“Great are the works of the Lord. They are studied by all who delight in them”. Psalms 111:2

“Nature is God’s Glitter” was a phrase we saw once in some of the tagging on buildings.

As we have walked this Camino there have been so many times we have topped a mountain or turned a corner to see a beautiful sight. The words each time is, “Wow! I wish we could really capture this in a picture”. The pictures do not do any of it justice, you have to see and experience in person. This is the best we can give throughout this time. Basically, an extra blog for all the beautiful scenery.

Before we get to all that:

We are in Santiago de Compestela!! At 12:12 p.m. on September 24th we entered the Cathedral Plaza. What an emotional moment! It was very difficult to keep the tears from flowing. We are taking it all in today because even though we have completed 790 kilometers, we still have another 116 to go.

Let’s get to all the beauty God has shown us. It is obvious as you walk the Spaniards love their rose bushes.

Most of the time we left our hostel or hotel around 8:00a.m. so we missed the sunrise. The few we have seen have been so spectacular.

Through the Pyrenees.

So many Sunflowers throughout the journey.

Sunflower art.

Wild anise growing on the side of the trail.

Poplar groves pop up in the middle of nowhere, here and there.

Full moon setting as we set our rock representing our burdens at the foot of the Iron Cross. (La Cruz de Ferro)

It’s harvest time for the Mencia grapes in the Villafranc del Bierzo area.

Our view after the 2,400 foot elevation climb in 8 kilometers. It was actually a 28 kilometer walk that day from Villafranc del Bierzo to O Cebreiro. The climb was the last eight. We were also trying to out run the thunderstorm. The thunder was pretty loud, however never saw the lightening. With alot of prayer for those two hours, we did it. The rain came ten minutes after we entered our room.

Walking early in the morning to beat the rain. Success that day.

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, on your wondrous works, I will meditate”. Psalms 145:5

Blessings and Buen Camino. Jay and Kelly

Ninety-nine kilometers to go on the trail, Ninety-nine kilometers to go, eat some berries and chat with someone, it’s ninety-eight kilometers to go on the trail…..Ninety-eight kilometers to go on the trail, Ninety-eight kilometers to go…. You get the picture.

Jay is not a fan of this song. Hey, Harris siblings, I understand you sang this quite a bit as children in the station wagon. Is that true? Jay might not like my song, however he is a huge fan of the berries each day on the trail and the people we are meeting.

It was a pretty exciting moment today, Friday, September 20th, when we reached this marker. I can finally begin singing my song.

Jay would rather make up cadences such as, “I don’t know but I’ve been told…When God made Kelly, He broke the mold.. Sound off 1,2, sound off, 3, 4, break it on down 1,2,3,4, 1, 2, 34. I don’t know that it’s been said…Jay would rather be in bed…Sound off 1,2, sound off 3,4, break it on down 1,2,3,4, 1, 2, 34.” I’ve threatened to go walk with the Roseville ladies if he continues these cadences. His cadence does sound better using the “Jesus loves me” tune.

Every morning Jay begins our walk with singing two songs that have become just a part of our day. The first is one for the Okie in us, “Oh, What a beautiful morning”. The other is, “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah”. Those songs just put a smile on your face, don’t they?

A couple of our grandchildren, I won’t name, says to me quite often, “Grandma Jelly, not every thing has a song”. I happen to think it does.

This is a picture of Jay when I gave him the news I hadn’t calculated the kilometers correctly. I forgot about the walking days in between our stays in Santiago. We have an additional 116 kilometers, Oopsy! And, Yay! We’ll crank those out in four days. So, here’s the math: 778 kilometers from St Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago, which is the original count. Now most are saying 790 kilometers, so we’re going with that number. The picture below is after walking 27 kilometers. So, who really knows.

Then 116 kilometers from Santiago to Muxia via pFinisterre . A total of 900 kilometers which equals 558 miles.

After the initial shock was over, I said, “Ultreia!” Which means “Let’s go further”. Jay did not give the normal response, “Et Suseia”, which means “Let’s go higher!”

An interesting pre-history of the Camino is it seems the ‘way’ might have attracted pilgrims even earlier than the 8th century, as a route that followed the Milky Way all the way to Fisterra (Finis Terrae). Finisterre was believed to be the end of the world, and a magical place where the living could get closest to the land of the dead, in other words, to the ‘other world’. So, four days, 116 more kilometers to get closer to heaven, maybe!?

Here’s the count as of this posting: 700 kilometers walked. This past week marks our sixth month of this year’s travel. And, Thursday, the 19th, marked our one month walking. Where does the time go?

Let’s move on to some different surprises. Spain knows how to celebrate. We have entered towns numerous times to watch local celebrations, and a time or two becoming a part of the celebrations, such as walking in the parades.

