"Widow Morley's Bluebird Cafe and Bakery"....

 So I continue on my building spree to work on my Western buildings, and as luck would have it, I have completed another one. 

I actually started the idea for this building back in 2016, and during the 2017 Super bowl halftime show, I had a drawing of names of my female friends that volunteered. My friend Sarah Morley won "the honor" *ahem* of having a café and backstory.

Originally I had called it "The Mockingbird", but I didn't like how the sign looked, so I redid it, and changed it to "The Bluebird". Very little modification was done to the building, (one of the older TCL laser cut buildings that Knuckleduster used to carry back in the day), and just added "window glass", and a wooden frame around the sign. 

Coloring was also done by Apple barrel, and Folk-art Craft Paints, "(Victorian Blue), and weathered with Burnt Sienna and Antique White.

This building adds a bit of color to my town. It makes for two blue buildings, (this one and the barber shop), and now it will be back to the tired worn brown ones that are more common. 

Here are some pics of the completed building, (and some other pics also).

Please click on them for larger pics.

(A frontal view of The Bluebird. Good lunches and suppers, fresh pies, and hot coffee; All served by the charming Widow Morley. This one is showing the weathering and wear on the buildings and boardwalks. These buildings drybrush very nicely.)

(A side shot showing the weathering.)

(Rear Oblique pic showing the weathering and wear on the building. Paint was expensive in the Old West, and painted building were exposed to harsh elements, and weathered quite quickly.)

(A comparison of The Bluebird with the still under construction Newspaper and Printing Shop. Both kits are the same one by TCL. I just modified the windows of the Newspaper Office by making them two BIG glass windows. That way the Newspaper Editor can see what is going on, (just like everyone else), and then write about it in the paper and sell the paper to folks for a nickel each telling them exactly what it was they saw...)

(Playing around with some figures and stuff. Henry Plunkitt, Ollie Olaffson And Winston Sinclair, (with his hands behind his back), hold a casual conversation outside of The Bluebird Café before it opens for lunch...)

(The conversation continues and meanders between "What kind of pie will Widow Morley be serving today?" and "Do you think she is looking for a suitor?" )

(A comparison shot of The Bluebird, and Wun Hung Lo's Chinese Laundry. The laundry and boardwalks are from the Arnica Montana line, the fence, barrels, and barricade items are from Acheson. The figures are a mixture of Pulp Figures and Dixons.)

And now for the "Backstory"....

As promised....

For your viewing enjoyment is "Mrs. Morley's Bluebird Café and Bakery", also known simply as "The Bluebird".

It is owned by Mrs. Sarah Morley also known in quieter circles as "The Widow Morley".  

The story around these parts is that she came out west and opened it up to make a living after losing four husbands during the war.  

Husband #1 was Alvin and he died of fever right before First Manassas (Bull Run to you Yankees).

Husband #2 was James, and he was run over by a runaway supply wagon during the frenzied, chaotic, Union retreat from Second Manassas, and was mashed into a pulp in the Virginia mud. 

Husband #3: was named Robert and died of diarrhea during the battle of Gettysburg. 

The fourth (and final) Husband was Thomas, and he used the top of his skull to catch the business end of a double canister round, courtesy of R.E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia during The Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864.

After the war, Sarah didn't marry again, although she had various suitors and gentleman callers and at least three of them also mysteriously disappeared...

After the sudden disappearance of the last one, a series of ugly rumors started going around the town back East where she lived, and people were whispering that "foul things were going on", etc.. So in order to prevent a scandal, and/or arrest and trial for "murder most foul" (even though there was no direct proof, but rumors are nasty things aren't they?), and to protect her good name, she quickly headed out west and settled in Rimfire.

She is quite the accomplished cook, and along with her cook/helper ( a fellow named "John Smith", that is real quiet and keeps to himself), her small café provides delicious lunches, and suppers as well as fresh pies, and hot coffee for hungry paying cowboys and townsfolk alike. She is well known for her fresh, delicious pies and freshly made powdered sugar almond cookies that she cheerfully bakes for special customers.

