We've returned from a long, long weekend. Brian (trainMA username = bugeisha) and I decided to skip Saturday class and go camping which is always fun. We camp on his parents remote, wooded 20 acres. They intend to build their house there, but for now, Brian and his father were finishing the barn. I helped my mother-in-law (who also happens to be one of my best friends) plant shrubs. We went down to the creek where they recently replaced the culver. There is a large mound of rich, black soil leftover and we filled bags of it and filled jugs of water in the creek. As she walked around the creek bed, she managed to find an area where the ground LOOKED solid, but wasn't. She sunk into the sludge almost up to her hips and was stuck... and I mean STUCK stuck. I eventually had to get the shovel that we used for the black soil and DIG her out. I'm not kidding! I'm glad I was with her.

Since we skipped during the weekend, we went to day class yesterday. It was SO MUCH FUN. First we worked on empty hand techniques against bokken, then disarming bokken vs. bokken. Then we touched on some drills, a few of which were very long and rather like a kata or 2-person form. Then we all went out for lunch at TGI Fridays downtown. Brian and I spent the rest of the day eating ice cream on the couch and sitting around the condo. Yesterday was also our anniversary, but we didn't feel like doing anything very special for it. We spent the long weekend together and we were happy, so... isn't that what counts? Hard to believe it's been 2 years all ready. We've been together 8.5 total.

Art time! I so rarely post finished pieces, so this is a pleasure to share. It is not martial arts related, unless you count the sword, which is katana-like in its shape. Click the thumbnail banner to view the full image.

Man, I really need to update my site.