Wow. I am really sorry. I am all messed up because we were on vacation for the first half of the week. It took until six o’clock tonight for me to realize it’s Friday and I still hadn’t posted the new page. But it’s up now, new Page 11!

I got a lot of support letters this week. I don’t know if I’ll be able to respond to them all individually, but I want you to know that I got them and we really appreciate your support during this season of The Dreamer and our lives.

In case you missed the announcement last week, the FanArtPollooza contest has been extended through July! So if you haven’t entered yet, you have plenty of time! The new deadline will be sometime in August, to be determined. Check out the entries so far in the gallery I created for them.

I also don’t know if I have officially announced yet that Julie Wright and I will be sharing a table in artist alley at Otakon–the huge anime convention in Baltimore, July 30-August 1st! I hope to see some of you there.

I mentioned we were on vacation… Mike and I went to Colonial Williamsburg for the Fourth of July! I love fireworks, I love the fourth, and I love Colonial Williamsburg, so this was an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss. Continue Reading »

Last week on my drive back to Ohio from Pennsylvania, I stopped in Pittsburgh at the Heniz History Center to see the exhibit “Discover the Real George Washington” on loan from Mt. Vernon–Washington’s home in Virginia. The exhibit has a limited tour–only nine cities. I’m not sure where Pittsburgh is on the list, but if the exhibit is coming to a city near you, I’d highly recommend making a point to see it!

I heard about the show back when it opened at Mt. Vernon, but wasn’t able to make the trip that far east. The exhibit boasts three life-sized wax sculptures of Washington at three different points in his life: as a 19 year old surveyor for Virginia, as Commander-in-Cheif of the Continental Army, and being sworn in as the first President of the United States under the new Constitution. They didn’t disappoint!

When you entered the gallery, Gilbert Stuart’s famous Washington “Dollar Bill” portrait was the first thing you saw. (That was great to see in person!) And then there was a 10 minute video produced by the History Channel explaining how they made the sculpts, and what they used for reference and measurements. It took them an entire year just to create the 3D composites before they even began to sculpt! They were given access to the original life mask that French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon made of Washington’s face, and scanned this into the computer to have the most accurate starting point possible. (A replica of the plaster cast hanging on a wall in the gallery.) From there, they erased years from his face digitally creating two younger looking faces.

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A few years ago, I heard talk about a museum being developed to solely highlight the American Revolution. Of course there are history centers all over the East Coast devoted to different moments in the war, but nothing like this. When I heard about it, it was all in the developmental stages and the opening was so far off that I put it out of my mind. But one of you Dreamers sent me a link to the American Revolution Center, so I guess it has an official website now! It’s slated to be built in downtown Philadelphia near the liberty bell and Independence Hall. I still couldn’t find any sort of a date or timeline on the site, so I’m sure we’re still years away from any opening.

I did find this History Quiz on their site, though! Enjoy!

Also, while I’m posting, did you all know about the Downloads Page on Colonial Williamsburg’s website? Wallpapers for your computer and phone, screen savers, ringtones and more. Go ahead and fly your history buff colors with pride!

Last week Tom Racine of Tall Tale Radio called me up to interview me. He is a big history buff, and we sort of geeked out a little. Okay, a lot. But it made for fresh conversation, and I think because of that, it’s a deeper look into The Dreamer than most of the interviews I’ve done. So if you’re a history geek, too–and I know that you are!–give it a listen.

It’s only an hour, which I think is the perfect length of time for a podcast–long enough to really get into a few topics, but not so long that it’s a major commitment. We talked about a range of things, from Nathan Hale’s last moments, to writing honestly about war, to understanding historical figures as real, flawed people. It was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it!