The Bluebird is always clean, bright and cozy, and is freshly painted. It is closed on Sundays and Saturday nights supper is always beefsteak, beans, bacon, and biscuits night.  Buttermilk and fresh milk, as well as coffee is an option, and occasionally she will have fresh lemonade.  No smoking, liquor, or tobacco chewing (or spitting), is allowed in The Bluebird.

Rumor is out that "The Widow Morley" may be looking for a feller, sometime in the near future, so all available and eager bachelors should apply.... The lucky guy could be "Husband #5"!!!!

Blog Update: The Missing June Post....

 So it seems dear reader that somehow or someway I seemed to have missed putting in a June update to what is going on around House O' Murphy.

So please consider this a late June submission, and some other stuff also....

D&D Game....

Yikes! Where do I go with this one?

Well...we continued our D&D game and the June adventure was one of frustration for everyone. The summer season, and "real life" has cut into our gaming tremendously, and that being said, we were only able to get one game in for the month of June. We are also taking an August break so we have 2 games for this month planned.

The game was also frustrating, because I knew due to the players previous actions, not only were the bad guys going to be waiting for them for some hard fighting combat. I also told them to be prepared "as this will probably be the hardest fight in this part of the scenario that you will encounter." 

And so it began. 

And it took almost three hours of real time to finish one major combat. 

The two big bads for the scenario were reinforced by some low level NPC assistants, and the PC's not only had bad dice rolling, but the rolling was horrible, and the fumbles were many.

The ranger had three fumbles in a row, (breaking bowstring, slipping, and mishandling weapon), while trying to get one up on the evil cleric.

(Click on pics for larger version)....

(Snacks this game included fresh stollen, chips, salsa, queso, pastries, jerky, and fresh lemonade and tea...)

(Meanwhile the fridge was ready with backup munchies and drinks!)

(Mr. Fridge is well stocked. BTW...the Mezzo Mix is MINE! NO ONE ELSE gets it!)

(The party prepares for the adventure! Treasure, XP's and Glory await!!!!....or errr....something like that....)

(The PC's burst through the trapdoor ("X"), into the room, to be greeted by the bad guy in armor (BGIA),  the evil priestess in the back and a couple of flunkies! Battle is joined!)

(The evil priestess steps through the doorway into the other room to prepare a spell as the BGIA, and the flunkies hold a defensive line in the room. Meanwhile the ranger tries to get off a shot with her bow.)

(Realizing that the battle is "not going the way they want it to", some of the players huddle and start to plot and scheme...Is it against the BGIA, the flunkies, and the evil priestess? Or is it against the DM???....oh dear....)

(The struggle continues as bad rolls hamper the PC's and they take damage. Meanwhile the evil priestess returns back to the room, to cast a spell....)

(Only to luckily be taken down by a critical hit as two of the PC's go at her. Another flunky from behind appears and drags her body back into the room. Meanwhile the rest of the group is seriously stuck in a problem with BGIA as yet MORE flunkies come to join in the fun....)

(The ranger player after her third fumble in a row... Things were not good for the party...)

(Eventually the party succeeded in beating BGIA, and the flunkies, but the priestess and her flunky had vanished! Following a small blood trail, they were now moving to the stairs of the second floor of the temple. Here they take a well deserved Chinese Dinner Break, and while eating a delicious Chinese dinner, listen as the ranger players speaks with them on "Needing to fight smarter and NOT harder"....   Meanwhile, behind my screen, orange-cola mix, dice, note stickers, egg rolls and crab rangoon....)

So the party starts this weekend going into the second floor to find out and hopefully end this part of the scenario. TBH, I wasn't happy with the battle, and neither were they, but as I explained to them, this was indeed going to be difficult.

Meanwhile, some folks asked me about Mezzo Mix.

It's a German Cola-Orange drink that I fell in love with, and am only NOW being able to find it (somewhat) in Indy when I get down there once a week.

(Mezzo Mix goodness....mmmmmm.....)

PAINTING:

Meanwhile for the month of June, I was able to get some figures painted up. These are mostly from Reapers Bones IV and V KS line. 

(Everyone needs a bear figure at some time in their gaming life. This one was easy to paint up, and the groundwork was fun, however, the gloss effect is what throws me off. I did a base coat of gloss spray for protection with two overcoats of flat and the gloss still came out.  I'm going to go back and try some brush on flat to take out the shiny effect.)

