This is a cool book and we have been working with the author, Esther, on it for several years.  There is a physical book signing up here close by and a Zoom of that.

Felipé.x

You are warmly invited to join a special Zoom event—a “book signing” for WALK: Jamie Bacon’s Secret Mission on the Camino de Santiago by Esther Jantzen.

Please put it on your calendar for Thursday, September 30, at 5pm Pacific (6pm Mountain; 7pm Central; 8pm Eastern).

Esther will be interviewed for 30 to 45 minutes by Jonah Barrett of Orca Books, an independent bookstore  in Olympia, WA. We love to encourage people to support independent bookstores!

WALK is almost the only book for kids in English about the famous 500-mile pilgrimage across Northern Spain. It’s a mystery, a travel adventure, a treasure hunt, an education, and an unlikely hero’s journey—and,  based on reviews, adults find it compelling and moving, too.

www.estherjantzen.com

One reader says: “WALK is a captivating adventure story involving history, legends, serendipity, loss, and surprise. I was swept away with the excitement of Jamie’s quest across Spain. I had a celebratory glass of wine in my hand as I walked into the Cathedral with him! It’s a book for young and old alike that brings alive the uniqueness of the unforgettable Camino de Santiago experience. I absolutely loved it.”

Please click on the Zoom link below to join on Thursday, Sept 30, at 5pm (Pacific).

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86501127516?pwd=elo5MUlWekZkcG51QUR4WFNkSnBTQT09
Meeting ID: 865 0112 7516
Passcode: 736799

Posted by Cris on behalf of Phil

Dear Caminoheads,

One of the most important things that the Camino gave me was the opportunity to be who I am. In the Camino, there was no need to play any role, people weren’t relating to me for the office I worked in, the tittles I had, the car I drove, the size of my house, the neighborhood I lived, the clothes I wore, etc… And the opposite was also true: I was relating to the others for who they were because in a way, my lack of experience regarding “the outdoors” wouldn’t even allow me to tell if the brand of clothes they might be wearing were expensive or not.

And in my first Camino, while I was not muted, I walked a lot in silence, with others, but mostly not talking much. I wasn’t really asking questions about “what do you do for a living?”, I guess I was more interested in listening to the answers of the “what are you doing in the Camino?” question.

And the answer, in most of the occasions, told or explained in as many ways as pilgrims were, for the most part was that they were trying to find themselves. Like I was. Trying to find who we are behind the roles we play and the things we own (or not fully!) but we believe tell who we are.

And it was great. We are just humans living this life. We are pretty delicate as much as we are a weed. And while we might look like that we are “one of the crowd”, we actually deserve an award for being who we are. That is the hardest of the things.

Award winning loves,

Cris

I thought I was going to write something but this came in.  It refers to an event occurring shortly.  This is a cool book and we have been working with the author, Esther, on it for several years.  There is a physical book signing up here close by and a Zoom of that.  Felipé.x

You are warmly invited to join a special Zoom event—a “book signing” for WALK: Jamie Bacon’s Secret Mission on the Camino de Santiago by Esther Jantzen.

Please put it on your calendar for Thursday, September 30, at 5pm Pacific (6pm Mountain; 7pm Central; 8pm Eastern).

Esther will be interviewed for 30 to 45 minutes by Jonah Barrett of Orca Books, an independent bookstore  in Olympia, WA. We love to encourage people to support independent bookstores!

WALK is almost the only book for kids in English about the famous 500-mile pilgrimage across Northern Spain. It’s a mystery, a travel adventure, a treasure hunt, an education, and an unlikely hero’s journey—and,  based on reviews, adults find it compelling and moving, too.

www.estherjantzen.com

One reader says: “WALK is a captivating adventure story involving history, legends, serendipity, loss, and surprise. I was swept away with the excitement of Jamie’s quest across Spain. I had a celebratory glass of wine in my hand as I walked into the Cathedral with him! It’s a book for young and old alike that brings alive the uniqueness of the unforgettable Camino de Santiago experience. I absolutely loved it.”

Please click on the Zoom link below to join on Thursday, Sept 30, at 5pm (Pacific).

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86501127516?pwd=elo5MUlWekZkcG51QUR4WFNkSnBTQT09
Meeting ID: 865 0112 7516
Passcode: 736799

Posted by Cris on behalf of Phil, Felipe, The Boss, The General.

Dear Caminoheads,

This blog, lately, has been a lot about “celebrations”… The book “The Book of Embraces” (El Libro de los Abrazos) by Eduardo Galeano -this Uruguayan writer I quoted before here- is one of my favorites, and Galeano writes on it many reasons for celebration… this below gives us a reason to celebrate “fantasy”…

It happened at the entrance to the town of Ollantaytambo, near Cuzco. I had detached myself from a group of tourists and was standing alone looking at the stone ruins in the distance when a small boy from the neighborhood, skinny and ragged, came over to ask if I would give him a pen. I couldn’t give him my pen because I was using it to write down all sorts of boring notes, but I offered to draw a little pig for him on his hand.

