I have spent the past two days updating my blog postings on last year's Camino.  It's been fun reminiscing and I'm very much looking forward to getting back on the Camino this coming Spring, despite my saying I'd never return.  ::chuckle:: My kids tell me I say that every year!

I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in a "Catch Up Camino" that just hit the major cities, Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, Astorga, and Santiago? When we're walking, we only have a day in each place and there's so much to see there.

I'm also wondering if it's worth doing another "Slow Camino?"  Last year I only had two pilgrims in my slow group, but it WAS fun! A little more difficult to arrange those in between stages, but if I started early, it could be done for Holy Year 2021. 

Maybe I'll post something on the website to see if there's any interest.

I'm also wondering about taking a group on the Aragones Route...

So many Caminos and so little time!

To the person who wanted to inspire love - you didn't!

I just ran across these photos from my 2018 walk and got angry all over again.

WHY does a person do this?
What makes it ok to destroy property that does not belong to them?
What kind of horrible parenting produced this lack of responsibility?

It's good I did not see them doing it because my "inner mom" would have come out and it wouldn't have been pretty. This went on all the way from Sarria to Santiago and I swear, by the time I arrived,I wanted to take away their can and spray-painted their hands and face!

Please people!
Have some respect!
This is NOT the way to inspire love - it does quite the opposite.

New Website Address!!!

I recently bought a domain and transferred my website to that domain.
Then I realized, in horror, I've posted the OLD address in probably 100 posts on this blog.

So today, my job is going to be to try to find and update that information.

In the meantime, my new web address for the group Camino walks is:

www.anniewalkers.com

Completing the Via de la Plata

Several years ago, Joe and I began walking the Via de la Plata. Against advice from seasoned pilgrims, we chose to walk in summer.  Big mistake!  For those who haven't read about it, the trip blog begins here:

http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/11/8-days-on-via-de-la-plata-day-one.html

We got as far as Fuente de Cantos and decided to toss in the towel.
We then jumped up onto the Camino Frances.
I left my blue and yellow "Walking the Via de la Plata" guidebook at the albergue in Leon and have always regretted it. If you happen to find it (my name is inside) I'd pay to get it back!

In 2013, I picked up where I had left off, in Zafra, and walked a few more stages.

This time I finished at Caceres before having to go meet up with my walking group in Pamplona:

Here is that blog thread:

http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2013/05/zafra-finally.html

Now, Joe and I are talking about finishing up this route. 

We looked at airfare and found tickets

round trip from LAX to Madrid for just over $400.

I just couldn't pass that up!

Since Joe hasn't walked the stages from Zafra, 

I will walk those sections again with him.

We hope to finish up in Astorga,

then travel to Segovia

where we have reservations for Holy Week.

At the bottom is our tentative schedule.

I've made all the necessary reservations,

and now my only concern is getting my foot and my Morton's Neuroma

to a point where it won't bother me too much to walk.

I've ordered special inserts for my new New Balance shoes.

I'm doing water aerobics and stretching each day,

and am lifting free weights 3 times a week.

As soon as the weather permits,

I'll begin walking every day.

Right now, it's 105-112 here in the desert 

so much too hot to walk!

Gearing up means I'll have to buy a new pack.

I sold the Jade 128 last year.

I'm looking at packs between 128 and 130,

and am especially interested in the top-loading Deuter.

Unfortunately, Arcteryx no longer makes the pack

I carried for so many years.

And... I'm on a strict budget!

Using The Budget Mom's workbook.

So far I've been SHOCKED at how much cash I've been wasting!

Ok.. here's our tentative schedule.

Of course, nothing is set in stone.

We'll ride the wave . . . 