(A Reaper figure that came out pretty good. Painting on him was quick and easy. I really like the skin detail that was highlighted on this guy.)

(Tessa, a village maiden. Each village has that "one gal" that you don't know whose side, or which side she is on, or if she is just playing both sides, and looking for a husband in the process. This one has the look on her face of "I've got a secret."  Another Reaper Bones Villager figure.)

(Ed, the Villager. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he works hard and does what he is told. Unfortunately I expect him to be killed by either a monster or a group of wandering murder hobos in the future...)

(Ella, an angry woman villager. Her emotions are running just as hot as that torch she is carrying and with her fierce yell, she is ready to use the rolling pin to dispense justice and vengeance upon drunken husbands, tax collectors, murder hobo characters, elected politicians and French Aristocrats as the need requires....)

Meanwhile, on one of my trips to Indy, I stopped by my favorite Middle Eastern market....

(Nice to see you can get this here if needed....)

However it was the tea that confused me....

("Green Gunpowder"???....)

(From Morocco...)

Meanwhile the Chinese refuse to be done over by the Moroccans....

("Special Gunpowder Tea"

So after my store visit, I got back onto the Old West project that I was working on years ago and stalled.

I decided to delve into my Arnica Montana resins.

(The Hotel, Shop, and Boardwalks all drying after being thoroughly cleaned...)

(Base colors for the boardwalks went on easy. Some TCL building parts are also painted up. I found out that I use A LOT of "Burnt Umber" in my Western building painting, so Apple Barrel Craft Paints for this color happens to be my friend.)

I got the hotel assembled and base colored. There are a few design issues with it that I am not happy with, but being the creative sort I am, I can get around it. "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome."

(Not a bad kit....)

(A cowboy on his way to being "The Rawhide Kid", with the base colored shop building in the back, that would soon become "Wun Hung Lo's Chinese Laundry".... Figure from Pulp Figures.)

The building was also an easy assembly and open to customizing and modification, (which I did somewhat). Of concern was an issue with the roof support which I easily addressed with two pieces of plastic supports.

(The main work is done....)

(The inside of the shop. I have added ceiling supports to the front angles, (marked here in pencil), and added a floor to help strengthen the walls. Soon it will be painted up and smelling of bleach, hot water, and lye soap....as dirty drawers and stinky socks get cleaned. All for a fair price....)

Other fun things....

Things in life continue to go on even as I and others continue to try to game and I keep trying to decrease my little lead mountain and pile o' stuff.

Some of the other things we have had happen.

1: I got the replacement flex shaft for my Dremel 4300, so it's up and running again. A good 30 buck purchase. Glad it was the flex shaft and not the Dremel itself.

2: I got our property tax assessment lowered by 24K.

3: We had storm damage at the end of May and are currently waiting on the insurance adjuster to call us about filing the claim.  The roof tiles are the original roof tiles to the house, (from October 10th, 1916), and we have to find tiles of a style and color that is close to what the house had as it's historically registered.

4: I've gotten my A1C down to 7.0 and have lost over 40 lbs.

5: I'm planning on going to Little Wars next year.

So that's it for now with me, and June's post here (posted in July), is submitted for your approval.  As usual, there is more to come and things that will be happening, so stay tuned, and enjoy!

Comments are appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

"The Chinese Laundry"

 So as I have said in my last post, I have gotten back onto my project of my Western Town of Rimfire, (Arizona Territory), and have been busily getting back into building some of the buildings and structures needed.

I was finally able to get one finished today.

So for your enjoyment, may I present to you, Rimfire's only "Genuine Chinese Laundry" run by none other than Mr. Wun Hung Lo himself!

(The weathered front of Wun Hung Lo's Chinese Laundry. He'll get your clothes clean one way or another....)

(A side view of the shop, showing one of their business signs. "You get what you pay for. You pay for what you get."  The boardwalks are separate from the building as is the miscellaneous stuff on the side of the building. You can easily see the weathering and the fading and worn paint.)

(A front view of the shop. Boardwalks are from the Arnica Montana line, produced by Hawgleg. Fence, barrels, and the pile of stuff on the side (not seen here), are from Acheson Creations. I have to touch up the white edges of the signs...)

