I had a nice conversation with Sumio today, he came through his back surgery just fine, little stiff at present, no pain. He is able to go the the shop a few hours each day. Glad to hear he is on the mend.
We are planning on driving down to see Sumio in April, we should have 3 seats available if any of our members in the San Francisco Bay Area are interested in hitching a ride, let us know.