Tecumseh was here...

Here is an interesting piece in the Adena mansion and museum in Chillicothe, OH. It is a pipe tomahawk presented to Thomas Worthington by Tecumseh after he (Tecumseh) stayed at Adena, while further discussing peace in the new state and the details of the Greeneville treaty. The Adena mansion is run by the Ohio Historical Society, and has undergone a massive restoration and had a new museum built since my first visit in 1997. Well done, OHS!

Something new!

Here it is! My just out of the box, Euroarms, 1803 Harpers Ferry, rifle musket! Just in time for the Tippecanoe bicentennial! Now to get the rest of my kit together. HUZZAH!!

"A well regulated militia..."

I just got the kids back to their mom's after another exciting, fun and exhausting Fort Meigs siege weekend. The persistent rain this week/spring, and the occasional "leaden" sky seemed to keep the number of on lookers down, but still the event and attendees soldiered on! Another quality event! The kids militia as always is a huge hit with my son, Lawson (7), and he has the amazing ability for finding a buddy everywhere he goes. Lawson and his buddy fell in, were equipped, learned the rudiments of 19th c. drill, fought a mock battle and were musterd out all in about 40 minutes! This says volumes about the volunteers of Fort Meigs and their ability to "herd cats". Well done folks! Sadly, I was talking with fort staff more about clothing and stitching than paying attention but here is a shot of Lawson (loading)and his buddy. The fort provides the kids with a stand of arms for this activity. It is amazing to see how quickly the kids fall into line, take orders and execute commands with some alacrity. Hats off to the public schools for training them in linear order and voice command ("alright kids line up for lunch, recess, to go down the hall", etc) American militia training and performance would have been vastly improved in the war of 1812 with a levee of elementary school aides!

Along the road home...

When I journey back home to Michigan from my present abode in Columbus, Ohio, I take US 23 North. This in many ways is my true "road home", as I can take it from here in central Ohio, north all the way to my home town in Oscoda, MI. Pretty cool I think. While not as storied as the National road (US 40) or Route 66, there is some history along the side of it. Here are 2 markers related to the struggle for the Old Northwest. And here is a shot of 2 new recruits for the 41st Regt:

This shot of the kids was taken at Fort Meigs, Siege Weekend 2010. Thanks to freind, fellow wargamer and reenactor, Dave D.

Signs of life

Yep, there is still life here. Despite some changes in my personal life, I still have my main loves and interests: my kids, my books and my toy soldiers.

While trying to make some room


on memory card, I ran across


these shots from an old Spattacon


2010 I believe.



Here are some of Rebs by the talented Brad N. They are a mix of TSSD, Cunnygham and Conte. Brad did a number of conversions on these, mostly head swaps. The unit looks ragged and well worn, with loads character and campaign impedimentia.

Cold Wars '09

Well, I am consistently irregular in my posts. I have that going for me!
Now for some old news.....


I made the trip out east to Lancaster, PA, for Cold Wars. This was my first trip out in about ten years or so. Overall, the gaming crowd has gotten grayer, balder and heavier. Myself included. Baseball hats and beards seem to be the thing as we all age. Unlike past cons, I did not overspend in the dealer area or flea market. And, this is the first time I bought NO lead minis! Yep, not one! I picked up a number of books and rules sets in the flea market, along with some cool toy soldeir finds such as a Timpo crusader and other fun things. Rather this year I did some gaming, met up with some friends and met a couple of guys who I had been in correspondence with via e-mail and news groups for years. 10 years, has been too long.