Well, not his last day but his last day here on the Rock, on Vashon being our priest. I think it will be seven years for him. And I think that I have been there three years with him. The high point was when he came over to bless Phil’s Camino way back when. Thank you Father Marc, you were a part of it all here at this outpost.
I’m pretty deep in the fog of of my chemo weekend. I expect it to be bad and here it is. Partly it is the side effect of the chemicals and partly this time The best existing pic of the flower growing along the freeway. Thinking of you Jennifer.it is the aftermath of Jennifer’s death. I got it all wrapped together here at once. Your prayers of peace for us would be welcome.
OK, time to tidy up and get off to church. Hoping for swimmingly, although giddy would due just fine. Love you all, Felipe.
Yea, a male bird sat on our lilac bush just outside the kitchen table. These are very pretty and maybe more so because they are rare here. Always refreshing to look upon beauty. And a break from other things.
The best to you, talk with you soon, love, Felipe.
Pilgrim’s Prayer / Codex Calixtinus – 12th Century
God, You called your servant Abraham from Ur in Chaldea,
watching over him in all his wanderings,
and guided the Hebrew people as they crossed the desert.
Guard these your children who, for love of your Name, make a pilgrimage to Compostela.
Be their companion on the way,
their guide at the crossroads,
their strength in weariness,
their defense in dangers,
their shelter on the path,
their shade in the heat,
their light in darkness,
their comfort in discouragement,
and the firmness of their intentions,
that through your guidance they may arrive safely at the end of their journey
and, enriched with grace and virtue,
may return to their homes filled with salutary and lasting joy.
(Let All Who Are Thirsty Come Blog)
May she have salutary and lasting joy! Our hearts and minds are with Jennifer these days. She was with us here for a little over a year. She walked the trail as long as she could, Phil’s Camino – the trail. She has a cameo in Phil’s Camino – the film as she walks the trail. She was my chemo buddy for numerous visits to Swedish Cancer Institute. We had fun with that attacking the gloom with Cancer Commando bravery and elan. Yup.
Well, what to say. The only thing that makes sense to me at the moment is that we have a flower growing out of a pile of refuse in Seattle along the freeway wasteland that wouldn’t be there except for the company of our companera, Jennifer. Rest in Peace dear one.
Off to the hospital is coming up on my Camino this morning. Time to shower. Love you guys, Felipe.x
I just wanted to report that one flower is growing in our guerrilla garden venture along the entrance ramp to I-5. Well, it’s a flower plant to be precise and well, it doesn’t look like a weed anyway, which isn’t very precise. It doesn’t look like California Poppy but must be the other flower which is Calendula. Anyway, I watered it this morning as I past it which is tricky.
Maybe, Jennifer would be happy about that since she was in on the hatching of the idea to beautify that little part of the urban world. She has been in hospice, the dear. Prayers of peace for her.
I had a choice this AM of trying to photograph or water the new plant. So, I hit it with a bottled water. A big white truck waited behind me while I tended the little guy.
So, this is Thursday and I am back at the ranch. I have learned that Our Jennifer passed away Tuesday evening. Bill, one our regular walkers, was with her about an hour before and I got the word from him. She almost made it to the Fourth of July. We had this thing about the Fourth. I remember we were all down on the beach in the dark watching the fireworks last year and she was happy to have been able to make it so that far. So, we had almost another year to blow bubbles, plant flowers and sneak wine into the hospital.
Peace to you Jennifer. You are in our prayers. You are in our thoughts. Drink a glass of the heavenly wine for us and our travels. And we will drink a toast to you when we gather for tapas.
So, that’s the way it is today. We will regroup and go on having learned by the experience. Off to work, love you, Felipe.x
Marking the trail.Yup, it is my every other Wednesday treatment, number seventy two. Have to gather myself up and make this happen. Somehow have to find that way to make it fun for myself and those around me. That’s the mission.
The film marches on. In Palm Springs right now. A friend is going to see it there this morning and then call me at the hospital afterward. Nice to see that it is getting out and around. This weekend it will be in Washington DC and Nantucket and maybe elsewhere.
But to keep up with the latest news you have to get on FaceBook and check in with “philscamino”. This is the absolute latest which is written up by Annie O’Neil herself daily. Important news is coming out all the time. Then share that great stuff with your friends.
