The last few days I was writing about the Camino here on Vashon Island and the birds and animals who are around. And around enough to say to me “that I am not alone.” But I wanted to catch up on critters on the Camino in Spain.

In the Pyrenees there were the sounds of the “clonky” bells that the cows wore and the sheep too, I can’t remember. The bells made that distinctive sound every time the cow moved and you could hear that even in the fog from a long way off.

I remember being in towns and seeing numerous sheep tracks in the poured concrete. At first I thought they were deer tracks and I wondered how all those deer wound up in town to mark that concrete when it was wet. I’m more used to seeing deer tracks I guess. And for all the sheep there were the deer over there were practically nonexistent. From what I could tell there were way more “Caution Deer!” signs than actual deer.

Actually I thought there was a real lack of wildlife there compared to comparable agricultural areas in the States. Here there are game birds all over the place in areas were wheat and corn are grown, for instance. I did hear a dairy farmer say that he lost cows to wolves but I never saw them either. There was some hunting going on in August and that was ducks, I think.

OK, walking here in a few minutes. Glad that I got this rememberance in about our beloved Camino in Spain and France. Friends are in the planning and training stages of walking this upcoming season. Awesome! Love, Felipe.

OK, we’re calling it good. Winter is over! Day Light Saving was last night and today we had our first tapas outside. Man, did I whine about winter this year but you wouldn’t have to put up with that anymore, it’s over.

I was out tractoring all afternoon and My Rebecca was out in the garden trying to make progress in cleaning up. Sounds like some good springtime stuff to me. Right now the sun is going down and we are trying to put together our seed order, veggies and flowers.

Also, less than two weeks before Annie, Jessica and Todd are showing up for five days. We have stuff to do to get ready. But you know they are good pilgrims and don’t need pampering.

OK, have to go and write to Laura. She sent a long and wonderful email and it calls to be commented on. It’s all happening loves, Felipe.

I can’t make this up but there is a plant called skunk cabbage. And there you see a pic of it. It is just a continuation of the theme “just me” that we were working on yesterday. So yea, the skunk cabbage jumps up to say, that I am wrong it is not just me. And yesterday walk was like that and I need to explain.

It was as if the natural world was asleep for the winter which is what it amounts to but where I was complaining it was being patient and sort of enduring it all, bideing time. And everything had that peace about it. But yesterday on my walk the usual peaceful robins were fearsly fighting over territory. See I hadn’t mentioned them in the blog and they showed up to say,”no it’s not just you.” And an eagle showed up to make the ravens all mad and noisy. “No not just you, dummy” they said to me. Come to think of it, the only thing that didn’t happen was for an early bee to sting me and that would have gotten the point across but I think that I got it.

This all is reminding me of that question about whether the tree falling in the forest makes noise if no one is there to hear it. Of course it makes a noise. How is the fox going to jump out of the way?

Well, that’s it for today. Plenty of things to do today and have to get started. Skunky loves? Felipe.

It’s going to be a bright morning here at the ranch. Cold though, approached freezing overnight. I have a little time before 0900 when I need to be out ready to walk. Sometimes people show up to “walk and talk” and sometimes it’s “just me”. I’ve gotten in the habit of writing that in the logbook when no one shows up but it is hardly just me.

I should find a better way of communicating that because it is not accurate really. What about the six bird feeders along the trail and all the songbirds and squirrels that attracts. Then there are Scout and Tia, the neighbor’s dogs that check in. Then bumping into members of the local deer herd happens. We have coyotes here and very occasionally black bears but I haven’t seen them, although that is a possibility.

And what about my inner Camino? What about the ever increasing population of saints that I learn about and get to know? I read a blog post last night by Reverend Bonnie Barnard about the Communion of Saints and maybe that is what is flavoring my mind. I just feel like my inner life is being populated by more and more very interesting and inspiring characters who have gone on before. My big brothers and sisters that I am getting to know and appreciate their stories. Ones that I have focused on recently are Francis and Clare of Assisi and Patrick and Brigid of Ireland. And good to know that Francis and Patrick have equally as interesting female counterparts. I’m learning.

Are we ever really alone? Thinking of you and how you are not alone, love, Felipe.

Thanks Annie for sending this out to me this morning. Day 15 of Annie’s book “Everyday Camino With Annie” is a little talk about graffiti on the Camino and she sent it out to me as a daily thought during Lent. Yea graffiti, and there is a lot of it and could be bothersome if you didn’t think about it a little. I know that in normal life it is an unwanted assault on our vision blossoming on the most unlikely and prominent surfaces. Need I go on?
But on the Camino it occurs mostly in places that are not prominent. As in, we want to tell you something but we don’t want to ruin the landscape. Ninety percent of the spray painted type that is there is hid away in underpasses were the Camino goes under a main road. Very polite really.

There are political topics like separatist sentiments. But for the most part it is Camino stuff for Caminoheads. “Buen Camino” is a biggie. I remember a huge “Buen Camino” along the trail fashioned from long strips of fallen tree bark that was a wonder. Heart shapes made out of stones were everywhere where there were stones which was everywhere. Crosses made out out every sort of debris were stuck in the ground in the middle of nowhere. I made some and repaired some. Large stone or concrete crosses were piled high with pebbles saying “I second that!” I remember sayings and poems in all languages. All sorts and brands of encouragements and thoughts on loving God or to make us better people or the world a better world. Nice. So, it sort of grows on you and you learn to accept it and appreciate it and maybe count on it.

So, back to Annie and “Ultriea et Suseia” which is a Latin saying meaning “Keep Going!” and ancient graffiti and an encouragement for tired and discouraged pilgrims of all times. Thanks Annie for the encouragement. Encourage each other, yes? Encouraging loves, Felipe.

