My daughter Gail that I first discovered last december, came to spend a three day weekend on the fourth of June. I got to celebrate my very first Father’s Day on the 6th. She drove up with her best friend, Terri. They arrived on Friday around 11 in the morning. We took off to Elsberry where they had a REAL chocolate malt at the 4th Street Soda Fountain. They had never had a real malt before. It is very difficult today to find a REAL malt, the majority that claim to be are only milk shakes!

Gail is on the left, Terri on the right. Click on image to enlarge.

It is a fascinating place! Restored like the original back in the thirties, it is really convincing! We had a good time! Click on image to enlarge.

From there we went to old town St. Charles. We met Wes Bradley there, had lunch at Llewelen’s, a new restaurant on Main street. The rest of the afternoon the girls spent shopping in all the little shops on South Main. Wes and I stayed outside with the dogs. Beautiful weather!

That evening, I made dinner for them, beginning with champagne. Click on image to enlarge.

The next morning, we went on a whirlwind tour of St. Louis, beginning with Union Station.
Click on image to enlarge.

Gail and the fortune teller! Click on image to enlarge.

At the main entrance talking through the arch. An indentation in the ceiling from one side of the arch to the other, allows two people to communicate with each other even when whispering from a considerable distance. Click on image to enlarge.

Gail and Pop in the Grand hall. Click on image to enlarge.

The Grand Hall. Click on image to enlarge.

We hung out at Union Station for awhile, then the riverfront, around downtown, Number one AT&T center, where Susan spent her career, went through St. Louis cathedral, drove through the mansions at both Westmoreland place and Portland place, through Forrest Park, the Central West End, then off to Webster Groves for an awesome bread pudding at Cyrano’s! We went to Straub’s, an elite grocery store in Webster Groves. We visited Clayton and drove around all over west county. By the time we arrived home, everybody was exhausted. We watched some video footage and then to bed.

The next morning, Gail gave me my Father’s day present. I was totally blindsided! I had written a poem for her and Susan back in May. She had taken the stanza about her and written one beginning with the same line. Both stanzas were etched on a beveled rectangle of glass, along with a photo of me and her.

Here are the stanzas, first mine,

A miracle happened on Pearl Harbor Day
And altered my world on that cold winter’s day
That month of December, as if fate’s demonstration
Another appeared, and with invitation
Shielded from vision for two score and more
Another angel for me to adore
Searching my soul, I knew it was true
My love of my Gail was too long overdue.

and then her answer to it!

A miracle happened on Pearl Harbor Day
An unheralded pirouette in my mid-life’s ballet
Comfortably complacent, then a portal unsealed
And ironically, vulnerability broke through my shield
Apotheosis of fatherhood, once childhood lore
The wish now incarnate, chimera no more.
Kissed by good fortune through the vagaries of fate
The love of my Poppy was well worth the wait!

I suppose my face says it all here. WOW! Click on image to enlarge.

We had a short breakfast, then off to Hermann, a German wine village about 50 miles west of St. Louis. There we toured the winery and had lunch in the German restaurant. After that, we said our goodbyes until next time. It may have been my first Father’s Day, but I can’t even imagine it could ever possibly be topped!

She sent these to me when she got home!

How I love being a Father!!!!!

I first met Joe Mokwa immediately after he had graduated from the police academy. I had just returned to the department after a stint in the corporate world. It was January, 1972. We rode together a couple of times and then became permanent partners. Joe had a work ethic I had never seen in another police officer. He was also the most dedicated cop I ever knew. In 1980, headquarters was concerned because we had several “Contracts” on our lives from underworld figures and had been confirmed by intelligence. Joe went into the intelligence unit and I went to the Circuit Attorney’s Special Investigation Unit, (S.I.U.). We have remained friends since. Later, I started VLS at home and it grew to the point that I took early retirement to run it full time in 1985. Joe went on to be, in my opinion, the best chief of police in St. Louis history! He retired about a year ago, and Thursday, June 3rd, 2010, he came to spend the afternoon at my house. We had been detectives since 1973 and this photo was taken in 1976. Many of the kids in the area called us Starsky and Hutch!

A very different pair of dudes in 2010, 34 years later. Don’t you agree?

Those were the best years of our lives, we were like brothers and remain so today!

Bob

At 69 years of age, it seems to me that beginning anything new, that you have never done before is a real adventure. I decided to write my very first poem about my wife Susan and recently discovered Daughter. Please cut me some slack as I am truly a novice at this. Click on images to enlarge.

This is Susan

This is Gail

This is the poem.

My Angels

Early days floundering, through endless mazes

Searching and stumbling, through negative gazes

Destinations unknown, yet always searching.

Approaching environs, but never connecting

A flash in the blackness, and true love appeared

A soulmate forever, the apparition quite clear

Ecstatic adventures, interminable elation

Abundance, triumphs, life’s awesome sensations.

