Everytime I hear that word I’m back in that Humphrey Bogart movie and “Badges! We don’t need no stinking badges!”. Yea, but this is 2016 and we do need the official badges to get around at the upcoming film festival in Austin. Waiting for the official email with news on that.

Ah,the life of a movie star. Yes, not all glitz. And Pilgrim Farmer John in Iowa has started a campaign to flood the festival folks in Dubuque with requests for Phil’s Camino. What a guy! We have to start something in Seattle to stir up trouble here. Michele?

Yup, and it’s springtime (almost) (on the verge) (95%) (close as can be) (particularly) (at least hopefully) here at the ranch. Busy time of year to get everything done that the change of season dictates. Then we have these pesky film festivals to contend with. They couldn’t do them in the rainy season?

Let’s see what else is going on? Ah, Mrs Graves (My Rebecca in her teacher role) gave me a “Cute” on my blog post yesterday. What? Well, I jumped on it and lobbied it up to a Cute+. Yea, at least.

Well, OK, have to run and make it all happen, making hay while the sun shines. Ok, the email from South By Southwest just came in with the stinking badges, ah the badges. Keep it all going there where you are, love, Felipe.

I am off on a retreat this coming weekend. There will be fifty men there from all over Western Washington, Bible Guys I call them. The shindig is put on by Teleios, an umbrella outfit that oversees over a hundred little neighborhood bible study groups. Anyway, the main guy, Art, walked the Camino last summer and took my walking sticks across Spain again. And Bart, Art’s mentor, walked with him and is the guest speaker this weekend. So you can see the attraction for me. Well, we will do some serious bible study and discussion for sure but maybe get some time for Camino chatter between things.

So I am off to this other island, Bainbridge Island. The retreat is at a “retreat center”. OK, yes. Most times if I feel the need to retreat I just pull my cap down a little lower over my eyes. I don’t get over there hardly ever to Bainbridge so this will be different. Visiting a friend maybe on the way. So this morning I’m filling out the really official registration/emergency/who’s your lawyer/ online guest form (the “risk waiver form”). Man, I don’t know but it kind of made me feel like I was from a different planet. That’s not very inclusive.

Maybe I’m getting old, you think, but it’s definitely a different world out there these daze. So on the form, one section was the dietary restriction choices. Geez, I didn’t know there were so many conditions out there. What did we do before this? Somehow reminds me of Marine Corps boot camp, in an opposite way. SOS for breakfast for everyone. If you didn’t like that you could try and find somewhere else to eat, I guess, the Officer’s Club maybe? Yea, but noticed they didn’t have kosher dietary restrictions down there, on Bainbridge Island not Parris Island. That’s an obvious flaw.

OK, then I got to the Disability Requirements Section. It was a big blank. that’s intimidating, no choices? Look, I am not making fun of anything or anyone but just this form (my disclaimer), OK? I was tempted to put down something really silly like “all sidewalks must list 17 degrees to starboard” but held myself back. I mean it was a big blank on the form, inviting my creativity, right? Not wanting to leave it blank I put simply, “Not today!”.

So, yea, one day at a time for this retreater. I am walking Phil’s Camino this PM, with no disability requirements required, God willing. In other words, “Not today!”. Love you, you know what I mean?, Felipe.

After my big Sunday with Father Marc, Gardener Terry and Sister Joyce working me over I had the decompression of walking and tapas. We had some new folks for the trail walk which is always good. But really it wasn’t till tapas with my Rebecca and Catherine y Dana that I finally was able to take a breath and put the day in perspective. That’s what tapa time is for, right?

Yes, and it was one of those tapa times that are so good and bountiful that it turns into the evening meal and Bob’s your uncle after all. We had the standbys of smoked fish, salami, cheese, crackers, pickles and of course olives. But an addition to this that I must mention is the quince jelly. C y D had made this out of fresh quince last fall. Apparently there are areas along the Camino in Spain where it is quite common to serve this as a condiment. I don’t remember it but it may have been the area between Leon and the Samos Monastary the I bussed through.

But the quince is such a forgotten odd fruit that just because of that it may need a revival. I have seen half a dozen in my life, which would be like seeing something every ten years, rare really. So, just an idea to check out. It will definitely raise your grade on the next tapa spread you serve. Yum.

And maybe this odd little fruit has a lesson for us Caminoheads. We who walk ancient trails, search and commune, who are we really? We who walk at two or three miles an hour in the dirt but with the vapor trails of jets high overhead with folks traveling modern speeds. Maybe we are the almost forgotten odd little fruit. And maybe we are part of the revival?

Onward, to read the blogs of Richard Rohr and Terry Hershey. Thanks for being here with me. Sweet quince loves, Felipe.

