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For those of you who don't know my name I am the Martial Artist formally known as DavidT. Some smart guy decided he like my handle a stole it 'EH. I had to change in incase he made one of you mad. I don't want you to come looking for me 'EH. Hoser!.....just kidding David T.

Actually I am here to talk about the great time I had at winter fest 'EH...at least that's what Mr. Mattson is paying me to say. This may take a while because I am trying to read his hand writing.

The truth is we all had a great time and of course, learned a great deal. It was an honor to work with some of the greats of Uechi-Ryu. Including Sensei Band Master, Sensei Raffi, and of Course Sensei "Big Daddy" Bedard. It goes without mentioning that any instruction from Mr. Mattson is more then an honor, it is a privilege. It helps that he is a nice guy..at least that is what it says on this piece of paper he gave me. . I also have to mention David Berndt who hosted us at a beautiful Dojo.

I was also able to meet some of the people I have only communicated with here on the Forums 'EH. Like Tony-San who from what I hear makes really good coffee. Mind you I said "I hear" he makes good coffee. He never shared any with me . The ladies from Nova Scotia were very nice too. They brought live lobsters with them from Canada. Just none for me..Hosers. We all had a great time at the pig roast. I don't think the pig was too happy to be there.WHACK! WHACK!.

I can't say enough about the friendships that are formed at these fests. Everbody seems to know your name and they're always glad you came..no wait that's a bar..but the fests are fun too and I can only imagine them getting better

To sum it all up it was GOOD. The hell trip there and the hell trip back(it's bad when you get lost in your own state) were worth it. I can't wait to meet my friends again in Boston this summer....'EH

Hey David! I told you guys GEM left more then half a thermos full of my best Joe!

It was nice meeting you man! I'm looking forward to seeing you guys again.

Tony

I'll bet that's the first time the Floridians saw "real" lobsters.

That makes two of us that didn't get to sample your internationally famous brew. Eh Tony? Are you in short supply of your great roasted bean like California is for power? You may tell us how to do the roast properly, but we need to see you do it and sample the results. Will you be running a bean roasting and coffee seminar at summer camp, Tony?

------------------
Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera

I am the "coffee guy" ain't I Allen? hah!

David T,

Totally in agreement with your sentiment. Nice to see you, Manny, Ray, and Ray. Hope you guys make it up to summer camp.

Tony and Sandy were amazingly gracious in putting me up for a night and feeding me. The steak was great and the coffee even better. It's TRUE Tony is the Java Man.

Mary S and Lori MD were a blast to hang with. True Canadians -- humorous, fun gals willing to don shorts in any weather over 40 degrees.

It was a pleasure to train at Lori's with the Florida contingent for one evening. I enjoyed their take of our UEchi practice and their willingness to share.

The seminar presenters were all excellent, playing off and reinforcing similar and overlapping concepts in words and demonstrations. Gary, Raffi and Roy were all
"giving" their secrets away... Of course, you have to work as hard as these folks to use them.

David Brendt's Dojo was beautiful and he is kind to share that space with the rest of us. Bob Elder's pig roast and christmas tree bon fire count as a cultural event to experience. (Just don't think about the pig and the katana on the day before...)

Overall, training and talking with y'all was such a great pleasure -- Worth even a delayed flight there, a weird episode at the motel (hmm... we need an upgraded accommodations list) and missed flight home.

An epiphany: Training together is so much better.

david

[This message has been edited by david (edited January 22, 2001).]

David,

It looks as if you may have spent too much time in the south. We've got you saying "y'all". I reckn' with a little more time we could have you sounded like one of us. But I don't recn' you're fixn' to pack up and move down here with all these Canadians 'eh. (sorry Mary and Lori I couldn't resist)

I understand what you mean about that hotel. I think Motley Crue stayed in our room the night before we got there.

Well! Where do I start?

I had such a good time in Florida I don't know if I can put it into words, but I'll try.

Tony, thank-you , thank-you , thank-you!!!
You and Susie are the best hosts!
Mary and I had so much fun staying with you and we felt so much at home.
It was great to be able to share the whole Winterfest experience with you.
Thank-you for chauffeuring us all over the place , for taking us to work out in a couple of the local do-jos ,for all the laughs,( and trust,me, there was a lot of laughs!! ),for the most excellent coffee and for being such a great friend.I just wish we could have stayed a little longer.

David Moy, it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with you and get to know you. I thoroughly enjoyed working out with you at the seminars. You have such patience and spirit as well as a great sense of humor.
Your time spent with us was a highlight of the weekend for me.

Raffi, thank-you for introducing me to the sticks. I am hooked!! I'll be practicing and at summer camp this year we'll see how it's come along.
It was a blast having you with us last night.
I truly enjoyed meeting you.

Gary, you have changed the way I look at sparring! I hope to be able to put some of the many things you taught into practice.A lot of things make a lot more sense to me now. Thanks for turning the light bulbs on for me. I have a whole new mindset.

