachers or folks associated with a particular school. It is a Catholic school and sorry I don’t have the name.
Anyway, as I am sitting in my tree freezing my you know what, I was thinking about them. And I was thinking about the other people that I hang out with, 90% of them are either teachers, nurses or farmers. These are the people that I choose to have around myself. What do those three groups have in common or how are they different? At first they seem really different but they do have one major thing in common. They are all nurturers, is that a word?
L have surrounded myself with people that help me learn, live and blossom. Guess that I sort of lean on them for that to a certain extent. They don’t seem to mind. Thank you to you all.
Well, I have plenty to do today to make our escape tomorrow. It is supposed to start raining tomorrow so good timing. I’m not quite ready for that.
Happy Halloween to you spooky Caminoheads. Love, Felipe.
Arches seem to show up in all sorts of places. Lucia, a true and blue Caminohead sent in this pic of Archimedes grave in Syracuse just to keep the whole thing going. Syracuse I think is in Sicily. Lucia is from Sicily.
Here is another random deal for you. James, the Most Interesting Man in the World in training, came up with this rattlesnake pic from our hunting trip. In the tall grass there, see the triangular shaped head. You have to look for it.
I hear him but don’t quite see him.
How about that Series game last evening? Wow, probably the best baseball game that I have ever seen. And that came after the Seahawks/Texans football game that was also epic. Man, we were worn out after all that. What a time of year for sports!
OK, well pretty random today. Some days are like that. Maybe there is a special name for that. See you in twenty four hours, love, Felipe.
Just got back from Mass and tailgating with Catherine. Well OK, we didn’t really tailgate. We sat in the entrance to the supermarket where there are some chairs, too cold outside. But we talked to folks. Very foggy and spooky out there today. Good day for ironing shirts inside. Which I have to do as we are off on a trip Wednesday to San Dimas, CA, oh boy.
Father David had a great homily today. I will tell you about that in a moment but first he gave us a little talk how he was changing his style. For twenty years he has been always reading a text for his sermons and now he is switching over to just using an outline. Well, very good. I am all in favor of that. The less paperwork the better.
The scripture reading today was where one of the Pharisees asks Jesus, what is the greatest commandment? And Jesus is his usual cool manner boils down the whole code of Moses into two things. This is my own paraphrase, to love God and love your neighbor. So Father David started talking about love and came up with this which I diagramed:
L ~ for us to LIVE well, to take care of ourselves.
O ~ for us to OFFER ourselves, to be open and available.
V ~ for us to VALUE everybody and everything, to be grateful.
E ~ for us to ENJOY ourselves, to be in love with our situation.
Oh, that looks oh so tidy. Boy, that looks easy enough for even Felipe to remember, good deal. Thanks Father David.
Cris recently at Niagara Falls.Bekka, Felipe and Cris at Raven Ranch.
Well, Cris has gone and a vacuum remains. What a sweetheart and bright light! We hope that we will meet again down the road.
The weather remains gorgeous and that is almost disorienting for us Northwesteners. What is going on? It too much of a good thing and we don’t know how to handle it, right?
I just had Bible Guys which I was free to go to because Catherine wanted to drive Cris to the airport. We started studying the Book of Hebrews. I don’t think that I have ever done this book before not that repeating is a problem. There always seems something new to learn.
Well, time to get to work here at the ranch. Always something to wrestle with. Keeps us active I guess. So, have a nice day, love, Felipe.
The haws on the hawthorn hedge along Phil’s Camino. They will feed some of the birds all winter.
Man, the weather is gorgeous. It kind of gives outsiders the wrong impression of Seattle. We don’t want to let them know that it isn’t always rainy and gloomy. Not a cloud in the sky right now.
Last evening we had a fabulous dinner party over at Catherine and Dana’s in honor of Cris being here. We had buffalo pot roast and their own corn bread with a pear dessert. They know how to throw a dinner party believe me, all down home and elegant simultaneously.
Yesterday I put Cris to work on two projects along the trail. We planted some new lavender plants and dressed up some existing ones. Then we planted the cover crop where the corn stood not too long ago. I’m putting visitors to work lately on things that I need done and that are directly related to Phil’s Camino. Just a few more things to do to get ready for the winter season. I need to mow the grass on the trail yet so it will be short all winter and that makes for drier shoes. Still trying to get some gravel on the inclines in and out of the streambed to make that less slippery. Not that I want the trail to be too civilized just Caminoesque.
Oh, and My Rebecca pointed out that I had been spelling the name of author of Pilgrimage wrong. She’s good at that. So, it should be Shriver, no c in there anywhere. Sorry Mark, good book though.
Speaking of good books I am really looking forward to reading Pilgrim Strong, Steve Watkins’ new offering. Steve will be up to walk Phil’s Camino in November. He’s bringing a copy for me all the way from Arkansas, trying to save on postage I guess. Looking forward to getting our heads together, our Caminoheads. Ha!
Maybe we will have a venison dinner for him. My window to take a deer is soon. The best time to take a big deer here is during the rut, that’s the word for the mating season. The bucks tend to get quite careless forgetting Felipe lurks behind every bush.
Well, that’s the news from Raven Ranch and Phil’s Camino. Hope that it is entertaining for you. Miss you, love you, keep going, love, Felipe.
