Wile E. Coyote ... Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow …. 

The Blogmeister Extraordinaire is on holiday today so you’re left with me.  Clearly your loss.

Yesterday … 

We arrived in Leon, Spain which was our starting point for the trip in 2018.  We’re staying in the same hotel with the same bartender, Ramon, at Bar Americano.   Fortunately he doesn’t remember us.  

A year ago, like many at the time, we were following Hurricane Florence on television and anxious about the storm’s potential impact on North Carolina.  Except, we were sitting at Bar Americano in Leon, Spain which is 3,843.06 miles west of Johnny Mercer’s Pier (yes this is accurate and I do keep track of such things when traveling).  We shared with Ramon, which is not his real name but sounds appropriately Spanish, our predicament and he immediately suggested we try his Coctel Especial (Special Cocktail for the non-Spanish speaking).  We were the only people in the bar and he was quite excited to share.  So, why not.  

Imagine a very exotic looking cocktail in a large, tall glass with two perfectly shaped ice cubes.  Beautiful!  Some of you are familiar with Wile E. Coyote and for those who aren’t you should be.  Remember Wile E. Coyote was always exploring strategies that would enable him to catch the Road Runner … always with dire effect on Wile E.  I’m pretty sure this was an original Wile E. Coyote concoction.  First sip: the head elongates, eyes bulge then squish together, train whistles sound and smoke blows out the ears and nose.  A Chernobyl of flavors consisting of paregoric, turpentine, milkweed topped off with Everclear and Tropical Hawaiian Punch for color. Of course we were obligated to shower Ramon with praise as we finished his masterpiece.  On the bright side, aside from surviving this Wile E. Coyote moment, any large intestine digestive issues were resolved by the next day. 

Today … 

We’ve been away from home for four weeks now and I’m surprised at how often I’ve thought of home since we’ve been here.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great.  We’ve met loads of wonderful people, seen spectacular sights, walked 300+ miles and smelled tons of animal manure.  Having worked on a farm as a kid, I’m expert at distinguishing animal feces smells. Don’t laugh, it’s an underrated skill. It just now dawned on me that maybe it’s why I’m so good recognizing bull*!#! when I hear it.  Or, could be it’s why I’m so good at shooting *!#! Or avoiding getting in to deep *!#! (Jan might disagree on this one).  I digress.

At any rate, seems when you’re doing something like this you have ample opportunity to reflect on all kinds of things … pretty much starting from your conception.  For guys, it’s the ideal time to recharge the Nothing Box.  If you’re unfamiliar with the concept you must google Mark Gungor Nothing Box.  I promise you will laugh.  Loudly.  As discussed in a prior post … laughter is the best medicine.

Tomorrow … 

We begin the last leg (200 miles) of the journey to Santiago. We’ve met some fantastic people on this trip from everywhere. Some started in St Jean Pied de Port while others came aboard at other spots.  No matter where you met, you become friends making memories, sharing experiences, laughs and usually alcohol (not necessarily in that order).  We’ve become sort of a caravan of friends moving from town to town who are always glad to see one another when we reach our various destinations.  I have to say, it’s a little mind bending to be sitting at a café in a city of 200,000, in a country that isn’t your own and to shout out to friends who walk by as if you’ve known them your entire life.

We’ve also lost some friends along the way as well.  We hope they’re either ahead or behind us and still on the trail.  But, we know some were hurt and prudently decided to stop or simply decided this wasn’t what they expected and changed plans.  We think of our friend from Ireland who was walking for his wife who recently passed away before she had a chance to walk the Camino; our friends from Australia who were on the trip because the husband, a physician, knew he wasn’t in good health and didn’t expect to live a long life; our friend from the UK who decided she was tired of living with great anxieties so was doing something totally crazy and unlike her former self as a way to break out.  We think of them every day and there is hope that we will be sitting at a café in the next town and see them walking up with smiles and stories to share.  And, even if that doesn’t physically happen, they will finish the Camino when we do because they are now a part of us.

So a few Capps take aways: 1) Whenever you have a chance to meet someone new take it and invest the time to learn a little about them.  You’ll be glad you did and you’ll be a better person for it. 2) Enjoy the moments you share with people as if they are fleeting because they are; you’re walking with them today but there is no promise for tomorrow.  3) If you are in Leon, Spain at the Bar Americano and Ramon offers you his Coctel Especial … hit the eject button.  Well, that is unless you have digestive issues that need a Chernobyl moment.

Buen Camino!

Off to Hospital de Orbigo tomorrow....