(Lars Larsen (recently from Norway, via Minnesota, speaks with Mr. Wun Hung Lo about his "laundry bill", while Lo's nephew, Wang Chung speaks to a couple of gentleman that are "looking for a Chinese girl with green eyes...." Figures are by Pulp Figures and Dixon. Don't ask about the duck...)

The building is resin and from the Arnica Montana Line produced in limited quantities by Hawgleg.

The boardwalks are separate and are from the same line.

Fencing, barrels, and baggage on the side, are from Acheson Creations. 

Assembly was quick and easy, with a slight modification needed for the roof. 

Paints were a primer of black spray from Krylon, and then Apple Barrel Craft Paints of Burnt Umber, Primary Red, Cherry Red, and Cadmium Yellow with a drybrush of Burnt Sienna, and then another of Antique White for weathering. 

This can show that you really don't need expensive eye dropper paints to be able to achieve a good effect. 

I still need to weather the boardwalks, and do a little interior work, but for the most part this is done.

I'm happy with how it turned out, and it will add a bit of color and flavor to my Western Town. 

More to come, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

Building a Western Town: Seriously late update...

 Howdy everyone.

So far this summer and for the past year pretty much I have mostly been involved with getting some of my umpteen thousands of fantasy figures painted up for running my D&D game.  This has put a serious pinch on most of my historical painting, (with the exception of some pirates I did), and even more so on finishing up some buildings. However with us currently taking a bit of a summer gaming recess, (thanks to the heat, real life, and the price of gas), I am refocusing some efforts back onto a previous project that I slouched off in waaaay back in 2017 and that is "Building a Western Town."

Back then I had started the town of "Rimfire", (originally known as Crabtree for the amazing and talented 19th Century personality Miss Lotta Crabtree but went back to Rimfire), Arizona, Territory.

From the period of Feb 2016 - June 2017, I cranked out a series of buildings:

1: Some outhouses.

2: Miss Melodie's Ladies Emporium.

3: General Store, (H. Thinglum Prptr.).

4: The Paradise Saloon.

5: Barber Joes Barber Shop.

6: An adobe warehouse.

I had also purchased some tents to use.

At the same time I had a series of buildings being worked on:

1: The Bank.

2: The Sheriffs Office and Jail.

3: A Cafe.

4: The Newspaper Office.

Somewhere around June of 2017, I got busy with life and work and ran out of steam. Then 2018 came, and the hellish years of 2019-2020. It was only after being able to move and finally set up that I was able to get back into building it. 

Once back here and set up, I slowly restarted it. 

I finished the bank. 

The building is one of the first line of  TCL buildings sold by Knuckleduster. Sad to say they are no longer available from either Knuckleduster or TCL: (Click on the photos for larger views.)

(Finally getting the fancy trim all painted up for the sucker....errr...."Customers" to deposit their hard earned cash in.)

(The final layout and setup of the bank.)

(Annnnnd the walls are in!)

(An oblique shot of the bank front showing the "glass" in the windows and the size of it.)

(One-Eyed Jack Carlson stands outside the bank waiting for it to open so he can go inside and make an early morning .44 caliber cash withdrawal....)

(Col. Belvedere, (Confederate Army, retired), stands outside of bank waiting on it to open to discuss "Why they do not accept Confederate money....")

The bank went along nicely.

The sheriffs office didn't.

I didn't like the original setup of the jail cell, so I have had to do some modifications. With this modification came a lot of headaches, and believe it or not, I am STILL working it out. I'm hoping to have it done, and have some pics posted, "soon".

However to keep things going, I am still going ahead with other buildings. This is to include the following:

1: The Imperial Hotel, (Resin Arnica Montana structure).

2: Mrs. Morley's Mockingbird Cafe. (A TCL building).

3: The "Weekly Gazette" Newspaper and Printing Press. (A TCL building).

4: Two more adobe warehouses, (Old Glory Foam Buildings).

5: "Hung-Lo's Chinese Laundry", (Another Arnica resin structure).

(Buildings in progress from L to R: "Hung-Lo's Chinese Laundry", The Imperial Hotel, and "The Weekly Gazette" Newspaper and Printing Press.)

