Caminobleu

Writing Down Rabbit Holes

I’m juggling so many projects that I haven’t finished any of them. My memoir Once a Pilgrim was nearly done when Kent and I walked on the Voie de Vézelay in May. But I haven’t returned to it. I’m uncertain about the structure. Should I end with the first half of my 2010 solo pilgrimage? Should I start a new book with the second half? Wherever I leave off, I want readers to wait breathlessly for the happy ending of my relationship with Kent.

I also created a children’s picture book based on We Ran Away to Sea, tentatively titled Home Sea Home. I thought it would be a great way to keep Kent’s book alive. Parents would buy the book for their kids and also read the adult version. Then the kids would grow up to read that one, too. I should have sent the picture book to a professional editor or queried it to agents. Instead, I showed it to other writers. Some loved it, and some had so many suggestions that I thought it would be better as a chapter book. That one is almost finished as well. One of the critics of the picture book said, “You’re not giving up on it, are you?”

Inspired by Facing East

When my friend, Evelyn Begody, published her second book, Facing East: Boarding School and Beyond, I was eager to read it. After finishing her kindergarten chapter, I was inspired to write about my own elementary school experiences. I wrote about Kindergarten and First Grade quickly and easily. But Second Grade was harder. The trauma I experienced with flashcards that year carried over to problems with math for the rest of my life. I’ve put the grown-up incidents in another chapter.

While writing about Third Grade, I really went down a rabbit hole. That was the year I fell in love with writing stories. While writing about that year, I remembered a collection of ribbon-tied, decorated books in the dining room bookcase. There is one for each year from grades 5 through 10, filled with my stories. Doesn’t everyone have a bookcase in their dining room? Mine has a set of encyclopedias to settle questions that come up in dinnertime conversations. They were a necessity before the Internet. Come to think of it, we haven’t looked at them since we got cell phones.

I’m still considering what, if anything, to do with those stories. I edited one about Santa, a mouse, a lonely reindeer, and a life-sized toy polar bear. They have an adventure with dancers in grass skirts on a tropical beach. There is also a witch and a volcano. I wrote it when I was 14. I’m sending that one to the grandsons for Christmas. I haven’t yet revisited Evelyn’s book, although Kent read it cover to cover. But I have finished writing about Third Grade, where the story-writing started.

Covers of the books and illustrations.

Childhood Writing

I’ve reflected on the kid I was all those years ago, and on how much the world has changed. I wonder where I got some of my ideas. Some are obvious, some not, and what, if anything, to do with them now.

I’m amazed by how many themes from those stories still hold my attention. They include the meaning of life, faith, irony, concern for injustice and the environment, and a love of travel. I was surprised to find neatly handwritten tables of contents with page numbers, and signatures with my full name. There are many illustrations. Linnea Hendrickson’s Freshman Folly of 1959 has a hand-lettered note: Copyright 1960 by L.M.H. Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The books include poems, jokes, limericks, and stories. In the upper grades, there are book reviews. My reading choices are revealing. As a freshman, I reviewed biographies of Nellie Bly, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Hans Christian Andersen. There was also a biography of a pair of dancers who escaped from behind the Iron Curtain. Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough captivated me. I became obsessed with Paris, although I didn’t get there until after I married Ed on my thirty-third birthday. Richard Halliburton’s New Worlds to Conquer (a book of my mother’s) fueled my love of travel and adventure. I read most, if not all, of Halliburton’s books. Who’s even heard of Halliburton today? There is a lengthy article in Wikipedia .

YouTube and Tiktok Videos

I have completed two videos from last May’s pilgrimage and many brief TikTok videos. Most of those were designed to bring attention to We Ran Away to Sea.

La Voie de Vézelay

Bourges and Chateauroux

Short TikTok Videos for We Ran Away to Sea

À Bien tôt! (Until next time! See you soon!)

Happy Thanksgiving and a Recipe

“When life is sweet, be thankful, and rejoice; but when bitter, be strong, and persevere.” — Matshona Dhliwayo

Autumn Leaves

Tomorrow I will make a storied mashed potato recipe. It originated with our dear friend, the irrepressible Sue Grant, who passed away in June 2024.

