May 2020

Always Dreaming

The bottle of wine pictured above caught my attention and my mind was off to the races. Ever the optimist and always dreaming, I spent some time this past weekend thinking about my return to France and Spain for what will probably be my last walk on the Way. While it’s given me so much, there are still other quests calling out to me, one of them are countries which begin with ‘S’.

My friend and fellow pilgrim, Ann, and I have talked about going back after we retire to take a slower walk, maybe a saunter, down the Camino. While driving back from our Huntsville State Park walk with the Professors and Chris’s students, I told her about maybe starting further in France and then walking to Saint Jean Pied de Port before tackling the Camino Francés or, skipping SJPP altogether.

I’m researching two options. First would be the Piemont Route or Pyrenean Route from Lourdes across the French Pyrenees to SJPP.

The second would be the Camino Arogonés from Somport in France to Puente la Reina skipping Pamplona all together. Maybe visiting Lourdes before hitting the Camino Arogonés.

We also talked about taking it more slowly and travelling more of the side routes. With option one instead of taking on the Pyrenees in one day, maybe stopping in Orisson for a short day and a new experience for me. Those of us who have done SJPP to Roncesvalles, we know that getting to Orisson is half the battle even though it’s only about ¼ of the distance, it’s like climbing a ladder. Option two would eliminate Pamplona altogether.

Besides the side routes, I’d like to possibly spend a day in Pamplona (Option 1), we didn’t do that last time. I’d skip Los Arcos and maybe continue on to Torres del Rio and push through Logorño to Navarrete. Or maybe, just toss the book and do whatever we want each day. Some of my friends’ question if I’m capable of that. I think not having time constraints will help me overcome some of that need to plan…we’ll see.

I was thinking 8 weeks for this venture but, that all depends upon what Susan says, I have little doubt that she will not be interested in joining us but, you never now. To quote Father Frank from the movie The Way, “it’s said that miracles occur out here, on the Camino”. While I don’t believe in miracles…

Fifty-six days on the Camino, 4 days for travel, I like the sound of that. Ann and I also discussed going during a different time of year, late summer into early fall sounds very appealing. Watching the seasons change in Spain, especially later along the way in the mountains heading into Galicia sounds wonderful. Maybe start on my birthday, September 16^th with a finish in mid-November.

Retirement is still a way off but, it gives a fellow something to dream about. More as it develops.

P.s. If you’re interested, John LLoyd, a regular contributor to the Casa Ivar blog has taken his journal and published it along with pictures from his 2018 Camino. I’ve just started it, it’s an interesting read so far and brings back a lot of good memories. Available on Amazon (what isn’t?), the link is to Casa Ivar and some info. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/go-your-own-way-following-in-the-footsteps-of-martin-sheen-on-the-way-of-st-james.67429/

Then the Wheels Came Off

Anyone who knows me will attest that when it comes to travel, I am an enthusiastic planner. I mentioned some months ago that the planning is part of the journey for me. And this year was going to be no different.

Then, the wheels came off the wagon that is our world. Our trip to France to cruise the Canal du Midi which was originally planned for early May and getting us back yesterday (May 21st) had to be rescheduled for September but, Mother Nature in the form or CV-19 had other plans. You may have noticed, I’ve added a new category, Whining. Should have done it long ago.

I’ve mentioned several times that mi Amiga, Katja was scheduled to come visit and would have arrived today but, that is not to be. We’d talked about the timing of her visit, earlier rather than later because it gets hot fast in Texas this time of year. Last week, it was already 103/40 in parts of west Texas where Big Bend is located.

Another cruel trick has been played upon us, the weather for the Big Bend is forecast to be beautiful next week which is why I used that as my featured image, who doesn’t need a little more torment? Temps like that this time of year are rare. Mother Nature piling on.

So, how does one remain positive when the wheels come off? After 2.5 months of stay at home, virtual Happy Hours and mask wearing, it’s tough. Even a 10 hour drive to west Texas sounds really good right now but, Big Bend National Park won’t reopen until June 1st.

So, I listen to people who are far wiser than I am. They said like the Camino, Texas will not go away, nor will Big Bend and, true friendships endure.

So, to everyone who was planning to make the trek out to Big Bend, there’s always next year or, the one after and so on…

Ultreia!

