Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog and especially those who follow my work and send comments on the posts. The comments are really what keep me going, so I appreciate all of the kind words!
I will hit a quarter million page-views shortly, or may have already gotten there as I type. I wanted to celebrate this milestone, but it also has occurred on a great day of celebration for our nation, which was all the excuse I needed to open up a very special bottle of Balvenie double cask 12 year old scotch! I'll save the next sip for the inauguration!
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We had our usual Sunday morning church of the outdoors with a walk in Warner Parks. It was an extraordinarily beautiful day and the trees are turning golden. My wife and daughter spent the walk chasing falling leaves and trying to catch them, an extraordinarily difficult task actually!
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Saturday night after the US election results were officially announced, we celebrated outside with a nice campfire in the back yard, and for me, a wee (well not really so wee) dram of a special scotch.
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The Balvenie double wood 12 year old is an expensive treat, but oh so nice. I have just enough left for one more special celebration.
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To celebrate the quarter million page views, I wanted to start a special little project, and have decided what better way than by giving Wellington and his staff, including The Duke of Brunswick and the Prince of Orange, the spotlight and getting them all cleaned up and ready to join their forces on the battlefield. His staff includes the Commander of the Royal Artillery, the Commander of the Royal Army Staff Corps, 16th light dragoon orderly, Royal Horse Guard escort, The Prince of Orange as Aide de Camp, The Duke of Brunswick and his staff and escort, and of course the Duke of Wellington, ole "Nosey" himself.
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As a father of two wonderful young adults, a proud long time Democratic party member, a social worker, and health disparities researcher, I would be remiss to say that the news of Biden's victory was not a huge relief. I truly hope we can start to heal the divisions this divisive campaign fueled, and once again become a nation that values the strength of our diversity and the beautiful complexities that diversity brings to our common experience. We have always been known as a melting pot and I can not help but believe that variety of experience will be our strength as we tackle the future together.
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You have every right to celebrate David...
ReplyDeleteOn both counts...
All the best. Aly
Thanks Aly! WM and I were talking this morning and he tells me you were a figure designer from the heyday of our hobby. I have a large number of Citadel Carolingians, vikings and Arab armies. Were you by any chance involved with the design of those figures? They are lovely lines and complement the Ral Partha figures of that period quite well in many cases.
DeleteBest to you,
David
Hi David...
DeleteI still am a figure designer... I’ve worked for Citadel Miniatures/Games Workshop since 1983.😱
I didn’t make the original Dark Age ranges though... they were before my time... they came from the talented hands of Alan and Michael Perry... you may have heard about them 😁...
Alan and Michael who? :) It's possible I have a "few" of their figures. This has been such a fun endeavor! Getting to know you and so many others. Folks are so generous with introductions. So many folks have taken the time to really dive in and help me in this Napoleonic Hinton Hunt endeavor in particular. I even recently got a handwritten letter from Phillip Haythornthwaite, which was such a thrill for me! Would love to hear more about what you do if you ever have the time. WM has my email address or you can use the contact widget on my blog. Best, David
DeleteCongratulations on the 250k views!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonathan! It has been a lot of fun getting there!
DeleteHere's to the next 250k , glad things are sorted in the political side of things - a great relief to all .
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. The collective exhale once the results were announced was almost palpable. Still a lot of work to be done but at least it is a good first step to restoring trust.
DeleteHello David. Congrats on the quarter million views, well deserved. I came rather late to your blog having only discovered it early this year, but it's another fine 'vintage' model soldier blog (I also follow WM and 'Strykers' wonderful offerings along the same lines). I now have you linked and will look forward to following along. https://napoleonictherapy.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteBtW..... excellent taste in fine Whisky.
Hi Lee. I just read through your blog a little more closely. Very nice work and I intend to poor through it much more as I am able. AB figures are a delight and frankly not that much smaller than the 1/72 scale figures. I see in your header that the painting was a way of dealing with Dysthymia. I too have struggled with that, and actually went back to graduate school with the idea of becoming a counselor as a result of my experiences. I have found painting and hiking to be a great salve, as well as the friendships developed along the way. Good luck to you!
DeleteOh - and couldn't agree more on the Whisky. Balvenie does it well!
DeleteHi David- Congratulations on the Page Views- a real milestone! We've followed the Presidential Election here in Sydney Australia - my only concern is that I hope there won't be further civil strife following the Election results and America can stay on track. Regards. KEV.
ReplyDeleteHi Kev. Really appreciate your support! The transition is on everyone's mind right now. I know several of my wargamer buddies who persist in believing this ludicrous notion of widespread voter fraud. I've never understood why the president's supporters cry foul when legitimate news sources like the New York Times and a host of others indicate that there was no evidence of voter fraud, and yet believe the president when he goes on a tyrannical whine fest on national TV spouting unsubstantiated nonsense at every turn. It is a total disconnect that so many of us here are struggling to understand. All this in the context of very clear attempt to meddle in the process by the president himself, through the appointment of a Post Master General who had the audacity to start dismantling the US mail's ability to process mail right before the election. As you can see the last few months have been difficult and I still feel some heat when I think about the way this president played on the worst of our national character. That is one reason the hobby is so important. It allows us to step outside of the real world strife and focus on creation and good friends!
ReplyDeleteVery Well merited congratulations all round, David. That was a very big wee dram judging by the state of the bottle!
ReplyDeleteHah! I've been nursing that bottle for a while now. It only comes out on very special occasions.
DeleteInteresting... alcohol has been my way of coping with the last 4 years.
DeleteCongratulations on you milestone - I do like to think that I did my bit towards that as there's rarely a day I don't drop in to see what you're up to. Enjoyed it all, keep it coming.
Thanks Rob. It has been a pleasure getting to know you and appreciate all of your visits! I am sure during the pandemic in particular, that alcohol sales have soared! I certainly have contributed my fair share to that industry.
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