Summer solstice, 2022. 

I drive around Kitsap County here in my beloved Washington State in the evenings. It calms me. I drive through the wooded area roads, the roads through the fields filled with evergreens, and newly harvested trees, the Hood Canal with all of its glory, my favorite little road named Big Valley Road is always a treat. As I drove down that long country road there was a cow loose in the middle of the road. The owner was following the cow in a golf cart trying to coerce the cow back to the pasture. The cow was winning the argument. Reminded me of the Camino as the people would Shepard the goats or the cows. I can hear the cow bells in my mind from Spain. Later on I came across a trio of brown baby rabbits, as they trotted in the middle of the road and did circles, oblivious that I completely stopped my Jeep to watch them. 

Tonight I decided I needed to hear Phil’s voice. I looked through the the Camino Cafe podcast from last summer with Leigh Brennan interviewing  Phil. So I drove around on this beautiful summer solstice evening after work, listening to Phil talk for about an hour and a half. Each time I hear him I pick up new information as if I hadn’t heard this podcast many times over. After my Jeep drive, I picked up my dog, Josie. I took her to the local park that has a trail surrounding a big beautiful, flattened and cleared field. I laid down in the middle of the field at that park with Josie after I through the ball for her to fetch about 20 times. . I had my wooden walking stick from Spain with me. I laid on my back, looked up at the clear evening blue sky. I saw jets off in the distance leaving trails. I looked up at the sky and imagined that gravity could let me loose and I would fall upwards towards the heavens…My dog Josie was a happy girl. She came over to me and licked my face as she was sniffing all of the smells around us. It made me laugh. A genuine laugh. I needed that. My back hurt laying on it on the ground, but the grass and clear air smell was priceless. It was worth it. A little pain was the cost of the peace. So is life. 

I imagined Phil, walking around that park with his baseball hat on. 

Cheers, 

Walking park, podcast, summer  loves. 

Ryck 

P.S.

We should all get together this summer. Have a walk and some tapas.