Suddenly the word got around. I was surrounded by a throng of little boys demanding at the top of their lungs that I draw animals on their little hands cracked by dirt and cold, their skin of burnt leather: one wanted a condor and one wanted a snake, others preferred little parrots or owls, and some asked for a ghost or a dragon.

Then, in the middle of this racket, a little waif who barely cleared a yard off the ground showed me a watch drawn in black ink on his wrist.

“An uncle of mine who lives in Lima sent it to me,” he said.

“And does it keep good time?” I asked him.

“It’s a bit slow,” he admitted.

Galeano, Eduardo. “Celebration of Fantasy.”  The Book of Embraces. Trans. Cedric Belfrage.  New York:  Norton, 1992.  41.

Celebration of Fantasy in The Elk Hotel Loves,

Cris

Early on on the Caminoheads blog talked about Felipé waylaying folks and capturing them in conversation and the haze of wine.  This was him and him was this.  Time seemed irrelevant there and then.  We termed this Dilly Dally.

OK, so the other day we had a four and a half hour tapas party.  OK, and right after that we had a dinner out and achieved “Louder Than The Italians” and closed the place down.  Then yesterday My Rebecca and I went to make funeral arrangements with Padre David at my local parish church.   We spent almost three hours on that.  Not that we were being picky on details but we spent a long time on stories which is basically what?  Dilly Dally, yes!

Steve-O got here yesterday afternoon and we spent time telling stories of time past. But those are hunting stories I don’t count those, do I?

Yea, as hard as we try, “we can’t help ourselves”.   And this all has a sort of crazy Camino logic that I think can’t be calculated in normality and can’t be counted in numbers and time.  So, we walk and talk on as we do.

And here am I today, maybe the catalyst  for all this.  Am I unhappy about this?  Not in any way!

2021 Felipé.

Posted by Cris on behalf of Phil, Felipe, The Boss, The General.

And this blog wouldn’t be this blog if “our” Rebecca, (Phil’s Rebecca), isn’t celebrated here today!!!

I wondered and continue to wonder how it has been for Rebecca to share Phil with all of us… ? And not only Phil, her house, her table, her picnic table, her garden, her land, her ranch, her privacy, her life… Certainly, I cannot speak for the past because I have only known them for the life span of less than 5 years, but if there is something that my heart feels when I think of her, is generosity… a witty cheeky mind creating all these amazing stories that we now can read in her books, and the same witty mind that creates those colorful pieces she knits… … and… a wild free love that her heart hosts for Phil, as otherwise, none of these would be possible…

Well, yes, these are only my thoughts, as I must admit, I am not the Caminoheads who knows Phil’s Rebecca the most, but the pictures say a lot…

Happy Birthday, Rebecca!!!

We love you!

Cris

POST: Wednesday, September 22, 2021, TIME: 1731 

It began simple enough, a comment from the General: “Sometimes, you just want steak.” The General was not complaining, nor was he ungrateful for the bountiful food people had been bringing to his doorstep over the last few weeks. However, casseroles had far outpaced other possible meal contenders. It’s true if you’re a carnivore; sometimes, you just want steak.  

Now, Dana and I being moved by the comment, and the wistfulness of the General’s face, and because we just happened to have a 16-ounce, buffalo flank steak in our freezer, couldn’t help but volunteer for the mission. “We’ll bring you dinner. We’ll bring you steak!” 

So yesterday, on the autumnal equinox, which was surely auspicious, but not necessarily relevant to the story, we arrived at the Ranch with a steak dinner just as the sun was softening the evening landscape. We carried a bowl of roasted cauliflower and potatoes, a bowl of still steaming green beans and chard fresh from our garden, and of course, the steak around to the back where we could hear Tuesday afternoon tapas winding down. Or so we thought.  

Inside his tent, “The Elk Hotel,” we found the General holding court; present and accounted for were his beloved wife, Rebecca, fellow caminoheads, Jim and Jen, and old friend, Will. The empty wine bottles, dirty plates, two left over slices of salami and half full jar of Spanish olives said it all; tapas was over. The Tapas revelers, however, were just getting started. Suddenly, dinner for four needed to stretch into dinner for seven. There was the usual polite resistance: “Oh, no, we really should be going.” But as soon as Dana, and I produced another bottle of wine and started plating food, it dissolved completely.  

The food was plentiful, the laughter hearty and the stories kept unfolding, with each person having their turn. Meanwhile, overhead the stars danced. The air cooled, but the tent only grew warmer. Call it love, or grace, or the steady flame of friendship; we were toasty in there. (OK, admittedly, there was also whiskey and a propane heater involved, but you know what I’m talking about here.) 

One of the greatest gifts of the Camino was experiencing the many small moments that seemed like miracles, the way total strangers felt like instant friends, the way a conversation could turn intimate on a dime. No one in the General’s tent was a stranger to me, yet I felt like I was meeting them for the first time; hungry for their stories, curious about their thoughts, delighted by their presences. Time seemed to stand still, as is the way with magic and miracles. It was as if I lived a whole rich life in a matter of hours.  