-->

Date	Day	Village	Km	Albergue
5-Mar	Thu	Arrive Madrid
		Train or Bus to Zafra		Hotel Plaza Grande
7-Mar	Sat	Villafranca de los Barros	20	Albergue Carmen
8-Mar	Sun	Taxi to Almendralejo, Walk to Torremejia	14	Alberge Rojo Plata
9-Mar	Mon	Merida	16.5	El Templo Suites
10-Mar	Tue	Merida
11-Mar	Wed	Aljucin	17	Albergue St. Andre
		Thermal Baths
12-Mar	Thu	Alcuescar	22	Albergue
13-Mar	Fri	Aldea de Cano	15.4	Albergue
14-Mar	Sat	Caceres	23	Apartamentos BeHoliday
15-Mar	Sun	Caceres		Albergue
16-Mar	Mon	Cacer de Caceres	11.4	Albergue
17-Mar	Tue	Embalsa 664.26.27.42	23	Embalsa Albergue
18-Mar	Wed	Grimaldo	20	Abergue
19-Mar	Thu	San Gil	21	Albergue
20-Mar	Fri	Carcabosa	14	Señor Elenas
21-Mar	Sat	Oliva de Placecia
22-Mar	Sun	Aldenueva del Camino	19.5	Albergue
23-Mar	Mon	Calzada de Béjar	26	Albergue
24-Mar	Tue	Fuenterroble	21	Albergue
25-Mar	Wed	San Pedro de Rosados	28.6	Albergue
26-Mar	Thu	Salamanca	25	Los Angeles Plaza
27-Mar	Fri
28-Mar	Sat	Urb. El Chinneral	22.6	Albergue Casa Saso
29-Mar	Sun	El Cubo de la Tierra del Vino	15	Albergue Torre de Sabra
30-Mar	Mon	Villanueva de  Campeon	13.5	Albergue Peregrino
13-Mar	Tue	Zamora	19	Albergue Peregrino
1-Apr	Wed	Fontanillas de Castro	25	Albergue
2-Apr	Thur	Granja de Moreruela	12.5	Albergue
3-Apr	Fri	Benavente	25.5	Albergue
4-Apr	Sat	Alija del Infantado	22	Albergue
5-Apr	Sun	La Baneza	20.5	Albergue
6-Apr	Mon	Villares de Orbiga or Astorga	24.5	Albergue or Hotel ???
7-Apr	Tue	Astorga
8-Apr	Wed	Segovia
9-Apr	Thur	Segovia
10-Apr	Fri	Segovia
11-Apr	Sat	Segovia
12-Apr	Sun	Madrid
13-Apr	Mon	Madrid
14-Apr		FLY HOME		`

So that's the plan, Stan!
See you on the Camino!
Love,
Annie

I'm Taking a Group for Holy Year!

From the Pilgrim Office website...

***

Holy Year

In 1122 Pope Calixtus II gave Compostela the privilege of granting a plenary indulgence to those who visited the shrine of the Apostle in the years when the Saint's day fell on a Sunday.  This is recorded in the Bull, Regis Aeterni, issued by Pope Alexander III in 1179.

In the years in which the Feast of St. James (25th July) falls on a Sunday, that year is celebrated as a Holy Year.  Therfore there is a Holy Year every 5, 6, and 11 years.  The last Holy Year was in 2010 and the next is in 2021.  During Holy Years there is a considerable increase in the numbers of pilgrims to Santiago, who may enter the Cathedral by the "Holy Door" which is only opened during that year. 

The Plenary Indulgence (aka "The Jubilee")

The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession).  An indulgence is the full remission of all temporal punishment (time spent in purgatory) up to that point in a person's life. Individuals can gain Plenary Indulgences for themselves and for the deceased.

In order to gain the Jubilee Indulgence individuals must:

• Visit the Cathedral of Santiago where lies the Tomb of St. James the Great
• Say a prayer, at least the Apostles Creed, the Our Father and a prayer for the intentions of the Pope. It is also recommended that the individual attend Mass.
• Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (go to confession) and Eucharist (go to communion) within 15 days before or after the visit to the Cathedral.
• Indulgences can be gained at other times in the year through performance of other acts of devotion. These are outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

***

Well, I've gone and done it.

I've set up my website again 

and we're taking two groups to Santiago in May 2021 

for the Holy Year!

Keeping my fingers crossed 

my mother's health holds 

and I can get enough pilgrims for this 

very special Camino which may be my last.

More information available at this link 

as I build the website. 

It should be finished in the next few days.

Firm prices won't be available until the first of the year when I can finish making my reservations.

www.anniewalkers.com

Come join us?
Just 2 spots left!

Holy Morton's Neuroma!

I was hoping to possibly lead another group this year sometime, but two things have decided against walking the Camino this season:

1) I developed a Morton's Neuroma on my right foot, and it's VERY painful to walk. I really don't want surgery so I'm just treating it at home and praying it will resolve by next season.

2) My mother fell and broke her hip, her femur, and 3 ribs and she needs me here to care for her. I've been at her house since March, when I slept in the St. Jose hospital parking lot in my van while she had her surgery to repair the leg. I'm now in her house until she gets off the walker and can be alone.

So if at all, it looks like perhaps I'll walk NEXT season.