A cup to the brim beyond fools wildest dreams

Much of the credit, wasn’t mine it would seem

Built on the core of a magical soul

She lifted me up, created me whole.

Eternity of bliss, romantic obsession,

through veils of time, sailing through professions,

Pillars of sustenance, eternally in evidence,

A horn of plenty, unending abundance

Love of my life, guardian of my soul,

A life she fulfilled, twas etched in the scrolls.

What more could be wanted, being not avaricious

Lives filled with wonders, each one more delicious

Wondrous adventures, lives so sublime

Went flying through spans, and portals of time

Now in winter, bonds never ending

With all the excess, what now is portending

A miracle happened, on Pearl Harbor day

And altered my world, on that cold winter’s day

That month of December, as if fate’s demonstration

Another appeared, and with invitation

Shielded from vision for two score and more

Another angel for me to adore

My love I dispatched, no questions asked

Then came a test, and took me to task

Searching my soul, I knew it was true

My love of my Gail was too long overdue

Mysterious semblances, with identical flairs

All things in common, and out of thin air

My cup overfloweth as no man before

Two glorious beings, that reach to my core

Revived as a family, forever we’ll be

My Susan, my Gail, my angels, and me

Wondering through life, had I found neither one

The life would be empty, or probably done

My wife and my daughter, no more could I ask

Deserving not what, had just been unmasked

My life fulfilled, should I be called away

I could ask no more, I’ve cherished my day.

Till then as is written, I exist in this dream

Wondering why chosen, by this heavenly team

Husband and Father

May 11th, 2010

Bob Letterman

If you have read the thread, “Bob’s New Daughter”, then you have all the information to understand what this is about.

The first time I saw my daughter in person was in March, this year, in Springfield, Missouri. I met her and we spent the day getting to know each other, just driving around and comparing notes on both our backgrounds. Click on Image to enlarge.

When we were in the eastern part of town, I remembered a house that I had loved all my life since a kid. She then said she had one too that was in this area. I started driving in the general direction and she began describing the house. Long story short, Same house. Her birthday is in December and I had planned to build her a Chinese pagoda, another common interest. Then It occurred to me how perfect it would be to instead build a model of that house for her.

Susan and I went down to visit again from the 7th through the 12th of May. While there, I snapped about a hundred pictures of the house from all angles. Here are a few. Click on Image to enlarge.

Click on Image to enlarge.

The property takes up at least half a city block, has tennis courts, swimming pool and several out buildings. I intend to include everything, maybe not quite all the trees, but it will have enough to simulate the atmosphere. A few of the challenges in doing this is first, the unique stonework. Then the brick on the front has been laid in a parquet chevron pattern. Neither of these are available in scale commercial sheets, at least that I know of, so both will have to be made from scratch. I am using a 2′ X 4′ base, so it will be large enough to show the details. I have a little less than seven months to complete, so I have to get moving on it.

My plans are to build this step by step and post each one as it progresses both here and on Tanks and Things.com. I am fairly confident I can have it done in the time allowed, providing nothing serious happens in the interim. Click on Image to enlarge.

Since I only have known of her existence approaching 6 months, she has inspired me to many off the wall things I have never before attempted, like…… writing a poem?? Guess it is all just part of being a father. Who knows what’s next?

I will start with the base. When we started the museum back in 1993, I built about thirty of this type of base. They have a 2 X 2 frame, (50mm X50mm), and covered with plywood, then carpeted. The plexiglass cover will keep it dust free. When we shut the museum down, I moved a dozen or so to storage. This base is 4 feet by 2 feet, (1219mm X 609mm), and will be perfect for this project. Note the cardboard sheet for the basic construction of the model and the plywood that will be used to mount the diorama. That way, it can be lifted off for moving it. I intend to dress it up with some wood veneer, a brass plate, etc. Click on Image to enlarge.

Click on Image to enlarge.

I spent Saturday, June 6th, getting the basics up and working out the dimensions. Used a calculator more than anything else. It is difficult working from photographs, but I did pace it off from the east and north sidewalks to get the rough size of the real structure. As I scaled down, I used percentages to arrive at the various dimensions. measuring the dimensions on the photograph, arriving at the percentages of difference between two dimensions on the photo, I then use those same percentages when creating the dimensions for the model. The more percentages of difference you accrue, the better the model will have very similar dimensions in scale. Does that make sense to anybody else? Comparing the corrugated cardboard frame to the actual photos, I believe I got the dimensions pretty close. It scaled out to be between 1/32 and 1/30th. I had originally intended to include the tennis courts and the detached 6 car garage w/servants quarters above. I will barely be able to give their impression in the finished diorama.

Click on Image to enlarge.