Eventually, the General lay back on his bed, closed his eyes, smiling – sated. The Party was over, we gathered the dishes washed them up, said our goodnights and headed home – full. How did that dinner for four, stretch into dinner for seven? When I unpacked our dishes I found two slices of potato and a small slice of steak – leftover.  

Loaves and Fishes, Loves  

Posted by Cris on behalf of Catherine Johnson

September 19th, 2021

I have been thinking about this for some hours now and it won’t let me go until it is written.  So, nothing to do but to do it.

When politicians and generals retire they get to tell things differently sometimes.  Well,  I am about as retired as can be, having a musket ball through the lung.  Time to tell my truth.  You know since the inception of this blog Felipé avoided politics.  It just didn’t have a place in the gathering phase of that train of thought.  He attempted to bring people in without  complications.  All well and good.   But I am retired and it is time to turn the page on that thinking for me.  And again this is me, Phil and not Felipé.

Who knows how much time I have left today here at this hour.   I sense a need to write to you about the situation in our country.  It sounds a little like politics but so be it.  Time to take a stand, unwavering, General-like.  I must take a stand against the Trump thinking that has captured so many.  I relate to the Old Republicans personally and I am so happy to hear George Will, a bright light, come out and say that if one person can cause all this craziness then one person can correct it.  There is precedence  for this.  When a politician does this at the exact right time when this is what is stirring already in the people, then it has a huge impact.  That is exactly what is in motion I feel.  I am here with this, right now.

Well, things are starting to crack for the Trump forces in one way or another.  And of course we have huge problems in other areas at the same time.  I am not trying to minimize anything but I sense a difference today.  And this is my stand to be with those
who want to build a future without Trump and his thinking.   I won’t be here but you will.

This is what I am relating to you now, September 19th, 2021,  General Assuredness.

I reached the last hole on my belt and had to put it aside.  My Rebecca is a jewel.  I slept overnight for the first time in the Elk Hotel.  We had a storm of wind and rain and it was wild and wooly out there but felt I had to check for leaks.   Henriette recently bought a hat rack for the tent to carry gear when not in use, good piece of gear.   The corn is done for 2021, the sugar turned to starch.  It was a very good crop.  Thank you, algratful.

General Hopefulness, September 18.

Felipé.x

Posted by Cris on behalf of Phil/Felipé/The Boss/The General.

Thinking about the many times I have uttered or heard others utter these 6 words and reflecting upon the past year or so, the day I walked into Portomarin comes to mind.

Life has been, for me, a beautiful collage of people joining me along the journey to The End, an unknown place that most certainly has a great coffee shop and bakery.  And together with those special people I had the opportunity to solve puzzles, problems and riddles of life.  Entering Portomarin combines all these things for me.  I bet you have such a  place as well.

Why Portomarin?  It is just a few days from Santiago. It was where I became concerned that I wouldn’t know how to live a life with more than one shirt to choose from every morning and it included some special pathways I had to navigate.

For me it was that bridge which created a terrifying optical scenario.  One of my family members walking behind me could sense it and it made her laugh.  She even took this picture to show me that I was OK.  I wasn’t convinced. I tried to do all the physical and emotional things to assure my safety and comfort but somehow I was overcome by the thought of gravity taking me down, or limiting on my freedom of movement.  I was afraid of falling off into the water below.  Completely unlikely, but it consumed me.  Do you recall your walk across that bridge?  No problem, right?

I actually held my hand to the left of my eyes so I couldn’t see the water below and I shook visibly.  Have you been there and done that?

I was so relieved at the end of the bridge. I looked left and right to check for vehicles and then, straight ahead, I saw those stairs. I was drained from the bridge experience and now I had to climb what looked to me like hundreds of stairs.  No way! Again, like life, I sometimes celebrate survival only to face some unforeseen obstacle requiring immediate attention.  I took off my backpack and sat at the bottom of the stairs as people walked past me.  Eventually I got up and made it to the top of the stairs.  I was drained.

Then I found out that the albergue my family had chosen was on the far side of the town.  Again, just like life, sometimes when we think we arrived there is one more step.  Take a deep breath.  Take another.  Control the envy for those sitting at Cafés chatting with friends.  Meet the challenge. In reality it was likely less than ten minutes to get to my resting place for the night, but being unknown, it was tough.

But just like life, when I saw the albergue sign and one of my family members out front the emotional and physical rewards began to flow through me and all was well.  I knew that after the ritual register, shower, wash clothes, have café con leche (or was it a beer on this occasion?) all would be well and our time together would subdue the feelings of the last hour or so.  Life was good, we were all safe, together and able to once again let love flow around the table.

I write these words as a reminder to myself that the challenges I have faced and continue to face do have pathways and comrades to guide, support and comfort me.  Please join me in celebrating the journey, the people along the way, even the bridges and stairs.  A full life requires this and more.  Keep your eyes up to not miss who and what is coming. ¡Buen Camino!

In Just-Like-Life Love,

Ronaldo