April 27, 2012 in Moissac

Julien and I are back in Moissac after two days off to visit friend Marie-Helene from my walk through France last year. And friend Heike from the walk through Spain last year has joined us for a week of walking. So now we are three again. And we start walking again tomorrow morning. We have a chambres d'hotes place to stay tomorrow night in Auvillar but are now having any luck lining up a place in Miradoux for Sunday night. Send good thoughts our way - because the next town is a good five km farther!

April 24, 2012 in Lauzerte

And now we are two. We went from three to five and in Cahors we had a true Camino farewell dinner on the 21st. On the 22nd Julien and I continued walking on our own. It continues to rain everyday. These past two days have been particularly brutal perhaps because of changes in the soil composition. For whatever reason we have spent major portions of the day slipping and sliding along very muddy tracks. We hoped to arrive at Moissac but we agree that 26 km (distance to Moissac) in the mud is too much. And so we will split the distance in two. Although we have lost three good Camini friends our new constant companions continue to appear and reappear: a Belgian couple (who speak perfect Flemmish, French, English etc.) two women from Paris who speak perfect English and a woman from Strassburg with whom Julien communicates in French and she and I struggle together in German. All for now - dinner in five minutes!

April 19, 2012 in Limogne-en-Qercy

We have come 300.5 km since we started walking from Le Puy in April 1st! Weather continues to be less than optimal - raining on and off most days and/or windy - but it could be much worse. We were already settled into our wonderful gite d'etape Les Gloriettes this afternoon when the hail storm hit. Great news: 2011 Camino friends Anke and Peer have joined us for a few days. Sad news: We plan to reach Cahors on thr 21st. Marie will stay behind and begin her journey back to Lyon and then back to Sitka. Ever since Conques we have been saying good-bye to familiar faces as people "time out" and return to their homes and regular lives. Some we only knew by sight or first names. Others we have exchanged email addresses with and hope to see again. And then there are the new familiar faces that we look for on the road, at our new gite or around town. And such is the way of the Camino/ Chemin.

April 14, 2012 in Conques

We reached Conques yesterday. Today was a day of rest and exploration in this beautiful medieval town. Tomorrow we climb out of the valley and on to Decazeville. This is uncharted territory for me as last year we skipped the 205 km between Conques and Moissac. I wish I could attach photos so you can see for yourself that a treasure Conques is.

April11, 2012 In Estaing

We are on track with last year and are in Estaing. Tomorrow we will stay at Golinhac. Friday and Saturday we will be in Conques. Weather has been challenging and the trail is tougher than much of the trail in Spain. By the time I reach my gite (hostel) for the night I feel a great sense of accomplishment! We are eating dinner at a bar with wifi. Wifi has been spotty and today is the first day I could remember my gmail Password thus allowing me to send this quick update. Hopefully I can write more from Conques.

In Sitka but heading back to France

I can't believe that I last wrote in September, 2011.  Here it is almost the end of March, 2012.  Much has happened but I'll have to tell you about it when I see you in person.  Suffice it to say that I have been back in Sitka for the month of March and that I head off again tomorrow morning, Sunday, March 25.  I am returning to France to walk for (only) six weeks.  Same trail but different friends.  Remember when I told you that "whenever you are ready to go just let me know and I'll go with you?"  Well two Sitka friends took me up on that.

We are starting from Le Puy (again) on April 1st (again).  74-year-old Sitka friend Marie heads home after three weeks and college friend Julien and I will continue for another three weeks.  I can't go the full distance this time because I need to get back to Sitka so I can take off again on May 23 - for Thailand with nephew Justin for his 16th birthday trip.

So, we will walk as far as we can go in six weeks.  Santiago and God willing fellow 2011 pilgrims Heike, Anke and husband Peer will join us for a few days.  And hopefully Julien and I will be able to visit Marie-Helene when we reach Moissac.

I already know that I will be walking April, 2013 with cousin Denise to celebrate her 60th birthday.  (You see I really am serious when I tell you to let me know when you can go and I will join you.)  Denise hasn't decided whether she wants to walk the Camino Frances or the Camino del Norte.  Next year what I hope to do, before Denise gets to Spain, is return to where Julien and I stop this year and walk to the place where Denise is able to start.

Think about joining us.

No promises about being a better blogger.  Now that I am off to France again I will try. . .

Karen

September 25, 2011 Back in Mexico!

It was wonderful to spend an entire month in Sitka.  But, it is equally wonderful to be traveling again - and to be outside the United States even if it is "just" Mexico.  I'm back at Mom's place in San Antonio Tlayacapan on Lake Chapala in the state of Jalisco.

I head back to Sitka on September 30.  From there I head to Anchorage on October 5 and then up to Barrow the following week.  It will be great to get back in Barrow for the first time since I left in February.  I'll return to Sitka on October 30.

Mom is here as well.  We have an easy routine.  I head off walking and exploring for most of the day but we get together in the evening for dinner and then a movie from her vast collection of VHS tapes.  Tonight we watched Chariots of Fire, last night we watched Lillies of the Field. 

Mom has a good circle of friends here that she is re-connected with.  And her former students still remember her.  Marcela came over today bringing flowers and home-made flan.  The first time we met Marcela she was entering middle school.  Cousin Denise and I were visiting Mom when Marcela and her mother came over to meet Mom.  The person who was supposed to translate didn't show up for some reason so I ended up translating.  I can still picture us - tiny Marcela, her mom, my mom, Cousin Denise and I - sitting in a circle and me with a Spanish-English dictionary trying to translate!  Marcela has now graduated from law school, has completed her two years of internship and has her official certificate allowing her to practice law. 

OTHER NEWS!!!!!  I am in the movies.  Or at least the trailer for what used to be called Everybody Loves Whales and is now called Big Miracle.  You may recall that during the first week of my retirement last year my 1983 Isuzu diesel pick-up truck and I were extras for the four days the second unit was in Barrow filming exterior shots.  The first trailer for the movie came out this week.  At approximately one minute and 37 seconds on the left side of the screen you can see the back of my purple parka and my Sorrel boots for all of about two seconds as we community members head off to save the whales.  The voice over is saying ". . . as school children and shopkeepers alike. . . " Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.everybodyloveswhales.com/trailer.html
I can't wait to see if my parka and/or truck are in any other shots.  And, I can't wait to see what other Barrow people show up in the movie.

I just realized that I am coming up on the end of my first year of retirement.  It has been an amazing journey.  I miss my friends and the community of Barrow.  But I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to new and old places; to make new friends and reconnect with old friends.  I will continue to do that during my second year of retirement.  See you soon!