It’s time to close out this Creative Camino travel blog. It’s been a real pleasure creating it for you. I love modeling travel writing for my students. I love the discipline of creating these daily posts. I love having to write them on the fly, usually late at night when I should be sleeping. It’s “quick, dirty” writing with very little time for editing or corrections (which shows in the mistakes that inevitably appear).
Keeping this blog means that I’m traveling as a working writer, something I enjoy very much, especially now when I’m not engrossed in a book project. Because of the blog, I’ve had to write every day. I love going through my day searching for a story, considering some and rejecting others, determining what that story will be. It’s good modeling for my writing students as well; they continually see me standing by the side of the trail with my little lined notebook open, frantically writing notes and jotting down observations and ideas before moving on.
Blogging like this makes me much more attentive to sensory detail. It deepens my observation and reflection. And I like the quick response and engagement from those of you who follow and comment. It’s a very satisfying, condensed kind of storytelling. So, despite the many hours I’ve had to devote to it every day after walking for hours, teaching my writing classes, and helping to manage this trip, I’m quite sad this blog is coming to a close.
I’d like to thank the talented and very generous photographers on our pilgrimage who supplemented my photos with their terrific work, documenting the beauty of the Camino for everyone who has read these posts. I’d like to thank Kendra Webster for her terrific photography lessons along the way, which improved my own work as a beginning photographer.
I’d like to thank my two coleaders, Brenda Porter and Andre Mallinger, whose incredible leadership enabled me to take the time to write this blog everyday.
I’d like to thank my daughter Eliza who generated weekly digests to send out to my email list from afar. And Ruth Shephard for reposting my blog every day on my other social media feeds. And Jen Petras, who keeps my business running. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Buen Camino, everyone. I hope to create a new edition of the Virtual Vacation travel blog next April when Brenda and I take a group to Turkey for another writing-art adventure, this time spending half our time cruising the Turquoise Coast. I can’t wait! http://www.lauradavis.net/turkey