CV-19 Fashion

Well, we can’t be depressed about this thing forever. A friend sent this to me and you don’t have to understand a word to see the humor. I hope it makes you laugh or, maybe a little smile?

The Stars at Night…

This week was supposed to be the beginning of a great couple of weeks. One of my Camino friends, my Omega friend from my 2017 Camino Frances, Katja was scheduled to fly in to Dallas to begin her first trip to the United States and the great State of Texas.

She was to arrive on Friday and after a short visit in Dallas including a Katy Trail walk, we (most of the Texas Pilgrims) were headed to the Big Bend and Big Bend National Park. We scheduled an overnight in Marfa for a little culture (west Texas style) and maybe the Marfa Lights.

After that, 3 days of hiking and outdoor adventures in a part of Texas that is remote, wild, beautiful and very different. When they wrote the lyrics to Deep in the heart of Texas, they were surely thinking of the Big Bend when they wrote, “the stars at night are big and bright“, there are few places in America that have so little light pollution.

The Chisos Mountains, Santa Elena Canyon, Emory Peak, Pinnacles Trail and many more. It would have been an excellent adventure and probably something the likes of which she’d never seen. Many Texan’s haven’t either, including Becky who was going to be part of the posse.

After our trek to Big Bend, Katja was heading off on her own to see Carlsbad Caverns, San Antonio, Austin and the Hill Country then, back to Dallas and home to Germany. The Texas Pilgrims could not join her on this adventure as we had to be back in Dallas for the wedding of another Pilgrim, Mr. G to Christina. That wedding date unfortunately had to be rescheduled.

Life is a funny thing and it reminds me regularly just how little control we have in the big picture. A virus, the novel CoVid-19, something that I heard described as being the closest thing there is to being both biological and chemical, has killed hundreds of thousands, about 1/3 of them here in the U.S. Besides the loss of life, economies are in tatters, friends and families separated, weddings postponed and yes, holidays cancelled. But, we will get through this. Friendships will endure, holidays and weddings can be rescheduled and hopefully jobs regained. For those who lost loved ones, we collectively grieve for them.

For my friend Katja, I hope we can one day show her the wonders of the Big Bend. If not, I hope that we meet again somewhere with dusty boots and big smiles but, that may not be. So my sister, your presence will be missed, Texas would not have known what hit it. Be strong, your Ziegen Bruder will miss you as will all your other Texas friends. ¡Hasta luego!

Here’s a taste of what awaits you Big Bend.

Attitude of Gratitude

Three years ago today, I left Dallas for a 45 day journey which would change me in ways I could never have anticipated and I am grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to take that voyage of discovery.

I could not have done it without Susan’s buy in and if not understanding why it was important to me, she at least knew that it was important to me.

As a working American, taking 45 days off is unheard of. I know my European friends think that we’re crazy and, we probably are but, Bob Reynolds allowed me to take this sort of sabbatical and I thank him for that.

My friends, some of whom joined me on my walk across Spain made my trip if not possible, certainly more pleasurable, they contributed to my spiritual journey and it’s much easier training for the Camino with friends who picked me up when I was down, I hope I did the same for them. Thank you Leighton, Renee, Ann, Rick, Paul and Becky.

I don’t think that most people ever think about all the moving parts there are for a journey like the Camino de Santiago. We started planning our trip in 2015 and began organized training walks in September of 2016. Looking back on it, my Camino started then.

When I arrived in Lisbon on May 17^th and then Bordeaux the next day, it still all seemed so unreal. The minute I stepped off the train in Saint Jean Pied de Port with dozens of other Pilgrims, it got very real, very fast. The first steps of my Camino were the walk in the rain from the station to my first albergue, the Auberge du Pelerin.

I’m grateful for all of the people that I met, Leo, Brian, Chris and Steve, Donna, Madison, Sarah and Greg, Dawn and Nallie, Bernie and Nigel, Alex, the Canadians, Carol and Letena, the two French brothers that I can’t remember their names. I’m particularly grateful to my friend and spiritual guide, Katja. There are many, many others. Thanks to them all.

