Welcome!
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Welcome to our Camino website. We hope you will find here some useful information and engaging stories. We first heard of the Camino in 2007 and never imagined ourselves walking it. But we did walk it, in 2008. To our surprise, the Camino called to us . . . again and again . . . nine times between 2008 and 2019. Because we enjoy sharing the Camino experience and meeting others who are considering walking it, we have taught short courses on Camino practicalities through the Community Education program at a local college . We gathered the information provided here on the website for those classes. You can also find here blogs about our various walks.
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In 2006, we retired . . . Russ from a career in public sector biology-centered science and Peg from one in university public relations. Read more about who we are HERE.
Now, we find ourselves in 2021, a year after the Coronavirus Pandemic began affecting our lives so dramatically. When it became clear that travel would not be a good option for a long time, we decided to use our daily walks in our neighborhood as a virtual Camino. Starting in June, each day when we walked in our neighborhood enjoying Florida's nature and beauty, we reviewed our walk along a similar Camino distance, starting in Le Puy. Looking back and remembering our earlier trips has provided joy and laughter, as well as virtual shivers, aches, and pains. On Valentine's Day 2021 we reached Santiago . . . virtually. That was sweet. You can see our virtual Camino HERE. |
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In February 2020, we gave our most recent Camino presentation, in Gainesville, FL at the Senior Recreation Center as part of the Prime Time series. We titled it "Walking the Camino: Dream Adventure or Impossible Dream!" |
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As it turned out, this was only weeks before the pandemic caused us to begin "stay-at-home." We had a preview of the pandemic's arrival at the talk. Two attendees told how they were scheduled to participate in a guided tour to China, including the then not-well-known-to-Americans city of Wuhan. Their trip had just been cancelled because of an outbreak of an unusual virus in Wuhan.
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Our most recent feet-on-the-ground Camino was in fall 2019. We walked from Pamplona to Burgos on the Camino Francés.
We had not walked in 2018 when Peg took time out, not to rest, but with a partner to organize the American Pilgrims On the Camino Annual Gathering, which was in California. But we could not stay away any longer than one year. You can follow our 2019 blog HERE. |
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You can check the All of Our Caminos section to see the walks ordered from beginning to end, rather than from end to beginning as a regular blog does. If you are interested in a particular section of the Camino, this may be an easy way to find our posts about walking that section. Additionally, we include in All of Our Caminos our blog entries from our time as hospitaleros in El Burgo Ranero.
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Second Wind on the Way of Saint James (2013)
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Our novel is a story of the Camino―its beauty, its power, and its people. And, it’s the story of long-time friends―their fears, regrets, and longings as they look to the future and possible retirement.
The book is available in print from Amazon, which also has an e-book, Kindle version. For more about the story and to see Reader Comments, click on Second Wind. |
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With questions or comments, or to engage in discussion, send us an e-mail at gem@lighthallbooks.com. We look forward to talking with you.