19.2 km ~ 27,145 steps
Song of the Day: Sleep on the Floor – The Lumineers
Another late start today provided us with mostly clear walking again. As you can see, if you know the French Route, Maverick and I are taking our sweet time doing very short days. I do have a reason for this. And I can already see the change it’s having on Maverick. He no longer wants to take hour long naps once we arrive at a place, he simply wants to play fetch for hours. I think I’ve created a monster with all this walking. What am I going to do with all his energy when we get home?!?
This morning we were blessed with another Camino Angel. We stopped in Boente for breakfast at a lovely little café and while I was sitting, eating the tiny, old shop keeper came over with a giant glass bowl full of dog kibble that she asked if she could give to Maverick. I almost cried tears of joy. Just last night, I was beyond frustrated and sad because we have yet to encounter dog food other than the grocery store canned/log version that Maverick has been forced to eat lately. Searching for it has added at least 2km a day of combing the cities and towns and back alleys for vets or pet stores. And then this morning, I ran into a friend I had met back in Carrión de Los Condes and one of the first things he said to us was “Maverick’s looking skinny”. Safe to say that was hard to hear. And then this little lady, unknowing to all we’ve been going through recently, came up with an overflowing bowl of dog food. What are the odds? Not only that, she found a hunk of empanada to give him after he had scarfed down the kibble. And after that, she came back with another bowl of kibble. God is truly watching over us.
After that lovely encounter, we continued on at a leisurely pace, stopping to play in a nice river where fellow pilgrims has congregated for a swim and to soak their tired feet. Many laughed at Maverick’s antics of chasing tiny stones I threw into the water, or running around the banks, spraying them with droplets. I just stood back and watched them interact with him. Watched their smiles, heard their laughs, saw the joy he brought to a group of weary people. For the first time, I truly understood what others have said when they tell me he brings joy to the trail. So often, I am worrying about if Maverick is bothering others or in the way or if someone is afraid of dogs or trying to keep him from being a puppy, that I don’t often take in this good side. It was nice to sit back and watch joy spread