August was an extremely busy month for me. For a number of reasons I seemed to be doing a million things all at once, and then near the end of the month was a quick get-things-together for the SMMM. The actual meet, which took place this past thursday thru sunday, was actually the first chance I got to relax and focus on one thing for a few days - something I truly enjoy focusing on too.
This was my third Steel Mill Modelers Meet, and for me, it was my favorite. John Glaab once again had things perfectly organized. The hotel was clean and comfortable, the display room had the largest array of models since I've been coming to these meets - every table was taken. I believe the attendance was close to 80 - the highest since they began. The speakers were outstanding and the range of topics diverse, and the home layout tours were enjoyable. Surprisingly two of the layouts didn't feature steel mills, and two others we just a bit beyond the benchwork stage, however, for whatever reason I really enjoyed the tours - I would have to say that despite the varying levels of finish, all of the actual layout were well thought out and conceived, and to be sure, all will eventually be works of art. Thanks for all your hard work John.
Besides making for a relaxing weekend the SMMM does a few lasting things for me as usual - It energizes me into stepping up a notch on my modeling and keeping things moving. Jimmy had no sooner unloaded his bags before he was in the basement switching trains into and out of the incomplete Blast Furnace A. He purchased a Bachmann Spectrum 0-6-0, and a Bachmann GP-7. Both came with DCC on-board and the GP-7 is a beautiful built and running locomotive for only $50. I unfortunately needed a nap, but later last night spent a few hours reorganizing my work benches and cleaning the basement. Today we spent most of our time down there working on the layout. The other thing I get from the SMMM is a lot of real good ideas or techniques to try. The amount of information you can get from just chatting with people or listening to their presentations is incredible. I'll continue this thread in a few days with some more photos of the meet,...etc. Also, fear not, August was a pretty horrible month as far as blogging went - I hope to keep up on the blog better this fall.
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