Sunday and Monday Practice

Some kind of Anemonefish that I captured while diving off Moal Boal, Cebu, Philippines.

*This is a journal of a T'ai Chi Ch'uan practitioner, 

while traveling 1/2 across the world, 

40+ hours of grueling air and bus travel and lots of waiting: 

I did the remainder of the 'Round' that I started in Doha, Qatar, when we arrived back in Leyden at 7 pm. On my clock it was still Saturday late at night (Cebu time). The time difference is:

                                   Cebu 12 noon on Sunday = Boston 12 midnight on Saturday  

I've been having transcending rounds in Leyden - Starting on Sunday (Leyden time) with an even deeper Round on Monday.....I hope to write more about what's been happening once I wrap my head around it and have a few spare moments. 

Saturday Practice

My first nudibranch (sea slug) that I've ever spotted and captured!

*This is a journal of a T'ai Chi Ch'uan practitioner, 

while traveling 1/2 across the world, 

40+ hours of grueling air and bus travel and lots of waiting: 

For me it's 10:25  pm on Sunday night. Here is Doha, Qatar it's 5:25am on Sunday. We gained 5 hours traveling west from Cebu to Doha. It's a bit confusing but I'm doing my best to keep continuity with my daily practice. I may end up doing a Round in the super clean restrooms here in the Al Maha lounge in the ultra modern airport, spare no expense in Doha, Qatar. It's very obvious that there is a lot of $$$ here in Qatar.

I had hear that the Qatar airline was the worlds best, but I beg to differ. Crazy lay over in Davao. It was 3 hours and they locked the bathrooms.....Really?? The food sucked the service sucked the seats were broken but we did manage to make it safe and sound. A bit of adversity is to be expected when traveling. The 'secret' is to adjust your mind, because you cannot adjust what is happening. 

I just did 3/4 of Round on the right side while I was in the private shower room here in Doha. It was a memorable Round mostly because of where I was doing it. 

Red and Black Anemonefish

 

I though this was a Clown Fish (Nemo) but after looking it up in 'the book' I realize this is a Red and Black Anemonefish. There appears to be many variations on the theme. This one was  hanging out in an Anemone where he/she resides. Anemones having stinging tentacles but these Anemonefish are immune to the them. They are very skittish, but will get still if you get still and hang out. This dive had a current making it challenging to get still for long enough. But this one did give me an opportunity (momentarily) to capture it. 

Friday Practice

 

I'm taking the last day off of scuba diving. I need a break from the rush, rush. This is a photo of the dive boat getting ready to head out for a two tank local dive. 

With a leisurely start I practiced around 10am with a full Warm Up, a little weapons training (Arnis double stick) and a Round on the right side. Afterwards a few minutes of drum rudiments on a pillow to round it out. It felt really good to be 'ready' to practice. In the early am practices I'm mainly getting it in before diving because I'm just too pooped out and hungry when we get back. It felt really, really good to practice on my own schedule, even though it meant missing the last morning of diving. It's also ultra conservative to continue to off gas (nitrogen) before flying home tomorrow afternoon. I'm less inclined to 'push it' as I get older. 

 We had a very nice spread as a end of the week celebration last evening. The lighting show over the mountains across from the channel was an excellent perk!

Thursday Practice

 

We dove Pescador Island and The Sardines again. At Pescador Island we did a drift dive on the south side (last time we did the north side) there were some interesting creatures (Another Banded Krait).

Then a drift dive from north to south for The Sardines. It's hard to describe the beauty of watching the school of Sardines in their natural habitat. There's no rhyme or reason for them to be where they are on a regular basis. It is a protected (from fishing) area, but other than that...Why??

Thursdays Practice:

Early morning on the deck before diving. I did a full Warm Up and a Round (left side)

This was my last dive of the trip. Friday I'm staying dry.  I'll packing, drying out and having some leisure time in the pool and the cool room today. 

My Practice will also be leisurely and unscheduled. Yay!

More on that later this morning.

Wednesday Practice

 

Super early start to Oslob, Cebu, Philippines to encounter Whale Sharks. An amazing experience.

 

It was a 2 hour van ride down the west coast of Cebu and around the bend and up the east coast to Oslob. There were lot's of other tourists there to snorkel with the Whale Sharks. They feed them krill to bring them in and can almost guarantee sightings. The water was murky and there was a small current on the second dive. 

