We walked to the airport Thursday morning in great anticipation of the first leg of our journey to Lafayette, LA for the annual Festival International.  We’d read reports of good weather for the festival. We were looking forward to seeing Charlie’s brother Larry and SIL Carmen.

Our flight was delayed about a half hour.  Then it was canceled due to weather in Dallas. American Airlines couldn’t get us to Lafayette until 11pm Saturday.  What was the point in going when we’d have only Sunday? We trekked on home.

Charlie canceled the rental car to Panama City. Canceled the two hotels we were to stay in along the way. One was in Fairhope, AL – a town I’d wanted to explore after a friend said how much she liked it. That’s the second time we canceled a trip there…

At home, Ed made flight reservations to get us to Panama City. We’re still going to visit friends in Mexico Beach! The rest of the journey continues as planned with a stop in RI before our flight to France.

By the way,  that good weather in Lafayette…uh uh. Rain. And Larry and Carmen had no joy on Thursday as their rental car got a flat tire that took 5 hours to get repaired! At least the Air B and B has a pin ball machine. And the weather forecast is improving…if you can believe those gringos.

Hiking Piedra Lisa tomorrow! Life is good.

I had thought I’d be better about posting these past months.  Wasn’t that a 2025 resolution?  A third of the year has already passed. At any rate, once a month is more than usual.  Our upcoming travels, leaving April 24h (!) mean I’ll post more.

Get ready for more photos from hikes. That’s the focus as we prepare for the Chemin de St Gilles.

Today we hiked in the Manzanitas, 337 South. This is a route we’ve taken before, but this time we went in the opposite direction.  It was a nice change. It seemed easier. Less steep. 

I love this area for hiking, although it’s rocky as all get out. The smaller ones rock and roll under your feet. Sometimes you’ll skid and slide a bit, sending a small frisson of an  electric wake-up call through the body.

Periodically you get a nice smooth area. But it’s short lived.

France is rocky too. I’m sure I mentioned it.  I suppose that’s true of any place where the earth has been thrust upward in the formation of mountains. 

When I hike I often think of Laure, whom we met in 2023 during the first 2 weeks on the Via Podiensis.  She was a lovely woman, soft spoken, and patient with my French.  I remember her walking slowly,  contemplative, and stopping when she came to one of the ancient stone crosses that are common along the trail. I resolve to not rush.

Walking fast is kind of like driving fast. In general you don’t get to your destination all that much quicker.

But on these hikes we are in training. Plus, we aren’t walking through quaint villages with chapels to visit, or a coffee shop to pop into for an espresso and a petit rest. Here, we stop in a patch of sun; we find a decent rock to sit on. We munch our clementines, nuts, chocolate,  and sometimes cheese and crackers. 

The beauty of the Manzanitas is how treed they are. The expanse of green is very restful for the eyes and for the heart and mind.

We walked here last Wednesday too. I found these feathers. I think from a turkey pheasant.

Today, we came upon these cairns.

After a nice long hike we’ve hit the Rock Canyon Tap Room on old 66. They have delicious ciders. Last week I was trying to decide between the passion fruit and the lavender lemon. The barkeep asked if I’d ever had them combined. No. She fixed up a taster for me and I was sold!

And potato chips never tasted so good. No food there – just chips, doritos, fritos.

My yawns are overtaking me. Good night!