Sue Ann McKean

Yesterday I had a chance to catch up with an old friend, Sue Ann McKean. Sue Ann taught at the old dojo in Japantown in the '90's. She was also the uchi deshi or live in student at that dojo's location when it opened in July of 1990. She was a member of a meditation group I belonged to in the '70's. She is still active in aikido teaching at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and also Deanza College. The picture was taken yesterday in the hill of Portola Valley right by where she lives. Pictured along with her is Lola.

She is currently in the middle of a 5 year program of study in Vedic Astrology and has just returned from India. Often times going out of country to do an intensive can be intense. I know that from my stays in Japan in the'70's Anyway we had lunch(prepared by her husband Jack and very delicious it was), talked for hours, and took a little hike on which the above photo was taken. Thank goodness for cell phone cameras.

Sue Ann is one of the top and senior aikidoists in the area. She had a meteoric career in female body building. A couple of her warrior shows, performed at body buiiding events in the '80's are available on my youtube channel(jackwada). But she has a unique feel for the art of aikido and is one of the very best at teaching through the body. This is unique and vital for an art that has grown more and more form and mind oriented.

Old friends are those you can really be yourself with and say what you feel. It is wonderful to have those. Any I certainly include Sue Ann among mine. I am including one of the warrior shows from youtube. In this one Jenny and I were in the audience watching along with everyone else.