The Dragon's Head Blog

This week in the USA we had TV coverage of society activities coast to coast. Bay News 9, a local TV station in the Tampa Bay area, was out inquiring about the society and the improvements being made to the Fenway Hotel. The President of the USA, Pegoty Packman, was interviewed and her class recorded. […]

The International Center Florida is a very busy place. Workers this week included master carpenters, electricians, stucco installers, dry wall installers and foam insulation installers. The southwest wing of the building, which we knew was the most damaged by termites and water, has temporary shoring placed on the exterior walls to prevent movement as workers prepare […]

The Portland branch held its Awareness Day on July 30th.  Over 20 members walked and rode the light rail together to do three demos in Portland parks.  It was a beautiful sunny day and members of the public seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.  Our goal is to have 40 members next Awareness Day.  

Paul Harmon from Fairbanks was our guest instructor at the recent intensives of Taoist Tai Chi® arts held in Palo Alto, Oakland, and Pleasant Hill. Members from all locations in the San Francisco Bay area branch were in attendance and had a great time listening to  Paul’s stories and instruction. Thank you Paul and everyone […]

                                Another exciting week has taken place at the International Center Florida. The stair tower on the northwest side of the building has a roof. Next will be the tile.  Drywall is now completed on the second floor of the southeast, […]

July 16th was an exciting day in Dunedin. There were 125 eager participants in attendance at our intensive led by Sean Dennison and Karen Laughlin. Karen, recently back from the Denver workshop and Tai Chi Week at Orangeville had much to share. Now everyone has a reawakened love for the tor yu. We worked so hard […]

On June 28, 2016 representatives from the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA and Mainsail Lodging and Development met with the community of Dunedin to discuss plans for development of the Fenway Hotel. The City of Dunedin’s government access television channel filmed this event and the video is above. Most of our neighbors were very […]

  We celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Colorado branch under sunny, warm skies with 89 participants at an International Workshop June 24 through 26.   To kick off a great weekend, the group was treated to a salmon dinner by the cooking crew on Friday night. Members reunited, chatted and enjoyed each other’s company. Foundations and […]

We have walls! Drywall  installation has begun in the northwest and southeast corridors. The old Fenway Hotel is beginning to look more and more like the grand lady of Dunedin that she once was. The floor decking is almost complete on the first and second floors. Electricians and plumbers have been working to make sure their […]

The Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA San Francisco Bay Area Branch hosted a workshop at the Pleasant Hill Center. It included a special appearance by Dr. Blues and the Tai Chi Two, who performed a song in celebration of Tony Kwong’s birthday. Following our weekend tai chi workshop in Pleasant Hill, the Taoist […]

To help introduce Mainsail Lodging and Development, the company that will maintain The Fenway, to the North Pinellas County area businesses, both the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA and Mainsail attended the North Pinellas County annual seven Chambers of Commerce trade show event. The Chambers of Commerce for seven of the municipalities in North […]

The International Center Florida construction is speeding ahead. Crew leads are spending a great deal of time researching old photos of the historic Fenway Hotel to preserve its 1920 beauty as they recreate the interior. Framing crews are building the supporting walls in the lobby and dining room. Electricians have almost completed electrical installation in […]

For patients with painful knee osteoarthritis, tai chi was as helpful as physical therapy in reducing pain and improving physical functioning, according to a new study partially funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. The results of the study, conducted at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, were published in the journal Annals […]

Over the Memorial Day weekend holiday the International Center in Florida hosted an international sabre program lead by Sean Dennison.  Over 90 participants took part in the program coming from as far as New Zealand. The first day started with the USA Board receiving a guided tour of the historic Fenway Hotel from the Dunedin branch […]

It may not seem like a lot has changed by looking at the photos below of windows and construction studs but we now have over half of  the 500+ windows installed. The hurricane rated windows are quite modern despite the 1920’s appearance. Each window is attached to metal beams that are attached to support beams […]

Tampa Bay Times Article – http://www.tampabay.com/news/growth/dunedins-historic-fenway-to-become-public-boutique-hotel/2277713 DUNEDIN — The revamping of the historic Fenway Hotel has long been a dream for residents and city leaders. By next spring, when the 1920s building is expected to once again open its doors to the public, developers say that dream will become reality. The building’s owner, Taoist Tai Chi […]

It was a perfect 65°F early morning as we gathered our “single whip” grabbers, buckets and bags. We volunteer to keep a mile clean on our Pinellas County bike and walking trail and are fortunate to have our mile near the International Center in Florida. We also like that our portion of the trail parallels […]

Things are progressing at the International Center in Florida. In building A, the historic Fenway Hotel, a mock-up room is being constructed to allow for changes that may be needed.               The electrical room had 12 feed lines installed under the footer and then concrete was poured to secure them. […]

Nearly 80 joined in on the fun at the Mother’s Day banquet hosted by the Sarasota, Florida branch. A full seven-course dinner was served bringing oohhhs and aahhhhs from the delighted participants. The menu comprised a spring salad with blueberries, cranberry chicken, sweet and sour fish and more.  It was easy to understand the happy […]

The International Center Florida hosted 230 participants for lunch and a tour of the facilities on April 14th. Members of the Dunedin Branch were very busy in preparation for participants from all over the Tampa Bay area coming to Dunedin Thursday morning. Upon arriving, participants walked the grounds outside of the construction fence around buildings A […]