One morning we decided to get up before sunrise. We had 31 kilometers that day to accomplish. The celebration at the house next door to our self-proclaimed “3-star” hotel had Spanish karaoke going most of the night, so we were awake. Three blocks into our day’s journey, at 6:30 a.m., we found the big party still continuing. (In our “other life, back in the day”, I don’t think we could have ever kept up with all these Spaniards)

One guy tried to hand Jay a drink as we were walking through the crowd. Jay said that has been the most dangerous part of our Camino, so far.

Two women from Melbourne, Australia became very near and dear to our hearts very quickly, Rita and Sandra. We met the second day walking. We stayed in Akerreta and began chatting during dinner, then again at breakfast. They walked through the 6:30 a.m. party just before we did. Knowing we were just behind them, they said they almost turned around to wait at the corner for us. They wanted Jay for protection.

We sure miss these two faces, smiles, and laughs along the way. Rita developed extreme blisters soon into their trip, however she trudged on each day. Sandra’s laugh was great. We had already arrived at our place one day when suddenly I could hear that laugh above us. I came out of our room, climbed the stairs, and there they were. I knew that laugh. We just grabbed each other for a great big hug. In Burgos, they took a train to a village closer to Santiago and walked in on the 10th of September. We missed them. They would have been fun to walk with through the mesetas.

The day we felt like the grim reaper was coming for us, we entered this small town with a bar on the first corner. We decided to stop for a bit to get a cold agua con gas (sparkling water), eat some chips for the salt, and rest for a moment. Just as we stepped onto the curb of the bar a parade of farm equipment arrived. Kids were riding in the buckets of frontloaders. Everyone, ages 2 to 82 dressed up. The first stop on the parade, you guessed it….the bar we stop at. It became crowded quickly.

The women with the blue hair could speak English. She told Jay the town does this every year. It’s kind of a community bar crawl. They go to one establishment, then another. They were all so kind and fun.

Another type of celebration is a wedding. We were privileged to watch a bride and groom with their photographers one Saturday.

Whether it’s a siesta or a fiesta; 99 or 215 kilometers; making up songs or cadences, meeting or saying good-bye to people along the way; this has been an experience I hope we never forget. And I hope you all don’t get tired of us talking about it when we get home.

What song or experience sticks in your head these days? It seems like no matter how our day is going mine is: “Every breath you take, every move you make, every step you take, I’ll be watching you. Oh can’t you see, you belong to me, every single day,….every step you take, I’ll be watching you.”

I don’t think Police was thinking about pilgrims on the Camino when Sting sang that, but it’s one for the pilgrim’s playlist.

I suppose I’ll be singing that one for an extra 116 kilometers.

Blessings and Buen Camino. Jay and Kelly

Oh Where.. are my sticks? Oh Where.. are my sticks? Oh Where, Oh Where, Oh Where, Oh Where, Oh Where……are my sticks? Any veggie tail cartoon fans out there? One of my favorite songs is the cucumber Larry singing “Oh where is my hairbrush”. If you haven’t seen it YouTube it. It’s great.

Our sticks are a pretty important piece to this journey. Each morning or whenever we stop for a rest, there is this mental checklist that takes place: Joey pack with passport, glasses, phone, flat Mark and flat Vicki, and credentials, check. Backpack, check. Hat, check. Sticks, STICKS!!! Where did I leave my sticks!! More than once one of us have left our sticks somewhere and have to go back for them.

Apparently my sticks are ergonomically correct since they are labeled L and R. Or subconsciously I was thinking about my dyslexia the day I bought them. Some days it’s a good thing I have a wedding ring on so I know my left from my right. Jay’s sticks do not have this feature.

A couple of women we have met on the trail, Kathryn and Karen, are from Roseville, California. Small world, right? At home they are golfing buddies, this month walking buddies. I can’t remember what golf course they belong to except it is a reciprocal course to Rancho Murieta. So they are familiar with our courses. We kind of wore matching shirts that day.

One of our long walking days they had to wait to leave. One of them had left their sticks at the Farmacia (pharmacy) the night before. Since most shops don’t open until 10:00am that’s when they were able to leave. And, we had this climb that day. They were not going to hit their destination until 6:00 or so since they had to wait, that’s a long day.

You have to go back for your sticks! Fortunately, between the two us we haven’t gotten too far when one of us has had to go back. Your sticks are your buddy. They help you get up mountains.

When you are walking the mestas (plateaus), they become your entertainment, such as how long can I balance one?

Or, can I twirl them like a baton.

Find a rock, use it as a golf ball, then your sticks become irons. I think that’s about a seven iron.

They’re great to use as pointers as well. No, we haven’t rode in a taxi, however we have thought about it once or twice.

Or when you need to rest for a minute and there’s no benches in sight.