Here is a shot from the right side, I left the Coke can in the photo to give the viewer a sense of the size.

Here is a left side shot. Click on Image to enlarge.

A front oblique shot from the left. Click on Image to enlarge.

And from the right oblique.

For comparison. Click on Image to enlarge.

The next steps will be creating mattboard veneers, That will give the model strength and then make interior bracing with corrugated cardboard to keep it true and square. After all that is completed, the fun part begins. Building the brick and stone walls as well as the open timber ones, the roof shingles, window frames and fireplace chimneys and so on. The model building itself with be 27 inches wide, (685.8 mm). The main building being roughly 80 feet wide, (about 25 meters)

I got a bit done the last couple of days. I was only able to buy a few sheets of siding materials. I ordered more and they came in today. This is the front entry, I gave it a veneer of matt board.
Click on Image to enlarge.

Then the chimney, it has the matt board and the beginning of the stones. The sheet isn’t identical to the house but close enough when I add several Milliput larger stones at random and give each stone a bit of texture by stipling with filler. A triangular strip of balsa provided the gradient stone and then coated it with artists modeling paste. When sanded and painted, it will have the texture of stone.
Click on Image to enlarge.

Click on Image to enlarge.

Then, as I will do with all windows and doorways, I use 1/8th inch strips of matt board to frame the openings in this unit. I use Elmer’s white glue for the veneering. Next, I will give this a coat of artist’s past, sand and lay in the stones. Click on Image to enlarge.

I had found some really realistic stucco sheets for the open timbered parts, and applied it the the main gable. Later, I will make a balsa grid that will be painted earth brown. The stucco will get an off yellow color finish to match the house. Here it is assembled. I have added the back wall and laid a sheet of the roofing shingles over two gables. Click on Image to enlarge.

Another angle.

The front view. Click on Image to enlarge.

And a view from above

OK, I Got some more done today. I am putting more matt board veneer and cut the chevron area from brick sheet and applied it over the matt board second floor that I made today.
Click on Image to enlarge.

Click on Image to enlarge.

I am posting this again for comparison purposes. Once I have all the white stone in place, then I will enhance it using several techniques.

I should be able to get quite a bit more done over the weekend. Click on Image to enlarge.

am experimenting with creating the proper “Relief” for the stones on this project. This is a trial and error part as I have never done anything quite like this before. It isn’t there yet, but once the fireplace chimney is “Right”, then I’ll have the formula for the rest of the house and can move forward!

I have veneered the chimney with the sheet stone, however, it can only be used as a basis. It needs some random larger and mid-sized stones, some more protruding than others. Here you see wax paper, baby powder, a brass tube that I use on epoxy putty, (Milliput), to roll it into a sheet. The exacto knife and the ruler are used to cut the stones. Just above the ruler is a bluish colored epoxy putty rolled to a sheet. The baby powder is used between the putty and the wax paper to keep it from sticking!

Another shot. Click on Image to enlarge.

Now I have taken some Stucco, (An Italian brand of filler, like Squadron Green stuff), thinned it with Testor’s liquid cement and painted it over the stones on the sheet. More coats to come, and then some material to coat it all with to get the proper “Look”! Also, I will make another sheet of Milliput, this one thinner than the last, and make some more mid-sized stones that will be of a thinner relief.

Click on Image to enlarge.

As I said, I’m playing this by ear!

Anyway, I am getting closer to the “Look” I am trying to replicate. Here are todays results. A reminder of the stone relief on the original building. Click on Image to enlarge.

The bottom half of the chimney looks like this now. I am getting close! But not quite there. After painting and lightly weathering, it would be close, but tomorrow, I will try a couple of other things.

Got a little done this weekend. More stones on the chimney, cut the stone sheets to fit the entry, additional stones to come later. I also did some color experimenting. The Testor’s acryl raw umber very closely matched the brown paint, It is on the window frame. I used Testors acryl Camouflage gray for the base coat of the roofing above the entry. Finally, I used Vallejo 814 burnt cadmium red for the chevron bricks. After weathering and highlighting, all three should be very close!. The awful female figure is for the viewer to judge scale. She is 1/35th. As I go along, I continue tweaking the added stone work. I found that by lightly mashing the epoxy stones with my thumb, they take on a much more realistic appearance. Click on Image to enlarge.

Some of the components look off kilter. That is because they are not attached to each other and just sitting on or about the other components. When assembled, I will make them true in relation to the other components!

f compared to the Real house, the stone sheet applied to the entrance is very similar, but won’t take on the proper appearance until the additional stones are affixed. Click on Image to enlarge.

A couple of days ago, I decided to light it up. I bought a lot of grain of wheat bulbs and some spotlights, so that with the lights out in the room, it will have a light effect as well.