I've got quite a lot to still build, but it is good to get back to seeing progress on these kits.

More to come as it happens!

May....

 April slid through this area like a bad burrito through an intestinal tract. As a result, things got a little out of hand and touch. So without further eloquence, here's my current going into the end of May update.

Figures

In my recent batch of Reaper Fantasy Figures I have been working on, I've used some of the tricks, tips, and techniques from the RVE that I did last year on some of them. I've been working with some washes, and shades, and am really liking how they are coming out. I am having an issue with my sealers though. 

Gloss sealer last longer than matte, so in this bunch I did a double/triple layer with a layer of gloss, and then 1-2 layers of matte to cut down on the shine. This only seemed to work 50/50, and some of the figures still show a shiny that I am not really happy with but will learn to live with as the other option is to strip and repaint. (NO!).

First up is a Reaper Cleric/Fighter with Mace. Ready to bash in some skulls. He was a pretty fun and easy "Bruiser" type to do. Agrax Earthshade did wonders for the leathers on him. 

(An angry guy + a footman's mace coming down on the head = pain and death....)

Next up was a Reaper Halfling in the classic "adventuring style". 

(The picture is a blurry thanks to my crappy I8 camera and the fact that it's old and dying. A better picture is coming soon., I promise!)....

Followed by an *ahem* "Courtesan Lady"....

I worked with a new pink basing style for the yellow this time. 

As yellows and oranges are notoriously hard to work with, one of the easiest cheats for yellows is to start with a base foundation color of pink. Yes pink. From there it seems the yellow seems to build up quite nicely. Yellow shading still eludes me though....

 

("It's a lonely old night good sir. Would you care to buy me some wine?"....)

A pic of a bard and a cat. The bard is the figure for a occasional recurring character known as "Jarrald, The Aspiring Bard." (Trust me when I say that there is a reason WHY he is "aspiring"....)

The figure is from Wizkids Royal Court Box Set, and the cat is from Reaper. The original plan was to make him a Siamese but I said "No!" when looking at the paint scheme. 

("The wheels on the cart go round and round...."  *MEOW!*)

Next up was a Reaper Cleric. For this one I wanted to try some green patterns and shades as well as blue eyes and the strawberry blonde look. I think I got it down quite well. Currently she is being used as the figure for an evil priestess in our D&D game. 

(Snappy dresser, strawberry blonde hair, cute face, charming smile, and those blue eyes...AND an evil priestess for a possible snake cult!  What's not to love with this gal?....)

And of course, a tired old lady....

Here you can see the results of the glossy sealer showing through two coats of matte. I might try to cut this down with some brush on also. 

(Ol' Lady Kelka isn't happy. She's old, tired, sore, cranky, and has seen enough bumbling adventurers stumble into the village on their way to the massive "Castle of Doom" on the mountain above her village to know who will soon be dead.)

Part of the Reaper Bones Brinewind set was a fishwife, so I decided to also play around with the yellows on her.

(Helma cries out to the folks in the market square, hawing the fresh fish that her husband catches. "This one will make a good supper or even a good stew!" She says as she holds it up, bloodied cleaver at the ready to remove the head if the shopper wishes it after they purchase it.)

I realized a while back that I didn't have a "classic adventuring wizard" in my collection of figures, so out of the Reaper Bones sets I got, I grabbed this guy and started working on him.  During the painting I realized that I also wanted to try one of the effects that I learned while at RVE and decided to try a simple star nebulae on the back of his cloak.

It was easier than I thought it was going to be and the overall after results were very, VERY nice!

(Derlin the Wizard carefully decides if the cannon fodder he is looking at will be successful on making it up to the Castle of Doom, to retrieve the magical item he needs and wants...)

(The back of the Wizard showing the starry nebula on his cloak. It was easier than I thought it would be to do this on a figure that size.)

And of course, what classic dungeon group wouldn't have an evil enemy to face?

Another Reaper figure.

For this guy, I decided to play around with some blood and rust effects as well as metal effects to see what I could come up with. I'm pretty proud of the "Cheesy 80's evil being character look" that I was able to get from him.