Lost? I’m sure you are wondering, have we taken any wrong turns? The answer is yes, yes we have a few times. Fortunately, other than one time, another pilgrim has whistled or yelled, “THIS WAY!”. (We’ve also done the same to other pilgrims headed toward the wrong path) Only once, so far, have we taken the wrong road (when someone wasn’t there to help). It was on our way to Santo Domingo when we came to a fork in the road that wasn’t marked. Jay likes to quote Yogi Berra “when you come to a fork in the road, take it” We guessed wrong and should have gone right instead of left. We were supposed to head toward Azofra. Instead we ended up in Alesanco, the wrong town. Fortunately, the two towns were only a few kilometers apart. And as of this posting we have walked 543 kilometers. So, a few extra kilometers isn’t too bad, I think.

Just before Leon, we hit the half way point from St Jean Pied-De Port to Santiago. It was such a surprise and had no idea we would be receiving a certification. It was obvious everyone we spoke with didn’t know either. That was the highlight of probably our most difficult day on the trail, so far. Our notes said 19 kilometers. We did figure out that was a typo prior to leaving that morning. We knew it was 29 kilometers which we’ve done before. However, according to Jay’s pedometer on his phone, we traveled 36 kilometers. Ugh!!!!

The painted pilgrim in that picture reminded us of the grim reaper because of how we were feeling that day. Whew!

We have seen some spectacular cathedrals that have been amazing in the eyes of one general contractor, Jay Harris.

One of them took 500 years to build. That’s a few building committees and building campaigns, wouldn’t you say!?

Another one in Leon took ONLY 50 years to build however almost suffered a catastrophic failure. The architect and builder made a few errors in their calculations and also used some inferior stone, and the ceilings were crumbling when they finally hired a new architect who built temporary scaffolding to hold it up while basically rebuilding it. They had to take the stained glass windows apart and store them while the rebuild was occurring, then piece them back together. I would have hated to be that architect, wouldn’t you?

These grandeos cathedrals can take your breath away when you walk in. First initial thoughts are, how in the world did they do this in the 10th -15th centuries? However, we have seen smaller versions of these grandeos buildings that melt your heart.

One in particular was in a smaller town called Rabe De Las Calzados. As we were walking the trail this sweet angelic music just pulled us into the town. The next thing you know we were standing in this small cathedral with this precious woman praying a blessing over each of us personally and placing a small gold necklace over our heads.

The blessing was the following using the symbols on the necklace: “May the Miraculous Medal be your shield and strength in the Way. Amen. May the sunrays flood our prayers with their graces. Amen. May the 12 star crown guide you in the footsteps of the Apostles. Amen. May the M intertwined on the Cross, fortify our lives in the difficulty. Amen. May we find peace in our lives as we approach the foot of the Altar. Amen. May the heart of Jesus help us to love the weakest. Amen. May His foot on the serpent, and Mary’s, representing the first Eve, stimulate us to walk in truth and justice. Amen. May this medal serve as a reminder who protects us and accompanies us on the Way. Amen.”

Wow, what just happened? This little woman comes out of nowhere, just like an angel appearing. I had to walk outside, stand and think about what just happened. How about you? Have you ever had a moment when you least expected and you had to just stop and contemplate what just occurred? I loved those moments. May we never be too busy to stop and absorb the complete aspect of those moments.

And how about those things, like poles, or our loved ones we depend on and can’t take another step or leave the farmacia without them?

What ever those experiences, people, and/or things in the journey you’re experiencing, may your chosen path be blessed. Whichever route you take, may every step be a prayer for peace and an extension of loving kindness. May we learn some lessons along the way. May you find your strength and shield in the One who has his foot on the serpent in your life. May you love well and know that you are well loved.

Blessings and Buen Camino. Jay and Kelly

Who knew my fifteen year dream and Jay’s passion for spearing lionfish has a similarity – a shell. Shells in the ocean and shells guiding us along our Camino.

Another similarity is when diving, good dive buddies will “plan the dive and then dive the plan”. On the Camino we have plans where we are staying, so we walk that plan. Some days when there are more kilometers than average, we think we’ll stop more often, however the plans go out the window when we get on a roll.

Remember Flat Mark and Flat Vicki? They’re on the Camino with us. Although I don’t think their feet are feeling like ours since they are traveling in a little Joey pouch.

This guy in the next picture helped paint the yellow arrows along the trail decades ago. His name is Marcelino Lobato. He has walked the Camino fifty times. The first one was in 1976. He was one of only six to receive a Compostela (certificate of completion) that year.

The Camino has a language all its own. Here’s a few terms used on the Camino.