OK, Got some more done. Started the open timber on the left side. I cut the stone sheet to fit the lower section of that left extension, the remainder will be either roof or open timber. Click on Image to enlarge.

Here I skinned the front extension with the brick sheet and made the basic front and rear roof. Click on Image to enlarge.

It is slowly taking shape. I also enlarged the windows on either side of the fireplace, they looked too small. must have been a math error.

Over friday through sunday, I made some good progress! The best thing is, I believe I have captured the feel of the real building. Once that is accomplished, the details become the important facet of the build.

All the sheet stone is veneered onto the matt board. Soon, I will be taking a week or so to add the irregular protruding stones from Milliput like I did on the fireplace. It’s gonna be a little boring and certainly a no brainer, but after the painting and weathering, all that will go a long way to create the look of the real building.

I want to get the roof base cut to fit for the main gable near the front center (Below). Note the dormers on the right extension. There are also 4 large dormers on the rear center portion of the building.

I still have two more sections of open timbered gables to build. One is directly below.

The gap between the two sheets of stone will be covered with a patina brass roof over the bay window.

You will note the fireplace is off the ground. When complete, that will be underneath the paper mache’ dirt in the planter box.

A closer shot!

I have been fooling around with some things. Electrical and paint matching. Not anything major, but I will throw it up here and you can see what you think! I needed two large coachlights for the rear of the building. I found some approximately the right size and style in a Miniart kit. The problem is, I am lighting this one up and the styrene in the Miniart kit wouldn’t take the heat from the miniature grain of wheat bulbs! So, I took a Post light I picked up in a train shop, almost exactly the same size, cut the pole with a razor saw very carefully and then cut a hole in the rear of the light to run the electrical cords from. Then I used the bracket from the Miniart kit, used a dress pin as the ball on the bottom of the sconce and Viola!!

All it needs is some flat black paint!

I have been doing all the open timber gables and wanted to make sure I could match the colors involved.

I ended up using Testors 4606 acrylic Raw Umber for the chocolate brown Timbers, then I found two colors which are a dead match BTW, Humbrol matt 103 and Vallejo 976 Buff for the interior flat areas.

Well, I am ready to post some updates.I have made the basic gable cuts for the main, (center), gable. I have been installing window frames and timbered gables, and, in the process, creating the three major components.

The cuts on the roof will be covered when the matt board and roofing sheets are laminated.

I need to trim the lower part of the roof gable about a quarter inch! I am nearing the point of spending a few days adding Milliput stones on all the surfaces. Boring and tedious, but necessary!

After that, the matt board and the roofing material. Then all the gutters and downspouts.

Just recieved notification that the porch lights will be delivered Wednesday!

I am getting ready to “Wire” the mansion. It will have around 20 standard grain of wheats, plus many exterior lights and spotlights.

Gail came up with the name for it. “Simpatico” it will be. That word fits everything like a glove! She’s so smart!

Here are what the exterior coachlights will look like. They are microscopic. I will be using a 12 volt DC transformer attached to the base. I will be wiring the lights both in series and in parallel, to get the proper scale lighting.

The two tiny wires from the bulb has to be inserted into the tiny holes in the white protrusion I am holding.

If you look really close, you can see the bulb in the center of my palm. The wires are there, the camera couldn’t pick them up.

This is the wall bracket, the wiring and, if you look close, the bulb. The lamp is threaded and actually screws on the bracket.

This shot is using a nine volt transformer and…..

Same lamp using 12 volt transformer

Gee, I feel like an electrician!

I managed to get a little done on this project over the weekend. This part is going slow because the “Sunroom”, a huge sunroom is the entire ground floor of the left wing of the mansion. It will be lit and visible from outside the building so it must be finished and furnished! I began by “Dry walling the interior walls, and started finishing out the window frames. Also, I had to correct the rear of this wing as I learned there was a deck off the second floor when I drove by a couple of weeks ago.

Then I cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to the exact size of the floor. Then I fitted some evergreen tiles to fit that, and glued them together.

Then, made certain of the fit. The gap to the right of the screen is for the rear wall, the sides fit flush against the main building wall.

Then I gave the entire floor a coat of flat back. After drying, I gave it a cloud pattern of dark gray, here and there, at random.

I mixed up a combination of flat white enamel and gloss green acrylic paint. This is the same way I do for patinas on statues, etc. I use this because the two paints will never mix thoroughly, thus it creates the exact effect I need. Then thin it down with thinner and alcohol. I use a wide soft paint brush that I have thinned with thinning shears. Dip it into the solution and make a few practice swatches on an old piece of cardboard. If done properly, it will “Vein” when it hits the black tile I usually do several coats, letting each dry first. I hold the brush in one hand and then strike it with a finger to propel it randomly onto the tiles.

