I am back in the Pacific Northwest for a week now after our great trip to the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival.  And I am happy to report that I am now able to spell both Julian and Dubuque correctly.  It is a jewel of a festival in a jewel of a city.  I only expect that well kept secret to spread.

Annie and I went on this particular trip to represent “Phil’s Camino” in the Heartland.  It is a real privilege to be able to meet with folks that are attracted by the film.  And also Annie and I seldom get a chance to work together directly.

There we so many great folks that we met at and around the festival.  I don’t even want to start mentioning names as I would enevevitably leave out people.  People took us out to dinner and get togethers.  Other people took us on tours where we met other great people and saw the sights.

I want to thank the sponsors and the board of the festival.  They did a great job with the big picture.  And all the staff and the volunteers that we worked with daily were a dream and Iowa nice.  And the people of Dubuque were there to say hello and how can we help you.

Also special mention of the staff and Sisters at the BVM ( Blessed Virgin Mary) Motherhouse for their graciousness.  It was such a moving experience to be there among good friends of my beloved Sister Joyce.  That visit was priceless.

So, back here to life at the ranch, navigating through the hurtles of ordinary life, another version of real life.  I am fortunate to be able to go on these trips with the film and hopefully be a part of a gift of inspiration to folks that need it.  That’s all very rewarding and fun and high.

Reading  Richard Rohr’s and Terry Hershey’s blog posts and then off to walk our Monday morning session at 0900.  The best to you on this Monday, love, Felipe.

So, if we were in Spain walking the Big Camino we would have just passed through the town of Carrion de Los Condes.  The weather is beautiful here and the air filled with the sweetness of spring.  So, come if you have a spare hour.  Here is our current schedule:

Monday 0900-1000

Tuesday 1600-1700

Thursday 0900-1000

Sunday 1600-1700

Looking forward to seeing you at some point, Love, Phil.

This is a wonderful book by Joyce Rupp that Sister Joyce pointed out to me maybe a year ago.  It was on my radar but I had to get to Dubuque to finally get a copy.  Well, it was a free copy which is even better.  It was a gift from Tim and Mary, wonderful folks that took me on a tour of the environs.

It is a book about walking the Camino de Santiago and some insights that Joyce gained.  It is marvelously detailed.  Right now in the chapter I am reading she is talking about how the beauty of Spain and the beauty of the people around her brought her through the hard places.

Well, I am off to the hospital.  Have to take Pancho, my sidekick portable chemo pump back.  Yup, and a chance to smooze with folks there.

So, consider beauty as a antidote to the hurt of your struggle.  It’s out there around us all the time whether it is in a book, CD, gallery or maybe growing up out of a crack in the sidewalk.  You’re the best, love, Felipe.

People read this blog from all over the world and sometimes they may not be all that familiar with US geography, understandable.  There is always confusion about the two Washingtons, one on each coast.  What were we thinking?  But back to Iowa.  This state is located in the middle of the country, it’s eastern border the Mississippi River.  The Mississippi flows south and eventually goes through The city of New Orleans and empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  So in early US history before roads these waterways were the highways and adventurous folks traveled them in canoes, small and large.  And this is how Julien Dubuque made it to what is now the city of Dubuque in eastern Iowa.

The metal lead is what interested him in the area and he started the mining and refining of lead there.  And Dubuque is noted as the first American city west of the Mississippi and the first city in Iowa.

The Dubuque area is known for it’s energy due to the presence of ley lines that run through the location.  Ley lines are mysterious lines of energy that define certain spots on the earth in terms of their energy.  I wish I could say more on that but am new to the term and the knowledge.  Google it I guess.

So, ran into amazing people there and they will pop up here I am sure as the days go by.  Yea, and Phil’s Camino went there and was received well.  Maybe we recognized each other’s energy?  Hate to get too whoo whoo here but can’t help it.

The movie has a way of connecting people to the real feelings and turmoil of the cancer experience.  It may dredge up memories of hard past experience in there own lives.  It’s useful in that way.  And it gives a glimpse of hope for positive outcomes.  It shows a pathway, a Camino.

And that Camino just went through Dubuque, Iowa.  As Annie always reminds me, “We can’t help ourselves!”.   It’s a scary and comforting zone to be in.

Make it happen today,  energetic love, Felipe.

Someone just said that in the waiting room here.  Little do they know that it will be used for the title of a post on a world class blog.   And on a shopping bag that came into my possession this AM the text printed there announced that the food in this particular super market was organic, wholesome, healthy, gluten-free, tasty, kid friendly, non-GMO, local, sustainable, green and delicious.  Well Caminoheads has all that stuff easy, plus we have dolphins!  Nothing dolphin free about us.  Yea, just letting the world know.