Albergue -(pronounced Al-bear-gay) this is a pilgrims place to sleep. It’s usually a hostel. Since we are gliking (is that a term?) we are staying in private rooms with a private bath. Some look almost like hostels when you walk in. Some are self-proclaimed 3-star.

And then there are the real 3-star places with amazing views such as this.

Bars – When Dia Utterback first used the term “bar”, while sharing her experience, that we would get our pilgrims credentials stamped there, we would eat tapas/pintxos there and if need be, call a taxi from there. I was thinking, we’re not going to be hanging out in bars everyday. We’re walking 778 kilometers. Here’s what we’ve learned – bars are different than what we think in the United States. Kids come to eat there and the kids are sometimes sharing their parents wine. Many of the bars are family run with kids and grandparents helping. We eat many meals there. You drink coffee there in the mornings and afternoons. They are a Spanish café. They are great!

Pilgrims Credentials – This is our cards we carry with us throughout our pilgrimage getting them stamped and dated a few times a day when we stop by the bars, hotels/hostels, or cathedrals.

You can see our “fig, water, and love stamp from Felicia’s daughter in the top right hand corner and the “Marcelino Lobato” stamp at the bottom of the same page.

Coffee – coffee in Spain has a language different than Starbuck language. No one would ever go without their coffee here. Jay tries almost every morning to get a decaf. Every day they just stare at him, except one day they had it. Rejoicing!

Siesta – everything, except the bars close for 2-4 hours everyday. However, even in the bars the kitchens are closed during those hours. Stores open around 9 until 2ish, then open back at 5ish until 8ish. The in between hours are siesta time.

Dinner, if you’re lucky is 7:00pm. Most places do not open until 8:00 and many times 8:30; hence why you eat in the bars if you want to eat earlier than that. We have had dinner with some wonderful people.

Our first night we had a pilgrims dinner with several other pilgrims. One of the couples at our table were from Canada. Their names John (pronounced with a French soft “J”) and his wife Carol. John is 79 years old. He just got his first tattoo, the Camino yellow arrow on the inside of his forearm. He was pretty proud of it. (Hmmm, maybe Jay and I can get a shell?) We continued to run into them occasionally the first eight days, however we had to say goodbye to them in Logrono. Carol was having difficulties with a knee and decided to go home.

We have met so many wonderful people already. I hope we’re able to share each of their stories in the coming blogs.

Back to the title – So why the shell?

I’ve read a few reasons, so I’ll share the two that are cited the most. First one has to do with St James, the apostle and brother to John. The two were fishermen when Jesus called them to be two of his disciples. James traveled to Iberia which is the Northwest part of Spain (Galicia) to preach the gospel. Sadly on his way back to Jerusalem, he was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa for blasphemy. James body was brought back by boat to be laid to rest. As the boat began coming to shore, a knight on a horse went over the cliff and into the ocean. It is said St James intervened, saved the knight and his horse. When they came out of the water they were covered in shells. Hmmm…

Second one: The shell on the Camino represents the many ways to Santiago De Compestela. The flat side (line) represents Santiago. The ridges in the shell represents the paths to Santiago. And the pilgrims use the scalloped shell to drink their wine from it.

Or, when you come to the wine fountain on the trail (yeah really, a free wine fountain) and you can’t get your shell untied, just hold your head under the spout. That’s what most of the pilgrims do now.

I’m so glad I had my vino tinto colored shirt on that day.

The pilgrims have found many roads to walk to Santiago and pay tribute to St James, but it reminds me our journey in life has one way and that is the way, the truth, and the life – Jesus. As I look at all the types of trails we’ve walked so far and see the many ways to Santiago de Compostela, I’m reminded how many routes I’ve tried during my lifetime and know there is really only one. How about you?

Please enjoy a few of the different trails during the 407 kilometers we’ve walked so far.

When you know your destination, find the joy in the journey. Blessings and Buen Camino.

I got him to give you a big smile!!!

We are peeling back the layers of our onions on this walk. I once heard you have to peel back the layers of an onion to see if it has a sweet heart or a rotten core.

For instance, after about five days into this journey I might have announced to Jay I’m kind of done with all the bread that is served. (Not croissants yet.) And, about the forth day I said, “I don’t need ketchup on my scrambled eggs or frites” (French fries). That’s big for a person who can make a sandwich out of almost everything and a ketchup-holic. Those are pretty superficial layers of this onion, however you have to peel those back to get to the thicker (real) stuff.

The next layer for me is somewhat of a complaint, if you will. Please let me begin by saying I don’t think this of all cyclists, however when did it become the pedestrian and/or runners place to yield or pull over into the shrubs so a bicycle can go by? When did the Camino become the cycling pilgrimage? I don’t know the answer to that one. The law in most states say a bicycle is considered a vehicle and a walker/runner has the right of way. Many times lately, not only on the Camino but in the rest of the world, the cyclist has appeared entitled and walkers/runners should just get into the shrubs, if needed, in order for the cyclists to pass at whatever speed they choose. What if a walker/runner stepped into the shrubs and stepped on something that just shedded THIS!