Roy, you have also changed how I look at sparring! The 1/4 second punch and the half beat are now a focus for me. I hope to put them to good use. I really enjoyed everything you taught. (Even though I couldn't co-ordinate that damn drill of yours. )

Sensei Mattson, Thank-you for putting this all together. It was a great way to get South for a few day and train with some of the most talented and enjoyable people I've ever met!I hope I'll get to do it again next year!

Lori, It was great to see you again! I'm glad we had the chance to talk this time around. Maybe next time you'll be able to work out with us.I look forward to seeing you soon,


To everyone I got to meet this weekend, David T, Ray,Manny,Charlie,George,Curtis,Al, and several others who's names escape me right at the moment, It was an absolute pleasure to meet y'all and work out with those I had the chance to. I hope we meet again.

Well, it's back to reality, I arrived home to 50 CM. of snow tonight. (that's about 20 inches!!!!!) And boy is it cold!

Thank-you to everyone who made this week-end one I'll be thinking about and laughing about for quite a while.

If you want to see some of the fun, check out the link on Sensei Canna's forum. There are some great pictures that we up loaded over the course of the weekend.

Lori M-D

[This message has been edited by lori macleod-doyle (edited January 22, 2001).]

Good Friends, Good Coffee, Good Sanchin, A Bagel and a Smear (pronounced "Schmeeyah").

Who could ask for anything more?

I'm like Lori, I don't know where to begin. I had such a good time these last 4 or 5 days I don't even know which points to place emphasis on for this post.

I'll start with my thanks you's...

I owe a huge thank you to Peggy Hess for taking the time to work with me and my guests. I am very fortunate to live just down the street from such a great practitioner and teacher who is so willing and eager to share. as usual, this past visit was yet another profound experience. I know my guests feel the same. Thank you Peggy! I can't believe we forgot to take pictures while we where there!!!!

I also want to thank David Moy for his insights on relaxation and power. My Karate is ready to move to another plane. Thanks David. I mean that. You really got through to me and I understand what you are trying to say. You are welcome here anytime my man! Maybe you can come this summer and we'll do some shark fishing off the surf???

Thanks to Dave Berndt for setting us up with the great Dojo scene. And of course, thanks to George Mattson, Roy Berdard, Raffi Derderian and Gary Khoury for coming down to Central Florida and providing us with this great seminar. I'm already looking forward to Summer Camp (yes! I will come to this one) and the next winterfest.

I really enjoyed meeting all the people and making new friends like David T, Ray, Manny and Raffi's friend Charlie. I'm looking forward to working with you guys when I can.

Thanks Mary and Lori for coming down and hanging out with me. It's good to have friends like you guys around. Someone very wise whom I have a great admiration for once told me "Tony, surround yourself with good people and you'll never be unhappy". Best advice I ever got from anyone! I'm doing just that!

To all those who stayed at my house: How does it feel to be able to make a cup of Coffee as good as me?

Tony

Here is a link to some pictures:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1165631&a=11059790

Good Grief!

I called Susie, Sandy... And I forgot to even mention George Sensei. Well, GEM sensei knows already what I think of his efforts to bring people together to train and learn.

Wellll.... David, I dooo hope you good OleBoys come up North soon, y'hear. I'll be sure tell my friends not to be suckered in by that slooow drawl. It's a trick to get us set up for that 1/4 second punch in between beats.

david

Tony,
The only problem is that we can only make the coffee as good as you at your place!

David,
Your e-mail isn't listed where you said it was. Could you send your address through Tony or however you want to do it. I want to be able to reach you if we do this trip to Maine next month.


Thanks,
Lori M-D




[This message has been edited by lori macleod-doyle (edited January 23, 2001).]

Hello all,
Boy, I had one of the best weekends at Winterfest. It could not have been better.
I started my first class by saying Winterfest has ONE ENEMY: TIME!!!!
It is too short. Three days to learn from Gary K, and Roy B. and of course GEM; it is like a tease. You would need three months with these guys to just nick the surface.
I would also like to take this time to thank a few people. My special thanks to Tony and his lovely wife Susie for bailing me out on Sunday night when my returning flight was cancelled. They were kind enough to put me up for the night. My eternal thanks.
Lori and Mary, you guys are nuts! I of course mean that in the highest form of praise. Lori, Keep up those sticks. Mary, don't let Lori bang you around with her sticks. There are some great pictures of Lori beating up everyone at camp with her stick.
To all of the other camp attendees, my thanks for your hard effort, open minds and fierce spirit.
Tony, I WANT one of those coffee machines like yours!!!!!!!!! (the wife has a problem with the $750...)
Raf

[This message has been edited by Raffi Derderian (edited January 23, 2001).]

No problem Raffi! You and David where great guests and are welcome here anytime! If you're having trouble getting your wife to bite on $750, you can get the bottom line Saeco for a measley $450. You have to turn the knob to make a cup though (no fancy programmable pushbutton type like what I have) and the strength is a 7 gram dose each time (mine is adjustable). Check it out:
http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_mod/saeco/99vienna.htm

It's not bad for the money man! works just like mine but it's manual (it doesn't have a swivel base either so you'll need some counter space for it).

Tony

Lori:

Would you like a Super Automatic Coffee Machine and a Schmeeyah?

HAH HAH!