Recipe for Mashed Potato Casserole

4 cups mashed potatoes, butter (4 T up to 1 stick)

& milk (1/2 to 1 cup), salt and pepper

8 oz cream cheese

1 egg

¼ cup chopped pimento (don’t have, don’t add)

¼ cup finely chopped onion (or much more – I like onions)

Pour into 2-quart baking dish, which is greased

Dot top with more butter and paprika

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Note from Pam: Sue, help! I’ve lost your mashed potato casserole recipe, checked my completely disorganized folder, and it’s nowhere to be found. Wouldn’t you know, everyone in the country wants it for Thanksgiving because I’ve given the recipe to one half of the country and you to the other, and I’ve lost track of it. Please send it. Forgive me for losing it. Can I double the recipe? (Sunday 11/23/2008)

Note from Geoff: Sue says that the quantities aren’t all that important. Pimento and paprika are mostly for color. This dish is good, one of my favorites, but not a diet dish. Perfect for Thanksgiving. Having the actual recipe is so unimportant that Sue typically doesn’t use one or even remember the pimento. She adds way more onion than the recipe calls for. Modify however you wish.

Note from Linnea: When Sue and Geoff joined us for Thanksgiving in Albuquerque in 2012 with other Brookings folks (Joe and Signe Stuart, Terry and Ruth Branson, and many other relatives and friends), Sue made this recipe, introducing it to me for the first time. We’ve been making it for large gatherings and holiday dinners ever since.

If you read We Ran Away to Sea, you may recognize the names of our guests because they all appear in the book. Sue and her husband Geoff also joined us on a sailing adventure in the Virgin Islands in 2013. Recorded in vivid detail in this YouTube video.

Unfortunately, there are not many pictures, none of the whole group, and the quality is poor. We were having too much fun to take pictures.

Pictures,Thanksgiving 2012: l-r Terry Branson and Kent, table, Linnea with Jesse & Carrie behind

Exploring My Photography Portfolios: 2018-2024

I have finally collected the seven portfolio projects I completed for the Enchanted Lens Camera Club in Albuquerque. There is one for each year, beginning in 2018-19. They were scattered in various computer files where I had to search for them. I now have them in a Mixbook book. I am looking at them and pondering the variety of topics I chose and how well I executed each one. What will be my topic for the 2025-26 year? It is a difficult decision. What do I enjoy photographing? What do I want to convey, and what will help me grow?

Today, I am adding six projects to the blog, from newest to oldest. I did not include the 2024-25 portfolio, which has its own post. This will give me another way to find them. It allows me to share them with you.

I welcome your questions and responses. Some possibilities for 2026 include old buildings (such as businesses) in Albuquerque, as well as themes like people and books, people and food, and sacred places. What would you like to see next?

Lights of the Polar Night Portfolio, 2023-2024

Patterns in Nature, Portfolio, 2022-2023

Human Impact on Mother Earth, 2021-2022

The Eyes Have It, 2020-2021

Windows Transformed, 2019-2020

The Pilgrim’s Way, 2018-2019

There is also a video roughly based on “The Pilgrim’s Way.”

Kent Twelve Ways 2025 Photo Portfolio

This was my 2024-2025 Portfolio Project Completed for the Enchanted Lens Photography Club (ELCC), Albuquerque, New Mexico. The aim is to compile a group of pictures on a theme. Click on the individual photos to enlarge them

Chateauroux Day 2

Thursday, May 22

We had a fairly quiet day, sleeping later than usual before walking out for coffee and pastry at a nearby boulangerie, then exploring more of the old town and the parks and gardens along the Indre before lunch at a lovely restaurant, Jeux 2 Goûts in the old town.

Afterward, we visited the Musée Bertrand. Bertrand was one of Napoleon I’s marshals and generals and was with him on St. Helena when he died. The museum was an odd collection of art, memorabilia, and objects collected from Egypt and elsewhere. One of the most interesting pieces was a large sculpture by Camille Claudel.

