Hey hi, glad you dropped by. Thursday of Holy Week today and it is all bitter sweet to me, the sort of beginning of the end. Lots of drama to be had. I should try and make it to Mass tonight. There usually is a foot washing ceremony which is moving and rare.
We have opened a email account for folks coming to the Caminoheads Get Together in August to RSVP on. It is time you guys start to get serious about this. Need you to check in to that address by June 15 and it is never too early to reserve a place to stay on Vashon. That’s August 23 through the 26th here at Raven Ranch.
Trying to get the corn started which will be ripe in August for you to enjoy then. Got the field roto tilled almost a week ago and it is drying out and warming up. The soil temp yesterday was 60 degrees which is still short of the minimum of 65. I predict that we will be planting about May 1st, God willing. I am thinking about the final product and how good it is, so fresh, so sweet.
Yea, walking this morning. Have had poor attendance lately, blame it on tax time I guess or Holy Week. Oh, the seven mile pilgrimage to church is still on for tomorrow. Wish us luck on that as it is more than we are used to lately.
I think I just saw a pair of swallows, nothing swoops like they do. Swooping loves, Felipé.
The cherry tree over the tapas table is in full bloom at Raven Ranch.
It is Holy Week and so coincidental that this fire occurred now. This event has shanghaied half my mind. Below are two comments posted by readers of our blog. The first by Cris Milher our Caminoheads South America Bureau Chief and the second from our friend Diego of Lake Arrowhead, California.
Dear Felipe,
The images from yesterday were devastating indeed… but the final image… with the shinning cross and the firefighters almost paying respect and in awe, were quite something… and indeed, very powerful this happened in Holy Week.
I listened to Fr. James Martin, in a video posted on the facebook… he made a point… “Where was God yesterday?” and that is such a valid question some of us ask everyday…
The other thing to observe has been all the “togetherness” that such event brought… look at this: you in Vashon Island, me in Banfield, today a work colleague from Russia who sent a message, all of us were touched and came to a point where we are together and not apart.
Yesterday too I listened to my hero YoYo Ma saying that “Culture builds bridges, no walls” and I loved that… and I thought later on and this morning when my work colleague from Russia sent the email… that is what culture and understanding and the Camino or whatever name you want to give to it, builds… Bridges… (or churches, where also people come together)…
Tight and close loves,
Cris
From Magnificat:
Virgin Mary, at the heart of the Cité
We pray to you for this capital city.
You Intact, preserve the purity of its faith!
Virgin Mary, from the banks of the Seine,
We pray to you for the country of France.
O Mother, teach it to hope!
Virgin Mary, in this great Christian site,
We pray to you for all the earth’s people.
You, full of grace, may they be one in Love.
Prayer of Saint John Paul II
Notre Dame of Paris (1980)
And gosh we are behind on our Lenten quotes once again. Well only two days behind. Lets put them all together:
How can I serve today, Sweet Spirit?
How can I serve today, Oh Lord?
Speak in ways that I may understand.
Where you lead me, I will follow.
Where you lead me, I will go.
from How Can I Serve Today? by Rickie Byars Beckwith.
The only journey is the one within. Rainier Maria Rilke
Life will give you whatever experience
is most helpful for the evolution of your
consciousness. How do you know this is
the experience you need? Because this
is the experience you are having
at the moment. Eckhart Tolle
These were things that I was pondering as I walked the miles of my trail in 2014 before the trip to Spain. I was already having a major interior pilgrimage. Walking the Camino de Santiago was like putting the icing on the cake.
OK, I think we are caught up with that project. There are three quotes left and three more days to go to Sunday. So, now for:
CAMINOHEADS CONVENTION – we have a email address dedicated to this event. People RSVP there if you are coming in August. We are coming up with information for you concerning inmportant details: transportation, lodging, activities and the like. But for now we are trying to get a feel for the head count.
Posted by a neighbor, a pic of a painting done by American painter Edward Hopper in 1907.
My heart breaks with the news of Notre Dame Cathedral’s fire. It seems so unreal. Gives a hint of how fast things can change. It seems that “the worst has been avoided” there. It is bad enough as it is but in pics of the interior this morning things looked hopeful. Apparently most or all of the relics and portage art has been saved. Ah, breathe.
Kudos to the four hundred firefighters that got control of the situation. Again, it could have been a lot worse. But the ache is here and for real. It has the feel of September 11th to me. It is an interesting coincidence to have this occur during holy week. Ah, breathe.
I hate to be too cheery too soon but perhaps the rebuilding will be a platform for rhe world to work together on. A nice thought, one can only hope. I would love to go and work on something like that. Your work would have to dovetail with work centuries old. Maybe you would find hidden messages or graffiti from the past. A fun thought finally.
Well, I managed to fall asleep and have used up my time here. Just as well, I need to go and move around to feel better. Off I go.
