Summer Retreat 2008

Well, I've been back almost a week from the Menlo Summer Retreat. It was quite an event. I went last year and had a great time. This year I was a featured guest instructor, so it was a little different. I still had fun. However, there was a lot more responsibility having to teach a class a day. And with over a hundred people attending the retreat, there were lots and lots of people. Sort of like playing Carnegie Hall. A memorable event to be sure.

Sharing the teaching responsibilities with sensei's Nadeau, Doran, and Ikeda was quite an honor. They each have their own styles and approaches, so it is quite interesting to see new people exposed to quite a lot of variety in terms of classes. I liken it to attending a trade show. It is fun to see what they are into. The food was standard camp fare, not memorable but okay enough most days.

The earlier retreats were held at Dominican College in San Rafael. They were memorable and at times held in extreme heat. This year we had some very warm days, but no hot days. The hot days are here now.



There is another summer camp coming up in Santa Cruz next month, July 9th through the 13th. I'm not sure about the status of drop ins or even late registration for that camp, but when I find out, I'll make sure it's posted. I think anyone wishing to can check in at www.aikidosantacruz.com.

One amusing camp aside was when Nadeau sensei asked me to help him out with a comic book superhero name."The Green One," he said. Now my mind wondered whether he meant Green Lantern or The Incredible Hulk. From the flow of the class I guessed the latter and was right. Speaking of which, I caught the film last night and really liked it. I found the earlier one a little flat for some reason. The new one with Ed Norton is much more in touch with Stan Lee's original concepts for the character. I think you will enjoy it if you haven't seen it yet.