The Practice:

I did a full practice out on the deck, in the dark, before we left a 4:45 am.

Scuba Diving Practice:

I did an underwater meditation on the second dive as a number of problems with gear, mask, murky water and current had me needing to change my mind set....i.e. calm the heck down! 

I feel fortunate that I have the skills to overcome what could have been a panic attack. Experience teaches....

When you scuba dive you have many opportunities to Song (release/relax) in real time. Either you have the skills needed or you panic! There's no faking it.

I did get a few usable images from underneath the Whale Sharks. Ginnie got some really good GoPro footage of the vacume cleaning the krill. I'll post that when she works it up.

Monday and Tuesday Practice

 

Early morning practices on the deck with this view is the standard for my practices while here in Moal Boal, Cebu, Philippines.

I'll write more later when I have a spare minute. 

Thresher Sharks

 

I call her 'half fin'. She's in full cleaning mode with her tail almost parallel with her body. That long tail fin is usually straight up, unless she wants to allow the little cleaning fish to approach her without getting eaten!

Here's another one from a distance. Her tail is not quite parallel to her body...yet! She's a bit larger too.

It's good practice to be able to access deep relaxation while having a shark encounter. Either you can or you can't. There's NO faking it;^) 

Sunday Practice

 The view at our room at Kasai Village, for my morning practices.

I started outside on our deck/sitting area and then finished my Round inside the room with this view. 

Ginnie's not feeling well so she took the day off to recover. I went out with the group for 2 dives. They were drift dives with poor visibility. A little weird at the end of the second dive where we had to swim back into the current to reach the boat. 

Friday and Saturday Practice

 

Friday I practiced on the deck of our room very early before a two tank dive with the Thresher Sharks. They did not disappoint! Although the visibility could have been better we saw lots of sharks;^)

I did take the 'big rig' out with me but haven't had the time to check to see if'n I got a usable image or not.

Saturday was a very, very long bus ride to Moal Boal on the western coast of Cebu. The bus ride was 8 hours.

 I did a very early morning practice in the room.

 At 9 am we loaded onto a boat for Maya on the northern most tip of Cebu, checking to see if ALL our gear got on the bus.

After a grueling bus ride to Moal Boal, we had to register, do all our dive certification crap, listen to briefings from the restaurant staff, the dive staff and Tony the group leader...Finally we got to eat dinner around 8 pm.

The bus ride was an adventure in and of itself!

The bus ride had some spectacular views.

More bus ride photos.

The view from our room at Kasai Village in Moal Boal, Cebu
 

Then back to the room to unpack cloths, get our dive gear stowed and tend to the u/w photography equipment. Oy vey!

Thursday one tank afternoon - 'local dive'

I did my practice on the deck of our room, or at least I started there. The locals were burning 'something', pretty stinky and lots of smoke, so after my Warm Ups I came inside the room for a round (right side)

A typical sunrise at Malapasqua Island - Home of the famed Thresher Shark Encounters - 

We skipped the super early (boat leaves at 5:30 am) Thresher Shark dives to have some 'down time' and opted for the one tank mid afternoon. We went to a 'local site' so the boat time was way less than the 50 minute ride out to Kemod Shoal where the shark cleaning station is. 

Well there was a ripping current at the surface. I was flapping like a flag on the mooring line while descending. There was a steady stream of bubbles going sideways from the divers below us and the visibility was terrible, making for a challenging descent. 

Once we were at depth the current was almost non existent. It was challenging under water photography, mostly because of the poor visibility. We did see Sea Horse and an assortment of other strange creatures.

I did my practice mid morning on the deck. 

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Practice

 Tuesday 5/14/23

Very early morning practice on the deck. Then off to Kemod Shoal for an extra ordinary Thresher Shark encounter. A short Warm Up and a Round on the right side. Not the best 'spirit' but I did get some 'calibration' becoming more and more Song as the practice went on. All in all a productive practice. 

Back for breakfast then off to Gato Island for a two tank dive. 

*Diving is conducive to testing if you are able to reach a deep state of Song (relaxing) under stressful situations.