I have taken the Anniewalkers website down for now. Once I know I'll be taking another group, I will put it back up and notify people here, but I was getting so many requests and it got sad having to tell folks I wasn't taking a group this year.

Van life has been wonderful. Can't wait to get back on the road. My mom should be ok to leave by next month so I'm hoping to head home to Portland, Oregon to visit my kids and grandkids by the first week in July.

I guess that's all the news for now. Thank you all who continue to follow me. I promise to get back on the trail sometime soon.

Until then,
Buen Camino!
Annie

Life is so Fleeting!

Those of you who follow me 

will remember a few weeks ago 

when I "divorced" my mother.

Soon after, I spoke with my niece.

She was overwhelmed and needed help. 

So I packed up the van 

and returned to mom's house, 

where I now am staying, 

caring for mom's house and her dog, Scooter. 

I'm visiting mom daily and doing her laundry. 

I'm paying mom's bills 

and picking up her mail. 

I'm helping.

Mom is in a nursing rehabilitation facility

 and isn't doing very well. 

Her broken bones are healing, 

but she is not eating, losing weight, 

and growing more and more frail by the day.

I do not regret the week I spent away 

because if nothing else, 

I think it gave her time to think 

about how things would be 

if I DID go away forever. 

Who would care for her?

It also gave me time to write 

and let go of feelings 

I had buried for years. 

I have heard mom tell me she loves me 

and appreciates me 

more times in the past 2 weeks 

than I have in all of my 66 years.  

It has softened my heart

and has been very healing.

It's difficult to stay angry at someone 

who is fading away. 

It's sad love took this many years 

to manifest.

I brought mom home 

for a couple of hours yesterday 

and we both realized 

there was no way she was ready to be home. 

I managed to lift the heavy wheelchair 

out of the trunk,

 and to get her out of the car seat 

and into the wheelchair. 

I'm no spring chicken and it wasn't easy for me. 

I realized I could not lift that chair

 or mom on a regular basis. 

Mom is so weak, 

she can't stand for more than a moment,

 and helping her to the bathroom or into the bed, 

even as slight as she is, 

would be too difficult for me. 

I would risk hurting myself trying to help her. 

Then we'd both be in a pinch!

Mom did enjoy her few hours at home. 

We sat out on the back porch in the sun. 

She smoked about 1/4 of a cigarette, 

then decided she had quit 

and wouldn't smoke again. 

This was a good thing. 

She asked me to pour her a Pepsi,

 and after a sip or two was finished. 

She ate one grape. 

She took a bite of string cheese and spit it out. Nothing tasted right, she said. 

She closed her eyes 

put her head back,

and soaked up the warm sun. 

She said it felt so good!

I wheeled mom into her office 

and put her in front of her desk. 

She went through her mail. 

We called the bank 

and she balanced her checkbook, 

something she usually does 

every couple of days.

Mom wanted to lay in her bed 

so I wheeled her into her bedroom. 

That was an adventure, 

as she didn't have the strength to lift herself. 

The bed was too high, 

so she laid across it 

and I managed to lift her legs up onto the bed, 

then roll her into the middle. 

After about 1/2 hour, 

she was ready to return to the nursing facility 

and it depressed her, 

as she realized she wasn't yet ready to be home.

Unless mom begins eating soon, 

I can't see how she will ever come home 

from the facility.

 Each meal she manages to get about 1 bite down. 

She complains that food makes her want to vomit,

 and she just can't get it down. 

She won't drink Ensure, 

and has trouble getting down anything but water. 

She is losing weight steadily 

and her clothes are falling off. 

She is cold all the time, 

having no fat on her body at all. 

I feel she is in the process of dying and it's sad. 

Now that I'm no longer angry,

 I'm remembering more of the good times 

and fewer of the bad.  

My prayer is that mom either begins eating, 

grows stronger so she can return home, 

or that if it's her time,

she dies peacefully in her sleep. 

I hate the thought of her suffering.

This has really made me consider again

how fragile and how fleeting life is.

I've always been grateful for my life, 

but it's even more precious now.

You wake up one day 

and you're 21 and full of energy,

and then you wake up the next day 

and you're 84 and failing.

When this chapter of my life closes, 

I plan on doing more volunteering,

more traveling, 

spending more time with my family.

More time loving.

More time laughing.

More time living.

Happy Trails,

Annie

Early Rising

It's 4 am,

the time my eyes open each morning.

The earth is quiet 

and most of the world 

is still sleeping.

I walk out onto the front porch

and gaze up.

The black velvet sky is full of stars.

I feel peace

as I gaze into the endless void.

