We survived My Rebecca’s birthday celebration although I am semi napping at the moment, recovering. She throughly enjoyed her day with friends stopping by and me cooking and baking my tail off. It’s hard to buy stuff for each other any more. Just doing things together or for each other seems to be more valuable.

I have to jump up in a moment and go tractor on the corn patch. Have the tiller on and am going to till in all the stalks and othe organic debris. Then planting rye and vetch as a cover crop. Have to get up off the couch first I guess.

Got two nice comments on the talk of the last few days about the spiritual benefits of walking. I need to reply to those. And you guys really make this blog by leaving your comments. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to do that.

Hang in there, be good, be bad, just don’t be average, love, Felipe.a

I was talking with Our Jennifer yesterday afternoon about yesterday’s post. And she had some questions about that leading me to the feeling that maybe I wasn’t as clear as I should have been about my idea. Sometimes in my striving to keep my posts short and sweet maybe I don’t explain things well enough. So, let me take another run at what I was working on yesterday.

As the Camino was going on yesterday I was thinking about the pace of walking. Not my walking in particular but just walking in general by anyone anywhere at any time. That speed of motion lends itself to a certain mode of experiencing, a certain headspace. It is an uncluttered space compared to riding a horse or riding a bike or driving a car or being a passenger in an airplane. Although we move through space at a faster rate there are many more details to keep track of and more decisions to be dealt with per minute. Just walking seems a vacation in comparison. But maybe more than that it is a sanctuary in and of itself.

If we discount the idea of racking up mileage in a comparative way with other means of transport and think of it as a gateway to a space then that is what I am talking about. I/we often think of walking as something less because it is slower, less is achieved so to speak. But that is only if we think of it in mileage terms. If we think of it in other ways it becomes something different.
And that is what was on my mind.

So maybe instead of thinking that walking is somehow a step backward it is really a step forward in finding a space where we can work on certain things. A sanctuary where things happen with our thinking, with our spirit. And then when we walk together then it is a space to work in between us. That happens for sure as we Caminohead along.

OK, getting back on the tractor. Need to get some work done early and then cooking and baking this afternoon for My Rebecca’s birthday which is today. Anon, love, Felipe.

Before I start on my thoughts, just want to report that we had a wonderful time last evening. We wound up at the Phoenician Restaurant at Alki Point in West Seattle. Had a wonderful meal and wine outside overlooking the water. Then we walked a few blocks for a gelato and ate that on the beach. But here is a great funny thing that happened on the way. I wanted to stop at a pharmacy to get some of my meds and while we were there both Rebecca and I snuck off to the greeting card aisle to get an Anniversary card for the other.
We met on the way to the checkout discovering that we had picked out the same card. Nice. We had a good laugh. As Annie says, after a while we can’t help it.

So I was off walking this AM trying to get to Pamplona. I was alone although I know that is not true really. It was beautiful with sun and blue sky. So, I took some pix. I said a rosary on one lap. But what was coming at me this morning was the notion that this pace of walking is the speed we are supposed to be moving at. This is the pace we were made for biologically speaking. And spiritually this is the pace of the Old Testament and the New. This is the speed at which things start to make sense. If we spend enough time there maybe we can start figuring things out. Just a thought.

OK, off to tractor around the ranch. That is moving pretty slow also so I think I am good. Later, enjoy yourself, love, Felipe.

Our Wedding Anniversary today. My Rebecca had me work on the math and I came up with thirty seven years. Pretty amazing really. That’s a lot of Christmases and birthdays, ups and downs. She has patience with a capital P.

So, we are going into Seattle this afternoon to some nice semi fancy restaurant somewhere. But need to hand in my tax paperwork first. I know you are tired of hearing about that but how do you think I feel. Anyway, nice sunny day and looking forward to celebrating with My Rebecca.

See you tomorrow, alperfect like peanut butter and jelly, love, Felipe.

Our Gracie from 2014 Camino fame just sent some news about her whereabouts and happenings. She is in the Sydney area till February, earning some funds to get back to her studies in London. Sunny in Australia,with summer coming on, compared to rainy London. I am trying to get her together with Our Angela to cause some havoc in that part of the world.