What brought all this on was an article that I read online out of The Columbian a newspaper in Washington State. The story is about an 80 year old woman who planned to walk the Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago and was in Portugal as that country and Spain began to shut down in March, the whole story is linked via the newspaper name.

What struck me was her belief in an “attitude of gratitude”. She states, “Gratitude makes the world different” she said. “I know I have become kinder and more helpful. I’m not getting impatient the way I was.”

In this time of confusion, confinement, and fear, maybe we should all embrace the “attitude of gratitude.”

I’m grateful for what I have and will deal with what comes my way and I hope to do it with a smile on my face and love in my heart. Thank you to everyone who helped me along this continuing journey.

Remember, be kind every day.

Lies, damned lies and statistics

Mark Twain is attributed with popularizing this phrase, the original user is not known for sure but many have been credited with it. The point of the phrase is that numbers are a powerful tool to an argument, especially one that is weak on facts. So, here’s another dose of a weak argument using statistics to bolster a case.

I have for a long time wondered how come my t-shirts always seemed to be inside out after a wash/dry cycle. First I thought that it was just my imagination but at 63, I’ve turned a lot of shirts right-side out over the years and it was just too evident that something was amiss, T-Shirt Magic I’ll call it.

So, over the last several months I’ve conducted extensive research and non-peer reviewed “scientific” research with my associate, Ariel (she’s a cat). Here’s the results of our research. (This is heady stuff so pay attention)

The sample size (N) was 40 t-shirts of all types mostly cotton or a cotton blend but also some of my synthetic rapid dry Camino shirts as well. My methodology was to put 40 shirts over several weeks through the wash/dry cycle. First, all the shirts were right-side out. Next sampling, all the shirts were inside-out. The last test, the shirts were in whatever configuration they came out of the clothes hamper.

The results were interesting and I think both beautiful and perfect (to quote President Ass Clown).

Of the 40 shirts that started right-side out, only 18 (45%) came out the same way and 22 (55%) were inside out.

Of the 40 shirts that started inside-out, 17 (42.5%) came out right-side out and 23 (57.5%) remained inside-out.

Finally, of the random selection, 15 (37.5%) were right-side out and 25 (62.5%) were inside-out.

Now, I know what you’re saying and it’s not Wow! that’s ground breaking work you’ve done. No, it’s more like “who cares?” and/or, “you need a life”. You’re probably right but, next time you think that your shirts are always inside out after a wash/dry cycle don’t think you’re crazy because the statistics support your belief. So there!

I hope in these stressful times this inane attempt at humor brought a smile, even if only a small one, to your face. Stay healthy!

My Talisman

In an earlier post, Resistance, I wrote about the CHG (Country House Gent), Kevin Shelly and his adventures navigating the canals of central England and Wales on his narrowboat, Aslan. I managed to finish binge watching the remaining 5 seasons (6-8 episodes each) of Travels by Narrowboat and it’s been interesting. Some in my immediate circle have used terms like boring, silly, waste of time, etc. To them I can only say if you look at it strictly by what it appears, you’re probably right.

What I see is a man on a quest, seeking a break from life, a new focus, a voyage of discovery that he could not take earlier in his life because of the expectations that life, society and family place upon us all. Kevin defied those expectations of what “life” and “happiness” should be. Maybe he was seeking what his life should be.

We’re all confronted with these types of dilemmas and we make the decisions and compromises that we think are best at the time. Go to this school, take this job, marry or not, children or not. Life is about compromises, dilemmas, and decisions.

I don’t know one person who has never said at one time or another that “if I could do that over” they’d ___________. In life, we don’t get many do- overs and sadly, if we do, they come with a heavy price of some type. The CHG had to sell everything that he owned and now lives on his boat doing YouTube TV. Do I envy him? I don’t know. Do I hope he finds what he’s looking for? Yes, I do.

In one of the last episodes, Kevin is discussing where he’s at and where he’s come from, emotionally and spiritually more than his physical journey. He said something to the effect that he can’t look back. To that, I disagree.

While on the Camino 3 years ago, our focus was always west toward Santiago or maybe Finisterre. One early morning, somewhere past Logorño, something told me to stop and look back and I was greeted with a glorious sunrise that I never would have seen had I not taken a moment to look back over my shoulder. From that day on, I made a point to stop and look back to enjoy that beautiful moment and I was rarely disappointed.

