As I pack for my Camino- I wanted to share my cutting board

shefollowsshells · Aug 5, 2021

I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him. I told my kiddos that I wanted a cutting board!!! A month later our Christmas Tree would literally fall in our home and my hubby and kids had to cut the bottom off of it as it was too big. The next Christmas, a total surprise to me, I was presented with a cutting board from my son made from the cut wood from that Christmas tree!!!! It means the world to me.

It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

Saint Mike II · Aug 5, 2021

Hola @shefollowsshells great idea. Can you advise the dimensions - imperial or metric is OK. Cheers

shefollowsshells · Aug 5, 2021

It's about 5 inches by 3 inches. It's a size my son, who was 15 at the time, determined, as he is the one who surprised me with it, having used the previous year's Christmas tree wood. He did treat the wood with special lemon oil and studied up on what to do. The little "handle" is actually where a branch was. You can see its handle in the picture with the blue flowers.

Sirage · Aug 5, 2021

It reminds me also of walking from Le Puy (in 2005). Reasonably often, in France, I would be walking near 3 French women, and occasionally stay in the same gite d'etape. We became sort of "Camino pals" with a great hug in Santiago even though our paths hadn't crossed much in Spain.

One would walk fast and alone, whilst the other 2 would saunter along and have a relaxing picnic at the appropriate French time for dejeuner. I didn't notice explicitly whether they had a cheese board although they would usually hang some of their clothes over a branch to let them air. So they were quite briefly dressed whilst lying on the picnic rug with their baguette and cheese.

mspath · Aug 5, 2021

Sirage said:
It reminds me also of walking from Le Puy (in 2005). Reasonably often, in France, I would be walking near 3 French women, and occasionally stay in the same gite d'etape. We became sort of "Camino pals" with a great hug in Santiago even though our paths hadn't crossed much in Spain.

One would walk fast and alone, whilst the other 2 would saunter along and have a relaxing picnic at the appropriate French time for dejeuner. I didn't notice explicitly whether they had a cheese board although they would usually hang some of their clothes over a branch to let them air. So they were quite briefly dressed whilst lying on the picnic rug with their baguette and cheese.

Sirage,
From reading your "picturesque" description cheesecake apparently prevailed over cheese.

henrythedog · Aug 5, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him. I told my kiddos that I wanted a cutting board!!! A month later our Christmas Tree would literally fall in our home and my hubby and kids had to cut the bottom off of it as it was too big. The next Christmas, a total surprise to me, I was presented with a cutting board from my son made from the cut wood from that Christmas tree!!!! It means the world to me.

It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

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You carry a cutting board and a vase on Camino? How lovely.

Now, would someone please call an ambulance for @Anhalter. He’s likely to suffer some form of siezure when he reads this thread.

Thom · Aug 5, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him. I told my kiddos that I wanted a cutting board!!! A month later our Christmas Tree would literally fall in our home and my hubby and kids had to cut the bottom off of it as it was too big. The next Christmas, a total surprise to me, I was presented with a cutting board from my son made from the cut wood from that Christmas tree!!!! It means the world to me.

It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

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Sweet!

keith duke scott · Aug 5, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him. I told my kiddos that I wanted a cutting board!!! A month later our Christmas Tree would literally fall in our home and my hubby and kids had to cut the bottom off of it as it was too big. The next Christmas, a total surprise to me, I was presented with a cutting board from my son made from the cut wood from that Christmas tree!!!! It means the world to me.

It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

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That's a wonderful story. I'm sure that each time the cutting board and vase comes out it's a form of meditation on gratefulness. Now I don't feel so guilty bringing my little coffee pot .
Buen camino

shefollowsshells · Aug 5, 2021

henrythedog said:
You carry a cutting board and a vase on Camino? How lovely.

Now, would someone please call an ambulance for @Anhalter. He’s likely to suffer some form of siezure when he reads this thread.

We do! We also carry an extra plate for the unexpected guest that might join us, and on the hike of the six of us together we carried an extra hammock for the occasional pilgrim who wanted to sleep out with us. The extra hammock did get used. This trip, just being two of us we won’t take an extra hammock but the extra plate is packed
I’ll need to share some images of our packed bags when my five kids and I caminoed ( a word?), we honestly looked like a walking grocery store- lol
We had sandwich condiments etc….

shefollowsshells · Aug 5, 2021

keith duke scott said:
That's a wonderful story. I'm sure that each time the cutting board and vase comes out it's a form of meditation on gratefulness. Now I don't feel so guilty bringing my little coffee pot .
Buen camino

It really is!!!! Love your coffee pot!!! We need to schedule our Caminos woth you- lol
I’ll bring the plate!!!- lol

Rick of Rick and Peg · Aug 5, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

Lovely. And great props for photos too. BTW, they're wonderful.

