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Peter's 57th Birthday Dinner 06/16/06 |
All of my local direct line diciples in the White Cobra took me out for a magnificant birthday dinner at the Three Chimney's Inn in Durham, NH. It had been a beautiful day, and the evening was equally up to that with a wonderful flower and grass sented New England Summer breeze.
From left to right: Nidan Rick Downs, Sandan James Nancarrow, Nidan Scott Williams, Linda Williams, myself, Sandan Tim House, Shodan Cindy House, Nidan Charles Arlington, and Cindy Arlington.Rick Downs came by the condo and picked me up so I wouldn't have to drive. When we got there, everyone was out on the veranda having drinks. It was great to see everyone and to casually chat before we went inside for dinner in this area famous very upscale inn and highly rated restaurant.
As we settled in with a couple of bottles of wine - a nice Pinot Noir and a smooth Pinot Grigio - they presened me with a beautifully hand carved Master's cane from CaneMasters.
They had Grandmaster Mark Shuey Sr. personally laser engrave it for me as well:
It was also at this dinner that I formally accepted Sandan Tim House of the Tai Chien Dojo, Portsmouth, NH back into my White Cobra line as a direct disciple.
Sandan Tim House and his wife, Shodan Cindy HouseSandan House had spent the last 8 years studying under Master Bruce Vinciguerra. He had originally trained with me for 17 years prior to that, and so it was great to welcome him back to our line. His petition to return was welcomed by all of my immediate disciples in the White Cobra Nidan Charles Arlington, Nidan Rick Downs, Grandmaster Paul Dusenbery, Sandan James Nancarrow, Yondan Russ Jones, Grandmaster David Landers, Sandan Carl Parker, and Nidan Scott Williams who had each been contacted for their input. They all unanimously approved of this transfer.
And so the party was off to a grand start!
So, here I am just before leaving for the dinner party. Does this guy look like he's ready to get on with it, or what!
Nidan Downs acting in the role of cameraman snapping the group having drinks on the veranda of the Three Chimneys Inn. What great weather it was, too! We were very lucky because the previous two weeks we had been hammered by hard wind driven rain - even causing my daughter Marissa's birthday party to have to be rescheduled from the previous week it had been so bad. This was a great break from that crummy weather.
Another shot of the group on the veranda. Notice that I had brought one of my workout canes with me. I joked with everyone when I showed up that since I didn't have anybody to bring to the dinner, I had brought Janis along. But actually, I had called Sandan Tim House previously that afternoon to ask him to bring two of his better canes with him to the dinner so that I could compare weights and features as I had been mulling the idea over about treating myself to a nice custom cane for my birthday. He played along real dumb on the phone, pretending not to know a thing about the cane presentation about to happen that evening! Nice deception, Sandan...
From left to right: Nidan Rick Downs, Sandan James Nancarrow, Nidan Scott Williams, Linda Williams, myself, Sandan Tim House, Shodan Cindy House, Nidan Charles Arlington, and Cindy Arlington.
Linda Williams had got out of her chair to go to the restroom, but I stopped her in mid stride. I informed her that in the spirt of the famous Medieval Mannor in Boston - where you have to get permission of the King in order to leave the room - that I thought she should thus do so now, just to really jerk her around as she had been on my case all night giving me the razz about my advanced years.
Here, the King - aptly played, of course, by myself - requests of the damsel (they call them wenches at the Mannor, but as you can see: I'm not in a real good position here to be pressing my luck) that she recite a poem in order to gain permission to leave the room. It was quite good, actually. Of course, it doesn't take much to set me off, so - feeling compassionate for her plight - I proceeded to launch into my own poem, a true gem as I recall. Anybody write that one down, by the way...
Reading the card that everyone signed: "" Nice, guys - real nice...
Opening the box they had smuggled in.
Testing out the sharpness of the horn, which is carved in the shape of a serpent.
Running my hand down the shaft feeling the bite of the shark's teeth - not something you'd want scrapped across your neck or leg, for sure...
Reading the engraved inscription out loud for everyone.
And what would a presentation of this magnitude be without a few words from the guest of honor - good that it was before too many glasses of wine were had as I think I made good sense...
Charlie and Cindy Arlington who I have known for over thirty years and consider them to be my closest friends. Charlie has studied with me the third longest of my disciples, Storm Dragon Grandmaster David Landers being the longest followed by two years by Tiger Grandmaster Paul Dusenbery. And I think Charlie is only about three years behind Dusenbery.
A final shot of me and Janis - I always give a name to any weapon that I study. I have studied the cane now since 2003, and just got done a few weeks ago taking my black belt exam in CaneMasters from CaneMaster Bruce Vinciguerra (who actually trained under me for about 19 years before transferring to Grandmaster Dusenbery's line and becomming a Master in his own right in the C&S Self Defense Association, Prowling Leapord Master Bruce Vinciguerra). I call mine Janis, after the gutsy full of life take no prisoners blues singer Janis Joplin. Janis and I get along just fine...