That is not a layer of onion! Yes, that is a snake skin on the side of the road. I was thinking, wow, Spain doesn’t have any snakes. I like that. By the way, I probably will never loose the onion layer that doesn’t like snakes.

Anyway, if cycling is your sport, may you not be one of those who feel entitled to whatever space there is. Sometimes it might be the polite thing to get off your bike and walk it if on a small path that includes you, walkers, and runners.

Okay, there’s a layer for sure. Whew!!! Thanks for getting through this with me. Let’s just put this at the foot of the cross for a bit.

Side note – Wow, as I look at that picture I’m kind of color coordinated this day, even my sticks.

2 Corinthians 3:18, “We all, with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which come from the Lord, which is the Spirit.”

Jay’s layers – He said,”Do I HAVE to change on this walk”? Then he said,”we’ll see”.

One observation I can see for Jay, he has quit looking at his phone to see how far we’ve walked. Our title this week is a phrase he said as we were walking one day when I asked how much further do you think we have today? I think that’s his first layer. Also, if we watch signs, it feels as if we’re not getting anywhere. So why bother, “when we get there, we’ll be there.”

This sign was in Estella as we were leaving.

The next day, as we were leaving Los Arcos, this was the sign.

Wait! We think, and our feet feel as though we walked approximately 24 kilometers for the one kilometer that it’s showing. One small observation as we walk is each piece of information we have is close but not exact on the mileage. So, “when we get there, we’ll be there” is our phrase each day.

What layers are you looking to peel away? I could end with this, however we have so much too share. So, I’m switching gear forward a bit.

As of today we have walked approximately 270 kilometers. It’s still a math question, how many miles have we walked?

When we arrived in Akerreta, which is a hamlet with a hotel and a few buildings that have been vacant for many years, our innkeeper, Joxemari, was such a kind man. His wife is from Southern California with family still there. His inn laid vacant for 100 years. He bought it in 2010 and it took him four years to completely renovate. It is beautiful!

Their neighbors were the most precious couple I’ve ever seen. We never more wanted to be able to speak and understand Spanish more than that moment when we met them. They were an older couple just tending to their chores. He was splitting logs to store for the coming winter and she just came out to talk. And that’s just what they did. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand, they just wanted to talk and have someone laugh with them. We could do that much, laugh with them. Oh, I just wanted to go sit with her for the rest of the evening. Look at that precious face.

I’ll end with a poem by Hannah Brencher, “We all have a bag. We all pack differently. Some of us are traveling light. Some of us are secret horders, who’ve never parted with a memory in our lives. I think we are called to figure out how to carry our bag to the best of our ability, how to unpack it, and how to face the mess. I think a part of growing up is learning how to sit down on the floor with all your things and figuring out what to take with you and what to leave behind.”

Forget the destination, enjoy the journey. Blessings and Buen Camino.

….as Jay likes to say. This particular park is the width of Spain with a bit of France at the beginning. I need to clarify something I’ve shared with so many of you as we’ve talked during the plan stages of this particular piece or our trip. Our Camino does not end in Portugal. I thought the second portion of our walk was to Portugal. It’s just so happens that particular piece of land is still Spain. I thought Portugal extended all the way up the Atlantic, but Spain owns that little piece. So much for my geography skills.

Thank you so much for all your prayers this week. We have felt them so much that our difficult days have felt like nothing. I know we are so lifted in prayer, it’s as if we are floating through these miles. As we publish this particular blog, we are five days into this pilgrimage and have walked approximately 120 kilometers. This past week when our grandchildren started school I texted them our kilometers for the day and told them their first math quiz of the school year was, “How many miles have we walked?” So, how’s your math skills? How many miles are 120 kilometers?

Our Camino began in St Jean Pied-De Port, France. Oh that bed was so comfortable, we didn’t want to leave. Up and over the Pyrenees was our goal for the next couple days.

Our first day we ran into only one other pilgrim. Her name was Darlene from Utah. It was so great to talk to someone who spoke English. We haven’t had a conversation with another since August 14th. I think I might have talked too much. All of a sudden she needed to stop and get her poles out, and we never saw her again. Oops!!

We chose to take the Valcarlos route instead of the Napoleon route due to weather. Everyone else, except Darlene and us took the Napoleon. As we talked to other pilgrims at our first night’s destination, they all shared how cold and wet the Napoleon route was and they didn’t see a thing. This is what they contended with all day and what we saw when our routes converged.

Most of our day was great along the river and through the valley. And then we had the big climb at the end of our day to see the fog.

