Reconnoitering. . .

A (30mm Holger Eriksson) lone mounted officer reconnoiters the three tiny villages on the western end of the field where, clearly, very large pigeons are a problem (I think that might be spider yuck from the old Stollenkeller).  Here he is on the village green in Doltz where all is quiet on a Sunday morning.

Have the villagers cleared off here too?  No one is lurking in Schtügesdorf where there does not seem to be a cafe either.

And of course only the cows seem to be at home in Bumpfkinzort.  Our lone mounted officer heads back to camp with a massive headache brought on by a caffeine dependency of longstanding.

Reports have come in this morning, from farmers in the area, that a lone mounted officer, of indeterminate army, has been  observed in the villages of Doltz, Schtügesdorf, and Bumpkinzort.  Presumably, he seeks a good cafe for espresso, the Sunday paper, and a taste of something sweet before lunch.  Given the pervasive quietude of this cool, damp, gray morning at the end of July, his search seems fruitless.  

Steve, hope you like the close-ups of the houses.  These are based on still extant rural buildings in northeastern Poland and that adjacent strip of Lithuania that were once part of East Prussia.  Given the presumed location of the Grand Duchy of Stollen, itself adjacent to Frederick's Prussia, the unmistakable German red brick and fachwerk seemed like an appropriate choice.

Materials used for the buildings included thick card, balsa wood, matchsticks, and copious amounts of acrylic craft paint.  The fachwerk was applied with a permanent black Sharpie brand marker pen once everything else was done.  There are also internal balsa ruins.  A few of the roof angles were tricky to work out since I was never any good at Geometric proofs back in high school, but I worked it out after a while through trial and error. . .  and a very quiet cloud of blue language if memory serves me correctly.

-- Stokes

 Meanwhile, at the western end of the field, a different officer surveys the quiet scene along the edge of Hasenpfefferwald.  No cafes here either!

 [In an old Pathe newsreel announcer's voice] And here is our second mounted officer again (a 30mm RSM95, ex-Pax Britannica figure), just above the narrow valley separating the two ridges, looking rakishly handsome in a green coat with red facings, gold trim, and cocked hat.  It's a look all of the gentlemen about town will be wearing this autumn.  Isn't he simply ravishing?