Wednesday, October 6, 2010

My Beautiful Wife Marcie

My beautiful wife Marcie lost her battle with cancer this past week and passed away on Monday October 4, 2010 in the mid afternoon. My daughter Susanna and I were by her side.

She fought hard, but in the end it was too overwhelming.

She was a great wife, 21 years of putting up with, and supporting, and participating in both the Club and the Show, was an accomplishment. She wasn't thrilled with that accomplishment---but she gave me the space to put the Show on, and to keep the Club going and she let me indulge in this hobby I love as much as I wanted. She was a great wife.

We will continue.

I miss her so much.

Monday, September 20, 2010

General Meeting - Pasadena Modelers Society Friday September 24

What can I say that hasn't been said already in our email blast and by this blogs headline---this coming Friday night Sepetember 24 is our Genreal Monthly Meeting !!!
Doors open at 7:00 P.M. and at 8 ish we will kick off the excitment with coming event announcements, works in progress and raffles !!!
Usual location 154 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA.
See you friday !!!
George

Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Club and Show will go on !!!

As many of you know my wife is very sick with cancer and may not make it till the end of this year (2010). As a legacy to her for she helped with the Valley Con Show and the club we will continue on with the Club and Show with some of the members taking over during whatever absence I may experience.
Marcie is a great woman, very smart, and very helpful, and a great Mom, and cook, and just a great person, and I am lucky to have her as my wife and a friend, and to have had her teach me a tremendous number of things about life.
For now she is resting comfortably in a nursing home and hopefully finding some closure.
I on the other hand am having a lot of anxiety attacks about the future but I think for all she taught me during our 26 years of marriage my daughter and I will be fine going forward.
I know this is not about the modeling stuff we always talk about but real life is much more important.
Now I am going to try and go back to sleep.

Meeting Friday night August 27, 2010

Just a reminder that we will have our regular Pasadena Modelers Society meeting Friday night August 27, 2010 at our usual meeting spot, 154 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre CA
Doors open at 7:00 P.M. and meeting starts at 8:00 P.M.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Wow !!! What a day!!!

We're back, I'm back and some models are on their way back...what a dayIPMS Nationals for my first time in 42 years ? Anyway I'm tired but I'll have photos and specifics on this blog as well as some on Facebook, once i recover tomorrow
Good night !!!
George

Off to the IPMS Nationals !!!

Why I'm up at this unGodly hour I don't truly know but it's off to the Burbank Airport and to PHoenix for the IPMS Nationals. Dave Conner, John Cina, and hopefully David Sarabia should all be on the 7:20 flight.

I'll report back later tonight of first AM as to our exploits !!!
George

Monday, July 19, 2010

Meeting on Friday night July 23rd

Don't be led astray---there are five Fridays in July, but we meet on the fourth Friday as usual.

See you this Friday July 23 at our usual meeting place, 154 West Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre CA
Doors open at 7:00 P.M. and the meeting starts at 8:00 P.M.

We will have Works in Progress, Announcements and a nice new raffle.

We need all Anigrand kits for the Nationals , built or not, back to our club on Friday for transport to the IPMS Nationals.

See you Friday

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Revelations

Spent several hours tonight rearranging my display cases and came to the ultimate conclusion that I have grown as a painter and builder over the last several years. I seem to have three distinct periods of building.

~Starting and learning

~Building but not really caring how finished things where ( a step back)

~Building and painting as complex as I can with as much detail as I can.

A lot of that has to do with my time, my daughter, and my wife. All of which have been in flux for the past 5-6 years. And for the first twenty years of my duaghters life and our CLub and Show put more time into those endevors than into building and painting. Now I feel I am in a period when I have improved a lot thanks to Richard Dauglash and John Cina and Steve Munroe. And they think I don't listen !!!

I also noticed that, which may or not be a problem, I have no focus---I use to do armor and everyone thought I was an "armor" guy. Then my sub phase ( still going storng) my helicopter phase ( still going strong) . But as I rearranged everything tonight and I noticed that I am very spread out Subs, Helicopters, Armor, Sci-Fi, Aircraft, Ships. Very unfocused very non pigon holed. Peter Ferk at LAMS one time tried to introduce me to a new member by saying I did subs and helicopters and finally said--here's George he does a bit of everything.

I may not get to the "next level" of painting/building/pigonholing but I got things pretty well cleaned up tonight and feel pretty good about the hobby and my own every growing skill sets.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

"The Road Trip"

Wow !!! yesterday Saturday July 10th was quite a day---on the road from 8:38 A.M. till 6:45 P.M. all over Southern Califronia for a day of modeling enjoyment.

Dave Conner was suppose to join me but took off on his annual Mono Lake trip for four days so Bill Walls stepped up to the plate and rode shotgun as we headed out to visit a couple of clubs, several hobby shops and just a great driving day in Southern California.

We left early in the morning to attedn a our first meeting of the Temecula Valley Model Club. They meet usually on the first Saturday of the month ( similar to LAMS) but moved back a week due to the Fourth of July holiday.

It was not a bad trip down there---virtually no traffic--and an hour and a half later we hit our destination Hobbytown on Jefferson Avenue in Temecula. There were about 20-25 guys for the meeting and a lot of first timers. Plus we had a great demonstration from GREX airbrush 's Daniel and using the Grex airbrush and compressors. Followed with a quick break to look around the store---terrific looking blonde working the cash register--and a lot of models and rc. As usual I spotted the 25% off tag and immediatley brought another Fine Molds X Wing Fighter to add to my now growing Fine Molds Star Wars Collection.