Gooooooood Morning Caminoheads!
Well there is big big news on the Phil’s Camino front! Not only will we be having our World Premiere at the highly esteemed SXSW (pronounced South By Southwest) Film Festival in Austin Texas in March, but our Phil’s Camino team will be joined by none other than the man himself, Phil! Yes, you heard right! Phil and the lovely Rebecca, too, will be joining our team at the World Premiere on Saturday March 12, and for the screening on Sunday March 13 as well. You heard it here first!
This is great news for all of us, especially all of us who are going to Austin, because we will get some time to see and hang out with Phil and Rebecca. Also, I have a feeling the filmgoers will be just as happy as we all are to see Phil since the number 1 question I get after every screening of the rough cut I have done includes the question “How is Phil now?” Well, the SXSW audiences will be able to see for themselves! This is very exciting news!
Have you told all of your Texas friends yet? Have you told all of your friends who are film buffs yet? People fly in from all over the world to attend SXSW, so you might already know someone who is going. Have you told all your friends who are flight attendants? They have the most flexible schedules and may be able to work their work schedules around to have a layover that will permit them to see our World Premiere, or the Sunday screening! Finally, do YOU want to make the trip yourself?
I just found out last week that SXSW offers a special book signing opportunity for filmmakers. I have signed up to do a couple of book signings, which seems especially appropriate, since my book (Everyday Camino with Annie) is a 40 day meditation on my own Camino, and Day 40 is all about Phil. Do you think Phil is blushing yet as he reads this, going “Aw come on!” or something?! Maybe, but I realized long ago that once this film reaches people, they are all going to fall in love with him just as we all have! So I hope you’re bringing your open heart to Austin, Felipe!
Our post production work continues at a rapid pace! Our deadline to submit our final DCP (that is the name for the ‘hard drive’ like technology that is how you turn your film over to be shown in a theater) is February 26. Say a little prayer for us, won’t you? And I suppose that it is also just part of my job as Director/Producer that would have me remind you if you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.philscamino.com . Do you prefer to make a tax deductible donation? Not a problem! You can do so at our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=12789 Our bills are coming in fast and furiously, and every donation is a step along the way. Thank you to everyone who has already donated, many more than once. We are where we are because of you. I think of you, and thank you EVERY day! I am doing my best to be a good steward of your donations, and we run a very tight ship here. I have been donating all my book sales to this project as well, and dream of the day when I can actually take a salary! We are not there yet, and it is more important to finish this film! I just know that this film will touch people’s hearts and souls.
I will leave you with a comment from the most recent sneak peek screening. There was a woman there who was waiting for the results of a biopsy. After the film, she said she was so glad that she had seen Phil’s Camino. She said it gave her a different way to look at her own situation, and she was very comforted. She didn’t feel the fear that she had been feeling. Wow! I am so humbled by this film, and of course, as always, by our Phil. Thank you Phil, for being you so completely, so thoroughly. You are an inspiration.

I know where we are, just a few kilometers west of Burgos. The cathedral was most beautiful but great to be out in the boonies again. Our next town is Villabilla de Burgos coming up tomorrow.

Walking schedule:

Monday 0900-1000
Tuesday 1530-1630
Thursday 0900-1000
Sunday 1530-1630.

Don’t forget the rubber boots. Felipe.

It’s a direction. It’s an idea. It’s an outlet. It’s a place to hang out, maybe a place of sanctionary. I really like the three words together as they sit there side by side.

The plural implies that there are more than one or it is a group perhaps. Well, it isn’t yet, not today anyway. But it is just waiting to happen. My Rebecca started a group called Visual Delights on Vashon on FaceBook with just an idea. Now after a few years there are over 1500 people in it. That’s a group, right?

Big day for Felipe today. Mass with Catherine, Reconciliation with Father Marc, Sermon from Terry Hershey on Grace, 40 minutes with Sister Joyce, then Camino walk and tapas to top everything off. Man, I’m going to be blown into another dimension after all that.

OK later, wishing you alperfect, love, Felipe.

I think that it is a valid question. These are the kind of things that get us through the winter out here in the Great Pacific Northwest, wondering about newts. Could be worse I guess.

Better quit while a I am ahead, love you, Felipe.

Couple of nights ago I had an hour and twenty five minute phone conversation with my one of my best friends and my college roommate at the New York State College of Forestry. Yea, NYS has trees, lots of them. Anyway he emailed some pics that I thought that I would share.

Mel, has a hobby of maintaining trail cameras on the various acreages that he owns and cares for in Western New York. These cameras have the capability of taking pics day and night, thousands of them. The shutter is triggered by motion. They are small and unobtrusive and are generally strapped to a tree trunk in places of likely wildlife activity. This is a great hobby, if you enjoy things wildlife.

Looking at tracks in the snow you wouldn’t know that a particular deer was a piebald, a spotted deer, an anomaly.

Or by looking at the tracks you would never know that this critter was an albino:

Or here is another that I find the truly inspirational. If we see a three legged animal we generally conclude that it was caused by some accident after birth. At least that is my take, opposed to the phenomenon of color mutation which is genetic. I’ve always been fascinated by three legged dogs who carry on with their lives after a trauma and wag their tails like all the others. Anyway if you saw the tracks in the snow of a three legged deer you would see something unusual there but look at this pic. Look closely, there two three legged deer together:

Well, “carrying on” is an important concept in my thinking. And I’m wondering about the amazing healing that took place for those two. Can only imagine that journey that they are on. Well, an inspiration for sure.

Love you as always, Felipe.

Exciting news for you Vashonites is that our beloved Terry Hershey author of the Sabbath Moment blog will be speaking at Burton Community Church this Sunday. The topic is Grace (capital G) and the time is 11 o’clock.

Terry will soften you up with his warmth and humor and then will give you a priceless gift. All you have to do is get there and listen up. And it’s not Super Bowl Sunday so what will be your excuse?

Burton Church was built in 1897 and stepping inside will take you back to historic Vashon. Then you will have music by Threshold Choir Trio before Terry and yummy coffee hour afterwards. All good with Hershey’s on your Sunday.

Felipe.