Here is an example of the patina on Napoleon’s statue in the square,

…And then, this shadowbox was made with the exact same system with slightly different shades of colors. It really is quite effective! I discovered both of these techniques while building The Winds of War, way back in the 70s.

This was the first run.

I gave this one three coats. Then allow to dry to the point of lightly sanding it to make it all blend together. Be careful to not sand too hard or use anything but a fine grit, as it will sand the base coat off.

Then after sanding, I use 1/64th inch light gray tape. Chartpak is the brand and it comes in dozens of colors and sizes. I use it like grouting in real tile. Once in that groove and stretched tight, then wrapped on both ends to the cardboard underneath, it will be there long after I am gone!

Then I gave the entire floor two coats of polyurethane clear gloss.

I placed it inside the walls of the left wing to dry overnight. I will assemble the floors and the walls tomorrow. With the seven very large windows in this wing, it will be very visible, especially in the dark with the lights on.

The last shot shows the alterations I had to do to accommodate the second floor sun deck.

To be Continued.

Lewis Pruneau and i have been good friends for 30 years. We talk regularly on the phone, but the last time I saw him was at the last Mastercon in St. Louis in September, 2006. It was great to see him again, although he has lost a lot of weight. He said he just wanted to lose it so it was on purpose. He is 6′ 4″, I am 5′ 11″ and I now outweigh him by 15 pounds! We are both getting up there in age. Lewis is 64 and I’m 69! Where did all those years go to? He only lives about 90 miles from me. These were taken on May 3rd, 2010. Click on image to enlarge.

Showing him some of my latest on the laptop.

His hair is almost snow white! Click on image to enlarge.

The “Pruneau Dynamics” truck!

He had his latest dio in the back of his truck, so I took some shots of it. I only had Susan’s camera so the pics are not very good, but you can get an idea. Click on image to enlarge.

A German RR bridge blown up. Part of the trestle is in the water and the Trumpeter locomotive’s front end is off the track.

A shot from the front. Pardon the depth of field, this camera wasn’t made for close ups.
Click on image to enlarge.

Lewis made a sheet of stonework, then put it in rubber and cast it. The towers were made by wrapping a still warm casting around a piece of PVC pipe!

The blown trestle. Click on image to enlarge.

The overall size is about 4 feet by 30 inches.

Checking the damage from underneath. Click on image to enlarge.

We had a great time. He is coming up to see the museum sometime soon!

To be continued!

When I began building “Logistics”, I intended to put a wedge shaped building with a cigar/cigarette/news stand as the first floor business. I actually built it to the point of 80% completion. It looked Okay, just okay. I kept walking by it and after awhile, I decided to pitch it. I could never make myself like it.

A shot from the side

So, what should I replace it with? What else, a German Brauhaus! I called it the Schwarze Hund. (Black dog). I wanted to put a floor above the street and an arch for traffic to pass. I began with my usual corrugated cardboard frame. You may note the resin brick sheet glued to the first floor of the structure. The lower half will remain as only cardboard as it will fit into the opening of the base and never be seen. I also used Grandt Line windows. Yes, they make other things besides bolts and rivets! I cut the openings to fit. These two pieces, with the arch complete the rear facade.

Next, the arch is built using the same materials. At the bottom of the picture, you will notice three sheets of matt board. The upper floors will be laminated with this material as it gives the structure much more strength and will accept the plaster which will be added later without harming the corrugated cardboard beneath.

The dormers were another product of that company. I made wedges from plastic sheet to span the space between the dormers and the roof. The gutters were converted from some wooden doll house material, then, someone, sorry, I can no longer remember who, sculpted a dog that I casted and modified, (Two each corner and attached to the gutters.) I used thin plaster and a tiny spatula to approximate the texture of the stucco between the open timbers. I heated sheets of the resin bricks in boiling water, then slowly bent them to fit the contour of the inside of the arch.

The plaster being applied.

Here we see the back and sides complete with the resin and matt board laminates in place. It has been fitted into the hole in the base for proper fitting. I used balsa strips to simulate the open beam construction of the second floor. The third floor is a mansard style roof. The shingles being cut from the 135th Construction Battalion sheets. I am not sure if they are still in production.

Here is the front of the building facing the main street. I have simulated Allied bombing runs throughout the diorama and the Black Dog is no exception. The majority of the facade has been blown out. Inside, I created the three floors. I used microscope slips, not slides, (They are far too thick), for the windows. I cut them to size using a brass tube with a diamond phonograph needle soldered on. It cuts the very thin glass just like a real glass cutter. Then using tools I have found over the years at doll house shops to create the curtains, 135th Const. Bn again for the wall paper and flooring. The final picture in this SBS is only about 70 to 80% finished.

