Pontoniers in Progress. . .

The current unit under the brush, now well and truly in-progress.

Well, the painting muse has decided to kick off her shoes and stay a while, so I've struck while the iron is hot and done a lot of work on the 24+ Minden pontoniers during yesterday evening and early this Saturday afternoon. Still lots to do, but at least they look like tiny humans now. Be sure to tune in again tomorrow, for another painting update.

-- Stokes

And here are the four designated oarsmen, cemented permanently into place within their pontoons and more for display than gaming purposes. Whoops! Just noticed that they still need their fleshtone applied.

Last of all, here is a seasonal image, depicting Santa Lucia, who brings brings delicious saffron buns called lussekatter (and coffee) to sleeping parents in Norway, Sweden, and possibly Denmark on December 13th each year. The Grand Duchess (assisted by the Young Master) will bake a batch for us later today as a seasonal nod to her own Swedish ancestry.

P.S.

The Young Master is five now, so this is the year. I've dug out the large box containing all of my old green and blue plastic soldiers, tanks, and guns. Some of these are 40+ years old now, and I enjoyed many years of imaginative play with them before they languished unused for several years once I discovered things like girls and guitars during middle and high school. I finally packed them carefully away sometime during the summer of 1985. Flash forward to 2014. Among his other gifts beneath the tree this Christmas, these will be waiting for the Young Master. They will become his now, although I suspect he might ask ol' Dad to play along once in a while.

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Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

Having a "No Day". . .

F or the almost 20 years that she lived in Mexico, one of my late mother's Irish friends frequently mentioned having a "No Day." A day with no social obligations, chores, tasks, or other work that interfered with whatever personal interests took one's fancy on the day in question. Since today -- a gray and chilly Saturday -- is Mom's birthday, the Grand Duchess is out with friends, and the Young Master is ensconced on the sofa in the TV room with a cold, yours truly is taking his own such No Day. I think Mom would approve of my decision to make the world go away, as the old Eddie Arnold song intoned, even if only for a little while. So, I will spend Saturday afternoon focused on that first squadron and small regimental staff of Eureka Saxon cuirassiers. These have stood waiting untouched over on the painting table for almost three weeks while we skied and otherwise gadded about with snowy, winter outdoor activities. I hope to share a painting update Sunday a

Keepin' an Eye on the World Going By My Window . .

'The Nap at the Palace' by Jose Triado Mayol N ot much in the way of hobby-related activity happening here in the Grand Duchy lately. Sigh. And no surprise there really since there are only so many hours in the day, only so much mental and physical energy to spare, and you sometimes simply just have to give in and know when to say, um, "When!" A glass of wine and/or evening yoga by the hearth with the Grand Duchess (who has practiced for over 20 years), and then off into la-la land. Zzzzzzzzz. More immediately, I'm recovering, mentally speaking, from a grueling Friday in which I was involved with three (online) conference sessions, one right after the other, followed by a 90-minute meeting at the end of the day. Also virtual. My brain has been mush ever since, so an easy, completely unproductive Saturday watching intermittent snow fall outside (no accumulation however) and drinking coffee while the visiting handymen completed some repair work down her

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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