Countdown to the Camino

Dear Family and Friends: Tomorrow I fly to Spain and five days until I start waking "The Camino de Santiago".  Most of my packing is done except some last minute items. I have led up to this by working at The Interstate Fair for two weeks. I finished this on Monday, a day after the fair closed. This is my one work for pay job, since my retirement. This was my second year working the fair. The rest of my retirement jobs have been volunteer. I must admit that there is something satisfying to know I am still employable.
Janice will have the hard job of keeping the home fires burning and Ollie will have the job of companionship for Janice while I am gone. As our home is up for sale, maybe most of her time will be completing the sale and preparing for the move.
In preparation for the trip I have acquired a smart phone and have been learning it's operation. I will use it to call Janice on Skype, send her pictures  and to reading my e-mail and Facebook. Janice will keep up the blog from the pictures I send and from our conversations.
I fly out of Spokane at 5:00 AM Wednesday and will, (God willing) land in Pamplona, Spain at 10:00 AM on Thursday. From Pamplona I will catch a bus to ST Jean de Port, France. After checking in with the Pilgrim office, I will find a hostel to spend the night. On Friday morning, if al goes right, I will start my hike across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain. I will cross into Spain after about 10 miles and should make the first of my 33 destinations in another 5 miles.

Although most of the hikers will be Europeans, there will be also Americans and Canadians on the trails. I have already connected with several of them. One of my hopes is to walk and talk with many people from all over the world. Because of this, I am going on my own, rather than taking any companions. This is a bucket list item for me. I turn 70 in less than 1 1/2 years, so hope to compete the 490 mile hike when I still have the strength.
My mental state is similar from when I was preparing for Marathons and ultra-Marathons. Currently I am saying to myself, what have I gotten into and can I do this? If this is like the Marathons and the ultra Marathons like La Grizz and Western State 100, I will be anxious until I take the first steps to the goal. Once I have started, I will concentrate on completing what I have undertaken and the anxiety will disappear. Your prayers and best wishes are welcomed.
I will let Janice finish this post with her observations.
Ah, what to say? I've been having a lot of mixed emotions as I send Joel on his way tomorrow knowing I won't see him for another 45 days. I truly am happy for Joel as he goes on this adventure.  There is a part of me that wishes I could do this experience with him, but I know I don't have the stamina to walk 500 miles and sleep in hostels.  So, I will miss him very much and may even shed a tear or two as the days go on.  There is a small bit of me that is fearful for him, however I know what will be will be and everything will work out as it should in the end.  Ollie will keep me company as I will for him. He will miss Joel too.  We've all become very dependent on one another in this family. 
Joel will be giving me daily updates with pictures that I will then post in the form of a blog each morning. If you have questions for him along the way, be sure to email him jus-ducky@hotmail.com. He may not be able to answer each and every email, but if there are several of the same type of questions, he will let me know and I will post the answers for all to read that will be of interest. 
In the mean time, I will be keeping the house and yard "spotless" for perspective buyers.  I will also be on the hunt for boxes and beginning the job of packing.  Oh joy! 
For now, keep the healthy/happy thoughts and prayers coming our way for this next adventure. 
Buen Camino Mi Amore'

On The Road Again ~ Camino De Santiago Pilgrimage

A Message From Joel;
Last winter I made the commitment to walk the Camino de Santiago. This is a 800 KM, 490 mile walk that starts in St. Jean de Port, France. This is in the south of France. The hike soon crosses the border into Spain and the Pyrenees Mountain, through Northern Spain Basque country ending at the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. This was originally a Roman Catholic Pilgrimage dating back 500 years. The last 40 years or so the Camino has been discovered by Catholics and Non-Catholics alike. People use this as a time for reflection, an internal spiritual journey or just an experience. For myself, I am going to start the walk with no expectations, but with  an open mind to what God, other people and the trail chooses to share with me.

This started as a bucket list over two years ago when our friend's daughter who has adopted up as her Uncle & Aunt walked the Camino. As a single woman, she walked the entire Camino and shared her experiences along the way. Later, we watched a movie with 4 of our friends while in Mazatlán called "The Way". This movie starred Martin Sheen and Emillio Estavez.  Also our friends from Mazatlán; Guy and Nicole had hiked part of the Camino and along with othe friends, met together and shared their experiences.

