A thick layer of gray has enveloped us this morning. A little rain is falling now and again. I think that I will put some time in at the woodshop this morning. Maybe we will have some sun breaks this afternoon in time for our walk.

Henriette is coming to the walk and tapas. Kelly may show up also as well as some mystery guests. Rain coming down now. Our plant world needs a good soaking. And Henriette is coming early to talk about Cancer and the Camino, the theme for her new book. A rainy day, we won’t be distracted.

The Camino may be a natural solvent for Cancer. I am using a capital C on cancer here just to acknowledge it’s power. The Camino we always capitalize. But the Camino may be something that has the right properties to loosen the hold of Cancer. It
is powerful enough to match it. To believe in The Camino leaves little room for other concerns. I am groping for something here that I am not quite sure of. Sometimes things get interesting when we don’t have the proper words.

One needs powerful positive things in one’s life to ward off the negative that trolls for us. Old French: troller – to wander here and there in search of game. We are being hunted or fished by negativity I sense. The Camino may be a natural repellant to this.

Well, Henriette will come and we will throw out ideas and thoughts. Something will come of it I am sure. Alperfect!

A lot of talk right now as folks get ready for the Fourth of July, one of our big holidays. There will be parties and cookouts everywhere you look. Fireworks overhead. America’s birthday party!

Thinking of you loves, Felipé.

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

Just come by, Felipé.

Well, the cotton is high around here. Well, it would be if we had cotton. Days away from the Fourth of July and all the hoopla. Have fun but just don’t burn the place down boys.

Thinking of the souls on the Camino now with the current heat wave there. I remember crossing the Meseta with Kelly and we would get up a half hour earlier each morning trying to get more of it done in the dark and cool. It was brutal in the afternoons.

But the Pacific Northwest is not Spain. We are in comfortable temps for sure. Walking in a few minutes and conditions are perfect. Jarod, one of my archery students was by yesterday and we chainsawed and tractored away getting some more of the winter snow damage out of the way.

We are starting to plan an agenda for the Veranda. I will get that out to you soon. Not that we are over engineering the situation but we need a little structure I have heard.

Well, time to go round up my hiking shoes. We’ll see who comes by this morning. Sometimes the mornings are just me and I tend to work on my rosary then, today is are the joyful mysteries. I pray for the whole rock pile here and all the things that you have placed there over the years.

You guys are the best. Buen Camino loves, Felipé.

Yes, a beautiful day and Mount Rainer (or in local vernacular, “the Mountain”) is out in all its glory. It is one of those days that we dream about all winter. But you are probably tired of hearing about that. One of my favorite themes I recognize is the rainy winter, so enough of that.

Sunday and Mass was special although it is the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is just a strange concept that takes a while to get used to. Part of the wild and wacky world of Catholicism.

Things are starting to heat up for the Veranda get together. I just want to let you in on something. If you come you get to hang out with folks like Jessika who is sitting next to me here right now. She is coming up with one great story after another distractingly the heck of of me right now as I try to write.

OK, I am out of time. I will blame it on her. See all you folks tomorrow. Sunny loves, Felipé.

It seems to be one of those non verbal days for me. So I’m sending you these two great pics that sum it up for me today. Wishing you the very best, love you, Felipé.

I am going to round up some information that will be helpful for your pilgrimage here to Phil’s Camino. Thank you so much for RSVPing. Things are looking unbelievable!

Here is the contents of a post of a few weeks ago:
“ As of now we have 30 (now 50-60) folks who have RSVP’ed and I know of 10 more that are local mostly. So we are still counting. Fifty would be a nice round number for us.

This is a gathering of pilgrims and pilgrims are resourceful and flexible so that is how I am envisioning things. We don’t want to over plan this thing but a few things are becoming apparent.

Transportation: Uber to Fauntleroy Ferry Dock, West Seattle from Seattle International. We can pick you up on the island side. Or if you can afford a rental car please do that as we need a certain amount of vehicles. GPS on Vashon to our address: 24228 Wax Orchard Rd SW.

B and B’s: There are bunches on the island but need to make reservations.

Camping: We have lots of room for tents or RV’s. We will have a portapotty or two. We will have an outside kitchen for food prep.

Eating: We are going to be outside. Propane stove and bbq available. Fire pit available. We will have outside kitchen and tables and chairs. We will have paper plates and napkins and condiments. Food will be a potluck situation. Stores and restaurants on the island to pick things up. Will have ice chests. Need to figure out coffee. Food that we have from the island: sweetcorn, apple sauce, venison chili and blackberry jelly.

Activities: walking Phil’s Camino of course, some live music, setting up a few tours at various sites on Vashon. I am going to ask each Bureau Chief to have a little ten minute presentation and then there are other celebrities who will want to address us I am sure. There will be plenty of time for telling lies and tall tales.

