RETURN TO BETHANY BEACH --- RESIDENTIAL 2

Like last year, it seems to take a few weeks after the event, for me to write about what happened. Saturday started with a few late arrivals, since Heathrow airport (U.K.) had some fog that morning. We were further delayed after picking up our European travelers from Philadelphia International airport. It seems that we got so caught up in a "Prance of the Tiger" conversation; we took a wrong turn on our way to the beach. Nora Lynch, Dayle Carter, Michele (Missy) Lane, Diane Ruth, and Lena Varuolo did a great job of setting up the houses and arranging supper (Southern style wet barbeque ribs, blue cheese coleslaw, etc.). When we finally did arrive, everything was ready for us. Mark Brosten was flying in late from Montana. JJ and Lela Simon were nice enough to pick him up and, by midnight, we were all in place at the Bethany Beach houses.
Sunday started with training on the beach. We moved under cover after an hour or two, then, a bit more work before shopping in Rehoboth Beach and lunch at Dogfish Head Brewery. The beer sampler went down easily, as did the upscale "pub" food. Sunday evening was a time to talk, plan the week ahead, and get to know each other, again for some, and first time for others. Training during the week went very well. John Davis, while handling most of the cooking duties, also taught on the Cycle of Considerations. Liam Brady and Gerry Lynch taught the Two Man Set, which Lena and Diane immediately "rechristened" the Two Person Form! Lena Varuolo taught a class on Words of Motion, Mike Ilderton taught the British Home Office "BE SAFE" course on bladed weapons and the occasional Escrima drill. Richard Matthews taught classes on "Moving the Target" and "The Fallacy of Technique Completion". I taught my favorite subjects "Logic and Basics".
The week offered a unique opportunity for presenting new ideas. Lela Simon, ACE certified personal trainer, presented some of her Secondary Fitness routines. Secondary refers to Coordination, Balance, Flexibility, and Power, instead of focusing on strength or endurance. Lena and I are looking forward to being certified as Secondary Fitness instructors during 2009. Mark Brosten presented his Notching analogy for destroying an opponent's base to aid your strikedowns. He also presented his project videos for Staff basics 1 and 2. These research projects, and others, were well received. It wasn't all formal research projects. I enjoyed having an opportunity to talk about high quality film production with Peter Stewart and the 9 planes of the Universal Pattern with Melvin Ruth.
On Wednesday, we took the day off for a trip to Washington D.C. Our travels took us near 19th century routes used to smuggle escaping slaves to freedom. Gerry Lynch, our group historian and Shanakee (Irish storyteller), regaled us with stories of the Underground Railroad. The trip allowed me to keep a promise and take a picture in front of the Lincoln Memorial with Professor Richard Matthews. Our trip did have a downside, at least, for some of us. While we (the responsible ones) were changing a flat tire, Mr. Lynch disappeared with of our group to enjoy margaritas at a local pub.

Thursday arrived much too quickly. The week was flying by. After morning training, we headed to the Indian River beach for kayaking and, for those not kayaking, Staff Set #1, Long Form #7, Richard Matthews' Club Set, and Escrima with Mike Ilderton. Dee Ilderton deserves the greatest accolades during kayaking. She went from fear, never having kayaked, to total kayaking enthusiast! We have the picture to prove it! Well done, Dee! Thursday afternoon gave us an opportunity to formally test JJ Simon for 2nd Degree Brown Belt. During the week the board had been able to evaluate his performance of Long Form #3, Coordination Set #2, Staff Set #1, and Rich's Club Set. The formal test took another 3 hours with nearly all of us acting as JJ's attackers. The final evaluation was position-based freestyle on the ground. Mark Brosten acted as the 2nd person. The evening "Presentations" meal was highlighted by a New Orleans favorite --- Carpetbagger's Steak a combination of roasted beef tenderloin, flash fried oysters and barnaise sauce. The "necessary trimmings" included a choice of a nice cabernet or syrah.
After morning training on Friday, we organized some time for a little last minute shopping. The evening was topped off by our meal at Liquid Assets in Ocean City, MD.
I can recommend the scallops and mushroom risotto at this bistro, wine bar, local beach favorite. A special thank you goes to Lena for playing designated driver.
Saturday morning we said goodbye to the beach for another year. Tony Maddox and Gabriel Zepecki (JJ's mom) hosted lunch for us at their farm called Elysian Fields. After a tour of Gabriel's new print making salon (she trained at the Cochran gallery in Washington D.C.), we all sat next to Hearn's pond eating, drinking, saying our long goodbyes, and planning next year. There are currently only 8 openings for the 2009 event!

By: Lawson