Here is a shot of the interior in progress. When complete, it will have much more of a brown or earth tone to the colors, plus some more details. The bay window was again a product of the 135th Const. Bn. The micro slips were also used in that. I usually attach them with superglue and after secure, break then with a sharp point until I achieve the look I am seeking. I made the walls thicker where exposed by using a cork sheet in between the corrugated cardboard and the matt board interior walls. Then at the edges, I used 135th Const. Bn bricks to simulate the torn walls. There will be huge amounts of rubble added to this and all the other buildings when complete.

Here is a shot of the Black Dog in it’s current state of construction. The stone chimney is from, what else, 135th Const. Bn. Boy, will I miss that company. I designed it to market the materials that would make my work, and hopefully, other modelers, to scratch their model buildings. Alas, I don’t think the current owner of all the old VLS lines wants to continue with them.

Another angle.

And a slightly different one.

About 80% complete, it makes a much more imposing structure for the front of the diorama, albeit the back of the building. After the 46 vehicles and the 250 plus figures are completed, I will return to the buildings and complete them one at a time. No real reason to do it that way, just always have.

Hope you like it!

This is a story like you would hear on Oprah! It is a wonderful story and has made me a very happy man. On December 3rd, 2009, I was surfing in a web site for old friends and I noticed a guy I had went to high school with. I sent him a message and he returned an email. When I answered it, I mentioned that I had dated his sister when I first got out of the service in February-March, 1962, 47 years ago.

He answered and said that although he had not been aware of that, he had forwarded a copy of my email to his sister, Sandra. Shortly after, she emailed me and included her phone number and asked if I would call. I did. She proceeded to tell me that I had a 47 year old daughter of which I had never been aware. Of course, Susan and I were totally shocked and in disbelief.

It seems that after Sandra and I had broke up, she had married a man shortly afterwards only to learn a month later that she was 4 months pregnant. She told him the truth and they decided to tell nobody. They later had two children together. They separated after 4 years and she moved to the east coast. Her husband raised Gail, my daughter, along with their other two children as one of his own. When she was 14, he told her that I was her father, but never again wanted to discuss the matter. She had searched for me on and off, and, of course, was curious, but, in the days before the Internet, and the fact that I had moved to St. Louis, and she had no way of knowing that, made it very difficult.

Later, she married her childhood sweetheart, Forrest. A year or so ago, she found my website and a bio on another site. In the bio, I had mentioned that Susan and I had decided when we were married, 44 years ago, to not have children, and that we had not regretted that decision. That sentence stopped her from contacting me as she assumed I wouldn’t be interested. Was she wrong!

I communicated with her mother, Sandra, who Gail had not seen since she was 12, and finally decided to contact my daughter. To say that we hit it off immediately would be an understatement. We fell in love with each other almost instantly. Neither of us had any doubts that we were father and daughter. We have so much in common, it couldn’t be coincidence. Using photographs when we were the same age, we could have been twins. The characteristics we share border on the incredible. Regardless, well intentioned friends and relatives on both sides were warning us to walk carefully as they were concerned for us both.

Gail then decided that we would have to have DNA tests to stop any doubts forever. We both went to labs and had the samples compared in a paternity test. The results were a perfect match! The highest possible score, 99.99% positive and all 16 of the shared Alelles were a match. It just doesn’t match any more than that!

Last weekend, March 6th and 7th, we finally met face to face. All day Saturday, I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was like being with my female clone. The only surprise was how young she looked. More like thirty than 47. She is very stubborn, just as I have been told I am, and very persuasive, again, just as I have been told I am. She easily persuaded me to go to Mass with her Sunday morning. She converted to Catholicism some time ago. By coincidence she belongs to the same church I attended when I was going to school there from kindergarten through the third grade as a non-catholic, back in 1945 through 1950.

The Saturday we spent together, I will never forget. It was absolutely incredible. I was walking on air with pride! We went to mass on Sunday, then met Susan and Forrest for breakfast. After the horrible winter snows and ice, both days were in the 70s and absolutely beautiful.

Then we went to her house after breakfast and spent the day. I gave her some pictures and some things passed down through my family. Susan fell in love with her and her husband Forrest. They have a beautiful house nestled in a wooded five acres. He is really into outdoor sports and I wished my father were still alive as that was his passion as well. Dad always dreamed of a daughter or son and he passed away believing he would never be a grandfather. I hope he is aware of all this somewhere!

We ended the weekend with a pizza dinner at a local restaurant. I never imagined that I could become so close to anybody in this short a period of time. I decided I wanted to post this here. I am so proud of my daughter I could burst! Here are some pics of her at various ages.

First, my favorite picture of my daughter.

Here is Gail as a child. (Click to enlarge)

Graduation day, 1981.

Gail, with her high school sweetheart, Forrest, before they were married. He is now her husband of 26 years!

In a pickup truck!

In a Colorado Lion preserve.

A few years ago, she went to Rome with her best friend Terri.

Who doesn’t like pizza!

