Hi David:

Just a note to congratulate you on your Cold mountain Dojo’s 25th anniversary.

You have been a trusted and valued friend over the years and a wonderful role-model to your students. I just wanted you to know how much I admire you and how much I value your friendship.

My only regret is that the distance prevents our working out together more often and perhaps even sharing a dram of whiskey now and then. I plan to go out with the guys tonight after class and will raise a glass in your honor, hoping my good wishes will bring even more happiness to you and Bobbie.

By the way. . . The next 25 years are a lot easier! :)

Love from Sue, Tia and me. . .
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Hi George and Susan (and Tia)

Thank you so much for this wonderful message!

I want to reiterate how tremendously significant you, my Uechi-ryu teacher, are to me. I would imagine that many students over the years have told you this, but I can say with absolute certainty that my life would not be what it is without what you have taught me in Uechi-ryu. I was quoting something you said to me back at the Hancock St. dojo in Monday's class, "Make everything that you do a kata. If you are brushing your teeth, it's a brushing your teeth kata. If you are walking upstairs, it's a walking upstairs kata". That was a great and valuable teaching to a young karate and music student. It has always stayed with me. Something else you said at the very beginning of my training was also a great encouragement. It was the first time I had ever sparred, it was in front of the whole class and it was with Al Ford. Al took me down with a foot sweep and while on the floor I yanked his leg out from under him so he ended up on the floor too where I was punching him. I overheard you say, "that kid's got spirit!" That confirmation solidified something in me which has been at the core of my life long practice. I value our friendship too!

The dojo is taking Bobbi, Ken Brown and I out to dinner at a neighborhood restaurant to celebrate our 25 years of Cold Mountain Dojo. It's nice because the students have organized everything –we just have to show up! The dojo is doing very well these days with waiting lists for the 6-8 yrs old, the 8 to 12 yrs and the teen classes. The adult intermediate/advanced classes are filled with mature karateka and the qigong and meditation classes are at capacity. I couldn't ask for more.

Thank you so much for your well wishes and toast. I too wish that the distance wasn't so great. I have a half sabbatical next year –which may be my last year at the University as I'll be 65 and can take a full pension (in these wild financial days I'll have to watch what happens to our pension plan!) and will take it in the winter (2010). I'm hoping that it works out to come down for your winter camp. I enjoyed meeting two of your students this last summer. Very fine people. I look forward to seeing them again.

So on Oct. 25 (the day we'll celebrate), your ears may burn a little as I'll have whole dojo raise a glass to you too!

love,

David

 

WinterFest is coming along nicely. Getting lots of inquiries regarding the schedule and questions about when the application will be posted.

Well, if you click the photograph, you will be taken to the WinterFest website. If you click here, you can sign-up for the event. (be sure to let me know if you will be playing in the Thursday's "Warrior's" golf tournament. This year we will be having multiple seminars being conducted each hour of the day. . . like SummerFest. I'll be conducting a whole series focusing on various Uechi "components" and how they work to make your Uechi such a realistic fighting system.

Quite a few "presenters" will be helping make this year's event a most interesting and valuable supplement to your ongoing training. Please contact me if you would like to be a "presenter" and be sure to include a summary of the seminar you would like to teach.

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I was honored to be invited (for the second year) to be a guest at Buzz Durkin's organizational yearly promotion celebration. I've been trying to figure out how to post a photograph of the graduating class, but the picture was way to large to fit on my home page. There were way over 200 students in the class and when I reduced the photograph to fit this screen, everyone appeared as dots! :) So. . . Click Here to view the pdf newsletter, which can be navigated in your Adobe Reader.

I also wish to thank one of the photographers who took the nice picture of me during my kata demonstration.