While it may appear to be so, life is not a linear event, it’s not a straight line or a path headed west. There was a cartoon when I was a kid called the The Family Circus. It was about the things that go on in families, especially those with children. There was always one where the mother would tell Billy, one of the children and the one I identified with, to come straight home from school or wherever. The single frame cartoon always showed Billy meandering home, taking every side road available until he finally arrived. That’s life to me.

For me, I can’t not look back because I probably have or will miss something that’s important or meaningful, like that sunrise. I remember on my final day in Finisterre, the day I walked up with Rick and met the remaining friends from the Camino, they were all looking west, towards home for some, and I was facing east. Looking for the sunrise on that cloudy day or maybe wondering what I missed, suspecting, no, knowing that I had.

Having a Camino on your doorstep

I mentioned in an earlier post the my friend Nigel had some great pictures of his local Camino and that I’d share them with his permission, he’s graciously given me permission, they’re some great pictures. Thank you!

Inspiration

For most of the week, I just could not seem to get motivated to get outside. I did but, it didn’t bring the joy and relief that my walks normally do. Whether it was the continuing and overbearing sense of gloom that is our lives during the CV-19 pandemic or whether I was just feeling lazy, I don’t know.

I wrote earlier in the week about an email from my friend Nigel where he described having a Camino on his doorstep. At first, even that sort of wore on me. I guess I was feeling sorry for myself, I didn’t have that beautiful countryside just out my door.

This week, I also finished re-reading Walking, One Step At A Time by Erling Kagge. It was a gift from my friend Katja and one that I will probably re-read again (is that a thing?). It’s not a particularly long book and it’s not a difficult read but, it is packed with insight and I didn’t feel as if I’d captured enough from it on the first read.

Towards the end of the book, page 157 in my edition, Kagge writes “The ability to walk, to put one foot in front of the other, invented us.” In context, he was writing about Homo Sapiens having not invented walking, a far earlier relative did. But walking inspired us as creatures to do extraordinary things, to explore.

Reading that and then thinking about Nigel’s Camino made me think about the many places I’ve never walked in Dallas which is another point in Kagge’s book, walking your city and other cities.

So, this morning, I got up, read the paper and took off to explore my neighborhood and others around it. Earlier, I wrote about the CHG in his narrowboat discovering a city he’d been to many times and I compared it to walking across Spain and seeing it at eye level and in “real” time, not in a car.

I walked about 5 miles/8km down tree lined streets, through 100-year-old neighborhoods and I greeted everyone that I saw. Some acknowledged me, others pretended not to hear, one stared at me and a few took the opportunity to expand the meaning of social distancing. It didn’t bother me a bit as a matter of fact, it inspired me to continue to do it.

Kagge talks about walking and preparing to walk which for those that don’t do it regularly it’s often the most difficult part. When I first started training to walk the Camino de Santiago, we’d walk what I now consider a short distance and we’d be tired. As we started, our hearts seemed like they were pounding, we labored to breathe, and we sweat.

The body is a funny thing, if you continue to walk, even on that first walk, the body adapts. Your heart rate drops, your breathing calms and while you still sweat, especially here in Texas, you sweat far less. We adapt. Exactly as Kagge describes.

As important, your mind begins to slow down and you begin to hear, see, smell, feel and enjoy your surroundings, at least I do. I did today on my urban neighborhood hike. As I walked, my inspiration began to return and by the time I was home, I was planning my exploration of the University Crossing Trail.

In these times it’s easy to get sucked into the vortex of negativity, for me anyway. So, to paraphrase Hippocrates, if you feel poorly, go for a walk. If you still do, go for another.

Thanks to my friends for the inspiration and motivation, it came at exactly the right time for me.

Speed Trippin SJPP to Roncesvalles

A veteran member of the Casa Ivar blog, @davebugg, has posted a well done video of Day 1 of the Camino Frances from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles which includes the full walking video with maps, elevation and incline information (although apparently it only went to 15% when some of it is almost 22%). For the wannabe or the hard core, it’s worth a look. https://youtu.be/RvFCv8aJKcQ

For those who have never done it, the video is about 1.5 hours, my trip took me about 9.5 hours. I hope you enjoy their work.