Have you considered adding that heart shaped rock to your luggage too?

lt56ny · Aug 5, 2021

I put a rock under my stuff it is so organic and I don't have to put it back in my pack or wash it. Or if all else fails I just chew pieces off as I eat them in the side of the camino or on a bench.

Bob from L.A. ! · Aug 5, 2021

What a great story. Thank you for sharing it.

shefollowsshells · Aug 5, 2021

Rick of Rick and Peg said:
Lovely. And great props for photos too. BTW, they're wonderful.

Have you considered adding that heart shaped rock to your luggage too?

We’ve carried many rocks in our pack, it’s one of my many mental illnesses, Rocks speak to me- lol Especially if a heart!!! My daughter carried a piece of slate from France to Santiago ( F & M) and for Christmas painted a camino shell on it. It sits in my kitchen! We are an odd bunch. But typically we found questions on the Camino that asked us how much our packs weighed, what time we started and how far we walked “ boring”- lol
It always suprised me the amount of people four to five decades older than my children harassing them about the weight of their packs or insisting on knowing what time they started that morning…

shefollowsshells · Aug 5, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
We’ve carried many rocks in our pack, it’s one of my many mental illnesses, Rocks speak to me- lol Especially if a heart!!! My daughter carried a piece of slate from France to Santiago ( F & M) and for Christmas painted a camino shell on it. It sits in my kitchen! We are an odd bunch. But typically we found questions on the Camino that asked us how much our packs weighed, what time we started and how far we walked “ boring”- lol
It always suprised me the amount of people four to five decades older than my children harassing them about the weight of their packs or insisting on knowing what time they started that morning…

WalkingJane · Aug 5, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him. I told my kiddos that I wanted a cutting board!!! A month later our Christmas Tree would literally fall in our home and my hubby and kids had to cut the bottom off of it as it was too big. The next Christmas, a total surprise to me, I was presented with a cutting board from my son made from the cut wood from that Christmas tree!!!! It means the world to me.

It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

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It is beautiful! Easy to understand why you take it on Camino.

Hiawatha · Aug 6, 2021

Marvellous and something to be treasured.
Australians may not be able to carry such a beautiful accessory , at least not back to home . Any untreated wooden artefact is usually confiscated by border control upon return even though it originated in Australia . I wouldn't like to lose a companion that way .

neverlost4good · Aug 6, 2021

I have a cedar board used for baking fish.It's very light, so I'll pack it: good idea! Thanks!

David Tallan · Aug 6, 2021

Charles Zammit said:
Marvellous and something to be treasured.
Australians may not be able to carry such a beautiful accessory , at least not back to home . Any untreated wooden artefact is usually confiscated by border control upon return even though it originated in Australia . I wouldn't like to lose a companion that way .

It depends on what is meant by "untreated". She did mention:

shefollowsshells said:
He did treat the wood with special lemon oil and studied up on what to do.

Hiawatha · Aug 6, 2021

David Tallan said:
It depends on what is meant by "untreated". She did mention:

Unfortunately ' Treated ' is defined by kiln drying and / or infusion with insecticide .

hopefultraveller24 · Aug 6, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him. I told my kiddos that I wanted a cutting board!!! A month later our Christmas Tree would literally fall in our home and my hubby and kids had to cut the bottom off of it as it was too big. The next Christmas, a total surprise to me, I was presented with a cutting board from my son made from the cut wood from that Christmas tree!!!! It means the world to me.

It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

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It is absolutely lovely to see you being present in the moment. The purposeful act of setting up the board and vase while remembering who gave it to you, and all it represents, lends itself perfectly to reflecting on thanfulness for the food laid out and the surroundings you are in. This is perfect! I may have to borrow this idea when I go. Some things are worth the burden of carrying, such as an item that can bring this much joy, peace and fullfillment. Buen Camino and ¡qué aproveche!

Best,
Hopeful

hopefultraveller24 · Aug 6, 2021

Charles Zammit said:
Marvellous and something to be treasured.
Australians may not be able to carry such a beautiful accessory , at least not back to home . Any untreated wooden artefact is usually confiscated by border control upon return even though it originated in Australia . I wouldn't like to lose a companion that way .

Maybe it would be a lovely gesture to give it to someone else on their journey...pass it forward. It is easy enough to clean up a cutting board with salt and lemon and laying it out in the sun. I think that would be such a nice thing to do. But I am a little strange so maybe that is just me.

Hiawatha · Aug 7, 2021

hopefultraveller24 said:
Maybe it would be a lovely gesture to give it to someone else on their journey...pass it forward. It is easy enough to clean up a cutting board with salt and lemon and laying it out in the sun. I think that would be such a nice thing to do. But I am a little strange so maybe that is just me.

