All posts by Phil Volker

Don’t Let Me Forget

Sture and his man.

Don’t let me forget that I have a walk at 9:00. You would think that after all this time I would have this down but I spaced out on the Tuesday walk two days ago. Just got busy in the shop and it passed me by. If any of you showed up to no Phil, sorry.

Anyway Ivette sent in the pic today.   Isn’t it great.   I was just trying to date it and it seems early 2014.  We opened the trail on December 21, 2013 and Sture died in November 2014.  So for sure it was in that time frame.  There are no leaves and the pile of rocks is fairly high so I put it at January or February 2014.  I have a rain jacket on and it looks like the shelter is going up so it is winter for sure with a light rain falling at that moment.

Now that area is so overgrown with rose and willow that you just can’t see in that direction and it looks like a grotto there under the tree.  So this is the time when I am walking Phil’s Camino as an exercise program with no clue that Spain is in my future.  Ah, such an innocent age!

This was the time that Dr Zucker was writing up his reports with all the mentions of the trip to Spain like I was going tomorrow and I am saying, “No Doc I can’t go to Spain.”   He saw it in my future.

OK, so there it is for today.  Walking on the trail in a moment.  Come by when you can loves, Felipé.

A Wednesday

Along Phil’s Cornmino.

My Rebecca said thank you to me and to you for prayers for her well being. She seemed lighter and more buoyant this morning after a good night sleep. And Karen will be out of communications for a while as she recovers. God willing she will have a new lease on life.

Cris was touching on the importance of keeping connected in our prayer life in the Comments today. This is such a strong thing and I am the fortunate beneficiary of all the prayers that are showered on me from friends, blog readers and folks that have seen the film. I must never take this for granted and always be thankful.

Just as our health seems to have sunny days and rainy days so the weather is changing here. Hopefully we can get a ground soaking rain in the next two days. The corn needs it. The gray is already starting to brown which is too early. That usually starts to happen toward the Fourth.

Hope that your day turns out well with your hopes and challenges where you are. Buen Camino loves, Felipé.

Prayers For Two Please

My Rebecca at her reading recently. I don’t currently have a pic of Karen so this will have to stand for both.

Sort of like a request for “a table for two please” at your favorite restaurant. You know everything with work out in the end. We are here to buoy each other up and that is what we are up to today.

These days My Rebecca is plagued with sciatica pain. It has been going on for a while and it comes and goes like some middle school bully thinking he owns the place. She tries various things and nothing seems to work in the long run. I am asking you now to please focus your energy and use your connections to work on her well being. Thanks, that means a lot.

And two, our Caminoheads England Bureau Chief, Karen Kelly who lives in Cambridge needs you too. She is going in for surgery on Wednesday and would like your prayers and energy. I am asking her to hold steadfast even with the storm howling around her. Ask for healing and peace for her please.

As Cris reminds us we are a neighborhood here at Caminoheads and we need to be aware of each other. That is both tracking our victories and keeping track of our needs as we walk along. But I am preaching to the choir (does that translate?). We know this already but now just a reminder.

I got some confusion cleared up yesterday about my scheduling at the Treatment Center and I don’t have to make an appearance this week. Next week I have a long day on Wednesday for a scan and an appointment. But for now I am free. Alperfect.

Off to spend my daily hour weeding and then to the shop to work on the church cabinet that needs to get finished. Yea, here we go loves, Felipé.

Slowly

I love blue flowers.
Busy bee. These are pics from William CCBC, Calgary.
Oh, and there is William.

Slowly getting back to my schedule and routine. Half a dozen things are calling for me for help here at the ranch. Ok, OK, I’m coming.

Just got done with my Monday morning walk. No one came but I needed the time alone to sort so good thing. I am reminded at times like this of the balance between just enough things going on and the dreaded state of being overwhelmed by projects and happenings of the day. Keeping in that zone between boredom and overload is really my job.

There were some major things that happened over the weekend that I need to digest and write about. But that is for tomorrow or after. I bumped into some major personalities and ideas. What to do with them?

Everything today is going to get just a little attention and then I must move on. So sorry. I love this blog and you know that but have to go for now. Keep walking loves, Felipé.

Getting Back And Livin The Dream

Jim M helping out with the weeds.

OK, got ‘er done. On the plane heading out of Orlando. Our event went well. We had maybe 75 professionals and students involved with different aspects of sports medicine. Not a huge group but an enthusiastic one. All pumped after four days of get together. I hope that we capped it all off for them.

Shari and I had a good time meeting folks and drinking a few wines in the process. We put some big pieces of the puzzle together for the future. We are right where we should be advocating exercise as a form of medicine. This is what it looks like presently.

But as usual I am looking forward to getting back to the ranch. I want to check out the corn and see what it looks like. Maybe it grew another inch. It is trying to stay ahead of the deer chomping on it. Ah, and there is Mass in the morning. Oh, I could call Catherine for a ride before the plane takes off.

So, I am reading Henriette’s book Putting Your Heart On Paper on the plane. I have an aisle seat because I am wanting a quick exit to the restroom if needed. The food cart goes by me and I don’t get anything because I still have jerky and corn chips in my pack, I’m good. Then the drink lady comes and I remember Shari gave me some drink vouchers before I left and I said well let’s see how they work. So I am making eye contact with the drink hostess and I ask if I may have a white wine and she says you may. Ah, good deal.