As I wandered through the house, my main thought was that I should get rid of all my stuff when I get home.

We also visited the enormous Gothic church of St. Andre whose gleaming white spires helped us get our bearings.

Inside was the banner for this year of Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Francis one year ago, “Spes Non Confundit.” Hope does not disappoint.

Feeling without hope, I read through much of Francis’s proclamation, which moved me to tears. It seems our world continues to accelerate in a direction opposite of that Francis urged us.

Tomorrow we take an early morning bus to Bourges. I realized only today, that this city, too, is on the Vézelay northern pilgrim route. There is a brass scallop shell right in front of our hotel.

Here’s a video Kent took a few days ago when we walked through tall grass (oops, I guess you have to go to TikTok to see it:

“Come on!” he says

Chateauroux

May 21, Wednesday, 7,900 steps. 3.1 miles (mostly without backpacks).

Thanks to Mme Tessier, we arrived in Chateauroux about 8:30 this morning. She left us at the train and bus station and our hotel was just across the street. We brought our backpacks over, and it was Ok with my mixed up day for our reservation. They took our packs and said come back at 2. Did they have a city map? No.

So we sat in the lobby for a bit and pulled Google maps before heading toward the tourist office, closed until 10. I gaped at the shop windows filled with elegant clothes, shoes, and travel brochures. Of course nothing was yet open. We wandered toward green trees, and spied a golden Mary atop a dome. The Eglise de Notre Dame was open and filled with luminous stained glass. I spied a St. Leo, and wondered if this was the one from whom the new pope chose his name. I was fascinated by windows with Martha and Margaret with dragons at their feet.

Back outside we followed the green spaces to the impressive chateau, now holding government offices. Then down through old streets to an original gate to the city, later a prison, and on to the Indre River with ducks, a fisherman and walkways through parkland.

Most interesting public we. Push a button inside to lock and unlock and toilet flushes.

Back up through medieval streets to a welcoming tourist office with maps. After espresso and pastry and we continued wandering. It was getting colder and windier, so we joined a group of people waiting for a bus (free city buses). We ended up at what must have been a suburban shopping mall, but stayed on for the return trip and lunchtime in the city center at a lively Italian restaurant where we had pizza and too much wine (at least for me).

A sweet perhaps 3-year-old girl at the next table waved goodbye to us, so I showed her a picture of Amar, and then one of Psyche and all 3, and she smiled and said, “Bebe!” before she and mother and two friends left.

We have a rather quirky split-level hotel room with bed atop two steps and windows at the other end of the room.

It is cold, high of 60, with rain predicted, which could have been good walking weather

One day would probably be enough here, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings. On to Bourges on Friday and Paris on Sunday.

We heard from Alain. His knee is giving him trouble, and his wife will pick him up in Gargilesse, where we were going to finish and could have arrived today.

The time has come to wrap it up…

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

We are 2-3 days short of Eguzon and a train station where we thought we’d finish. But after two longish days and learning that a place about 15 km from here was not taking guests, we’ve decided to spend a rest day and in Neuvy Saint Sépulcre. This small town is the home of an unusual circular church holding a piece of stone from the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. It was brought here by a crusading local lord in the 11th century. The church was inspired by circular churches in the Middle East. It also has a drop of Precious Blood in a glass vial. The tiny stone and the glass vial are visible in the church.

Our chambre d’hôte is spacious — we were able to make our dinner here last night (no complex cooking unlike the Algerian workman who was making a dish with chicken, onions, potatoes, rice, a can of vegetables and a salad) for himself and two companions. He offered to share with us, too, but we finished our soup from a box, chèvre and canned oysters, a pastry from the boulangerie, and a bottle of rosé from the Loire district and climbed the stairs to bed before he was finished cooking.

We were able to wash our clothes in the washing machine, and hang them out to dry despite threatened rain.

With some reluctance and relief, we are going to stop walking here, facing up to the fact that we are not up to the physical challenges we handled five years ago.

Our hostess has offered to take us to Chateauroux tomorrow, the capital of the Berry region with connections by train and bus to the rest of the world.

