Mark is away in Hungary. Hareem A. & Steve K. were driving down to visit us, and Jessi1 did a Facebook message to make sure people were going to be there, so I cancelled a plan to go to the shore overnight and came to fencing. Hareem & Steve didn't show up until almost 8:30, and Dave M., who said on Facebook that he was excited about seeing Steve, didn't show up at all. A couple of people fenced sabre who are primarily foil (Nick and a new guy, Kevin). Kiersten, Tim, Tate, Jessi1, Mike K, Dick J., Alex D., and Ahren all fenced too, but most of the crew had faded away by the time our visitors got there.

Fencing Steve is like fencing Dave, except he's right handed and smaller and can therefore move a little faster. That is to say he beat me 5-1 and 15-4. Hareem has good form and uses the strip well (she says she mostly fences Steve, but she's thinking about training at the AC because she's not doing the MIT team any more) but over-relies on low-line attacks and tends to be a little metronome in her movement.

Mike wrestled with me on parries a couple of times so I sort of lost my temper and riposted hard to the head.

We had a couple of other visitors--a young woman who will be taking the adult class, and her male friend who said he fenced in the Olympics. He insisted on showing her some basics of fencing with a foil and no mask, until Ahren insisted they at least put a mask on, and then when they were doing some hitting Ahren asked them to put a jacket on and they stopped. It was a little weird.

I didn't take a lesson but fenced instead; Since Mark is in Hungary I'll take my lesson with Ahren on Monday. Ahren gave me the number of a good massage therapist in Narberth, and also gave me a photocopy of his passport picture to send to Andrea Lagan.

And I'll go to the beach tomorrow.