zfencing,

This message is a forward from Rez, who has a club in Mississippi.

CLF
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [CFML] Digest Number 972
Date: Mon, 05 Sep 2005 17:08:07 +0000
From: classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com
To: classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com




There are 2 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. RE: Classical Fencing Course in Soest
From: <1@...>
2. CAS Sabres
From: "Ramon Martinez" <martinez@...>


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________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 09:39:24 -0500
From: <1@...>
Subject: RE: Classical Fencing Course in Soest

Just a brief note to let folks know that we survived Katrina.

Monday, we fled our home in the country and went to stay with my parents in
Jackson, Mississippi. However, Katrina was still a category two hurricane
when it passed through Jackson that day and so from Monday afternoon until
late Friday evening we were without electricity, clean water, ice for
keeping food cold, TV, land phone (occasional service), cell phone service,
and internet (occasional service), (and a lot of other things). My parents
(who's home we fled to) received a good bit of damage to their place.
Monday, we kept hearing trees cracking and then crashing, praying they
wouldn't fall through the house on top of us. The sound the wind made as it
passed through was amazing and scary. Their neighborhood now looks like a
bombed out war zone with every house having whole trees downed many crashed
onto houses and cars and numerous telephone poles snapped into. Power lines
were down everywhere. Wal-Mart quickly emptied out of almost everything
within a day. And we had to wait six hours in a several mile line of cars to
fill up our van with gas Thursday.

We returned to our home on Friday and ironically it has only minor
structural and water damage. Our neighbors were not as fortunate.
Mysteriously, my boys' trampoline is nowhere to be found. It's probably in
some farmer's field nearby.

In spite of what we have been through we have much to be thankful for and
now that we are getting back on our feet we have turned our attention to
helping those less fortunate. Many Gulf Coast refugees who are now homeless
are staying in the coliseum (indoor stadium) at the fairgrounds in Jackson.
They need so many things that we all take for granted.

I suppose the rest of you who live in areas not affected by Katrina have
been able to watch it all on TV. I'm still without TV. Our Antenna is gone
and our satellite dish is not working. The Mississippi Gulf Coast took a
heavy hit and many of the smaller towns down there are completely gone,
others have major destruction. A number of fencers and fencing instructors I
know down there have lost everything. One fencing master I know of chose to
remain in New Orleans and we have not been able to get in touch with him.
Unlike the MS coast where most of the buildings were flattened, New Orleans
still has many of its buildings, but is under water and those who remained
are living in hellish conditions.

Thanks for your prayers.

Blessings,
Rez Johnson

"Standing guard on old, forgotten roads, that no one travels anymore."
The Fencing Master, by Arturo Perez

Rez Johnson, M d'A
Headmaster: Mississippi Academy of Arms
President: United States Traditional Fencing Association Certified Fencing
Instructor: (USTFA, TFI, AAI, USFCA) Certified Fencing Master Apprentice:
(USTFA, USFCA) Teaching Classical Fencing and Historical Swordsmanship since
1980 Modern Sport Fencing Coach from 1980 - 2002

Mississippi Academy of Arms
P.O. Box 955
Pelahatchie, MS 39145-0955

E-Mail: 1@...
Academy Website: http://MSFencing.org
USTFA Website: http://TraditionalFencing.org









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