I had a surprise stroke on 2011 that reminded me of my mortality. As a former Marathon and Ultra Runner I had the delusion that I was indestructible.  Interesting how the stroke cured me of that notion.  I also had been on a cane for the past 2 1/2 years due to arthritis in the ankle, before the stroke and had gained weight. After the stroke I started walking as much as I could. In April 2012 I had the ankle operated on. After a time of recovery I started running again and in 2013 I entered in the Missoula Marathon. At about 1/3 of the way through the Marathon I discovered that long distance was no longer working for me and I slowed to a power walk and finished the 26 miles in 6 hours. Since then I have concentrated on walking.

I made my decision, and March of 2015 I purchased my airline ticket from Spokane to Pamplona, Spain. Once this fiscally conservative (tight) man has spent money, he is committed. Pamplona is about 30 some miles from the start of the Camino and I have been assured that there is regular transportation to St. Jean many times a day.

I have been purchasing equipment for the Camino. From Sportsman's Warehouse, with the assistance of Janice, I purchased a backpack, poncho, waterproof hiking boots and a zip up sheet.  Janice was able to purchase walking poles from E-Bay. I purchased a guide to The Pilgrimage de Santiago from Amazon. Janice and daughter Joanne bought me hiking socks from Coeur d' Alene. Then I returned to Sportsman's Warehouse and bought two pair of cargo pants, the quick drying kind. I have had several tech shirts from Marathons that I will wear, plus my hoodie from The Colbert Classic. I also got a first aid kit at the Windermere Marathon. This along with refillable water bottles and money will be what I will take with me.  I'm hoping that is about all I'll need.

In preparation, I have been walking everywhere and often putting on my loaded backpack and my walking sticks and walking ten to twelve miles. I am also preparing for this spiritually by accepting that I am no longer young and soon will have completed my three score and seventy, so no longer consider myself indestructible. I am putting myself into God's hands with no expectations, as God knows better than I what I will gain from the Camino, I plan on being open to the people from all around the world that also will walk this. I've read that every person that comes across our paths will be placed there for some reason. Exciting to think about.

I will fly out the morning of September 23 and arrive in Pamplona, Spain the morning of September 24. I will then arrive at St. Jean the afternoon of the 24th and secure my Pilgrim's Passport. Every village I will pass and every place I will stay will stamp this passport and by the time I reach Santiago the Passport will be full and will be a keepsake.

I will take a iPod and daily call Janice on Skype. I will call her every morning Washington time, which will be late afternoon Spanish time. Hopefully, I will have completed the day's walk by then. I plan on averaging 15 miles a day and plan a day a week of rest time. This will be adjusted as the Camino progresses. I plan on staying in basic hostels most days, but I might stay at a hotel on my day of rest. I ask for prayers, encouragement and your checking on Janice and Ollie while I am gone. Feel free to ask any questions. Adios, soon.

[From Janice: I will attempt to update this blog regularly while he's gone.  If you wish to be updated regularly please sign up to follow us here on the blog]

Adios to our Mazatlán life and hello to ???

Wow, time really does fly and it is time to close down our life in Mazatlán and try some new adventures. Some of our friends can't imagine our leaving, but as our birthdays are starting to mount up, we can't imagine staying in one place while there is a large unexplored world and limited time.

Both Joel and Janice are nomads. We have different ways of showing it, but deep down both of us must have some Gypsy blood in us. Joel shows it by not wanting to own any property and  having our capital liquid and free to move around at will. Janice shows it by purchasing a home and then within a year or two looking at another home to trade for and will again in a year or two. She loves bringing beauty to the drab and as soon as the home is at its beauty to start the process over again. Neither way is right, just different outlooks. I don't think either picture ourselves being in only one home until one or both of us are invalids. We have a lot of exploring in us still. Joel will always long for the freedom and Janice will always be looking at the next home.

We both will miss our friends that we have made over the years in Mazatlán. I remember fondly the people we met in Mongolia and the people when we traveled Europe with on a Rick Steve's tour for 3 weeks. I still I remember the Brit's that took us on a pub crawl in Nerja, Spain including the communist bar from the Spanish Civil war. The 20 and 30 year olds we traveled with in hostels in Ireland were also life highlights. Who knows who is out there waiting to share their life stories with us. So while we will miss our amigos from Mazatlan,  we look forward to the next friends we have yet to meet.

September Joel will walk the 500 mile Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage walk from Southern France, across the mountains, through Basque country, into Santiago, Spain. Joel plans on sleeping in hostels and churches and living simply for the 40 days. Joel is looking forward to meeting people from many countries that will cross his path. He read somewhere that the way to look at it is, that everyone God places in your path is there for a reason, so enjoy them all from what you can learn from them and the companionship they have to offer. This summer we will spend a few days with many people he hasn't seen since childhood. It's Joel's 50th class reunion in Iowa.

