Just as we short-stop our way to Spain by way of Baltimore, our brains fire and inquire. A thousand pre-prep thoughts are running through our heads when we should be focused on the joy of the Camino de Santiago:
1. I forgot that the clothes I am wearing count as a set for the trail.
Therefore, I can abandon one set of clothes before we start walking. Shall I leave behind the Big Foot costume or the Don Quixote armor?
2. Nancy: “My hair will never be cute again for the rest of the trip.”
She’s giving up blow dryers for a while. But by the time she returns home, she’ll be appropriately scary for Halloween.
3. Ted: “There are two of Rose’s hairs on this travel blanket.”
Every now and then we still find tell-tale signs that she lived with us for 18 years. We’re always thankful she was not Chloe, the occasional guest dog whose shedding fur we are saving up so we can weave a tapestry. If only Rose were here to walk with us on the #Camino . . .
4. Our Osprey look-like-you-know-what-you’re-doing backpacks may be too heavy.
They are fat, overflowing like a muffin top. And I am not even carrying any inflated Venezuelan currency. We’ll re-evaluate our contents in Baltimore and London. There are no muffins in my bag. No bourbon, either. But I will eat away two bulky trail bars on the airplane to eek out some space. There are no meals on Southwest.
5. We’re not really simplifying because we have all those devices.
It’s silly me, carrying a cell phone; iPad for blog and work; Apple watch to count steps, a battery-charged gimbal for videos and photos (all with accompanying cords and chargers), ear phones for the plane, a European electrical converter plug; and a small extension cord.
Spartan Nancy works only with a cell phone, Apple watch, and Kindle for her siesta prep. Oh, yeah: Bonus points to Nancy for carrying a solar charger for all our electronics.
6. I don’t need water-colored pencils and a brush if I left my drawing paper behind to reduce weight in the pack.
It was silly to think I could ever draw or paint in the first place. But I have my fingers and my iPad, so let the mediocre, digital painting begin.
7. My wool baseball hat is not waterproof.
But at least people in Pamplona will think I am from Seattle (I’m not) because of the Seahawks logo. So this raises a question: Where does football team get off selling a baseball hat, one that is not even waterproofed for soggy Seattle?
8. Is it wrong that I have 41 separate photography apps on my iPhone?
Don’t judge me. I’m attracted to icons. Besides, how else will you the manage 50,000 photographs you’ll take in Spain?
9. The electricity bill is due, and it’s not on autopay.
That’s why there’s the Internet — even in Baltimore and London. But in event of a SMUD snub or electromagnetic burst in the West, Nancy can whip out the solar charger when we get home.