Here she is with her best friend Terri and a priest from the Vatican.

These were taken March 6th and 7th, 2010. Gail and Forrest’s home.

Her husband Forrest today. Good lookin’ son-in-law huh? She has good taste like her Pop!

The first picture I took of my daughter!

Looking at her new, (old), family china.

One of her dogs, Molly.

Her other dog, Sam

Here, towards the end of the visit, I am still staring at my daughter, (I still haven’t got used to saying that), Gail, who I love as though there had never been those 47 years that I lost out on. I intend to make up for that for the rest of my life!

I never dreamed I would become a “Father” at the ripe old age of 69, but I did. I am just thankful that I wasn’t too old to have some years left to enjoy my unexpected daughter. Susan and I love her very, very much!

On March 27th and 28th, Gail and Forrest visited us for the first time.

Here are a few pics. Click to enlarge

Gail.

Bob, Gail and Forrest.

Susan looks very short compared to Gail. Click to enlarge

Bob and Gail.

Gail at about 34 with her dog Molly!

Gail having Molly Blessed by her priest.

To be continued.

This year we left St. Louis right after Christmas. It was snowing the day we headed out. Click on photos to enlarge images.

Our backyard!

WE drove the coach south and tried to avoid the snow and ice. We spent the first night outside Memphis, then in Hammond Louisiana and then arrived in Kemah on New Year’s Eve. Click on photos to enlarge images.

Some of the bridges on the Gulf are strange.

It was great to be back in Kemah, even though the first few days were cold! Not like Missouri cold, but cold for here. Click on photos to enlarge images.


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The Kemah boardwalk. Click on photos to enlarge images.

Susan on the Boardwalk

Bob on the Boardwalk. Click on photos to enlarge images.


Our Favorite Seafood restaurant in Kemah. Click on photos to enlarge images.

Susan inside.

Oysters Rockefeller, we love that dish! Click on photos to enlarge images.

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, MMMMM!!

Crab stuffed Shrimp Embrochette Awesome! Click on photos to enlarge images.

In and around the boardwalk, the kids love this fountain!

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We went to Galveston a couple of times. It looks recovered from Hurricane Ike. There is a huge recreational area there called Moody Gardens, these are some pics.
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Then we drove by the gulf coast and Bob and Star played on the beach. The wind off the Gulf was a little chilly that day! Click on photos to enlarge images.

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Then we had dinner at another great Seafood place, our coach! Tortellini with asparagus crab and a four cheese sauce!

Susan enjoying retirement!

Bob still trying to act young! I have to keep reminding him, he is almost 69 years old! This is where we let the dogs run every day! Click on photos to enlarge images.


This was the last night here. It was also our 44th anniversary. WE decided to try a new (Seafood, of course), restaurant. The Aquarium. A great time, it was very difficult to photograph because you were surrounded by walls of reflective glass containing hundreds of fish. Sharks, schools of Tuna, Barracudas, and on and on. Great food as well. Click on photos to enlarge images.

We even dressed up a bit! Leaving the coach.

We left much earlier than planned, something came up, but we were ready anyway! If it looked like all we did was eat seafood, well…… you are right! Bob gained about 15 pounds down there, we won’t discuss mine!

We arrived back home to 12 degrees (F), but, as they say, Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.

Till next time!

Whenever any of you are near the St. Louis area, send me an email through this site. If we are in town, we’ll make arrangements for you to see it. It isn’t open to the public and there are no admission fees. It is for modelers in general and our friends only. If you are a modeler or a model enthusiast, we will do our best to give you the grand tour! There are some works from each of the following names; Shep Paine, Lewis Pruneau, Francois Verlinden, Mike Good, Don Kanaval, Alex Boui, Mort Schmitt, Alan Griffith, Bob Oehler, Gordon Stronach, Jim Stephens, Bill Konn, George Woodard, Dan Clover, Ian Hill, Duane Pfister, myself and others. There is a lot of militaria and 50 years of modeling memorabilia, many you will never find anywhere else, as far back as the 50s, ancient Model magazines and catalogs, posters, kits, a collection of nametags saved over the years beginning with 70s and 80s shows, and lots of displays from Miniature World Museum. There are hundreds of box art models from Custom Dioramics, Warriors, Techstar, Streets of Laredo, and so on. There are around a hundred dioramas, hundreds and hundreds of models and so much more! At 1400 square feet, there is more packed into this space than I ever imagined possible!

Bob Letterman

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Chris Saulet, Bob & Susan along the west wall. On the left is “Cocoon”, a large dry dock diorama, on the right is “Quota” the Krupp 88 factory.

First three photos courtesy of Ken Jones

Susan, Chris and Stephanie Saulet looking toward north wall.

Looking toward West wall.

