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Brentwood Press - BrentwoodPress_10.10.08 - Index

YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
National Award Winning Newspapers
Vol. 10, No. 41 Including Surrounding Communities www.brentwoodpress.com October 10, 2008
A journey of self-discovery
C
by Rick Lemyre
Staff Writer
Alexis Easton said there was no
“lightswitch” moment when she suddenly
realized she really was going to attempt
to walk a 100-kilometer pilgrimage trail
across Northern Spain. Since she fi rst
learned of the 1,200-year-old Camino de
Santiago de Compestela (The Way of St.
James), it was just something she knew she
would do.
The lightswitch moments, it turned
out, would come later.
The entire Camino de Santiago runs
more than 780 kilometers, from Southern
France across the breadth of Spain to the
cathedral built at the site where, according
to Catholic tradition, the bones of the
Apostle James were found around the year
800. The fi nal 100 kilometers are the most
traveled, and the minimum required to obtain
a Compestela: a certifi cate of completion.
“There are a lot of reasons I did it,”
said Easton, pastor of the Brentwood
Community United Methodist Church. “I
needed to do some sorting out of priorities
for the rest of my life, and I wanted to
make sure I had the best opportunity to
listen to the spirit of God to do it.”
So after years of studying and careful
preparation, she loaded up a 28-pound
pack with old clothing she could dispose
of rather than launder along the way, fl ew
to Spain and set out on the trail on June
30. Staying in $5-per-night dormitories
provided for the pilgrims – in some years,
more than 100,000 people earn Compestelas,
and countless others take the trek
without seeking documentation – Easton
logged 265,250 steps on her pedometer before
fi nishing on July 10.
The solitude she sought was easy to
come by. A variety of dialects spoken by
locals made communication diffi cult, and
most other pilgrims were deeply occupied
with their private thoughts. As she walked,
usually alone, through tiny villages and the
Spanish countryside, she was struck by the
beauty of her surroundings.
“One day I was just hit by the sight of
the leaves on the trees,” she said. “I had a
clear sense that their color was feeding my
soul. I still don’t fully understand how nature
comes through our senses, but it really
had an impact on me on a cellular level.
I’m much more sensitive to it now: how we
are connected to nature and sustained by
it.”
She remembers the sun breaking
through the wet morning fog, the coo of
doves and cry of roosters. Dogs barked as
they worked herds of cattle, which at times
blocked the path. She stood aside, waiting
patiently.
“I wanted to have as little impact as
possible” on locals, she said. “You are not
a contributor to their lives, you’re a complication.
You have to be respectful.” The
Sales start in all-solar subdivsion
Photo by Rick Lemyre
Like all of the buildings in the new Palmilla subdivsion,
the 4,000-square-foot community center uses solar
panels to produce much of the electricity it uses.
see Pilgrimage page 25A
C oupons oupons To To Go!
Go!
SHOP LOCAL. SAVE MONEY.
by Rick Lemyre
Staff Writer
News that a developer is ramping
up building in a new Brentwood
subdivision used to be old hat. The
slump in the real estate market put a
virtual halt to that, however, making
real estate grand openings as rare as,
say, a pleasant surprise from your
PG&E bill.
Pinn Bros. Fine Homes this week
announced that it plans to provide
both at its new Palmilla subdivision
off Central Boulevard. The 455 singlefamily
homes, 108 apartments and
two recreation centers the project will
include are all equipped with solar
Photo courtesy of Alexis Easton
Brentwood pastor Alexis Easton photographed
her shadow as it fell across the Camino de Santiago
de Compestela, an ancient Catholic pilgrimage
she took earlier this year across northern Spain.
power, making it the biggest all-solar
project in the country. Together with a
host of other energy-effi cient amenities,
the homes are expected to result in a 60percent
savings off the average home’s
energy bill.
“Sixty percent may be
conservative,” Dale Garren, vice
president of Pinn Bros. East Bay
division said at a grand opening event
on Wednesday. Performance of model
homes already built have “far exceeded”
expectations so far, he added.
Josh Cook of ConSol, an
independent verifi cation fi rm hired to
assure the construction is as claimed,
see Solar page 25A
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Didn’t get a coupon book, call 634-1441
THIS WEEK
Fest to entice
the senses
Marvels to delight the eye,
palate and ear are on display
this weekend at Brentwood’s Art
Wine & Jazz Festival.
Page 12B
Kids strike
comic chords
Two young entrepreneurs have
taken their talents to super-
heroic heights.
Page 3A
More than
digs and kills
Her win-loss record is impressive,
but her Model Coach Award
signifies her success in transmitting
core values to her players.
Page 1B
INSIDE
Calendar ..........................23B
Classifieds ........................17B
Community .......................3A
Education ........................10A
Entertainment ................22B
Food ................................ 12B
Health & Beauty............... 9B
Milestones .........................7B
Opinion ...........................18A
Public Notices ..................20B
Sports .................................1B