Head & Shoulders

There's a Brighty under there somewhere...

Classic...

I wanted to sell this guy, now I can't bring myself to do it. Heather (who prepped him) has changed her tune, too and wants him to hang around--in her own collection, of course.

He's staying around now until Breyerwest or until one my menagerie inevitably needs vet care. Smart money is on the dogs who ate an entire chicken carcass.

His name is Picaresque. I was on a Decemberists kick this summer. I'm still in process of fussing with him, so he's not totally done.

(Click to embiggen)

Karen Grimm

I'm really at a loss of what to say here, but I just wanted to pass on this information for anyone who hasn't seen it:

Link

Karen is an elite class in this hobby. Few people have influenced the hobby as much as she has and there is no corner of it she hasn't touched. Please send your prayers to her and her family in this difficult time.

A Theme is Chosen

Sham!

I've been obscessed with the story of the Godolphin Arabian since a young age. The book is a highly, highly fictionalized version of his real life story and very little is actually known about the stallion's origins. Whether or not he was even an Arabian is a topic of much debate.

I've been doing research on the real horse behind the story for several years. At this point, I feel I have a reasonable handle on him and what he would looked like. The difference between the two is stark. One is a golden bay, elegant, mid-20th century Arabian. The other is a cresty, compact, brown your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine stud from an era that predates most modern breeds.

However, for this donation, I'm going to be leaning on Marguerite Henry/Wesley Dennis' depiction. I feel this is the version we all grew up with and they way most people picture him.

NAN Donation Suggestions

I am at a loss of what to do this year except that I'd like to do another drastic custom. I'm considering doing something in the two arenas that I'm told I'm known for (if I'm known for anything): racehorses or spanish horses.

I literally have a stack of Alborozos hanging around. He's very popular and I think he would be a nice draw.

...but, on the other hand, I wouldn't want to resculpt one to the point where he wouldn't be recognizable. I rather dig into my fugly body box for that. And yes, I organize my Breyer bodies by levels of fugly.

Nope, don't feel comfortable hacking up this mold at all.

Since it's in Kentucky, a race horse would be nice, considering this year's auction doesn't have a theme. I've wanted to create another John Henry portrait of his in his later years from the actual Breyer John Henry (currently sitting in my fugly box) but--to be honest--I wanted to keep this one for myself. Cigar and Funny Cide are options I'm considering as well.

Synergy!

I'm trying to think if I've used the word synergy since my college media classes...nope.

Are you reading Showing 101? It's the little sibling to this blog, by which I mean this blog gets jealous when I've spending too much time with the new baby blog.

Showing 101's focus is on the unspoken rules, tips, tricks, and drama of live showing. You should come check it out.

Road Trip! (Part 2)

Somehow on Sunday, Heather managed to stuff everything we brought plus several impulsive purchases, horses for fellow NW hobbyists, Gala, and two prize models. The car was bursting on the way there and I'd only managed to sell one horse. I have no idea how she did it, but I suspect witchcraft.

See? I told you she's a witch. She even associates with the Devil!

We jumped in the car and my iPod shuffled to "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson. This happened numerous during the trip--clearly a sign that my iPod became self aware before shuffling off its mortal coil and going to the Great-Apple-Store-in-the-Sky.

We decided we couldn't leave Kentucky without a quick detour to Churchill Downs. Outside the museum, Heather and I finally got to lay our eyes on the great Barbaro statue. We noticed something amiss:

"Since when was Barbaro a gelding?"

I walked into the store looking for a Cult of Barbaro™ shot glass and left with a Black Gold poster. We jumped back in the car and aimed toward Deadwood, South Dakota. Heather tolerated two hours of me ranting about Barbaro and making castration jokes until I finally passed out, leaving her to drive in peace.

We arrived in Deadwood sometime after 11pm. We were exhausted and had long since given up my "always unpack the car" road trip rule. Having once had a car broken into the night of a horse show, I'm usually entirely too paranoid to leave valuable models in a car overnight. Then again, my friends will probably tell you I'm entirely too paranoid in general.

Heather was barely able to crawl down the bar in the basement for a beer and I had too little energy to hit on the cute bartender messing with the jukebox (probably a first.) We retired to our room:

Totally worth skipping the Best Western

I'm a giant fan of both Deadwood the TV show and Old West history in general, but I honestly didn't know what to expect. I would never have guessed "Legions of Grandmas taking tours about prostitutes...and bikers." We ate at the Gem and I took the opportunity to try buffalo for the first time.

The town had a Virginia City meets Reno kind of feel. Not as authentic as I'd hoped, but little less cheesy than I actually expected. Just when Heather had had enough of my "I don't gamble" stick-in-the-mud-edness, we drove up to Mount Mariah Cemetary. Heather went with me as far Bill and Calamity's final resting place, but declared me insane when I insisted on walking a mile up hill to the graves of Seth and Martha Bullock. But the view was worth it:

Of course, my geek-tour of the western plains wouldn't be completely without a stop at the Museum of the Rockies! Heather was a good sport through all of this, but suspect she was more looking forward to getting out of the car then the fossils themselves.

Grrr. Arrg.

It's just like a giant killer chicken. Exactly the same.

Fossilized scales. How cool is that? (Not really? Too bad, my blog.)

After Montana, the only thing of note is that Idaho has better rest stops them most restaurants. Most *nice* restaurants.

Since this is a model horse blog and not just a "random rantings of crazy woman" blog, here's an obligatory horse photo. This is my Seattle Slew portrait with his recently refreshed finish. His paint is the same, but for models that travel a lot, I find they occasionally need to be resprayed with a clear finish to maintain an even appearance.