Sandra Jones, wife of Ken Jones, editor of Military Modelling Magazine visiting from England, looking at Legacies II. The diorama in back of her is the new “Logistics”, currently under constructionand near right is “Cocoon”. Cocoon is the smallest of the 4 large ones I built. Winds of War is in a private collection, Legacies and Cocoon are here as is the current project Logistics. Susan and I had met Ken Jones at Euromilitaire several times back in the 80s and early 90s. He came over in 1999 for Mastercon and he and his wife Sandra have become very close friends since. They come over to visit once or twice a year and we travel around in the motor home or just “kick back” and enjoy the attractions of St. Louis. He will retire next year!

Last two photos courtesy of Wes Bradley. I entered my first major competition in the St. Louis IPMS Nationals in 1982. During the next two years, I accumulated the trophies on this wall. In 1984, I decided that a businessman should not be competing with his customers and have never competed since. Although retired, after 25 years, I probably never will again. Besides, so many guys have honed their skills and talent, I wouldn’t have a chance in today’s competition!

More to come……

Many years ago I met Ken jones, editor of Military Modelling Magazine and host of the Euromilitaire Figure show in Folkstone UK. Click on photos to enlarge.


Later, I invited him to Mastercon. He came and really enjoyed himself. The next year we invited him and his wife Sandra to come over for a two week road trip in the coach. Click on photos to enlarge.

The coach.

They did and have been visiting once or twice a year ever since. This trip was planned around modeling and modelers. Susan and I are typical dog nuts, they have always played a big part in our lives. Ken and Sandra have always enjoyed playing with them. Ken and I worked closely when I ran VLS. VLS was the American importer of all the magazines his company publishes. He took a huge number of photos in the museum and will be doing an article in MilMod in a couple of months.

They started walking with us daily as they always do. Wes Bradley, a T&T member and a good friend brought his 11 year old daughter, Alexis, to spend the day. Click on photos to enlarge.

We had a few nice days while they were here, but most were a little chilly! This is one of the many parks nearby that we walk in. Click on photos to enlarge.

This was their first meeting with Star who is exactly one year old. Both like dogs and dogs always know who does and who doesn’t.

Star is one year old and weighs 75 pounds. As you can see by the size of her feet, she still has some growing to do. Click on photos to enlarge.

As gentle as she is, seeing this coming at you would scare some.

Time for a water break! Click on photos to enlarge.

Wes’ daughter, Alexis, Wes, Sandra and me with my back to the camera.

The great Cagney. His nickname is The Cagmeister! All of 10 pounds. Click on photos to enlarge.

Ken, looking very pensive at a restaurant!

A few days later, we fired up the coach and headed for Kansas City. We visited every hobby shop there, unfortunately not any great ones! It was so foggy we couldn’t see the tops of the skyscrapers. Click on photos to enlarge.

n the coach, we have to put Cagney in the bedroom to eat, otherwise Star will take a deep breath and inhale Cagney’s dinner. After eating, he watches the goings on from under the door. Ken took this fantastic shot! Click on photos to enlarge.

We visited all the local attractions and had some great meals. Kansas City is known for steaks and barbeque. Then Mr. T, (Terry of T&T), met us at our favorite, Jack Stack. We all had their famous “Burnt Ends”, Fantastic!

We, of course, took them to all the tourist stops. Click on photos to enlarge.

This is the famous Country Club Plaza, a humongous shopping center in the upscale part of Kansas City.

Ditto Click on photos to enlarge.

Ditto

know we are old, but we haven’t forgotten how to have fun! Click on photos to enlarge.

After four days of partying and lots of fantastic food, we headed back to St. Louis.

We checked out all the good hobby shops here, especially the best one, CRM Hobby. Many American modelers know the owner, Chris Merseal. Click on photos to enlarge.

Models, what a natural location for Susan!

Then we went over to Alton, Illinois to check out a famous icon bar restaurant there. Fast Eddies Bon Air. This place sells more beer than any other single retail outlet in America. The food was fantastic! A few years ago, they actually bought a large portion of the street behind them from the city, enclosed it and made a huge outdoor beer hall! Click on photos to enlarge.

Me and Sandra in Fast Eddies gift shop! Click on photos to enlarge.

Then on to dinner with Chris Mrosko, (Panzer on T&T), at a Texas Road House steak house!

Chris, Bob and Star outside the restaurant.
On the 22nd of October, Susan took Ken and Sandra to the airport. Star wondering where her new friends have went! Click on photos to enlarge.

Another great visit! We look forward to their trips every year. Of course, there is always a downside. In the two weeks, I gained 7 pounds! As I said, so much wonderful food! What the hell, I’m not out there hitting on chics anyway, right? Most of these pics were taken by Ken. Those are the really good ones. Many were taken by Susan, they are also good ones, the rest by me, they are the bad ones!

Bob