Blue sky, no wind, this has the feel like it will stick around for a while. We need to dry out around here. I got the corn roto tilled Saturday I think it was. Now could use some sun on it. Last time I took it’s temperature it still had 10 degrees to go.
Lenten Day 34 today. Things are getting so short. What’s in Annie’s book:
Oh let me walk, each day a little kinder.
Oh let me walk, each day a little wiser.
Oh let me live in a wholly holy way.
Oh let me love in a wholly holy way.
from Wholly Holy Wayby Rickie Byars Beckwith
It is my understanding that holy means set apart. It doesn’t mean self righteous. That is always helpful to me. So we need to live life a little removed from the daily food fight called the world. We need to trade in some of our drama for some additional perspective. How do we navigate now having a new set of priorities? It’s a new day!
Here it is the beginning of Holy Week with the commemoration of Christ’s triumphant ride into Jerusalem to begin the Passion. Oh, such a heavy duty time. It doesn’t really get any more substantial then this. Catherine and I were at Mass and Father David has regained his voice I am happy to report.
As part of the week’s activities Catherine and I are doing a pilgrimage on Good Friday. We are walking from Raven Ranch to St. John Vianney’s through the trails and backroads. It is about seven miles through the boonies and we are allowing four hours for our walk. If you want to go with us we are leaving here at 1500.
Let’s see what else is going on? I was watching a documentary on the life and times of Jackie Robinson yesterday. You know the first black Major League Baseball player. What a story! I wasn’t familiar with a lot of it. That is the world I was born into and it seems like ancient history now to us in the twenty first century. Watching the Yankees’ game here with one eye as I write this and I see players from all over in the game these days. Some have to have their own personal interpreters in the dugout like our Ichiro.
A cameraman at the ballgame has been intermittently watching a young boy in a little Yankee uniform eat a foot long hotdog. It took him about fifteen minutes working away at both ends of it. It’s got me thinking about lunch.
OK. my friends, you are the best. Thanks for stopping by today. Walking this afternoon at four and tapas at five. Catherine is going to hear Michael Meade talk at the Lit Con at four so will miss the walk, I’ve been upstaged. I guess she will see enough of me on Friday. OK, enough.
Lyndsey from the hospital on her way to Spain with her Pack fully outfitted with her offical Phil’s Camino patch.
This hasn’t been proven wrong very many times in my experience anyway. If you really want an insight into “men” you have to take into account that they are, no matter where they are, always camping. This was pointed out to me at Bible guys this morning. We were at Dave’s and one of us, Kip, was washing his hands at the kitchen sink and immediately dried them on his shirt, Kip’s shirt. I cracked up. You see we trade off hosting the class and this time we were at Dave’s which is very well appointed with beach towels, bath towels, hand towels, paper towels, paper napkins, cloth napkins, you name it and Kip is there wiping his hands up and down on his shirt. Hehe!
I really don’t know what this has to do with anything but it struck me as interesting. So moving on, it is a rainy day here and I think that I will retreat to the wood shop and make some sawdust. I have materials now to play with so that is where I will be if you are looking.
My Rebecca is off to the Lit Con, the whole weekend of literary events here on the Island. Her reading went well last evening. It is great to see her get some credit for her work. I also attended Jessika’s poetry reading and had to sit through her reading the poem Phil Volker about this very persistent guy who lives on an island. Some kind of small town character she ran across in her travels.
Let’s see what our Lenten quote is today for day 33. Oh, from the Bible, Romans chapter 12 verse two: “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Invite God in and He can change you from the inside. That is the renewal. I totally believe that hearing the call and going on Camino is a form of letting God in. And we all know that pilgrims are most always camping too.
Yes yes, alperfect once again, how do we do it?! Have to go and get my Saturday going. Palm Sunday tomorrow.
This is Anjezë Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa). Thank you Padre Tomas.
A friend in California sent in a link to a letter that Mother Teresa wrote and I must share it. But I will do that later after we get everything accomplished. Friday and the weekend is starting this afternoon. There is a “Lit Crawl” that I must get to. My Rebecca is reading from her novel at 4 and Jessika with the new poetry book is reading at 5 across the street. That is what I will be doing. Lit = Literature as somehow everything needs abbreviation these days, like we are too busy for words.
Yesterday I was so fatigued that it was a chore getting the basics done. Today I am determined to get to the wood shop and get things started on the two cabinet jobs that I got going. It is a cloudy rainy day perfect for the shop. I’ll get a fire started there in the woodstove and get the radio going.