There is so much I could share each day. As we are walking it’s difficult to decide what you are going to focus on seeing. The old Gothic style churches are amazing. The other ornate buildings and statues are something to see as well.

So are the different animals, such as the pig who decided to lift her head up from eating to pose as soon as she saw Jay get his camera.

Or maybe the gorgeous landscape this area of the world has on display.

I’ve discovered how much I love waterfalls. I already knew I liked to see them, however I have this new awareness of how drawn I am to them.

Jay has loved all the wild blackberries we get to eat along the trail these past five days.

And the old bridges the Romans built in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Exploring the city of Pamplona was great too. This is the city where the “Running of the Bulls” occurs. Jay thought he might participate. Then hang out with Ernest Hemingway in his favorite haunt.

As much as I love waterfalls, I love meeting different pilgrims on this journey and meeting the towns people. One particular local was Javier González. He and his mother live in Zubiri. His house is located on the corner of the Camino as you exit Zubiri. The gate is his backyard.

We met Javier walking to Zubiri from Venter del Puerto. He was out for his daily walk, a very fast walker, may I say. (Judy Davis and Teresa Field, you could keep up with him for sure.) We chatted for a bit while walking and then he was gone. Jay and I said, “This guy was the happiest person we’ve met today. Wish we could have kept up with him.” (It was late in our day and we still had miles to go.) After going to the Mercado (Supermarket) we walked over the bridge in Zubiri to begin our last section of our walk for the day when this guy yells from his backyard, “Hey, you are from California, from Sacramento, California.” We looked over and there he was, the happiest man that day! Javier comes out of his backyard, takes our picture, then asks if he can post it on his Instagram. We are email buddies now. He emailed some great ideas while in Pamplona. Javier, we made your Instagram, you made our blog.

I know this blog is getting long, so I’ll wrap it up with this. All these areas of interest are amazing in this small world we live in, however there is nothing better than being with the one who created all this and the privilege of sitting at the feet of His Son, Jesus, throughout the day.

Blessings and Buen Camino!

We’ve arrived in San Sebastian, Spain to rest up for the next big adventure.

Before we begin sharing Donostia, remember our last blog regarding what seat you are living, 42J or 3C? Guess where we were sitting on the plane from Atlanta to Madrid?

You guessed it, 42-G. I knew the Lord was speaking through Louie last week. I now think he was trying to tell Jay he needed to upgrade us to 3C, except those upgrades were $4,200 per person. So, maybe not. We thought you would enjoy the laugh we had when we saw our seat assignments.

When we arrived in Madrid we learned it was a big European holiday – a bank holiday which means everyone is off work and going on holiday for a long weekend celebration, and for many, a fifteen day holiday. We thought it might be some sort of independence day. Much to our surprise, August 15, 2019 is Assumption Day. For all our Catholic friends, you know what I’m about to share. Assumption Day is the day believed to be when Mary, the mother of Jesus, departed from this life and entered heaven. In parts of Europe it is also called, “Easter of the Summer”. In Spain, it also marks the start of the annual summer holiday when many escape the hot cities to enjoy their beautiful coastlines and hills.

Donostia – San Sebastian, one of Spain’s beautiful coastal towns, celebrates well. Before we begin to share in the celebrations, enjoy a few beautiful areas we found.

San Francisco needs to see how Spaniards deal with hilly roads a person needs to walk up. Yes, that’s an escalator to walk (ride up the hill). There was actually four separate ones to get up this particular hill. The light colored building behind us on the left is our flat we are living in for these few days here.

It’s booming in the Basque Country. Jay counted ten cranes when we were standing in one place.

This is one of those blogs I wish I could share videos. The celebration pictures we are about to share do not do justice. The celebration began in the evening with many street acts, music and cultural dancing on stages in several of the plazas in old town.

The food is interesting. Most of the bars serve pintxos, which are Basque Country equivalent of tapas. The pintxos bars give you a plate, you pick out your food from dishes lined up along the bar, and they count how many pieces you have, then you pay. So simple. By the way, a glass of wine is so cheap here. A lovely glass of a reserved Tempranillo blend, $4 euros. The markets are fun to go to each day too. Jay is ready to move here. They just lack Lionfish.

Back to celebrating – As many of you know, I love firework displays. Almost as much as a great sunsets. Fireworks bring out the bright-eyed girl in me. There’s something when the skies are lit up with all the brightness and beautiful colors that brings great joy for me. Rancho Murieta, we have found a place that out does us on fireworks. Three days of this celebratory time ended with a fireworks display choreographed perfectly with musical arias from several operas. Before the fireworks began, there was a time of complete silence for prayer and thanks giving for this celebration. Absolutely beautiful to see thousands of people standing in silence.

Awh, sunsets! Yes, they are beautiful here as well.

