This is my favorite season. I've been able to get back at the bench with more regularity than I have in a long time. I'm working on a pair of GI's for HeLo and a Pawnee scout for Der Bunte Rock. They are both winding down and I'm down to fiddly bits. The GIs are going very well. The Pawnee gave a bit of trouble because of the difficulty I had with creating the Spencer Carbine. That's past now and things are moving ahead.
The MMSI had their Chicago show last weekend. It was a tremendous success. I truly enjoy the trip across Illinois to the show each year. This year, Ron Hilker joined Ander and me for the trip. We had a great time. I was lucky enough to earn two golds this year. The best I've ever done at Chicago. The medals themselves are important only in that it helps me measure where I stand and how much I've improved compared to past years. I also want to keep up with pack. I feel I had some of my best work there this year. I always enjoy getting a critique from fellow modelers. I got my annual advice from Greg Difranco, which I greatly appreciate. Greg displayed my personal favorite in the show with a flat placed in a shadowbox. Tremendous paint job. Two other strong contenders in my eyes were the BOS winner by Mike Blank, and a neat boxcar by Dan Tisoncik. The latter was so packed with action inside it was difficult to take it all in. Probably the highlight of the show was the selling of a major collection of Bill Horan pieces. This was some of Bill's best work. Two or three dioramas, and a handful of ballplayers, and a lot of ACW and British Victorians. He is a true master of the medium. Dand Tisoncik was the newest Chicago Medalist.