My old friend Aho’i wrote a great comment on the topic of The Mousehole Cat book. He was the one that told us about it and it’s mention of Stargazy Pie. Before I give you his comment I will have to tell you that he and his son had to abandon ship up here a few years ago in a freak bit of weather in the Straits of Juan De Fuca and that is what he is referring to:
“Ha. You got it. I’m so happy. Just looking at the cover sends me. I read this book so many times to my kids and then later to adult friends willing to listen to a “children’s story”. I understand Mouse Hole is pronounced “Mauzel”. You remember me and my son Riley got into big trouble out on the Straits in 2010. The Coast Guard helicopter pulled us out of the raging sea at night. Ho boy. The main thing is a rush of insight, almost an epiphany and in this way it changed my life. I realized that if I wake up in the morning it’s already a good day. Stuff that happens, good or bad is transient. The main thing is being alive.”
Close calls are our best teachers is a way to think about it. And let’s take a look at Everyday Camino with Annie for the Day 32: “Your mountain is waiting so… get on your way!” Dr Seuss. Ah, that is good! I love it when mountains wait don’t you? Of course, they must do a lot of that in between geological events that only happen we might say once in a while. But regardless our own personal mountain is waiting for us to come out and play.
Here is that link to the letter from Mother Teresa which is so powerful:
Ah, it’s 8 o’clock and time to write to you. Walking at 9 so we have an hour short of the time it takes me to gear up. Just went outside to grab a few pieces of firewood; the bin was empty. Heard some woodpeckers out there drumming. Either that or hearing chainsaws these days. Plenty of woodpeckers and chainsaws, we must live in the woods!
A gray misty morning out there but glad to be back at the ranch. I was off to Seattle yesterday, wore myself out there. Had my blood work done and checked in with My doc and the research nurse on my case. I successfully made it through the first three weeks of my trial. Now off on the second three weeks.
Oh, I did get to see a bevy of my nurses yesterday to say hello and exchange pleasantries. It looked like they were all having a relaxed time which is good, sometimes they are incredibly busy. What a crew!
Jim a friend went along with me yesterday. I wasn’t going to waste a trip to the big city and not pick up materials for my next two cabinet jobs. Jim went to help me load and unload. Now I have some hours to put in at the shop to cut and assemble things.
My Rebecca has a reading from her novel tomorrow evening at the Snapdragon here on Vashon. Well, actually there are two, one at 4PM and one at 5PM. I’ll be at one of those. Then Jessika has a new book of her poetry that just came out. She is dropping one by this morning. Just heard that Catalina Barush wrote an endorsement for it. Wow, OK, stuff happening.
Well, this, that and the other thing. Oh, we got a copy of The Mousehole Cat for our grandson’s birthday. Aho’i, a good friend and reader of this blog turned us on to it because it is a great children’s book with great illustrations but also it makes mention of Stargazy Pie. Remember that from tapas a few days ago. Thanks Aho’i, good to have you here with us.
Day 31 of Annie’s book:
If there is going to be a
resurrection,
somebody’s got to die. Rev Michael Beckwith
Yea, I/we must keep our eye on the biggest picture which goes from birth to death to rebirth. Our celebration of Christ’s resurrection coming up in a few days!
Sara and me trying to get around one of the big firs along the trail.
Wednesday and here for my first check-in since starting my new clinical trial. Again, they are keeping a close eye on me. Everyone knows that Felipé’s need lots of supervision.
Just found out that there is a ukulele club that meets here on Wednesday afternoon at 2 to 3. How cool is that, like I planned it? I need all the learning and encouragement that I can round up. Won’t make it today but next time.
Back home and tired out. Enough for one day. Watching Mariner’s Baseball and a fire is crackling in the stove, late Spring.
Day 30 today:
The ordinary arts that we practice at every day at
home are of more importance to the soul
than their simplicity might suggest. Thomas More
Alperfect there, even though we may not have a handle on who Thomas was. But there is something to be said for us doing our daily chores in a good light hearted way. Doing the ordinary things for the joy of doing them. All very Thoreau, and we know who that is.
WEDNESDAY CONVENTION NEWS
We are working on it. Right now all we have for sure are the dates, August 23 – 26th.
Hey good morning! The sun is breaking through here. We are living in the land of rainbows here these days. Most of the FB posts of local pics are all about that, beautiful.
I had a phone talk with Rho yesterday and some things gelled for the beginning of planning for the Caminoheads Convention in August. There are things we need to know and things that you need to know if you are coming. So, on the blog on Wednesdays we will be posting the latest news. So, that is the place for the offical news. If you just can tune in every Wednesday you will get what you need.
All we have as of now are the dates. And those are August 23-26th. And that is good as I wanted to get it on your calendar.
Day 29 of Lent today. Palm Sunday is this Sunday. We are moving along. And Annie’s quote:
Wouldn’t it be nice…
Everyone
He he, that’s good right? I’ve never seen a quote like that before that isn’t attributed to a single person. Yes, we all are guilty of saying that maybe too often. Or as Annie says in her comments it could the beginning of a prayer and that would be a good thing. I see that.
Time to go, off to Vashon town this morning. This afternoon resurrecting our riding mower, hopefully. The grass everywhere is growing in leaps and bounds. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could get it cut and under control. Wouldn’t it be nice…