 

We dove Gato Island Tuesday afternoon. In the morning we had a spectacular encounter with Thresher Sharks on Kemod Shoal. In order to get there for the shark encounter we had to leave the resort at 5:30 at I did my Round on the deck outside our room at about 4:30am. We've been so busy diving that my rounds have been very early in the morning before we go. 

Yesterday (Wed) we went to Calanggaman Island where they have one of the few Wall Dives. It was beautiful but 2 hours away by boat. The surface interval was wonderful because we could swim to cool off. It is super hot and humid here this time of year.

Wednesday 5/16/23

Early morning practice on the deck. Short Warm Up and a Round on the left side. 

Then prepare for diving and U/W photography. I was using total manual settings on these days. 

That's Calanggaman Island off in the distance. The 'Wall' is on this side of the island. It's a stand alone resort/vacation Island. It was wonderful but the 4 hours to get there and back made for a very long day.

Oh and I had an auto inflating problem with my BCD. Very unnerving on the first dive before I understood what was going on. The second dive still had the problem but I was able to stay calmer once I knew what was happening. Yay! Very good practice for 'being comfortable being uncomfortable'.

Thursday  5/17/23

We decided not to go on the very early morning Thresher Shark dive. A difficult decision but a good one. 

I'll be going back to the room after breakfast to do my practice. Probably inside the room because of the heat. 

Saturday, Sunday, Monday Practice

Extra long travel day by bus on Saturday, from Cebu City to Malapascua Island off the northern tip of Cebu.

I did my Round outside the room at The Blue Water Resort in Cebu, City. 

We left the resort at 10:30 am for Malapascua Island. It was a little depressing to see how poorly people were living. There was pure unadulterated poverty, for hours on end. The entire length of the island was one cardboard tin roofed shack after another. Lots of scooters and crazy, insane driving. It was a free for all and most intersections. I was very happy that I was not driving.

We arrived at Maya on the northern most tip of Cebu and boarded a funky dive boat to Malapasqua Island. It was about a 1 hour crossing. When we finally got to Malapasqua we had a briefing and signed documents for about another hour then finally got the key to our room (#16). We started to get our dive gear ready and then dinner. It took four days of travel to get here. We were all tired and it felt really good to get prone and get a good night’s sleep.

Sunday 5.14.23

After breakfast we did our ‘check out’ dives. Ginnie wasn’t feeling up to it. The rest of us did two dives. Not great visibility but some very different creatures. Two Sea Horses, a couple of nudibranchs and I think a Batfish. The second dive had a ripping current at the surface. The current made it interesting and a bit difficult for our return to the boat. 

We are so busy diving I will have to wait to write more about my practice and experiences at a later date.

I have been getting my daily practice in very early in the am before we go diving. Yesterday for example practice at 4:30 am, leave for Thresher Shark diving at 5:30 am we did not return until 5 pm. Exhausted!

 

Thursday-Friday Practice - It's challenging to be consistent with complicated travel

 After leaving Boston on Tuesday at 10:25pm on a red eye flight to Doha, Qatar. Very uncomfortable seat in a fully packed plane, no sleep at all, with a 7 hour time change we had a 8 hour layover and then another red eye to Cebu City leaving Doha at 2am we finally arrived in the Philippines! Went through customs and loaded onto a bus for another 40 minute drive to the Blue Water resort to rest, eat and recover for a day. We lost a full 12 hours overall. We were all exhausted and went right to sleep after supper. 

Today is Friday and it's a welcomed 'chill day' to recover from the long travel days. 

This is a photo from our Dec '22 trip to the East End of Grand Cayman. They have excellent Newton custom made dive boats. Nicest dive boats you'll see right there!!

I'm having mucho trouble loading new photos from my phone. I'll switch this one out as soon as I get some good WiFi.....

After breakfast and a little rest I decided to do my daily practice in the air conditioned room. It is super hot a super muggy outside.

My main goal was 'consistency', plain and simple as it seems. Consistency is actually a very high level aspect of ones practice. Without out it only mediocre results will follow. 

One day 'off', often leads to two days off... Then three.....You get the picture.

EVERYONE that ever stops doing 'anything' decides to stop (or start) on one given day. 

My Bass Guitar teacher Smillin' Steve told me that if you miss one day, you can tell, if you miss two days, your teacher can tell, if you miss three days, the audience can tell. 

There is only two ways:

Doing and Not Doing

I'd suggest:

Don't think....Just DO!