If you know us well at all, you know that we're both up for adventures. We know that others aren't wired like us and isn't it grand that we all are different with different aspirations and can share our experiences with each other.  We'll keep blogging about our travel experiences  and we hope you'll keep following along with us.

Last winter in Mazatlan & Plans for walking the Camino de Santiago

Hello all. It has been a long time since our last post. As this week will be the fifth anniversary since I, (Joel), retired it seemed like a good time to catch everyone up on our comings and goings and plans.

We have decided that this will be our last winter in Mazatlán. Janice has spent eight winters and I have six winters in this wonderful place, it is now time to explore some other winter options. Although Mazatlán has been great, life is getting shorter and we would like to have some other experiences before age and time take away our options.

Next winter, the winter of 2015-2016 is still up in the air. Our oldest Jelani has been accepted at all the universities he has applied to: The University of Washington, Louisiana State University and The University of Hawaii. His first choice is Hawaii, but I am sure finances, scholarships, grants, etc. will factor into where he will go. If he goes to Hawaii, we would probably go one to two months in Hawaii. If LSU is his choice we would spend a month in Louisiana and a month in Florida.  These are just two options of many. We also might goes to San Diego for a month or two to house sit for friends if they need our help.

In May of 2016, I am planning to walk the Camino de Santiago. This is a 500 mile, (800 kilometer) walk that starts in St Jean, France, then you walk across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain, through Basque country and ends up at a huge cathedral with many stops along the way in Santiago. I plan on taking approximately 40 days. If you are interested in this, check out the movie "THE WAY" with Martin Sheen. I plan on sleeping in hostels, dormitories and churches along the way. People from all over the world walk this and I am hoping to share the road with many interesting people. I plan on doing this alone and allow whatever is going to happen, happen. I will plan my trip to St. Jean and then my trip back from Santiago, but once I am on the trail I will go as far as the day and circumstances allow. I will journal the entire Camino walk.  We are unsure at this point whether Janice will do this same trip by bus or taxi from village to village and meet up with each other every few days or if she'll stay back in Spokane and take a trip with a friend sometime before or after my trip on the Camino.  We are at the beginning of our plans, and for the benefit of others planing their own pilgrimage on the Camino, I will blog the process I'm working on.

As this is our last season for now in Mazatlán,  we are treating these six months more like a vacation and doing the things we enjoy most here including weekly trips to Stone Island,  visiting our favorite restaurants,  spending time with friends we won't get to see once we say our goodbyes to Mazatlán.

Over this next year, I'll be blogging on my preparation that will take place to get me to the Camino.  I'll share about books I've read, videos I've seen, other blogs I've read which I hope will help others in this journey.

Buen Camino!


The Way

Another Winter becomes History

We are quickly to the end of my 5th and Janice's 7th winter in Mazatlan. Usually, we spend six months, but this year it will end up be just over five months as we are going to work on finishing
up the remodeling of our Spokane bungalow.

On the first of April we will check into The Riu, an all inclusive resort to pamper ourselves before
we drive the five day, four night drive to Spokane. We will spend two days at the Riu.  Beside stopping for breakfast with Daryl and Linda Miller in Arizona, we will drive straight through.

Both of us have been healthy with the exception for Janice having problems with foot pain. She will go back to the dr. upon our return to check again on this.  It has been ongoing for over 2 years now with no relief.  Walking for more then 10 minutes or being on her feet longer then 15 minutes and she needs to sit down. 

On March 20, the biggest part of this post is that Joel had an unexpected medical change. Since his stroke from August 2011, he has had no feeling on his right and arm and leg. Luckily, it didn't affect movement. On March 20th, Joel was lifting weights in the gym when he noticed a pain in his right elbow. It took a couple of minutes to process that this was different. After testing the rest of his arm and his leg, he found that feeling had returned to his right side! Wow, 31 months without feeling and it all returned at once. Regeneration of nerves continues to happen.

Again, we have enjoyed the company of our friends from the US, Canada, other parts of the world
and of course, our Mexican hosts. we enjoyed visits from friends from both sides of the state of
Washington along with our nephew and girlfriend. He was the first member of the Bruce Whitaker
branch of the family to visit Mazatlan. Bothers Steve and Joel have represented the family in
Mazatlan until then.

When we came down to Mazatlan the end of October, we had planned on not returning to Mazatlan,
but trying some other place to spend our winter. It only took a few weeks for us to realize that
we enjoy our friends and the city of Mazatlan. We changed our minds and decided to remain in
Mazatlan. Also, after two years enjoying our wonderful view on the Malecon, we will be
moving to Centro, to be in the heart of the action. Our new place is a beautiful place just down the street from The Angela Peralta Theatre. We will have an open courtyard between our kitchen and
our living room. Janice will be able to walk to the Plazuela Machado, the Mercado, and
Olas Altas to meet friends, listen to music, etc. Joel will enjoy the new location as it is two block
from the Pau, Pau, for afternoon discussions of male culture over cold cerveza. It is also close
to the library, another Joel hangout.