I’ve spent the afternoon, when I’d rather have been napping, checking train and bus schedules and finally booking hotels for 2 nights each in. Chateauroux and Bourges. Connections to Paris are better from Chateauroux, but the Bourges Cathedral and old buildings along the water seem too enticing to pass up.

At this point I can hardly remember the names of the places we have stayed, and what we saw where!

It has been a mix of long stretches on small roads,some lovely tracks through fields and woods and some very wild, high grass or brushy slogs on unmaintained paths. There have been times we sat in the grass at the edge of the road because there was nowhere else, and times we were delighted to encounter a bench or picnic table.

Unlike on the LePuy Route, there have been no sources to replenish water, although a couple of times people have called out from their yards to ask if we would like water. After our first couple of days we learned to carry lots of water, which of course has made our packs heavier.

We’ve both noticed that our hearing-aid batteries have lasted much longer than usual. Kent says it’s so quiet because I lost my voice for several days, but I think it’s because it has been so quiet in the countryside, apart from the occasional passing tractor or car. We’ve heard lots of birds singing.

We have passed clusters of houses where we’ve seen no one. It has been an escape, for the most part from our noisy, busy world. When we walked past car dealers, gas stations, and busy roads on the outskirts of La Châtre, I realized that we as pilgrims are not part of that world any more.

When Booking.com lists nearby places as 10 and 15 miles away, we realize they are not a few minutes away by foot, but several hours of walking. We’re not part of the motor world, or have not been recently.

We rested today! What a treat to go back to bed after breakfast! We had a real lunch, and no supper. The day has flown by and I haven’t put on my boots!

I made a mistake in our hotel booking for tomorrow. I mixed up dates. I’ve called, texted, and emailed, and hope it will be OK. Stay tuned. Our adventures aren’t over yet, although I folded up my hiking poles, put them inside the pack, and drained the hydration pack.

May 16-17 Friday and Saturday

From the Grande Planche to Archers Poitier village 27, 285 steps, 12 km

May 17, Saturday from Archers to Chateaumeillant

20,670 steps, about 7 miles

Hotel La Goutte Noir

A day of surprises Saturday May 17

Mexican street side dinner in a small French town

From Archers to Châteaumeillant

This morning (Saturday) We said goodbye to Jacques at our charming roulette and headed out through the village of potters.

Then there was a road that went ever on up a long hill and down a steeper short one. It was one of those times when I wonder, “Why am I doing this?” Hu

Then we climbed again to a cluster of houses and there before a perfect Romanesque church was a little free library and two picnic tables. The side church door was open and the early 12th century church delighted me.

After more ups and down on roads we arrived in Chateaumeillant, to find an open boulangerie and a small grocery that had ice cream bars and cold beer! Across the street was a little park with two picnic tables.

We hadn’t been there long when along came Thomas Marx from Germany traveling with his dog and a cart he pulled behind him. We’d met him on our second night at l’Esprit du Chemin.

Our hotel is lovely, and we’ve enjoyed having a semi rest day here. Then, the little bar down the street served Mexican food prepared in the street by a couple from Marseille. Her family was originally from Mexico and she spoke Spanish and English as well as French.

We have a longer day walking to La Châtre tomorrow and we hope for less road-walking. We have a room reserved at a church-run pilgrimage refuge, and we hope that the Italian pizza restaurant that says it is open 7/7 really is.

May 14, 2025, Moulin le Gâteau

24,000,steps today, 8-10 miles.

Some slight ups and downs on country roads and through small villages Then more Canal du Barry walking.

When we arrived at our Chambre d’Hote, quite hot in the 3 pm sun, the woman who greeted us insisted she had no reservation for us. So she proceeded to call other people while we stood wearing our packs. I gave her my name and said the man in Ainay Le Chateau had callled for two American pilgrims yesterday. Oh — Americans! Somehow that rang a bell and precipitated another call. At last she led us to a little cottage beside the big house. She showed how to work the stove. We said we had no food to cook. She said the grocery store was just 5km away. No. We were not going to walk there! maybe despite our hot weary looks, she thought we’d driven up in a car and donned our backpacks and hiking poles?