I am a tiny speck of dust,

but I AM,

and I give thanks.

I breathe in the cool darkness,

and a million points of light

become arrows 

that fly down and pierce

bubbles of sorrow 

hiding in my heart.

As each illusion pops,

sorrow turns to joy. 

My heart beats to the healing grace

of transformation.

And I give thanks.

Back in the house,

I open the coffee bean jar.

I close my eyes,

put my face into the opening

and breathe deeply. 

It smells crisp and brown.

The scent clears my sleepy mind,

sharpens my senses,

and I give thanks.

The coffee maker

crackles and chatters

as it spits the inky ambrosia

through its belly,

hot and strong,

just for me,

and I give thanks.

I sit and hold the warm cup

between my two hands.

Watching out the window,

I breathe and wait. 

One sip, then another,

full and rich.

My taste buds do a happy dance

and I give thanks.

The desert birds

begin their morning song.

Dove, Quail, Owl, Sparrow, 

Roadrunner and Crow,

twitter their plans for the day,

sharing their secrets,

telling their tales,

and I give thanks.

Soon, rays of colored light cross the horizon.

The palette is generous,

the colors like a warm salve.

I feel the heat on my face,

 and as the cracks in my broken soul

begin to mend,

I give thanks.

I take account

and there's no doubt.

Life!

Light!

Sunrise!

Sunset!

Nature!

Love!

Laughter!

Health!

Family!

Friends!

These are the gifts I treasure,

And I give thanks!

Lions and Tigers and Morton's Neuroma - Oh my!

Yesterday before my hike, 

the pad of my foot was hurting 

just a little.

By the end of the hike, 

it was swollen and hot.

After lots of online research, 

I believe I have what's called 

Morton's Neuroma.

The good news is

 it may resolve itself.

The other good news is 

several of my friends

have dealt with this 

and are giving me good advice.

The bad news is 

it hurts like heck to walk!

For me, that's a serious thing!

Sooo.... my plan now is 

to stay off the foot,

ice it,

use essential oils and ibuprofen,

do lots of healing visualization,

and hope for the best.

If it doesn't resolve 

by the time I get back to Oregon,

then I'll go see a doctor.

However,

 I have faith in my body to heal itself.

What a weird thing to pop up on my foot?

Sometimes getting older can be a challenge!

Oh well, 

this forces me to sit

and do more writing and art,

so it's not ALL bad!

Happy Trails,

Annie

Somewhere in Indio Hills

Joe and I took a nice hike today in a place he asked me to describe as "somewhere in the Indio Hills."  ::laughing:: He likes to keep things close to the vest. 

On the drive to the trail, this was the beautiful view; fields and fields of desert dandelions with Mt. San Jacinto in the background!

Desert Dandelion - Malacothrix glabrata

With all the rain we've had,

the desert is teeming with wildlife!

At the beginning of the trail, I saw some movement, 

and there was a little Southern Horned Toad Lizard 

hiding in the sand.

I picked him up, then sat him down

and he scurried away.

Can you see him?

Here is a photo from the internet that shows him more clearly:

Later, we saw quite a large 

Fringe Toed Lizard

scurrying up a dune.

Photo from the internet

There was lots of Wild Heliotrope,

also known as 

Scorpionweed,

not only for the way it looks,

but for the blisters it leaves on 

some people's skin!

Blue Phacelia - Wild Heliotrope - Scorpion Weed

The Burro Bush was blooming, with nice fat flower heads.  

Ambrosia dumosa - Burro Bush

We saw lots of Freemont Pin Cushions.

The Creosote Bushes were also blooming.

This plant smells like creosote 

when you crush the leaves.

It puts out that wonderful perfume 

when it rains in the desert.

Creosote Bush

I love the looks 

of the Sand Blazing Star

with its delicate cream petals.

Mentzelia involucrata - Sand Blazing Star

Joe found a bee hive in the bank of the wash.

The bees were busy with all the blooming flowers,

so busy there was wax and honey dripping

out of the hive!

If you make this FULL SCREEN,

you can see all the bees.

With all the wildflowers,

there is also an invasion of

Painted Lady Caterpillars 

and Butterflies!

They start out small like this little guy.

Then get fat as my little finger,

and cover the streets and trails.

You literally can't walk without

having to swerve to avoid them.

Soon, they turn into pretty painted ladies!

THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF THEM!

Photo from internet

It was a great walk and a beautiful day!

Now to get back to the drawing table

and finish up my latest pet portrait.

Happy Trails!

Annie