(Awaiting the party in the "Castle of Doom" is "Lord Bone", The Undead Evil Warrior King. Straight out of an 80's fantasy B movie, or a Saturday morning cartoon show, Lord Bone, (resplendent in his evil armor and with his horned helmet, (they always have these to show their evilness, it's a contract requirement), and his bloodied, ancient sword, he waits for the next group of stumbling adventurers to wander into Castle Doom so he can cut and hack through them like a gardener does weeds in a flower bed....)

New Paint Rack

My wife told me recently, "You're drowning in paint." 

I realized that she was right. I had too many bottles of paint and no way to see or access them all easily. So it was off to Amazon to get a new (2 actually) paint rack. 

The model I wanted (the five tier) was sold out at the moment, so I decided to go with a six tier one. After receiving it, I realized that while it has more tiers, it actually holds less paint, (by about eight bottles total). I think I am going to go back and reorder the original set I got. These are okay but I liked the other set better. Future plans are to build a paint rack system for my Craft Bottle Paints. Wish me luck on this one.

(This is the new rack. Here I am experimenting with eye dropper bottles, ink bottles, old Reaper Pro Paint pots, and P3 and a Citadel Paint Pot)

(One of the new racks on the right sitting next to my old racks on the left. Their location gives me easy access to them And yes, my desk is relatively clean!)

The Death Of My Dremel

So I decided to use my Dremel 4300 to work on a wooden project. Using the wood cutting blades I went to work. The wood was waaaaaaay harder than expected and the Dremel wasn't doing it too well for some reason.

Suddenly everything went wrong.

The shaft bent, the cutting blade warped and got stuck in the wood, and the bearings and bushings got knocked out of alignment inside the Dremel. 

This is now going to cause me to either A: Try to fix it myself. B: Try to send it off for repair or C: Get a new Dremel piece.

I am thinking of going with option C.

(Oops...)

GAMING....AND FOOD!!!!

So we are back into gaming with our D&D group again. 

In the last two adventures, the party has explored the town, fought some lizard like creatures, discovered that their friendly old mage friend is now missing and possibly abducted, and discussed the situation with the town mayor. After this, they have decided to storm the temple in the middle of midday service causing quite a ruckus and combat....

Let's get on with it shall we?

(The hand-drawn map of the village)....

(Snacks on the table. In this case, chips, fruit, and veggies for the dips.)

(Staying warm in the pot is my wonderful wife's (Gawd bless her!), Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip. A very BIG hit with everyone.)

(The party makes plans to figure out how to defeat the enemy....)

(And then wisely take a break for Chinese food for dinner.... Hmmm...storm the temple or General Tso's Chicken? Decisions, decisions....)

(Entering the temple during services, Never mind the Cthulhu statue, that is simply representative...)

(Battle is joined and ended in a bloody mess...)

(The party decides to head for the side door. The one that is unlocked...)

So for the next game session we went with:

(More snacks!)

(We now have Kringles!!!!)

(Mr. Fridge is stocked with tasty drinks...)

The party discovered a secret tunnel and from there went underground, where they encountered a large 3 ft tall mushroom, which screamed loudly when they approached.  It screamed even louder when they shot it with arrows to keep it from screaming. Eventually they succeeded.

Moving down the stairs, they encountered....a red mushroom. 

Here the party had a standoff.

(The party is standing off against a red mushroom while the remnants of the purple one lie quiet and still behind them.)

(A closeup of the mushroom encounter...)

Later down the tunnel they encountered some lizardy type creatures.

(An encounter with some nasty lizardy types in the tunnels later...)

(A close up of the action...)

Finally victory was theirs and SUPRISE! 

They find a chest of treasure!

Coins and another item, (which the mage grabbed for himself).

Now if they successfully finish this adventure, they can go back to town, take a bath, do their laundry, get their gear repaired, buy clean clothes, maybe get a horse and some hot meals, buy some supplies, etc.

(Look at all the treasure...)

(A close up view of the newly found wealth...)

This is where we called the game for the evening.

The party is now in a race against time, as now the temple and it's evil(?) followers now know where they are. So they should expect some resistance and more combat.

So that is all for this post. Our next game session is June 4th and we shall see what happens!

Thanks for reading and yes, there is definitely, MORE TO COME!