So she’s promised fruit and salade and bread and maybe an omelette , plus breakfast. I’d already paid her 120 Euros cash, which seemed a bit much considering the welcome we’d received and before promise of any food.

Later. She came through with the promised food and two glasses of vin rouge, and scheduled petite déjeuner tomorrow at 8.

We walked around the grounds, played with a friendly big dog, and an enormous long-haired Siamese cat. No picture because I’d left my phone upstairs. We found the mill wheel with water rushing past in a side channel. I wonder what it would take to get it turning again and how much electricity it could generate?

Our bed is up in the attic and the toilet is downstairs. Do you realize the effort it takes to go up and down stairs after walking 10 miles with backpacks?

We met one pilgrim, a man from near Amsterdam, walking more than 30 km per day. The only business we found open during our entire walk after leaving Ainay Le Chateau, was a lovely bakery in Charenton sur Cher. It was doing a brisk business with people driving up to get their bread before 1 pm closing time. The little French villages seem struggling to keep businesses going. We saw two closed restaurants and a closed bar, all seemed permanently shuttered. A funeral business next the church seemed to be in business, though. Hmm.

Here’ s the view from our bed at almost 9 pm.

I don’t have to move more than leaning over a little bit.

View from our attic bedroom window at Moulin le Gâteau

And one bonus video of tiny golden caterpillars hanging from threads over the path on which we walked:

May 10, 2025, Saturday, rest day in Nevers

I haven’t written recently except for short Facebook posts. We arrived in Nevers after a lovely walk on Friday. I came down with a scratchy throat on Thursday evening, and although I felt pretty good while walking on Friday, by afternoon I had lots of congestion, some coughing and by evening I’d lost my voice, which has made communication difficult.

L’Espace Bernadette is a very busy place indeed, with busloads of tourists and groups of school children, plus the occasional pilgrim, touring the extensive gardens and buildings, and viewing the “uncorrupted body” of Bernadette who was canonized in 1925, making this a big year of celebration. Bernadette is the famous 14-year-old girl who had encounters with the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, and spent the later years at this place ministering to the poor and sick until her death from tuberculosis at the age of 35.

What ones sees now is the wax coated hands and face of this small woman in a crystal coffin, reminding me of images of Snow White.

I was touched to think of this young, very poor young woman being chosen to convey such a message of love and caring — such an antithesis to our mainstream culture.

Tonight at dinner a group of perhaps 20 people sang together before they sat down to eat, and again upon rising in unison at the conclusion of the meal.

We hauled a bag of our dirty clothes to a laundry service this morning, only to learn they could not wash our clothes and return them that day, so we had to brave reading all the instructions, finding the right coins, and pushing all the buttons in order. It took a fair amount of experimentation, but finally we got washing detergent and the clothes into a machine that actually worked.

Then we hauled the clean, washed and dried clothes on the 12-minute walk back to our room, and started planning for tomorrow.

It turns out the Augy Alternative, which cuts about 40 km off the regular southern Vézelay route starts here. The only information we’ve been able to find is in our Dutch Pilgrim Association guidebook, and the route as a purple line on our online map. We hope there will be trail markers along the way, too.

So, we heading into new territory tomorrow, with rain predicted and a chambre d’hôte tomorrow night with no dinner or breakfast and no one at home. We have a code for a lock box to get keys, and have promised to leave 45 Euros in the room.

What could go wrong?

We spent the rest of our day exploring the city, getting lost, and eating a delicious light lunch. I was greatly moved by the 11th century church of St. Etienne, designated as a stop on this jubilee year pilgrimage of hope by Pope Francis. People have been leaving folded papers with prayers in a basket. I added two folded notes of my own. The church is a stunning example medieval Romanesque architecture. Two women were discarding faded flowers and making magnificent new bouquets the entire time we were there.

We’ll say goodbye to Alain in the morning. He’ll take the classic route. He’s saved us so many times, so it is a bit intimidating to be entirely on our own.

So bonsoir, and bon chemin to us.