As we end our rest time in Donostia, we are already seeing so much beauty and kindness in the people of Spain. Next stop – our Camino. This piece of our year long adventure has been a big part of our planning for almost one year. It’s hard to believe the day has come.

Walk to Emmaus people, I know we learned not to anticipate (DeColores) however I must admit I have had some great anticipation with a side of anxiety since we left Atlanta. We are so far away from home. It’s not as easy to get back as it was while traveling around the caribbean and East coast. No one speaks English and we don’t speak much Spanish. Can we really do this? Have we prepared well? Oh, my brain! Oh yeah, worry about nothing, pray about everything.

Internet services will be sporadic, so we will post when we can. If you think of it from time to time, please pray for us. We need endurance and injury free days (42 of them to be exact) strength in our backs, knees, and ankles. and especially, no blisters.

Blessings and as pilgrims say to one another, Buen Camino.

This week is a mixture of land and ocean. Or another way of saying it would be Caribbean and United States. (last time for this year for both areas)

We’ve had some amazing dives on the island and have met some wonderful people over the years in Grand Cayman. Gareth, or Captain Gareth has been a part of our diving expeditions for almost four years. Giving him a good motherly hug each time we come is always necessary. I feel like he could be one of our kids. He is the guy that gave Jay his divemaster certification a few years ago. So Jay does not get away with forgetting stuff when the captain is on board.

Another captain-of-his-ship we look forward to visiting on the island is Rommel. Rommel is the guard on duty at the Villas of the Galleon on Seven Mile Beach. Even though we are not staying there, we like to make time to say hi. I can’t remember how long we’ve known Rommel. Time just goes by when you are having fun, right? Great place to stay and this is the guy who will be watching over your place.

It was shark week on TV this week and also underwater as well. We swam with this guy, a caribbean reef shark, and his little friend as well as a few others just like him. There were nurse sharks and a couple hammerhead swimming in the same waters this week.

There were some other fun and interesting creatures to observe such as lobsters, rays, and turtles.

And one of my top favorites, the juvenile spotted drum. Why are they called spotted when they have stripes? As they get older they can develop spots with their stripes. These tiny creatures just swim in circles most of their little lives. I think I could elaborate on that subject for this week’s discussion, however I think I will just let you enjoy the pictures for now. By the way, they swim in circles or figure eights to attrack the bigger fish. They are cleaner fish, is what I’ve read, so they like for the bigger fish to come so they can clean them. (No wonder I like them so much! My OCD is showing again)

A couple interesting creatures I’ve heard of, but never seen until now. One is the slipper lobster. No, it’s not an African tribal mask sitting at the bottom of the ocean, it’s really a lobster.

The other is a blue spine starfish. He is tucked up and hanging on in a crevass of this beautiful sponge.

This ends our quick fix, I mean quick trip back to the sea. So, what is the land piece to this week, Atlanta,Georgia. (Get it – Land and Sea) Or some call it Hotlanta, because, yes, it’s hot! However, our sweet family who has graciously put us up for the week has completed their pool and was ready for us to jump in. Thank you!

Unplugging with the Miller’s is just what we did. Jay called the box, “cellphone jail”. There were so many things to do while we were there, who needs a phone except for pictures.

The Atlanta United Soccer team played the New York Team. Great seats and a gorgeous new stadium. Deb’s favorite guy, Josef Martinez, scooooored the goooooooals and they won.

Before we leave USA again, there’s not a better way to be sent off than with an all-American Baseball game. Braves -v- Mets. A gorgeous night under the lights and a full-moon. Final score – Braves 5, Mets 3.

Flat Mark and Flat Vicki joined us for the game as well.

We attended Passion City Church while in Atlanta. I have enjoyed Louie Giglio’s teachings for so long. So I was very excited to hear him in person. His teaching did not disappoint. I really do think the Lord was speaking through Louie to Jay and me personally. The analogy he used to describe how we are already seated in the heavenly realm next to God and how we are living today on earth was the difference between seats 3C and 42J on an international flight. Our seat in heaven is like those first class 3C seats that are amazing with the ramekins of hot nuts being served. However, we might be living as though we are seated in the back of the plane, those cramped up 42J seats. God wants us living knowing, when we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, who did all the work on the cross for us, we are sitting with Him in 3C seats.

How are you living, 3C or 42J? Something I’ll be thinking about as we hop around from one country to another on the airplanes.

Miller’s, thank you for this week and all you did to help us prepare for our journey. Before we end, we can’t forget Molly.

Blessings, until next time from another country.

About 70 days, that’s it. You guessed it, we’re back in the Caribbean. Grand Cayman Island is our home for a couples weeks in order for Jay to get a fix of spearing. Yes, his addiction of choice. It’s a good one. It keeps our reef healthy and it brings us great ceviche.

