Earlier I was out in the driveway waiting for Catherine to come and pick me up in her pickup and transport me to church for eight o’clock Mass. I was a little early or she was a little late so I stood there in the quiet. I was appreciating the peace of the neighborhood and could hear Catherine’s truck from a long way off coming to get me. It wasn’t traffic noise, it was one vehicle noise. How lucky am I/are we to have such a sanctuary as this.

Friday, when our lovely Chinese guests were here they were saying that they lived there in Beijing on the twentieth floor of an apartment building. As I stood in the quiet I was trying to imagine what that would be like. Our lives are so horizontal here. All of our space that we able to roam around in it seems so luxurious, I am going to stop taking that for granted.

Our new priest “come ashore” today, Father David. He seems so enthusiastic about being with us and being on Vashon. And Mass went well and I didn’t have any trouble hearing him with his big voice. So, so far so good, swimmingly even! Father David, yea.

After Mass we went to town and did a little shopping for tapas later. Then we tailgated with our coffee and donut from the supermarket. Nobody does that in the busy parking lot except us. My insurance agent calls that lot the most dangerous place on Vashon. People rush in and rush out with their charcoal and meat but stop to say hi as they pass silly us as we sit and talk about the Sacrament of Reconciliation and what it will be like to be mano e mano with Father David. Catharine has named this Tailgate Theology, I’ll take it, I like it. Suddenly it seems sort of luxurious even.

So another great blog post wrapped up. Time to get out to the corn and get in the race with the weeds. Even that seems somewhat luxurious at the moment. Huh. Well, that’s it here at Raven Ranch. Thinking of you, holding you in prayer, Love, Spacious Felipe.x

It’s July 2nd and there seems to be a hush before the big Fourth of July holiday. Maybe if we are quiet for two days we can make a while lot of noise on the third day, is the thinking. Well, tonight there is going to be a lot of noise in our neighborhood so this may break down. Brad is going to be celebrating five years free from his cancer. Yea, way to go buddy, make all the noise you want neighbor!

Then Bill, our new Cancer Commando wound up with incredibly good scan results on his scan on Friday. He was over for our special walk yesterday afternoon to bring us the good news and to drink a glass of wine at tapas. Yea, way to go buddy Bill! I am so happy for him and his team.

And we had a great visit from our Chinese filmmaker, Edmund, and his girlfriend Irene yesterday. They walked three laps here at the ranch, we had tapas and wine and watched each other’s movies. Big fun and they are flying back to Beijing today. They were much excited by all things Camino and they got some good input here as you can imagine. Who knows what this connection will bring.

Well, good news all around. And this includes the corn whose growth seems to be outrunning the predication of Bambi and his buddies. Maybe that set us back a week in the overall scheme of things but not fatal. So, that’s how it is here in one little corner of America as we await the celebration of the birth of our nation.

The best to you and your family, love, Felipe.x

Well that’s the plan, right? We have a Chinese filmmaker coming to walk Phil’s Camino this afternoon. He saw our film in DC or Palm Springs and is jumping through all the hoops to get here to be with us and get the Phil experience.

Then tomorrow is a big party for our neighbor Brad who is celebrating being free of his cancer for FIVE years. Congratulations Brad! He is a tough guy that just doesn’t take no for an answer. GO for five more Brad!

My Rebecca is making Spanish tortilla for tapas/dinner this evening. Yea, that’s a blast from the past. I better get out hoeing in the corn and burn up some calories to get ready for that.

Bill from our blog post yesterday is at the hospital right now for his stare down with his cancer (his scan). He just emailed, “I couldn’t be better supported.” Go get’em Bill!

Annie my relentless, resourceful, resolute and much respected Producer is asking the universe for donations to keep the Phil’s Camino boat floating. Did I mention that she has been meeting with Werner Herzog and Norman Lear. Oh, and did I mention that she was just at the White House for a confab, yea. So anyway, please if you have or know of funds that need a good home please consider our effort. I know the film is done but now comes promotions which take funds. And promotions are going swimmingly with Phil’s Camino getting in thirteen festivals and winning Seven awards. Did I hear the word “Oscars”. Anyway I can guarantee that there is no outfit that gets more done with less funds than this one, well maybe Santa Claus. We invented the word shoestring. On www.philscamino.com there is a please donate button. And the PhilsCamino FaceBook page has pleasing info. Please, please, please, be a part of this effort.

OK, here I go. TGIF gang, love, Felipe.x

Bill, one of my regulars here at Phil’s Camino graduated with full honors today. This is the next level above Cancer Camper and requires a certain new awareness and new level of gratitude. Cancer it seems does it’s best to squeeze the best out of us if we can handle the process.

It’s been a long time since we have talked about this stuff so maybe I need to back up a little. A Cancer Camper is someone who has gone beyond a Cancer Patient. This person has found the place where he is dealing well with all the blows that come at one from the disease and the treatment of the disease and the fear of the disease. I like to think of the kid half way through the week at summer camp, he is sunburnt and insect bit but having a great time overall.

To move beyond that requires a realization that you owe your upbringing, support system and God a thank you for your resilience. You realize that you are in a special position and you see that what you know and are now able to do could be very helpful to others. You have achieved a certain level of empathy giving you the gift of being able to relate to all kinds of folks in all sorts of situations. You are ready to go out.

Bill got there today. I am so glad for him. It is not a coincidence that he has a major scan tomorrow and after six months since the last. These turn out to be some of the toughest times for us. But somehow Bill has been able to harness this stress and turn it into a level change and I am happy for him.

