Walking the Camino de Santiago
Events and such in the Puget Sound region.
The cats have cottoned to the impending departure. Date: 27 August 2023 Place: Pistachio House They are not pleased. They go from super needy to clingy to aloof to emo. I am tackling the things that are on my to-do list that are just sort of… if you have the time: Roast coffee so i don’t have to when I […]
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Today is repacking day… Date: 26 August 2023 Place: Pistachio House I am going to serve as an hospitalera for the first time since my pre-pandemic training by the delightful Daniel De Kay and marvelous Martha Crites (yes, the author). Speaking of the quinceña (15 days of service)… I will be serving with the amazing Becky Rush-Peet who I met […]
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In which Thom is off to France and Francine begins her countdown. Date: 15 August 2023 Place: Pistachio House It is the feast of the Assumption. Today I bid Thom au revoir et bon chemin as I dropped him off at the airport after holy Mass. Then I went on a search for some boba tea and some Daiso shopping […]
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This evening at the end of the Vigil Mass for Palm Sunday, our pastor imparted to us the traditional Pilgrims’ Blessing. The specific rite was originally recorded in the Missal of Vich Cathedral in Barcelona, and is thought to date to about the year 1078. We are very grateful to Fr. Wichert, our pastor, for imparting this ancient blessing to […]
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On the beautiful, sun-shiny Saturday just past, Francine and I walked 18 kilometers. I’m still a little achy! Francine’s foot was bothering her, and she very nearly called it quits at 4k. Instead, we slowed our pace down from 13-minute kilometers to 15-minute kilometers, and that made all the difference in the world. We still needed rest breaks every so […]
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Every pilgrim carries a credencial to identify him or her as a legitimate pilgrim. They are issued by various Confraternities of Saint James, and you can also get them at Cathedrals and other places along the Way. All pilgrim albergues and refugios require that you have a credencial in order to stay there. You get it stamped at least twice […]
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Our Camino training has begun in earnest. We’re taking smaller walks throughout the week – some for speed, some for hills. On the weekends, we’re taking longer hikes with full packs. Today, that’s 12k. Over the coming weeks, this will ratchet up to 24k. Of course, the real “training ” for the Camino is in Navarra!
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Between our pilgrimages, we must live in the world. We try to hang onto the Way of the Pilgrim in our ordinary lives, but like all things, the lessons fade over the years unless they are reinforced from time to time. And what are those lessons? They are as individual as the pilgrim, but there are certain commonalities, certain sayings […]
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Francine injured her foot a ways back, and we have not been training as we ought. Yesterday, however, we had a nice hike with full Camino packs through Point Defiance Park. There was some trouble with water. At some point in transit to the trailhead, Francine’s backpack water bladder leaked about a liter of water into her pack. After a […]
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My annual camp/cabin trip was this past weekend. Basically it’s the same group of guys every year, with the occasional comings and goings. Back in the day, we camped. One particular weekend, about seven or eight years ago now, it rained so hard that it put out our campfire. Since then, it’s been U.S. Forestry service cabins. This is the […]
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