Me and Jack

Jack and I practice our different forms of physical fitness at the local park. He's 84 and certainly in better shape than I am. After his daily 900 strokes with a wooden kendo sword, he runs up and down the slope several times. Today he did 20 swings on the chin-up bar; I managed about 5 before my arms gave out. But I was able to hang and hoop simultaneously, which was fun.

Jack has lots of stories to share when we take breaks from our exertions. He's been all over the world, traveling to construction sites in South America and Asia. He tells me all about his experiences during the war and on the job. We talk about exercise, the people around us, our families, Japanese culture, and whether or not I should be a famous hoop performer. Often we are silly together, like in this photo where I am trying to make Tod jealous.

For the past few months, I hadn't seen him around and I wondered if he'd fallen ill, but I think our schedules were just off kilter a bit. I am sure as the weather warms, we'll see each other more.