Beautiful day here. Savoring the dregs of summer is the order of the day. I am desperately trying to finish up my paperwork so I can get out there. Best to you, whether your summer is coming or going, love, Felipe.

Padre Tomas, the unofficial official Padre of Caminoheads blog site sent this link in to me yesterday. It’s about an energic woman coping with her cancer. Heroic the way she tackles the topography of the California coast, the Camino Real. It makes me tired just reading it but God bless her and her Companera.

http://www.wsj.com/article_email/the-walker-and-the-saint-1442614049-lMyQjAxMTA1ODEyOTExMzkxWj

OK, be watchful today, don’t want anyone falling in any cisterns in the landscape. Hopefully we have that out of the way for a while. Off to breakfast, love you, Felipe.

I have to work on my taxes today so I am taking a pass on the blog but do have this pic for you. Have a good one, love, Felipe.

Hi Guys,

I shoulda known it was a Vashon Island sort of story, there is so much love and Camino Compassion there!

http://6abc.com/990479/

Hugs,

Mary Margaret

This is an email that just came in from MM. This little incident happened close by here and the story must have went out on FaceBook or SideKick or PeanutCurry and gone around the universe three times and come back. Anyway there is a link with cute pics and all.

So I worked on my taxes pretty much the whole day. Made substantial progress overall but did have to take a break and get outside and mow for an hour. Can’t hardly stand to be inside any more.

Going to get some shuteye, love you, Felipe.

It’s the early morning before Our Jennifer and myself jet into the big city to do our Friday hospital gig. We go so we can get our old bodies fixed up and they like us to come because we SO brighten their day. Nothing like a good caper to brighten the day.

But first I just spied My Rebecca’s list of movies to watch for our proposed Belly Laugh Theatre. She picked up the ball and is running with this one. So here is the list of funny movies that we, well mostly she worked up so far. With a movie night per week this list should carry us through half the winter. I’m laughing just looking at this list: Zoolander, Pink Panthers, Being There, The In-Laws, Blues Brothers, Waiting for Guffman, What About Bob?, Best In Show and City Slickers. Killer list, right? Do you have any candidates?

OK, time to get my day going. My current big project is to get my income taxes together for last year. This is my least favorite thing to do but trying to put a good spin on it. I’ll just turn up the Aretha for now.

OK, have a kick ass day, alperfect big picture wise, love, Felipe.

Andy Royer’s Memorial Celebration
By candise bertram — 5 hours ago

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A memorial celebration for Andy Royer

Andy’s was a life which certainly deserves celebrating. He embraced it, he lived it, he loved to share it. We were all a part of Andy’s life and he let each of us know just what an important place we had in it. He will continue to be part of our lives and I know that we are all better people for having known him; even if you only met Andy briefly he managed to alter your path to some degree. Even when he learned his time with us would be cut far shorter than anyone would have dreamed, Andy refused to give up, refused to let the bastard cancer beat him down, and continued to find joy, love and laughter in whatever he strove to accomplish.

Please join us in celebrating this beautiful life.

Sunday, 27 September
3:00 in the afternoon until sundown

At the home of Andy& Candise on Vashon* 17809 Mclean Rd SW Vashon Wa 98070
We will share thoughts, memories, readings and prayers at 5:00
Bonfire at 6:00
If it is convenient, please bring a dish to share, as well as beverages to your taste (or to Andy’s taste!) and a lawn chair or two.

In the last few hours of his life, Andy’s wife Candise sat in meditation by his bedside. She saw a beautiful green light wash over every cell of his body, bringing him peace. Green is the color of the heart chakra. His family would like to invite you to wear something green to the celebration as a symbolic reference to Andy being filled with peace as he left his body and this earth behind.

If you are unable to join us, please light a fire or a candle and send Andy a wish, a thought, a prayer, or something you didn’t have a chance to tell him; write it on a slip of paper and send it along on the smoke …

Donations to his wife and daughters can be sent to PayPal via [email protected] or to Hattie’s Hat Fund at US Bank on Vashon.