I always found time to train

From the time I began my Isshinryu studied in Salisbury Maryland, for most of the rest of my life when I took vacations they were Karate holidays.

 

After moving to Scranton my first vacation was to camp near Salisbury and then train at various Isshinryu schools in that area.

 

 Next we went camping as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, and on the campground I was constantly doing kara, even creating my drill Wansu No Tonfa.

 

 

When I vacationed at Niagara Falls with my wife I was performing kata at the campground then we traveled down to Pittsburgh to camp and train with Ernest Rothrock.

 

Even vacationing visiting my inlaws in Sarasota Florida, I made time to travel and train with Charles Murray.

When I went on business trips to a variety of conferences, I was always outside the center working on kata in the parking lots. Nashville, New Orleans, San Francisco, Orlando, San Antonio, Boston. So many places.

 

 

 

Trip after trip, year after year, most of my time was spent working on my karate.

Trips to Pennsylvania to train with Tristan Sutrisno. Trips to Pittsburgh to train with Ernest Rothrock.  Once I even  drove to from Massachusetts after work to pick up Tristan to then drive to Pittsburgh and so we could train with Ernie and later visit Vince Ward to finally drive  back all on a Friday through Sunday.

 

 

Trips to train over a weekend with Reese Rigby at a weekend karate training event in Dover Deleware.  And many trips to train with Lewis Sensei too.

 

 

I remember each of them, though all the details become blurred over time.

 

My last one was 1992, I had been diagnosed as having Diabetes II, then it was discovered I had Colon Cancer. Almost immediately I went on a tril. Drove from New Hampshire to Scranton to have lunch with Tristan Sutrisno and Charles Murray, Then drove across Pennsylvania to visit Ernest Rotnrock of several days, then to drive to West Virginia to visit Tom Lewis to drive to see my father and family before I returned home..You could say it covered Shotokan, Isshinryu and Northern Eagle Claw and T’ai Chi.

 

 

After that I underwent Cancer surgery, Chemo and Radiation Therapy. Modifying diet and beginning regular walks, I obtained remission of my cancer and diabetes.

 

But time brought other disabilities and eventually giving up driving to keep others save, My travels came to an end.

 

Then my life shifted to almost daily walks, and greatly diminshed kata/form practice.

But my martial practices remaiedn my life.