Stylish Blogger Award

Recently, several folks gave me for a "Stylish Blogger Award." I've had some trouble figuring out what this is exactly. Apparently there are four things that one must do when receiving such an award. They are:

1. Make a post & link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

1. Thank you, Dick at Captain Richard's Miniature Civil War, Giles at Tarleton’s Quarter, and Neil at Toy Soldiers and Dining Room Battles for thinking of me. Truly I'm flattered.

2. Seven things about me:

• I’m married and have two daughters. They mean the world to me.
• "AD" is my initials (first name is Adam); I'm 37.
• I moved to North Dakota in 2003. I hoped to find work on the East Coast because I’m so interested in the history of that area, but North Dakota is where I ended up. I don’t regret it – it’s a nice part of the country and I’ve met some great people here.
• I got hooked on the Revolutionary War at a relatively young age. It had something to do with family vacations to historic sites + annual visits near my hometown of a Revolutionary War reenactor group (NWTA) + a general tendency towards nerdiness.
• I’m interested in other historical periods, too. The American Civil War is my second favorite period. I’m frankly in awe of how much excellent, scholarly work there has been on this subject and the size and quality of the Civil War-themed blogosphere.
• I also very loosely follow science blogging. Really, there aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up on everything that’s interesting and worth reading about, but maybe once every couple months I’ll stop by websites like Tetrapod Zoology to get a sense of what’s new.
• The first miniature I owned was a painted figurine depicting an officer in the 1st Texas Regiment (Civil War, 54mm), which I purchased in Gettysburg in the mid-80s. I liked to imagine him bravely leading his men up the slopes of Little Round Top. It’s been downhill for me ever since. :)

3 & 4. Other blogs:

I don't know if I have recently discovered 10 great blogs. To be sure, there are a lot of great new blogs, but mostly I've been keeping up with ones that have been around for awhile. Therefore, I'm going to bend the rules here and simply say a few words about some very nice blogs (some of which have also received a "stylish blogger award"). Apologies for omitting from this brief list some excellent sites. I recommend all those I have linked on the right-hand side of the page.

Tarleton’s Quarter – Giles is a master painter with a good grasp of history. He takes impeccable pictures that really show off the details of his miniatures and his writing is clean, concise, and entertaining. His blog is what chiefly inspired me to start one of my own.

Boston 1775 – An outstanding blog. J. L. Bell focuses on one specific theme, and yet he has averaged more than one post a day over the past few years, and he shows no signs of exhausting his subject matter. How does he do this? His posts are well researched and well written.

Bunker Hill – Christopher is a masterful painter, and I enjoy seeing his latest creations.

Captain Richard's Miniature Civil War – Prolific and terrifically inventive, Dick creates realistic towns and landscapes for his miniatures, filled with charming details.

Conquering the Lead Mountain – A website with a great sense of style. Sire Godefroy is a standout painter.

Der Alte Fritz Journal – An elegant website. I greatly admire Der Alte Fritz's painterly abilities.

Past in the Present – Michael keeps readers abreast of the many fascinating ways the past and present intersect, giving special attention to the Civil War and Revolutionary War. His blog is a joy to read -- brilliant and incisive.

Steve's Paintingshed – I admire his blog for much the same reason that I think so highly of Tarleton's Quarter. Steve is a master painter and he takes great pictures of his work. I really like how he infuses such personality into his 28mm-high figures. Also puts on great looking wargames.

Toy Soldiers Forever – Mannie's writing is warm and engaging, and he has a great sense of humor. Love the “toy soldiers are awesome!” enthusiasm he brings to his posts. Occasionally he makes videos, which are terrific.

1775 – Derek's blog is an outgrowth of a book by the same name that is in the works (and which I look forward to reading). He shares fascinating findings he's made about a pivotal year in American history.