I am supposed to be writing this post but my brain is elsewhere. Maybe I just don’t have it today. I should just honor that I guess. Too tired after a long day of working outdoors. Why don’t I just give you the current walking schedule and encourage you to come and walk with me.

Monday 0900 – 1000
Wed 1600 – 1700
Fri 0900 – 1000
Sun 1000 – 1100

There that’s it. I am really struggling to get this done. My eyes are closing. Just want you to know that I am thinking of you wherever you are. Write a comment here soon, OK? It will be fun to hear from you. Sleepy loves, Felipe.

I am sending this out to my Aussie Angels: Gracie, Ange (Angela)and Cherry. These three are very dear to me and were with me and us big time at various times and places. But I got an email just now from the Camino Documentary that “Walking the Camino” is coming to three cities in Austraila this month. I know that Gracie is in London but Ange and Cherry go and take a friend. Sometimes there is one of the producers there for Q and A. Yea, tell them that you walked with Phil, maybe get you a free popcorn!

So those cities are Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney and dates are March 14 – 18. Look on the camino documentary site for more info. Yea.

Sometime today will try and find time to make flan. Haven’t done that for a while. Going to try and flavor it with some orange zest. I know that might be sacrilegious but I’m a beginner and tend to muck around some. I can see Alida laughing.

Watched some Dr Bernie Siegal YouTube material last night. Apparently Annie sent him the trailer to Phil’s Camino doc and he got back to her about it. Man, we are all over it, aren’t we?

And check out the radio interview on 1050 AM or Sacred Heart Radio site. Yesterday’s blog had times and link. My Rebecca got to hear it yesterday. It’s very good, if I do say so myself.

OK, I have a long list of things to do before today is over. Thanks for bring here with us. Let’s see what we can make of the day, love, Felipe.

I can’t let this day go by without mentioning it’s importance. One year ago today Annie came to walk with me here on the Camino de Santiago Vashon. At the end of a rambling FaceBook message to her after seeing her in “Walking the Camino – Six Ways to Santiago” I wrote “Come walk with me.” She had some idea of my situation from communication with My Rebecca. She had a rough idea about this guy who built his own Camino and was out in the rain in his old L.L.Bean shirt walking in the mud. To my surprise she wrote back “How about March 2nd?”

And it’s been a wild ride for everyone involved since then. It is hard to believe that it has only been one year. A big bucket of stuff has happened, stuff that would have been hard to imagine back then. Thanks to all of you that I met along the trail in the last year, you helped make it happen. Thanks St James, thanks Annie, alperfect.

It is all happening indeed. Something that has been in the works for a few months has come to fruition. This is the article about this pilgrim in the Northwest Catholic Magazine put out by the Archdiocese here in Seattle. Wow, really a beautiful piece. They did a wonderful job of chasing me around for photos and of getting the story right. Thanks, you guys. So that link is:

http://www.nwcatholic.org/SEA0315/mobile/index.html

Associated with the article is a radio interview that I did a few weeks ago while in Massachusetts. It is eight minutes long and you might enjoy that also. I think that you can stream that off the website. I don’t know how the timing works. The show that it will be on plays four times a week and it will be run from March 1st to March 15th. The link is :

www.sacredheartradio.org

The local Pacific Time Zone times for the show are:
Sundays at 8:00 AM
Mondays at 11:00 AM
Thursdays at 6:30 PM
Saturdays at 3:00 PM

OK, so how do I take all this? I’m not really used to all this attention, right? I’m just this funky guy in the old L.L.Bean shirt walking around in the mud. But if my story somehow inspires other cancer patients then hey, how can I stand in the way of that? Already I am getting calls to meet with local Island folks who are struggling with new cancer realities. I’m really not a councilor with this stuff but more like a buddy. That’s my idea at this time.

Alright, how is it going with you? Fall coming to Austraila. Maybe some snow melting in Massachusetts. More minutes of sun every day here. Keep in touch, OK? It’s all happening loves, Felipe.

I’m out on Phil’s Camino, Vashon Island, this morning and am bloggng as I go, as I walk. The sun is warm on my back as I shade the iPad. Can you feel it? Went to Mass this morning at 0800 at St John Vianney’s. A lot of folks said hi and commented on the article in NW Catholic Magazine. Guys were liking my “salt of the earth” L.L. Bean shirt that made the cover. Thanks Kris and Yoav for that, my official Christmas shirt last year.

OK, walking on. There was a frost last night, the sky was clear and the clouds were not there to blanket us. But it looks like the cold did not harm anything. Call it a light frost.

Just remembering walking on Friday when the sun wasn’t out but it was just barely raining and you could just hear that. And the birds were singing softly. And I was walking saying the rosary for my friend Michele whose mother had passed away. It was all very private and peaceful.

Scout, our neighbor’s dog just came over to see me and get a treat. Had to raise a bird feeder as the squirrels are getting in it and crewing it up. I hear a raven.

Going by our corn patch. I wish that I could call it a field but it’s just not that big, someday. But I dd till it up yesterday which is the earliest that I can remember. The soil is dry for this time but still cold.

In the woods, shady and cooler. Can you feel it? The squirrels have successfully chewing up this feeder. Hmm.

Oh nice, I fixed a low spot in the trail that holds water. I forgot that Friday I took the time to put six concrete stepping stones there to get across it in style. Just using it for the first time.

Just back at the beginning of the trail. A jay is scolding. Can you hear him? I’ll put a rock on the pile with a prayer for you. Well, that lap took 45 minutes when it usually takes 15 minutes when I am just walking and not blogging along the way. But it just goes to prove that it isn’t just about getting somewhere. Buen Camino, love, Felipe.