Donation: I am asking a donation of $10 per day for your party/family or $5 if you are alone to cover expenses.

Helping Out: I am asking if you are coming for the four days if you would kindly act as a Hospitalero for one day during your stay. Things need to be accomplished and that seems a good way to make that happen.

Questions: caminoheads@icloud.com“

OK, there is a bunch of stuff. Also, just found out from Annie some exciting news. Are you ready? We are going to be able to watch Phil’s Camino, So Far So Good on the big screen here on Vashon while you are here. That’s the longer new version. Love you Annie! She lined up a matinee on Saturday August 24th at high noon at the Vashon Theatre. The tickets are $8.

Thanks for being here loves, Felipé.

On FaceBook this quote showed up,
“You have two lives.
The second one begins
when you realize
you only have one.” Confucius.

I have never zeroed in on a quote from this guy before but this one is speaking to me loud and clear. It is taking me back to writing to you about cancer. This blog is supposed to be about Cancer, Catholicism and the Camino. It is usually more often than not about the Camino in one form or another. But traveling backward to reach the cause of that you quickly find the other two of that trinity.

Catholicism for me could be termed a bridge between the Cancer and the Camino maybe. But the cancer diagnosis was the spark that started the whole thing ablaze. In various talks I have termed it a catalyst and that really is non judgmental. It can cause a change is all I am saying. And it’s usually seen as a big deal so it can easily cause a big change. But that change can be a good change as this quote points to.

That is an amazing phenomenon really. But it makes sense that we need a jarring announcement to shake us awake. It’s the old 2X4 to the head that sends us into another dimension.

But it does spell disaster and doom and gloom to people too attached to earthy concerns and earthly logic. It is death come early. It is more though. It is the death of great expectations. And isn’t that one of the lessons of the Camino? We learn that our expectations generally get us in trouble. Life just isn’t that predictable, it is twists and turns and plan B’s over and over again. We know that.

Off to walk. Patches of blue sky and occasional rain drops falling. Traveling together loves, Felipé.

Excitement builds with each day. Things are happening and I am getting the idea that we have one hum dinger of an event coming at us. Hope that you can come and be with us.

Our RSVP’s are around 40 now and I am guessing that we hit 50 at the high point of this. This event will span four days because I wanted a big target. If you can only make one or two days please still come.

We are celebrating our relationship with the Camino and with each other. Something great is going to come out of this. That is the feel of things lately, synchronicity abounds.

Just want to talk you up today. I cherish each and every one of you. It is so great that we have developed this friendship so far and we are on our way to bigger and better things. Thanks so much.

Holding you close loves, Felipé.x

It’s a crazy looking corn patch this year. I have this image in my head how it should look. Maybe like an add for chemical fertilizers where the whole field is totally packed with huge clones. Kind of an Arnold Swartzenegger look alike contest. But this year it just doesn’t look anything like that.

Sometimes you have to give life a “so what”, right? I continually shoot myself in the foot with my expectations. When will I learn? Anyway, I think we are feeding half the deer in the Island. They really came through and thinned things out. Fortunately the corn plants get too tough for them about this time, when they get to a certain size. They are sort of picky eaters.

And the good news is about a third of it is definitely or defiantly knee high. So we are happy to be a little bit ahead of schedule. Yup, it is art and a science this corn raising. Every year I seem to make or encounter a different mistake. So, to sum up then we are a little light on quantity but we are
early.

OK, we have the afternoon walk today. Levi and his cousin Michelle are coming. I sat next to him on the plane on Sunday. And I knew that I was going to like him because when I first saw him he was using my same phone. You know that phone that I have, the old slide phone, the one everyone is always laughing at. Yea, well, we gabbed for three hours and the flight flew by. Good one, huh?

Yea, so he had walked the Camino recently. That’s all you really have to know right there, right? And you know that gets out of hand quickly.

Well, I am going to pack it up here. The corn has a couple of more rows that are being enveloped with weeds and it needs to be Phil to the rescue.

happy Tuesday loves, Felipé.

Yup, back at the ranch in one piece. I have just a few moments before the walk and the rest of the flood of the day’s events. Looking forward to peeking in on the corn situation here shortly. Will give you a report tomorrow.

Ahh, the weekend was so much fun and so rewarding. Somehow we seem to put a cherry on things for some folks and this group really appreciated that. We had a great bunch of friends, helpers and handlers present to share the load of the project leaving Annie and I energy to work with the attendees who I think got more than their money’s worth. All this is very rewarding to understand that we are making a difference in people’s lives. (and they in ours)

So look, short session today, corn report tomorrow. Time to take on the day loves, Felipé.