Let’s see what else is new?  I still had a bottle of water that I bought at the Dubuque Regional Airport and I watered the flower seeds that I planted in the freeway entrance ramp a while ago.   That was on the way to the hospital this AM.  Maybe that good Heartland water will jump start those little guys.

OK, Dubuque, that’s what I should be talking about.  Here is a link to an nice article in the Dubuque paper:

http://www.thonline.com/news/opinion/article_aa80bd2b-a0ff-532c-a2a9-086ab8296292.html#.Vx-Ehxr0OZM.email

Just outside my window at the hospital a pair of pigeons have their nest.  That’s cool and also the world we live in, love, Felipe.

Sitting in the lobby waiting for a couple of folks who are going to give me a tour of the city.  Flying out later today from the Dubuque Airport.  I’m sad to be leaving.  The festival was wonderful and people “Iowa nice”.

Now back to the world where I am just Phil, not that I mind.  But it is fun soaking in the attention.  My main job as I see it at the festivals is to snuggle up to the audience, be present to them and answer their questions.  And they have questions!

So, as a result of our great film and Annie and I doing some fantastic Q and A’s we mesmerized the fans.  We got close to them.  We hugged the ones who cried.  And in the end we won the People’s Choice Award.    Yea,  how about that!  It’s happening,  last month the train left the station and this month we are picking up speed!

So, I’m back at the ranch on Vashon and the sun is pouring in the window as I have my morning coffee.   Sort of regrouping after my wonderful trip to Dubuque or as PFJ calls it Do-Be-Q.  So many great things happened and meet so many great folks.  Kind of fell in love with Iowa.

I will try and put some pics up of the last few days.  I’ll have more about it tomorrow and good to be back safe and sound on the red leather couch, love, Felipe.

This is what we woke up to today!  Film attracting attention and getting great response.  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers on our benefit.  Love you, Felipe.

Just wanted to show you how hard I am working for you.  Annie snapped this of me as I sweated out another great blog post from the Filmmakers Lounge.  It’s tough out here in Iowa.

Annie bless her heart messaged this in to Farmer John and myself.  I’m not sure what she was getting at but we smiled and went on.   We were doing great and keeping things clean pretty much, so yea.

I spent the afternoon and evening with Farmer John and lovely Farmer Cathy.  They had twenty family members for dinner and I have a pic here somewhere.  Then John and I picked up Annie O’Neil at Cedar Rapids Airport on the way back to Dubuque in the morning.  We just all saw Phil’s Camino and had a big Italian dinner.  Now we are sitting in the Filmmaker’s Lounge.  Annie is over doing an interview with someone, not quite sure but she’s smiling.

Iowa is my new favorite state, well next to my beloved Washington.  Farmer John was so awesome giving me the grand agricultural tour as we traveled across a third of the state. I learned a lot about corn, soybeans, rye, beef and other growie topics.

So having a planning session with Annie so I am going to sign off for now.  Just want to let you know that you are the best and miss you even if I have never met you yet.  If you are here then that is telling me something.  Love, Felipe.

Taking my first cup of coffee at the hotel restaurant sitting next to a window facing the Mississippi River.  I would be able to see it but there is some low lying fog in between.   Over yonder, that’s how they talk in Iowa I think, is a museum that has info on old Julian.  It is a must to learn about him for me and for you.  Thinking of Vashon and family and friends.  Wishing you all a beautiful day which I think is not that hard.  And then there are my buddy Caminoheads strung out around the globe.  Wishing you the best where you are in Madrid, Cairo, Sydney.  You all are in my thoughts and prayers.

I am here with Phil’s Camino but you are all a part of it in a very real way and are here with me it feels like.  Be with me at 11:30 this morning at the first showing for this audience.  Be with me at the Q and A afterward.  Annie is coming in tomorrow morning so I am handling this one alone.  It will all be a good time.

Pilgrim Farmer John will be here at 10 to join in that fun.  After the Q and A we are off to his farm about two hours out on the highway.  I feel so privileged to be able to hang around him.  So we have a tour of Iowa agriculture and a big farm dinner in our immediate future.  Also looking forward to meeting Farmer Cathy somewhere in there.

If that dinner is anything like the breakfast at the hotel restaurant I know that I am in Iowa.  None of that small plate stuff here.  I literally got half way through my scrambled eggs and corn beef hash.

Right now I am sitting in the Filmmakers Lounge writing and checking out the free coffee.  My iPad is doing some quirky stuff so I think that I will leave this for now.  It gets too frustrating for Felipe.  Where are my people?

Well Farmer John said on the phone last night that I would know that I was in Iowa because everyone is so nice.  Yes, I see that.  Looking forward to the whole darn adventure, love you, Felipe.