Again, if you visit Mazatlan, our families and friends are invited to spend a few days with us and if you want longer there are great places to rent on a longer basis. As we will be right in the middle of Centro we will not drive to Mazatlan, but will fly back in the fall. Inexpensive taxis and buses, make
a vehicle unnecessary and many of our friends spend the winter without one.

Well, the winter of 2013-2014 has been a wonderful time to be watching the cold and snow
up north in our short sleeve shirts and shorts. We are looking forward to our summer in Spokane
and then our return to Mazatlan in mid-late October. Until our next posting, adios amigos and amigas.

Our Final 2 Weeks In Mazatlan For Our 7th Season

These last two weeks were our next to the last purging of our belongings here in Mazatlan.  Since we are, as of this year, going to be spending half of our time in Spokane and half of our time in Mazatlan, we have sold, given, bartered, donated and thrown away 2/3 of our possessions.  The rest is being sorted into 3 more piles.  One guest room is being used for everything we plan on packing into our van for our return trip to Spokane.  The main bedroom is now being used for gathering everything we are going to take to the new house we'll be renting 6 months a year (winter months of course).  And finally, another trash area. Neither of us are pack rats. Especially not Joel.  He is a true minimalist in every since of the word.  Me on the other hand must have every gadget for the kitchen, every seasoning I might need for cooking, along with plenty of art supplies, cleaning supplies, toiletries that we might need.  Well, I am using the 1 year rule. If I haven't used it in 1 year, out it goes.
We'll spend the next two weeks finishing our organizing process, bringing our Mazatlan belongings over to the house we will start renting the middle/end of October.  We'll also enjoy some time with great friends we have here in Mazatlan.  I have a couple more art classes to go to and Joel has another visit or two to Pau Pau's and Hermanidad's de Frijoles Y Cervesa.  Brotherhood of Beans and Beer. 
We'll take several days to drive home and we've already been making our reservations for the hotels along the way. 
While we have been here in Mazatlan, the bungalow in Spokane has been having a few items done to it.  New windows, exterior doors, opening between kitchen and living-room and some repairs on the kitchen ceiling and painting the ceiling. This summer will be another season of updates to the bungalow.  We'll post pictures along the way.  One of the first things we are planning is to work on our back yard.  We'll put flagstone down for our patio, perhaps an arbor above the patio, enlarge our vegetable garden, plant berries; blue, raspberry and blackberry.  And then of course, some flowering plants for color.  We are both looking forward to getting back up to Spokane.  We have new neighbors of ours we got to know and looking forward to getting to know them better.
We are also looking forward to seeing all of the grandchildren and "kids".  We know they will be bigger and smarter than when we saw them in October.  We've been remiss in our blogs this year but hopefully will have more "down" time and let you know how this 6-month on and off is going for us.
La Vida Es Buena! - Life is Good!

OUT WITH THE "OLD" IN WITH THE "NEW"

Another transition for the two of us. We currently live in a condo we've furnished here in Mazatlan, but for various reasons, we are starting a sale of almost everything we own here and moving into a fully furnished home here in Mazatlan. Many things have sold already and picked up. The rest are the items we need to hold on to until March 15 for our own use. We will be selling the following and many small miscellaneous items. Please email Janice at
ms-lovie@hotmail.com if there is any item you wish. We can hold all items until March 29 for pick up, as long as it is paid for. We prefer US dollars and will even give a slight discount (DISCOUNT ALREADY NOTED) if you can pay with dollars, either by cash or PayPal.  PayPal, use my email and just make a personal deposit into my account.  Of course we will accept pesos, but then we will need to convert to US dollars and can't offer you the discount. Thanks for understanding.
Any questions please ask.




5'7" x 8'4"  Rug
$60 or 800 P
 



4 x 6 Carpet
$30 or 400 P





Framed Mosaic Mirror
$30 or 400 P



 



Set of 4 framed Mexican Prints (1 not showing)
$40 set or 525 P












Queen Size Bed Spread, dust ruffle, pillow shams and decorative pillows
$25 or 330 P



Queen Bed mattress and Box Spring
*rarely used as it was in our guest room
$125 or 1700 P








Adjustable Height Table Aprox. 3 x 4 ft
$50 or 700 P