st. christopher and baby moses

hi everyone
barb and i have finished another day- this is day 8. so far we have walked through three agricultural areas, first pigs, then wheat or other grains and now grapes and olives. the sky was blue and the air clear today. we walked 22 km, tomorrow 28, our longest.
yesterday we had to cross two creeks that were high. did i tell you that a day before a man stood in the water for a long time helping people cross over stepping stones that were mostly under water. the water was moving very fast and it was hard to balance. so yesterday, there was another young man to help barb and i. i thought of st. christoper and the photo you always see with a man carrying baby jesus on his shoulder across a swollen river. well, in this case we had to take off our boots and socks and slide done a very slippery bank- maybe a foot or so, and then walk carefully across a cement thing that was laying across the water. we both made it safely to the other side. at the second creek there was no st. christoper. just barb and i. we were tired and the water was cloudy, like tea with milk.we tired to think of ways aross. let me give you the options:
a- take off your boots and walk in the water to the other side- about 6 ft away.
b- don´t take off your boots and try to stay on the rocks which were maybe 4 inches under water or
c- look upstream about 30 feet for a way across that was more narrow, but you have to walk through knee high grass, and feel the ground with your hiking pole. at a certain point you fall off the bank and go under water for a minute in your hiking boots, rain gear and with a back pack on your back.but you do surface.

if you guessed that 'a' was the right answer, you were correct. barb chose b, but only because she had a clue- she heard a big splash. i unfortunately choose 'c'. i was certain there had to be a better way across.
after i fell in, i found my footing and stood up. i secured my glasses and my cute headband. i stood in the water for a minute thinking what an interesting view. one i had never seen. i was in chest high water, the bank was above me and all i could see was that grass. that´s when i thought of baby moses, living for three years like that- in reeds. barb was calling for me and i started laughing because it was such a crazy thing to do and i wasn´t dead.
i pulled myself up using the grass and found good ground, on the other side of the creek. i was really lucky because the air was warm and there was a breeze. i dried off in about 15 minutes. nothing in my backpack got wet because i pack everything in plastic. even my phone and camera were ok.
at the albergue last night we had a washing machine, dryer and a very hot shower, so the dirty creek water was gone. we went out to dinner , eating fine tapas again and drinking a very nice wine. but all through the night last night, i could see the bank and grass and laughed again.
our camino family- it seems we have seen the last of michael and his son paul,and the men with the burros. we really enjoyed their company and it´s always hard to say goodbye. everyone we talk with is either german or french and they all have walked the camino many times. this way, the via de la plata is gorgeous and less crowded.
i think barb and i have found our groove. she has two blisters, not too bad, and i have none, knock on wood. we are walking at the same pace and having fun.
i loved talking with erika and jude on easter and alison you the day before. i hope you all had a good easter. we did.
goodbye from villafanca de los barros.
love,
mom, nonna, mary