Wednesday Practice - While traveling, you just need to find a quiet spot to practice in!

 

Todays practice spot: A quiet corner in the Al Maha Lounge in the Doha Airport in Qatar.

After a very long (12 hours) flight we arrived in Doha, Qatar. I found a little private spot to practice  (before this guy got there), in The Al Maha Lounge, that we pre-paid for. Norm recommended that we book The Al Maha Lounge, because we have an 8 hour layover before our next 10 hour flight to Cebu, Philippines. 

Finding a quiet spot to practice in while traveling can be challenging. I've practiced in some pretty odd places over the years. This one wasn't too bad. I also considered going into one of the private showers before I found this little spot. 

It was an interesting practice. I wasn't able to sleep on the plane. It's been a long time since I stayed up all night long. Staying seated and not moving for 12 hours is ......Ugh! Not great!!

I started with an shortened Warm Up then a Round (right side). It wasn't the best round I've ever had but then again it was better that some.

When I'm traveling I try to just get the job done and I don't pay too much attention to overall quality of the session. It is what it is. 

There are times even in the best of situations when I should get a really good Round that turns out to be mediocre at best. It is what it is.

I find it's best to not pay too much attention. Don't think, just DO!!

Tuesday Practice - Travel days can be challenging!

 

A diving we shall go - Big adventures ahead - A couple very long travel days. It will be challenging to keep my 'Round' a day practice consistent. 

I may miss a few days posting here. But I'll catch up when travel and circumstances allow.

Travel practice tips:

From my experience I'd suggest to do 'it' early, at the first opportunity of that particular day. If you procrastinate you may miss the opportunity. Traveling often is 'where' to do it. I have done Rounds in airport bathrooms, deserted alcoves and even in airplane restrooms. Not the best setting, but eventually that will not make that much difference. Once you calibrate you being to be receptive to the greater qi (Tao). Practicing in the 'not ideal' setting helps to gain appreciation for the really nice spot. For me personally where the ocean meets the land is very qi full and conducive to accessing the Tao. 

I started with a review/practice of the 5 Cane/Stick forms that I know. First the 4 Anyo from Modern Arnis on both sides then the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Short Cane Form a few times. 

I proceeded to do a full Warm Up, Bagua Guard Standing and a Round (right side). 

Then a Bagua Zhang session focusing on Yin Fu Set #2 - Change #1

Today's training ideas:

Seek to move from release as opposed to contraction.

Feel the decades of conscious training in my body with as little conscious mind involvement as possible.

Balance thinking (intent) and feeling (no mind) 

Gotta go get ready to leave for the airport......

Enjoy your practices!

Email me if you're looking at this...Thanks

Email Sifu

Monday Practice - Breathe in qi is in me Breathe out I'm in qi -

My driveway practice spot. 

It's the best place for weapons forms and practice. I keep an array of practice weapons of various weights in my garage. 

I started with a review/practice of the two single broadsword forms and the one double broadsword form, that I know.  

I've been enjoying the effect of starting with weapons training. Feels good! 

These forms cover a myriad of movement, range of motion, coordination, breathing and increased resistance with heavier weapons.

IMHO they are excellent for overall health and increased longevity.

After a weapons session, I proceeded to do my Warm Ups, Standing (Bagua Guard) and a Round (left side).

With gratitude and appreciation

Throughout this mornings session I contemplated, recited and felt: 

"Breathe in, qi is in me

Breath out, I'm in qi"

Sunday Practice - Weapons training as a warm up -

The view from the driveway in front of my garage, looking south. 

With gratitude and appreciation. 

I started by shooting a short video (GoPro 11) in The Barn. In the video I explained some of the details in the *Bagua Guard Posture, as I practice it. 

*I'll post a link to the video here, once I edit it in Wondershare and upload it YouTube. 

Sifu Richard Standing in the Bagua Zhang Guard Posture. 

I continued to practice, outside, starting with a review of three Staff forms and corresponding drills. I filmed them with the GoPro 11. I went on to Spear training and double stick twirling. 

I shot the video in the driveway in front of my garage. I continued with a shortened version of my regular Warm Ups and then a Round (right side). 

It's a beautiful sunny New England morning. 

I hope you're enjoying you practice!

Email me if your looking at this....Thanks!

