What's going on in your life?

[JCON]

Been kind of quiet here lately...  I know we are all busy getting spring cleaning and outdoor projects started.  I have been dealing with family problems on my wife's side of the family... old age of both parents and a sister in law who is dealing with alcoholism and major health problems from that.  I am squeezing in time for model building for my sanity  between that and work.  Planning a big vacation late summer to get away and travel across the country to visit my daughter, son in law and grandkids in North Carolina!!!  Hope to hit some Civil War sites and some other things to work on my photography!!!  

So what have you been up to and planning for this year?  All the best to you, Joe

[Beekster]

Plodding along with my tank destroyer projects; you all know that I'm a slow builder. Pretty much the usual stuff otherwise; recently repainted the wooden shelving in my garage in anticipation of the arrival of new car care tools and supplies. Continuing to break in the new ride, of course. We're trying to get the yard in shape, but that's been slow going since it resolutely refuses to warm up and dry off outside. I got the unpleasant news that I need to get the backflow valve for my sprinkler system replaced. It still works but the valve handles have rusted out completely after 27 years in the ground. So I need to source a new one with stainless steel handles, and ideally have it installed for me. Yeah, I could dig out the valve box and re-do the PVC piping but I'd rather just get the box uot of the way and let a pro do the plumbing work. Getting too old to lie on my belly with my arms a foot deep in a hole if I can avoid it. The big trip this year starts over Labor Day weekend when we take the new car on the maiden long-distance road trip. We're heading out to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks our second visit to both and for more days than our first visit in 2018. We'll spend three nights in Jackson and six nights in Yellowstone. Along the way I plan to hit the military and air museums in Boise, and the tank museum in Dubois, Wyoming. And we will revisit wineries in Boise (Telaya) and Kennewick (Bartholomew) and add another couple of cases to the cellar.

[JCON]

That sounds like a good road trip Beekster, remember to take lots of photos to share!!!

[Robbo]

I'm retired now so enjoying the slow life. It got to the stage that the doctors prescribed me morphine to kill the pain so I could carry on working. My wife said enough is enough.

A year and a half after I retired I was pain free so I joined a gym to get me active again. Feel great for doing it not only physically but mentally too

Just got to wait for a new hip now

[JCON]

Sounds like you have it worked out Ian, here's to the new hip soon!!!

[RLFoster]

Well, I've got the new hip (as of 18 Nov 2022), but after about 6 weeks on both the walker and then a cane, I found that much of my modeling mojo had vaporized. I do still make it on the forums and try to post relatively regularly, but probably not as much as I should. I'm sure that my modeling time will increase once I stop spending as much time as I do with both board games and computer games, but for the time being, those are eating up most of my spare time. You are right though about Spring's tasks though. I just spend about two hours outside pruning and cutting up dead fall from a storm we had the other day.

[Tobi]

I spend most of the time on home improvement. Bought a house last year around June with my then fiancee and now wife and the upper floor still needs a lot of renovation.
Plan is to be done with that (except for the 2nd kitchen and bath room) by end of August and that would include setting up my modeling workshop. We'll see.

[JCON]

Busy boys for sure!!!

[Dukemaddog]

Well, I am going through some stuff that modeling has helped with somewhat.

I'm in the process of changing meds for depression and the process is scary for me. I have about another month and a half where things will be worse before they get better. Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to remodel my hobby room to make it more spacious and more easy to access certain things. In the process, I've found a ton of parts that need sorting and organizing so that is taking more time than expected. Going to go shopping for new containers for the parts to better organize them. Later, in July I'll be leading a team at San Diego Comicon again demonstrating games and my nephew is talking about flying me out to Florida for a week so we can attend a NASCAR race in South Carolina in September.

At the end of this month, I will be helping to display a few things for a Vietnam Veterans Appreciation event and dinner. The same group putting this on will also be doing displays on certain days in May for school kids showing history that is not being taught in most schools. My armor/vehicle collection has some pieces in it that are perfect for demonstrating historical vehicles used in the past; as well as the development of vehicles throughout the ages. Gonna be interesting to say the least.

[JCON]

Sounds like a busy summer planned there Mark!!!

[Robbo]

Busy man Duke

[Dukemaddog]

Thank you Joe and Robbo. I'm trying to stay busy indeed, I sure could use the distraction!

I did get the models packed for the April 30 Vietnam Veteran's appreciation dinner now that they are dusted off and repaired.

The Huey helicopters in the one tub are all going on top of a fake cake as cake toppers, the rest of the models will be on display as conversation pieces.

[JCON]

That works...

[JED]

Life is busy for us all I guess. I currently only get two days a week and of course there are things I like to do or have to do for/with my wife. After work the mojo is very rarely there to to do anything. I was planning on finishing a figure today only to find the end of his rifle is missing, can I find it!!!!
I might get an hour in this afternoon.

[JCON]

Looking forward to seeing him Jed!!!

[DuckyShot]

Been busy here, business is opening a second branch, and I've had a bunch of stuff to get setup with that. Also crammed in a shorter vacation to the south shore of Lake Superior that we just got back from.

[JCON]

Vacation sounds good!!!