A really nice idea , something I would do as well .

It hurts though when after carrying an object of sentimental value throughout your journeys across the world to have it confiscated at the final hurdle .
Sometimes even worse to know it will be incinerated .

Kanga · Aug 7, 2021

Charles Zammit said:
A really nice idea , something I would do as well .

It hurts though when after carrying an object of sentimental value throughout your journeys across the world to have it confiscated at the final hurdle .
Sometimes even worse to know it will be incinerated .

Don't want to hijack the thread, but yes, a dear friend gave me a beautiful little wood broach from SDC, to celebrate the end of a walk together. Sadly it was obviously untreated and did not make it through our Australian customs hurdle.
I am fully supportive of our approach, having an uncle who was a veterinarian during one of the worst outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in the UK, so I always declare anything about which I have the slightest doubt. I've found the customs officers to be very reasonable. Although shells are one of the things that have to be declared, after giving it a good inspection they have always waved mine through.

Theatregal · Aug 7, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him.

A lovely post and photos @shefollowsshells ! I enjoyed the company of MendiWalker and his wife at different stages along the Ingles in 2014. I believe he's left the forum. I think of them sometimes and hope they're well!

GRR · Aug 7, 2021

When I first saw this post I was dismissing it as “just another nutcase post.” But now … I love your cutting board!

shefollowsshells · Aug 7, 2021

GRR said:
When I first saw this post I was dismissing it as “just another nutcase post.” But now … I love your cutting board!

lol!
I’d say I could easily qualify as a nut case person posting a nut case post- lol
I resemble that remark

katie@camino · Aug 8, 2021

I love this! It reminds me of a quite from the wonderful Italian movie Life Is Beautiful - "there is nothing more necessary than the unnecessary."

shefollowsshells · Aug 8, 2021

hopefultraveller24 said:
It is absolutely lovely to see you being present in the moment. The purposeful act of setting up the board and vase while remembering who gave it to you, and all it represents, lends itself perfectly to reflecting on thanfulness for the food laid out and the surroundings you are in. This is perfect! I may have to borrow this idea when I go. Some things are worth the burden of carrying, such as an item that can bring this much joy, peace and fullfillment. Buen Camino and ¡qué aproveche!

Best,
Hopeful

Such sweet words!!! Thank you!!!

shefollowsshells · Aug 8, 2021

katie@camino said:
I love this! It reminds me of a quite from the wonderful Italian movie Life Is Beautiful - "there is nothing more necessary than the unnecessary."

Beautiful line!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

witsendwv · Aug 10, 2021

I

shefollowsshells said:
I'm not certain if I have ever taken the time to share this, but since I am packing it this very minute I thought I would as it means the world to me in my backpack belongings. When my kids and I did Le Puy-Santiago (Finistere and Muxia) we lucked out to meet with MendiWalker in Bilboa, he's a fellow forum member here. This was the second time MendiWalker would join me on a stage of a Norte, the first was in 2014, and then now in 2016. I will never forget him bringing out a sweet cutting board that had been made from him. I told my kiddos that I wanted a cutting board!!! A month later our Christmas Tree would literally fall in our home and my hubby and kids had to cut the bottom off of it as it was too big. The next Christmas, a total surprise to me, I was presented with a cutting board from my son made from the cut wood from that Christmas tree!!!! It means the world to me.

It's an important part of my pack, and since adding it I have also added a very small vase that we use for each Camino Picnic, as we fill it with a little something, I admit my vase is my luxury item, but I've grown to need my cutting board.

View attachment 106153 View attachment 106154 View attachment 106155 View attachment 106156 View attachment 106157

I love your idea and photos. I hope you don't mind if any of us "steal" your idea.

shefollowsshells · Aug 10, 2021

witsendwv said:
I

I love your idea and photos. I hope you don't mind if any of us "steal" your idea.

I’d be honored! I stole the idea from a fellow pilgrim who always welcomed forum members on a walk out of Bilbao! MendiWalker!!! ( Mountain Walker, possibly Basque word I forgot)…

Camino Chrissy · Aug 10, 2021

I am impressed by your son's thoughtfulness as a young 15 year old, to give this gift of love made with his own hands to his mother.

witsendwv · Aug 10, 2021

shefollowsshells said:
I’d be honored! I stole the idea from a fellow pilgrim who always welcomed forum members on a walk out of Bilbao! MendiWalker!!! ( Mountain Walker, possibly Basque word I forgot)…

Thank you, I imagine much nicer lunch and snack breaks along our camino! Hopefully this fall!!

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As I pack for my Camino- I wanted to share my cutting board

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