The bottom floor is our home in the background. We have already befriended the Lionfish jewelry artist of Grand Cayman, Kelly Reineking, Mermaids Touch. You can find her on Facebook. Jay hopes to keep her stocked up with fins and tails.

Look at that smile on Jay’s face. Now that’s a man in his perfect place of joy, spearing and cleaning Lionfish.

I have found my happy place as well, sitting on the dock at the bay watching great sunsets. You thought I was about to go into a song, however I’ve already used that one in a previous blog. Otis, you are a legend.

Watching a sunset is the best part of the day for me. God makes each one unique, just like us.

Another place of peace and joy for us is making time in our week to go to church. This year has been fun discovering new churches and how worship is done in different parts of our world.

Where does your joy come from? What brings life to your beautiful smile and joyful heart?

I like the word joy instead of happy. Joy feels deeper than happiness. When I think of joy I think of peace as well, which in this sometimes chaotic world, peace is what we tend to search for. Sometimes after a long hectic day at work, you just want to shut the doors and windows and sit in the stillness. Have your ever had that time where you say, “Awh, peace and quiet”?

After the time of peace, joy is what can fill you up. Joy invigorates. It’s what excites your heart and brings brightness to your eyes.

I read an article recently about things you can do to lead a joyful life. First thing it said, eat breakfast. That was intriguing so, I had to continue reading. Then it said smile and be present, (Put those cell phones down, look up and smile at someone) it will surely make someone’s day. It also said breathe and drink water. Hey, they took my phrase! How many of you have heard me say that over the years? I wasn’t thinking joy when I said it, however I will now!

The book of Psalms is full of joyful praises that I love to read. Psalms 100 says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth. (That’s us) Serve the Lord with gladness (another word for joyful) Come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord, he is God. It is He who made us and we are His.”

So I ask again, where do you find your joy?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you put your trust in Him, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Blessings and joyful living this week. Jay and Kelly

Our time has come to an end in Boise town. Another two months that just blew by. I thought I would be able to share so much history of Boise with you and I never had the time to research.

Here are a few statistics of our time: Days in Boise: 65 Breakfasts served at our house: 50 at least. Miles chauffeuring:??? Pictures taken: 253 Number of Visitors: 5 Miles Hiked: 270ish rain or shine. Blisters so far: 1

There is so much to see and do in Idaho especially if you like the outdoors. There are so many trails to hike and bike, I don’t think you can ever experience them all. Instead we found our favorites and hiked pieces of it on different days.

Our last big hike was the elusive tower on top of one of the mountains using the homestead trail to get to the lucky peak trail system. It was a 14 mile out and back with a 3,000 foot elevation climb, then back down. Loved it! It felt like you could see the entire Treasure Valley along with Lucky Peak Lake. Pictures could not do justice to what your eyes were really seeing. Amazing!

As I mentioned in the last blog, Shakespeare in the Park is a big event in Boise during the summer. Seats are booked way in advance. Fortunately, they have a couple areas you can just bring your chairs or blanket to sit on.

If you love music, it’s everywhere. Downtown on Wednesday there is music in the square by the Grove Hotel. There are concerts on Bogus Mountain, which is a ski slope in the winter. There are mountain bike trails if you are not interested in the music. The botanical gardens has concerts. Music is in the Boise air.

One of the lakes such as McCall, a couple hours from Boise; or Stanley, near Sun Valley in the Sawtooth Mountains are beautiful day trips or weekend trips to see the beauty in this vast land called Idaho.

Guests coming to visit were always a highlight for us. We loved discovering and experiencing new areas with our loved ones. Thanks Dave, for coming to visit us our last week there. We loved our time with you. The art work on the wall is from our artist, Rosie.

And, when you feel like just relaxing, there’s nothing better than a trip to one of the libraries. Yes, I have an Idaho library card. I don’t have a California or an Oklahoma one. Isn’t that odd?

If you love art, there are art galleries or art project, such as glass blowing to experience when visiting.

Church – we did have a church we attended in Boise called Eastwind Community in Surprise Valley. The pastor and his wife were our neighbors. If that isn’t enough coincidence, Jeremy, the pastor, is the best friend of our brother-in-law Bryan (who lives in Atlanta, Georgia). I love how God does these things we call coincidences, don’t you?

We are popping the top on this time celebrating the wonderful blessings of family and friends in Idaho.

We have walked many miles. And now we have closed out our time in Boise. We have enjoyed all the wonderful people we came in contact with. I know we just scraped the surface of what Boise and the state of Idaho has to offer. I see why so many are moving here. A great piece of Americana. Thank you for walking and reading through this journey with us.

Blessings, and can’t wait to share our next place with you. Jay and Kelly