She was checking out my Henriette’s book and I told her a friend wrote it. And she said something about writing a poem once in a while. And I said yea I just started writing poetry recently after seventy years. The plane was awful noisy and I don’t know if she was fantasizing or whether she was taking about a poet she ran into on the plane. And she went on about writing poetry, getting a blog going and gathering up some followers and buying a mossy house on Whidbey Island. I’m goin yea, yea. And I say wait a minute I have a blog, a few followers and a mossy house on Vashon, pretty close. I had a feeling I could be living the dream!

Well, there you have it. A high day was had by all from one coast to the other. Love you mossy folks, Felipé.

Early Morning

It’s Not About the Hair by Debra Jarvis.

It’s still early here in Orlando before the fray. Shari is here to guide me around the day or part of the day. We actually fly out this afternoon and get back to our own lives.
We are pretty much meeting and greeting this whole morning and then we have the showing just after lunch.

Beside all this I wanted to take the time to give a book report on a book that I finished on the plane yesterday. I had all day to sit and the book was perfect to keep me occupied. This is It’s Not About the Hair And Other Certainties About Life & Cancer by Debra Jarvis. Debra had come last week to walk Phil’s Camino along with three other ladies associated with oncology in Seattle. Debra was a chaplain for years at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

It was a very engaging account of happenings with cancer patients in her work as an outpatient chaplain. Then the kicker is she developed a case of breast cancer and lived through the process herself from the other side. It is all very personal and funny, serious and universal at the same time. I am so glad that this came into my life at this moment. It is a spark, an inspiration. Thanks Debra for all your work on this.

Well, time to jump up and make sense of my gear and get out to search for some coffee. It looks like another beautiful day here in Orlando. I’m keeping the heat and humidity behind glass myself as I flit from one venue to the next. OK, break a leg Felipé!

See you later alligator loves, Felipé.

Cross Country Travel

Randy Dick, Felipé and Shari Annes.

Right here right now I am writing this on the bus in honor of Cris CSABC. She does a lot of writing on the bus down there. Do they drive on the right side of the road or the wrong side? Just wondered. It is bumpy and jerky. Man this takes special talent. Maybe I could get used to it.

Flying to Orlando today to be at the American College of Sport’s Medicine annual get together. We have a showing tomorrow of Phil’s Camino and then the QandA for 45 minutes. And will have some time to mingle with folks before and after.

And it’s all about making connections this weekend. Shari from our distribution company has been there for a few days setting things up for me. She is my handler for this event. I could get used to this treatment.

Well, OK I have experienced the writing on the bus. And look we are at the airport. We are supposed to have wifi on the plane so will be back to you then. Well the plane wifi didn’t happen but here I am at the hotel at a little after midnight. and there is wifi here for guests.

I had some food and drink with Shari and Randy a minute ago and we will be up early in the morning to have breakfast with the president of this outfit. Getting to meet some of the folks. There are something like five thousand professionals here involved with some aspect of sports medicine. Our showing is a special added on feature to this whole shindig on the last day. So we are currently guessing at how many folks will show up.

But we are ready and willing to do our best. Sorry this was such a long drawn out post today but it covered three thousand miles. As Steve-O CNWBC says, “We never close!”

Til tomorrow loves, Felipé.

Leaving The Little Corns Behind

Lyndsey’s pack

Off to the airport and Orlando tomorrow. It will be another world. Here we are going to weed and water the little corns so they will be happy while I am gone. They are two to four inches tall now, getting on up for the Fourth of July Knee High Test.

Things are shaping up for the Veranda. It is starting to take on a life of it own which I was hoping for. Getting this many fantastic people together in one place will be enough to start something good happening. The rest is just details.

I am lost for words today maybe because half of me is on the plane already. So, I will let you go early. I am sure that you have plenty to do there where you are.

Thanks for coming and adding to the Caminoheads’ Neighborhood.
Thursday loves, Felipé.

Lately

Lately, every time I see this word I have to laugh. When our son was young I asked him before dinner, “Have you washed your hands lately?”. And he fired back, “Don’t call me Lately!”. OK, OK.

I am trying to button up my personal projects here in the next few days so that I can fly of to Orlando this weekend and do my gig there. We are showing the Phil’s Camino documentary to the American College of Sports Medicine at their yearly convention. This is both exciting and challenging for me personally. Break a leg Felipé!

Steve-O our Caminoheads NorthWest Bureau Chief is here now checking in with us. It is always fun and profitable to see him. He is relocating from Ashland OR to Portland OR so we will see more of him in the future as that is way closer.

CAMINOHEADS VERANDA NEWS (AUGUST 23-26th get together) I just heard for Rho CSWBC that the email caminoheads@outlook.com has been down for a few days but it is up and running again for RSVPing for the Caminoheads Veranda. We have gathered 30 people coming and we should collect another 20 easy. I am guessing and hoping for fifty. I need to get Seattle area folk informed and headed this way.

Off I go for now, Veranda love, Felipé.

Doesn’t Summer Start After Memorial Day?

Time to smell the roses!

Hi, I am weeding and mowing, it feels like summer. We are eating out on the Veranda most evenings. Walkers in shorts come by. This is it!

Time to get some hotdogs for the grill. Yea, what happened to them anyway, kind of out of vogue right now. Shopping day today, I am off to town in a minute and I’ll see what I can find at the IGA.

Also, something coming up in July concerning Caminoheads that I just saw. And that is, of course this is in the God willing catagory, sometime in July we will have written two thousand blog posts. That is pretty amazing and I am thankful for the longevity to have gotten this far, and this far in style! And thank you to my readers for th comments and inspiration over that time.

I really have to go for now, lots of moving parts to my day. Good to be with you though. Summer loves, Felipé.