So that’s how it is today at Phil’s Camino. Hope you all are doing well. Talk to you soon, love, Felipe.x

Kathryn Barush (Catalina) is a college professor at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University. She teaches Art History and Religion. So check out this article, pretty scholarly:

Phil’s Camino article

Felipe.x

That is the title of Gwen Van Velsor’s new book with the subtitle “Notes on Getting Here from There”. I am going to write a review on Amazon for it in a moment so I thought being here would help organize my thoughts.

It’s a book about the Camino as you probably already guessed. And it’s a good book about the Camino. It reads like a novel, easy going. But the story isn’t easy going with a lot of inner working going on from beginning to end. It is a very personal account of the that basic Camino phenomenon where you think you are doing the Camino but really the Camino is doing you.

Just think back to maybe a year ago when there was a fundraiser in Breckenridge,CO for our documentary. It was at the Speakeasy Theatre with our friend Karin Litzmann. And next to the theatre was the Yellow Arrow Cafe owned by, guess who, Gwen Van Velsor. She had a special coffee made, “Phil’s Pilgrim Brew”. So, that’s where we know Gwen from. And since then she has gone on to write and now is promoting “Follow that Arrow”. Best of luck Gwen, Buen Camino!

Speaking of that, just heard this morning that my oldest friend Jim and his lovely wife Gloria will be hiking west from Burgos in a few days. Man, out on the Meseta following those arrows. Buen Camino to them!

Alright, that all I can do for now. Let’s take life in bite sized pieces, shall we. Here we go, love, Felipe.x

I know it’s Tuesday morn but need to report on last evening. My Rebecca had the idea to have Wiley and Hanna over every Monday for dinner. Well, tapas and dinner. It is brilliant really, like Monday Night Football brilliant. It is that extra five percent that can be squeezed out of the weekend that you are able to harvest, the last sweet glow.

It was so pretty yesterday and it went right on till dark. The mosquitos got a little thick but all the same. All the same it was a day that stopped everyone in there tracks around here, something to be thankful for.

Besides I was able to grab Hanna to help me on my iPad. She seems to be able to navigate so swiftly through things where I feel like I have eight left feet. Thank you Hanna.

Then Wiley had in the last week heard about the apparition of Mother Mary in Guadeloupe, Mexico and was all enthused by the story. And it is a huge story. I am searching for maybe a DVD on the story for us to watch.

Well, a nice memory to savor, our Monday evening. The best to you, Love, Felipe.

Right here, right now, it is the most perfect day. It is the day that we dream about for three quarters of the year. I think that I will skip all the words today and just be here.

Algood, alperfect, pass the sun screen, love, Felipe.

I was supposed to have done this update yesterday but here I am on Monday. The trail here at Phil’s Camino is just beautiful these days. Come and walk with us. Catherine and Dana were here this morning. So at this point we are about five km from Leon, the big city. Kelly always joked in Spain about the answer to the question, how far is …?, was always five km no matter what.

So we are walking at least at these regular times:

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

The bugs aren’t bad, no poisonous snakes, hasn’t been a cougar sighting recently, love, Felipe.

Hey all you Caminoheads! Thank you once again for all your love, support, and prayers. I have much good news to share with you and yet my heart is heavy just now learning of Our Jennifer’s passing. I know that she is rejoicing in the greater-yet-to-be portion of her life, and I must turn my thoughts to what she has gained, not what we have lost, or feel like we have lost. Spirit is eternal, and she will forever be the brave and intrepid cancer commando, her smile lighting up the treatment room, her laughter echoing through the halls. And yes, she does have a lovely cameo in Phil’s Camino, and I will thin of her with that red hat, that spot of right color being carried so nobly as she walked and talked, walked and thought, walked and allowed tears to flow, walked and laughed, all the time next to Felipe, being guided, held up, jostled by, and in all manner just plain walking with him. I am blessed that our paths crossed, even so briefly.

Phil’s Camino won the Audience Favorite Award at SFDocs, and just yesterday the same (Audience Favorite) at Palm Springs ShortsFest. Wow! Phil joined me at the San Francisco festival, along with Fr. Tom, official padre of Phil’s Camino. I wanted to be in Palm Springs, but could not be there because we were also in the Nantucket Film Festival and AFI. Jessica Lewis and Todd Pinckney showed up and represented, on their way to another adventure, in these last weeks before getting married. Oh yes, did you all know that? Phil’s Camino has a love story! Jessica and Todd knew each other a little bit, but working together in Spain they fell in love and will be getting married in late July. Nice!

I am writing this from Washington, DC where I have been at the highly respected AFI Film Festival. It has been amazing, with an incredible group of films, and wonderful filmmakers to meet. The biggest treat was that I was invited to the Filmmakers Summit at the White House on Thursday. I was honored to go to the White House and talk about Phil’s Camino, our little film that could, and the man himself, Phil. Amazing.

The upcoming events for Phil’s Camino are the Rhode Island Film Festival, called Flickers, in early/mid August. I will also be in Orange County in CA at the Santiago de Compostela Church in Lake Forest, on July 9. This is a fundraiser, so please spread the word far and wide! We are putting together some very special surprises for folks who come, so please try and make it if you are anywhere in the vicinity! More details on this next week — stay tuned! There will probably be another fundraiser later in July as well. Again, stay tuned!

That is all for now, dear Caminoheads. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions either here or at [email protected]

I love that we are walking together.
Ultreya!
Peace-
Annie

Annie O Neil
Producer/Director: Phil’s Camino www.philscamino.com

Co-producer and Pilgrim: Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago www.caminodocumentary.org

Author: Everyday Camino with Annie www.everydaycaminowithannie.com

310-403-4228