We were back in Monterey for only a few days before driving down to San Diego for a weekend Aikido seminar in which the current head of the art, Moriteru Ueshiba was the guest teacher (left photo, center). While in San Diego
we had the chance for a quick visit with my cousin (and awesome saxophonist) Steve Reed (above, right). Then back to Monterey for a few days before driving up to the Bay Area for a week-long Aikido summer camp, after which we immediately drove down to Santa Barbara to attend a one-day seminar during which a former student at our school was taking their first degree black belt test. I don't know how many driving miles we drove in that 4 week period ... a lot!
	We also found a few days in summer to take the Harley out for a ride. Sometimes just a day trip down to Big Sur or out Carmel Valley. Our long ride was a 'backroads only' trip with a few friends over to Yosemite and up to Tioga Pass.
	We also got in a couple of Giants baseball games - fun, even though they lost both :-( In late September we made our now annual visit to the Renaissance Faire with our friend Kylinn, Colin and his then-girlfriend Lilly.
The year was also marked with saddness by the death of my second oldest sister, Laura. The last few years of her life had been a tremendous struggle as she battled a three-headed monster of anxiety, depression, and alcoholism. What I choose to remember are the brief moments that came as she worked with recovery - where the bright, beautiful, and intelligent woman would peek out.She had been living with my mother in Fresno (about 3 hours drive from Monterey). Mom has since moved to Helena, Montana and is currently living with my sister Sharon and her husband. In October, Danielle and I made a 2 week journey to Japan to take part in events related to the commemoration of the founder of Aikido. The following pages are taken from an article I wrote for the California Aikido Association website.