Friends,
This was a long, tough week. This update is mostly about my personal world, so, if you’re not interested, I’ll be back to normal next week. Otherwise, click to keep reading.
First, I want to thank ALL of you who posted messages of condolences for my father’s passing. For those who have not already heard, my father passed away this past Saturday. He was 81 and, though he was not in the best of health, this was unexpected. Apparently, he suffered a massive brain bleed, but we are told he passed quickly and painlessly.
Many of you met him when he used to attend the shows with us. He also worked in the shop with us, back when we still had the TWS (Tank Work Shop) line. He used to sand the casting gates for us, so we gave him the nickname of ‘Sandman.’ I can still see him at the sander with his headset on. He would work for hours, just listening to his music and sanding the castings. He loved it, and remembered those days fondly.
As the oldest, I had a lot of family duties this week. We also had family in from Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and even Ireland, so there were quite a few family gatherings. The service was this past Wednesday, but I’m still not quite back to my normal routine. My mother is slightly disabled, and will be living alone — for now. So there were things that had to be done to help her adjust to the new realities of life.
Consequently, I did not get much TMD work done this week. I am just going to trust that everyone will understand. Personally, I am doing well. I knew my father’s beliefs, so I am confident he is doing well wherever he is now. I did manage to cast for almost all of my outstanding orders, but I have not had time to package and ship them. For this I apologize. will be back to business as usual first thing Monday, and I will get them shipped immediately. Then, I plan to lose myself in finishing that darn M-18 driver’s compartment so I can move on to the M50 turret and U.S. Half Tracks.
So, until next week, stay safe and try to build something (preferably something using TMD resin).
Joe