"Is this the way?" asked my sister when we briefly lost track of the yellow arrows. Wherever you are, that is the way -- to enlightenment or joy or whatever the goal. It isn't usually a straight line...at least not for me...and losing the path sometimes is part of the process. We left in the dark. … Continue reading El Camino – Day 2 (Neda to Pontedeume)
Our first day of serious walking on Camino Ingles, after barely beginning yesterday: 9.5 miles, and I'm loving it already in spite of challenges. (Noisy hostel, lack of sleep, an aching hip, miscommunication.) "Sisters walking" continues in photos and captions below. At our starting point in Ferrol yesterday, Ginny and I learned to identify the … Continue reading El Camino – Day 1 (Ferrol to Neda)
Sisters, walking. That's what this is -- but so much more. The challenges of walking El Camino ("The Way") in Spain began even before our first step. So we got a head start on the "resilience" part. 😄 Now, with the start and first mile behind us, we look forward. One step at a time. … Continue reading Starting El Camino (Ferrol)
All American students know what happened in 1492. "Columbus sailed the ocean blue!" (Do they still teach that song to kids?) Something else historically-significant happened that year. Spain's Catholic monarchs expelled the Moors/Muslims/Arabs (not interchangeable terms but often used that way) after living in peaceful coexistence for hundreds of years. The two groups believed in the … Continue reading Spain – Day 2 (Alhambra)
My oldest sister and I are here to hike El Camino in northern Spain. So what are we doing in Granada in southern Spain? It was my idea to meet here. I've been to Spain only once, briefly, to the U.S. Navy base at Gibraltar. You can't exactly call that a "visit." If you're going … Continue reading Arrival in Spain (Granada)
In less than a week, I will be "on pilgrimage." That's what it's called when you walk El Camino. And I've been walking a lot to get ready. A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place, during which personal transformation may take place. Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus have been doing this for centuries. … Continue reading Walking For El Camino
When I arrive in Virginia, I hear "welcome home!" When I arrive in Michigan, I hear "welcome home!" Michigan's U.P. in the far-north is my original home--where I was born and raised, and returned as an adult to buy some land and create a camp. Northern Virginia became my adult home while working in and … Continue reading Home
Houses and landscaping need maintenance, and sometimes fixes. Visions do, too. Also nations. While our nation argues (and argues!) about how to maintain its foundations and what needs fixing, here's a few examples from Camp Many Moons on Huron Bay - because visitors don't see the messy behind-the-scenes labor that produces the visual "wow." And … Continue reading Fixes
Camping is defined as "the activity of spending a vacation in a camp, tent or camper." So says one dictionary, anyway. For some of us, it's simply getting away from "home base" for a night, preferably in nature. Below, in photos and captions, some recent one-night getaways in Michigan's far-north (Upper Peninsula). This lighthouse, captured … Continue reading Camping
There's something about walking in nature, or "hiking." (If it's not natural terrain, it's called "walking." 😊) The eyes and ears open and life's stresses melt away, at least for a while. The Japanese call this forest bathing, and have exported this idea as a form of nature therapy. Whether you call it hiking or … Continue reading Hiking/Forest Bathing
For Many Moons 