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Friday Practice - Slightly stretch the connective tissue -

One of my favorite practice spots on our property - The Garden Spot - Between the front and the middle fields - It has a beautiful tree lined view down the middle field, facing north. 

With gratitude and appreciation!
 

Super busy day. Starting off at the 'work bee' at SYC (Spofford Yacht Club - New Hampshire). Starting at 8:30, I spent a few hours moving picnic tables, sunfish, masts etc. It was good to see folks that we've known over the 35+ years that we've been members. 

GG's  currently on the fast track to be Commodore of SYC. We're going to be spending a lot of time at The Club. It's a great spot to practice early in the morning before anyone shows up. 

 I got back home around noon, changed and went out to The Garden Spot to practice. 

Even though I had been lifting heavy things for a couple of hours (very active), I did a full Warm Up before my Round (left side)

During Part II of the form I was able to access the most profound feeling 'spirited movement' that I've felt to date. 

I continued by focusing on feeling a slight stretch in my connective tissue. 

Afterwards I did Standing Meditation, using the Bagua Zhang Guard Posture on both sides. Focusing on proper vertical alignment, Sung head to toe and using the 'twisting' to slightly stretch the connective tissue in order to make it conductive to Jin and Qi.

Sifu holding the Bagua Zhang Guard Posture for meditation. 

Friday Practice - Toss the Salad

Jeff's outside practice spot this morning. 

After taking care of some biz details, we did several Rounds of Master Liang's - T'ai Chi Dance - It's been awhile! 

I stayed on the 'A' side and it got more and more familiar with each iteration. Thanks for the partner work Jeff.

We explored:

The 'line of power' when issuing or receiving. 

Keeping a 'neutral' posture. First at the end of the movement, then throughout the transitions between the postures.

The optimal distance between feeder (yang) and receiver (yin)

When Jeff had to leave for a meeting I continued with a Round (right side) of the Solo Form. After my Round I proceeded to practice Bagua Zhang (1st Yin Fu Set) around the magnolia tree that was in bloom. Very nice practice!!

When I left Jeff's I drove into the YMCA for a Cybex session. I'm really beginning to like how that workout makes me feel. The all important attending to my 'lean body mass'. Super important after 60! 

That's it for today.

Please email me if you're looking at this:

Email Sifu Richard

 I'm going over to Sensei Jeff's house to practice with him from 8-9, then to the YMCA for some Cybex training. Then I have a few chores and drop off an itinerary to Travis and Chris for our upcoming trip to the Philippines. 

Toss the Salad:

This concept refers to the training schedule for things (forms, drills, partners work etc.)  that you do not practice on a daily or weekly basis. 

This morning I'll be reviewing a few two person exercises with Jeff. 

Since I've semi-retired, I do not usually practice some of the more advanced two person exercises/drills because I do not have a training partner in New Smyrna Beach (NSB). 

In NSB I have one student, but he is a beginner and he doesn't have a training partner 1/2 of the year (he lives in Nova Scotia 1/2 the year). So I primarily focus on solo training with him. 

I miss the two person training, so I'm looking forward to meeting with Jeff this morning. Fun!!

Thursday Practice - Is being active enough?

 Is being active a substitute for formal or informal exercise? 

This morning I experimented with a couple of hours of hard physical labor for my Warm Up. Instead of the very specific, qigong variety of stretching Warm Ups that I usually do, I substituted two + hours of hauling tree limbs and brush through the uneven ground of the forest on my property. I worked up a mighty sweat!! Full change of clothes, yup socks too! 

I proceeded to do a Round (right side). *I increased my awareness of the differences from the Warm Up substitution. It was....Interesting!

*One thing that I experienced is feeling tighter (shortened large muscles & connective tissue) in some spots that I usually can feel released. That in and of itself is profound; My usual Warm Ups do not tighten me up like hard physical labor. 

Also, I don't usually work up that kind of a sweat. Hmmmm! Maybe that's a positive? 

I did feel tired after a couple of hours of hauling broken trees around the woods. Lot's of walking on uneven ground. I don't usually feel tired. I usually feel invigorated, alive, calm and centered.

I think I'll go back to my normal Warm Up for tomorrows practice.

Hey, drop me an email or leave a comment if you're looking at this. Thanks!