Also don’t forget the website: www.philscamino.com . This has introductions to me and the film crew and the production staff. It also has a trailer. This is good for newcomers to bring them up to speed.
OK, have to pack a little lunch and make the drive to the ferry and beyond. The best to you, love, Felipe.x
Walk like you own it!Last night and this AM I went through the Phil’s Camino logbooks and came up with two hundred people that have walked here and in Spain with me. Isn’t that amazing? Very powerful to see all your names in one place at one time.
We will try and contact you all at some point in the near future. We are working on an artist project which involves you. Interesting, right? But I really can’t give it away at the moment.
There was a big thunder and lightning storm last night here, which very rarely happens in this area. It used to happen all the time in the summer in New York when I was a kid or so I remember. It was always heart stopping and as close as we get to Old Testament these days. But it is calm this AM, like it never happened.
Am thinking about you all how have wailed here and in Spain with me. You are all very special and somehow together we made something happen, something bigger than us individually. It’s been fun, let’s keep it going for as long as possible, hey?
OK, off to work on the firewood pile, am finishing up today. The best to you, love, Felipe.x
At Catherine and Dana’s. Their new landscaping fosters relaxation and contemplation.
It’s 0744 and have one hour before our morning walk, time to blog and read blogs. Just got a comment in from Darling Producer Annie talking about “limoncello, a gift from the gods”. I just Googled that and learned that this highly liqueur is made from the zest of lemons in Southern Italy down to the Maltese island of Gozo. Yea, pretty exciting. Annie is talking about recreated a drink that she had down at the South by Southwest Film Festival that involved limoncello and Tito’s Vodka. We will have to work on this, we need an official drink called Phil’s Camino, maybe this is it.
Well, that is a refreshing change in topics from the recent rash of rodents. Oh, by the way My Rebecca has prodded me to print a correction about that Mountain Beaver infestation in Puyallup. Yea, as it turns out the broccoli is safe, thank heavens, wouldn’t want to loose one of those vegetables that my mother made me eat. It was some kind of berry bushes that they attacked, blueberries maybe. You can see how I got confused: broccoli, berry bushes, blueberries, too many B’s in one place.
On a more serious note I will be saying a rosary for Orlando this morning. There was a serious two hour vigil here on Vashon last night. Searching for meaning with this.
Will be here walking if you want to join us. Always and in all ways searching for healing. Yours, love, Felipe.
I think I am pretty close to wrapping up all this wildlife news that I have been putting out lately. We have the Mountain Beavers wrapped up but need to update you on the Mountain Lion news. Last spring there was a lion sighting right here on Phil’s Camino. And not my me but by someone reputable but maybe not an expert really. In my mind I totally believe her and it’s totally possible. But the argument hinges on do these kiddies swim? And guess what we have a pic that just came in. Check it out:
Beautiful pic of swimming Mountain Lion.
So, there you have it for a Saturday here at Phil’s Camino. Have made vast progress on the firewood. Wiley will be over tomorrow to help me finish up. That’s what I want for Father’s Day, to do a project with my son. Maybe it’s not too dark to take a pic. See you Sunday, Love, Felipe.x
If I could put these two pics together we would have Filipe fighting off the Attack of the Giant Mountain Beaver!
Well, OK, maybe a little more. Steve-O, our long lost buddy has actually seen the “quiet and ubiquitous” Mountain Beaver. Wow! See his comment on yesterday’s post for details.
I have tracked down (tracked down is the kind of language used by flinty guys like Steve-O that grew up outdoors in the Pacific Northwest before computers) the source of all this and it started with My Rebecca. Yea, she was missing several plants in her garden which is inside a deer fence. There was no evidence of the culprit. So she goes to Kathy who owns the local plant nursery and asks her. What could that be?
So Kathy goes of on a huge thing about Mountain Beavers and how there was an infestation in Puyallup. Yea. Like little lumberjacks they chopped down all the broccoli there which could be a good thing depending on your view of that veggie. And apparently there was an expert that came to Vashon at that time and proclaimed our island free from the “quiet and ubiquitous” rodent. Yea, but did he look under each and every bush? Did he look under my kitchen sink?
You know, when I tell you we are up to our armpits in Nature around here you have to believe me. And hopefully we are done with this particular topic so we can get on to more serious matters. OK, off to split and stack next years firewood. Wish you were here to help. Love you guys, Felipe.x
