All Quiet on the Midwestern Front. . .

Happy Easter from the Grand Duchy of Stollen!

Just a quick note to say hello to everyone who routinely visits and/or follows the Grand Duchy of Stollen blog.  No, I have not fallen from the edge of the earth or anything given the weeks of relative inactivity here.  Just a lot going on at the moment. 

Over on the painting desk, the Minden hussars wait patiently while a couple of hobby-related projects have taken precedence since our return from Mexico a month ago.  Can't really say anymore about this right now, but keep your eyes and ears open for further developments in the months to come.

What else?  Well, factor in a new film course that I've been developing with a colleague, the end of the spring semester, plus the usual family things, and it's been rather busier than I would like these last several weeks.  Sadly, as I discovered at 20 when I went to work full-time, managing the dairy department in a large supermarket -- Just try to picture a very thin, long-haired Stokes doing that! -- there aren't enough hours in the day to do absolutely everything.  

Fortunately, there is still a bit of time now and again for music, and thanks to the understanding and support of the fair Grand Duchess, my amateur rock and roll band, The Indras, continues to practice once a week and play out two-four times a month for pretty decent money these days.  A related activity that has taken up some time the last few weeks has been the design of our new website, by yours truly, along with getting it online and fine-tuning everything.  Just click on our name above to be transported, via the magic of the internet, to the website in question, which explains everything in greater detail.  I'm the guy in the black turtleneck and glasses on the left, playing a vintage 1963 Hofner bass!

A special thank-you to my followers, who now number 99!  I know from my statistics page that there are quite a few more of you who drop by every few days, so a tip of the hat to you as well.  It seems that I have written something like 835 entries here since starting the Grand Duch of Stollen blog in mid-August 2006.  Hard to believe there is that much to say about things like family life, skiing, bicycling, travel, music, teaching, table manners, and, oh yes, wargaming.  Anyway, here's to at least a few hundred more posts before the ol' fingers drop off. 

Finally, please do continue to check in here during the coming weeks.  I'm teaching a May Term film course, but things should calm down and return to normal before long, which means a little more time for soldier painting, wargaming, and nattering on about it here.  Stay tuned.  Have a good day everyone, and Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate!