I’ve been trying to get myself to blog, for oh… about the last five years. It would have been great to do when I was prepping to make the film, while shooting it, doing fundraisers, editing it, finishing it, taking it to film festivals just about any time would have been good. As they say – better late than never.
I did promise myself I would definitely blog while doing the tour, but I’m realizing, that just like the Camino, the preparation is very much part of the journey. So here we go… We leave on Feb 15th, but I’ve got two trips between now and then – a quick 24 hour trip to Las Vegas to be interviewed for Virtual LIght Broadcast and then a test road trip to Seattle for our opening there on Feb 7th – so things are very busy around here!
I alternate between being totally overwhelmed and ecstatically excited about the tour. I’ve thought a lot about my intentions for it and realize I want it to be like the Camino, a pilgrimage of discovery, growth, adventure, sharing, exercise and FUN! I’m going to set up some time to journal, meditate and do a visioning for the tour, but for now I’m pretty wrapped up in all the preparations. The first leg of the tour is from Feb 15-April 6th – going through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. I’m going to be seeing lots of old friends and meeting lots of new ones. My intention is to walk or ride my bike at least two hours a day – not quite the six hours of exercise I got on the Camino, but it should keep me sane. (To stay mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually healthy – I’ve found that every day I need to meditate between 10-20 minutes and exercise one to two hours. The more I exercise, generally the happier I am – big reason I loved the Camino so much!)
The preparation phase has been intense – so many details. Along with finding, purchasing and getting the RV wrapped with our logo (see pictures) – I’ve purchased a scooter as well. This way I won’t have to drive the 27 foot RV five miles to go get groceries. I picked up the scooter (a piaggio typhoon – technically it’s a 125cc, but it got souped up to a 175cc) the other day. Got to ride it around a couple of days and I had forgotten how much I loved riding – reminds me so much of the years I lived in Barcelona where I was always riding a moped, vespa or motorcycle of one sort or another. So many good memories.
I’m grateful that I’m not leaving everything to the last minute – I thought it would be fairly straightforward, buy RV, buy scooter, buy rack to put Scooter on the back of the RV. Well not quite so easy – the rack I ordered isn’t working. As the RV is higher up than most cars, the ramp to get the scooter up is too steep and the undercarriage of the scooter gets caught. Back to the drawing board – 3 weeks left to figure that problem out.
I’m incredibly grateful to the whole Camino team – everyone is working so hard to make this film a success where ever we go. Maggie Cech has been on board for about four months doing outreach and since we have so many more screenings coming up, we hired Honi Lonsford earlier this month to help with outreach. Our Associate Producer, Chad Westbrook continues to juggle the hundreds of office tasks that come up including most of our graphic design work. Evan Gandy, our other Associate Producer, works part time on a special project as well as being hard at work on developing our new app with Leon from Mobiten Sarah Lombardi continues to come in a day or two a week to update our Mailchimp and get the store orders out the door. We also brought on Amy Segal to take over logistics which was one of the smartest moves ever! She’s doing a great job and I would definitely have checked myself into a mental institution if she wasn’t on board.
Well that’s it for now – gotta go pack for my 26 hour trip to Vegas. No time to see any Cirque de Soleil or magic shows, but am planning on a quick hike with our wine sponsors (Wine from Galicia ) at Red Rocks.
-Lydia
I am so excited for you and looking forward to seeing you ,the film and your team! Again! MUY BUEN CAMINO AMIGA!
Good luck with your trip Lydia, and good luck with the presentations of the film.
Nice blog, Lydia, as everything you’re doing.
Best luck
About the book I went to the end of the Earth let me say something. As somebody who has experienced the Camino de Santiago, I love this book. This author intertwines his intimate and personal adventure with the legends, traditions, and historical aspects of this unique journey. His narrative is fluid and inviting. He describes ancient churches, shrines, and other relics of the past with the same simplicity, accuracy, and tender humor, as when he describes the scenery of the countryside, his conversations with other pilgrims he meets along the way, the locals, or his own reflections about his experience. It feels as if you, the reader, were walking along with him and seeing and sharing the experience.
This author is like the “spirit” of the Camino. The chronological time disappears into a timeless continuum which makes his narrative totally present, profound, and … universal. Events and experiences evolve naturally, and in his story you see reality through his eyes as if they were also your own.
Greetings Lydia and All,
We had a fine small screening of Walking the Camino in Crestone, CO on the evening of Friday 16 May 2014, with about 30 people in attendance, keen interest among them, and lively discussion afterwards.
Buen camino!
Hi Elisabeth,
Sounds like a lovely evening! Was this at a movie theater or in a community center of sorts? Who hosted the screening?
Thanks!
Maggie