Email Sifu Richard

Strolling under the Skin - Fascia and connective tissue

Wednesday Practice - Swimming in Air -

 It's cool (high 40's) and damp this morning. All in all not very pleasant or inspiring. Two weeks of crappy weather is starting to get to me. I guess this is why we usually come back north to New England a bit later than mid-April?  On the positive side of things; April showers bring May flowers!

After a couple of hours of packing my U/W photography gear in my new Pelican Camera Case, I ended up practicing up in The Loft to Master Liangs music. After a brief Warm Up I did a Round on the left side.

One of the principles that I focused on during this mornings practice session is the idea that the air is 'heavy' like water. (water is 40 times more viscous that air ) During this mornings session, I continually tried to access the feeling of resistance from the air with interesting results. Very productive session.

I once asked William C. C. Chen about why he moved his hands the way he did. His answer was because of the resistance from the air. On the way home from that seminar (Thanks to Sifu Jimmy Morris for hosting him) I simply rolled down my window and stuck my arm out at about 70 miles per hour and I sure could 'feel' the air. I could also easily access the feeling of less resistance by simply adjusting my hand like a birds beak on a weather vane, facing the fingers into the direction of the wind and voila, less resistance!

I often practice into the wind while I'm practicing on the beach in NSB. It's a little more challenging to access the 'feeling' of swimming in air when there is no to little wind. But it is accessible if you 'tune into it'. 

I ended up practicing in The Loft today because I did my Round (left side) to Master Liangs music.

I noticed at that particular pace that it was easier to access the feeling of "In every movement the entire body must be light and spirited". I was able to calibrate and tune into the feeling of my entire body feeling light-er. 

First in the Warm Ups and then in the Solo Form practice. 

Back to packing for the trip on Tuesday. Oh boy, it's getting real-er by the day!! Don't blink, we'll be in the air....

Tuesday Practice @ The Studio - Bow Stance details

 

I went in to lead Tai Chi class at The Studio this morning from 8-9:30. The weather was still cold and rainy so I would have been practicing inside anyway. 

I tried to get there early enough to practice some Bagua Zhang with Sandy (and Sally) but alas the traffic and timing only allowed for a few minutes of training. I talked about the Song in the weighted leg moving the forward leg with release. Every step could be a push. Then I talked about the Palm and what and how to get the proper amount of stretch in the connective tissue, so that it becomes conductive to Jin and Qi. I talked a bit about the benefits and importance of Walking the Circle in Bagua training. Walking the Circle is good for you health and also good for martial arts.

As the class formed I started the Warm Up Qigong's. During the session I reviewed several principles, especially the idea that:

The larger muscles are released and the smaller muscles along the bones, connective tissue and fascia are gently stretched, in order to be conductive to the Jin's of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.

Before the Round I demonstrated the desired front position and rear position in a shifting Bow Stance. The idea is to not go too far forward so that you would be easily pulled out of your stance and when you are back you should be in a neutral position and not easily pushed out of your stance. The trickier part is to keep your 'root' while stepping as in the transitions between postures. 

We did Part I of the form on the left side and then I switched to the right side. 

After the Round I did a Healing Qigong.

I finished with a Round of the Tai Chi Jian Form.

Monday Practice

 

Another cold (40's) and rainy morning. So it looks like I'll be practicing up in The Loft again this morning. 

Happy May 1st! 

Today is Day 7,974 in my Grand Tai Chi Experiment: How many consecutive days will I be healthy enough physically, mentally and spiritually to do at least one Round of the T'ai Chi Ch'uan 108 Form. I started the project in my early 50's. 

So far, I've been healthy enough to practice for almost 8,000 consecutive days!!! Wow! The power of consistent Internal Cultivation Practices like Tai Chi and Qigong. 

With gratitude and appreciation.

Change of plans. 

The rain stopped so I dressed warmly and went out to my practice spot. I find it's always better to practice outside in fresh air and nature. 

This morning I focused on feeling rather than thinking. Overthinking can be a step in the wrong direction. 

I brought my Volvo to the Cherry Rum Auto for the door to be repaired. Then went to YMCA for Cybex training, shopping then home. 

I had nice long conversation with Sifu Ray this afternoon. He is just back from NC and Master Paul's service. It was great to catch up with him. 

Now I'm packing my new Pelican Camera Case for the trip.....One week from tomorrow!! Yikes!