Who ever heard of these?

These are my gaiters, not to be confused with gators, but plenty of those around too,,,August in Florida is obliging me with plenty of rainy weather to test them and honestly, between these and my waterproof boots, my feet feel dry!....well maybe just a little damp :)

Through heat and cold and tropical storms

Yes I have endured all that Florida has to offer this past year, but will it have been enough?

These last few weeks are full of details...lodging, travel, currency and communication issues while in a foreign country. But what was for so long just an idea, is now becoming a reality. I feel an excitement building within that I haven't had since I was a child! Something I thought was gone forever...

Walk, eat, sleep...

In this insanely complicated world, it is the simplicity of this journey that is so appealing. Walk, eat, sleep and if problems such as blisters or tendinitis arise, throw a bus or taxi into the mix. A rare chance to realize just how little is truly necessary in life, and how much complexity is of our own making. My 18 yr old son says simplicity isn't always best, but for someone who has spent way too much time drowning in details, I say please let it begin!

In my own backyard

My training has led me to rediscover some simple pleasures, like getting out in nature, and a trail near my house. Here in Tampa, in the heart of suburbia, there aren't that many nice places to take a walk. Never mind that this one runs next to the county landfill..it gives the illusion of hills...which brings up the next subject - that there isn't anywhere to train for the kind of trekking I'll be doing...does going up and down the overpass on the highway 10 times count?

Not just a walk

It's not just a vacation, not just a long walk...it's a pilgrimage. Many do this as just an adventure, but for some, it is more. One is called to do a pilgrimage..."it is a personal invitation from God...an individual summons to know God more fully. A successful pilgrimage involves a commitment to leave one's problems behind...a time of prayer and to witness the miraculous signposts God has left for our return to Him."
My call was intense and immediate...and full of synchronistic events...the scallop shell, being the symbol of the journey, was so evident in my home, without my even being aware. And then the "James" thing...the same weekend I knew I would do this, his name was everywhere...my one year at Catholic school was at St. James, I bought earrings and the artist lived on St. James Way, the salesman at the outfitter store was named James, the neighbor named their newborn son James...coincidence? Look at these pics of a shot on the Camino and my home...whatever it is, I am being drawn by a magnetic force and I am ready!!