After we had the second half of the meeting, Show and Tell and we went around the room as a diverse group of modelers discussed various projects they where working on. Everything from a 1/18th scale P-38 to a whole nuch of neat cars from the Riverside Car Club that puts on the Catus Classic Show.

Bill Walls brought down his Hetzers as well as his Opel Blitz and I brought down the Barchino, the UH-1N Huey, the Komatsu Bulldozer, my 1/350th Type C U boat, and my little lite up flying saucer I purchased over at Burbank House of Hobbies. Seems to be my usual works in progress box that one day may have some completiton.

Mark Stubbelfield a Valley Con regular was there, as well as Steve Munroe who was visitng his in-laws over in Lake Elsinor came by. So there where a lot of familiar faces to be seen. Plus I met Mason from the ARC helicopter forum.

After the meeting we took Steve back up to Lake Elsinor and dropped him off at his in-laws ---but we did give him the option of escaping and coming with us on our adventures--we gave him the option !!!

Nonethelss Bill and I backtracked a bit to go to the Lake Elsinor Outlet stores ( no Pottery Barn for us Manly Men) instead Toys R Us Express---but sadly no models TOys R Us got out of the plastic business years ago. Kay Bee Hobbies use to be a good source of cheap plastic at their outlet stores, but alas they went out business.

After Toys R Us , we got back in the car and headed on the 15 North to "Tom's Farms" which I have passed for so many years on my way down to San Diego but never visited. We made a quick stop there for burgers ( which where good) and eye candy ( which was excellent) and the place was mobbed !!! From the freeway it looks so empty, but once you arrive it is just hopping with people all over. Lots of bikers too---though I personally can't see the Honda Crusiers which just look like cars with out walls. Give me a real "hog" anyday.

After lunch we grabbed the 15 north to the 91 to the beach cities and headed for Military Hobbies in Orange. No Lindy there today as it was Jims Birthday and they went out celebrating ---Happy Birthday Jim !!!---wonder if she brought him a model for a gift ???

Picked up another Fine Molds Star Wars model while I was there a "Y" wing as well as a copy of one of those extreme modeling magazines.

Ran into fellow club member Ted Nichols who was also making the Saturday afternoon rounds on his way over to AMPS meeting at 4 in Santa Ana.

We followed Ted to Brookhurst to see our buddies down there including the twins Louie and Steve, and once again I succumbed to the dark side and brought a Fine Molds TIE Fighter plus a soda to quench my thurst.

Then off to the last event ---So. Cal AMPS.

They will be moving soon (next three months perhaps) as Tony Alverez got a promotion (way to go!!!) but is leaving that facility. We talked for a while and I offered them a chance to run a good sized AMPS Regional under the VALLEY CON banner in March 2011. This should be interesting if they go for it, as we will have VALLEY CON, and we will partially sponsor a AMPS Regional at the same time. With AMPS on board, and Temecula Valley on board, and our friends at LAMS on board, we should have a spectacular multi club Regional at this years Valley Con. Plus other clubs will be participating as well.

Finally we left a bit early as we were exhuasted, hundreds of muiles on the Honda, lots of models and a good time !!!

Once a month its a good thing to do !!!
George

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

June Meeting Friday the 25th

We are having our June meeting this Friday night june 25th at the usual space---154 West Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA.

Doors open as usual at 7:00 P.M. and meeting kicks off at 8:00 P.M.

See lots of you there !!!!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

VALLEY CON - MARCH 7, 2010

Well slowly but surly VALLEY CON buzz is growing, Southern California's first major model building contest and swap meet will take place on Sunday March 7, 2010. 21 years of doing it the "right way". We will maintain low admission prices ($5.00), plus low model entry fees ($1.00) per model...and we are awarding plaques, ice sculptures, and medallions as always.

Plus a fantastic Raffle (Tickets 3 for a $1.00)

We're happy to say that once again Aircraft Resource Center will present plaques for Best Israeli Aircraft, the entire Helicopter Category, and Best Vietnam Aircraft.

Plus Nostalgic Plastic home of Anigrand Models will present awards for Best Resin Aircraft.

Brookhurst Hobbies of Garden Grove world reknown hobby shop will be joining us this year as well.

And this year Los Angeles Miniaturists, Ontario IPMS, nationally known modeler Mike McFadden, and Southern California AMPS will all have sponsored awards !!!

More to come in the next two wekks, so stay tuned.

Our regular Pasadena Modelers Society meeting will take place on February 26th as usal so see you there!!!

George

George

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Happy New Years !!! Here Comes VALLEY CON !!!

Well here we go with another new year - 2010 to be exact and we are entering our 21st year of operations for the Pasadena Modelers Society and for VALLEY CON !!! How time flies when you're having fun, building models, meeting new people, and avoiding all rulkes !!!

Our first club meeting of the year will take place on January 22nd the fourth Friday of the month and we will continue on the fourth Friday of the month unless otherwise stated, except for our new December meetings for which we will announce a date as we get closer to the end of the year.

We have our IPMS Nationals Nostalgic Plastic build going on (models to be displayed at the Nostalgic Plastic table at the Nationals), and our general mayhem going on as well.

VALLEY CON 2010 the first major show in Southern California will take place on March 7, 2010 a Sunday at the Pasadena Civic Center 300 East Green Street, Pasadena CA.

Contest categories will be announced soon - but basicly the same as always - thought we will have a "Resin Aircraft" category sponsored by Nostalgic Plastic this year !

If you want to sponsor a category of award costs are $10.00 per plaque contact me at pasadenamodelers@verizon.net to pick a category and arrange for payment.

Tables are now available - $40.00 per 6' table - no tables sold on show day - so get your checks in as soon as possible.

That's the update for now.

George