Nancy Falzone's Get Together - Show and Tell

Nancy had asked each of us to bring up to seven pieces from our collections that were special to us. We would be given the opportunity to share about them, and then Nancy Kelly, who was also in attendance, would photograph our pieces for her next book on hobby history.

The tables for the show and tell took up the entire living room, dining room, and family room!  Piece after piece after piece... it was all amazing! (See that large grey Thunder on the left next to the orange wing chair? That was done by Maureen Love and actually was a yard decoration at her home!)

 Nancy Kelly acted as emcee for Nancy, and Nancy started us off by sharing some of her favorites.

 I do not know how she was able to winnow these six pieces out of her thousands!

Such a lovely lady, inside and out. She is one of my favorite hobby people.

Ardith Hillyer brought one piece - the large white statue on the base.

Dawn Sinkovitch had found these three decorators at an auction a few weeks ago and paid $4 apiece for them. Lucky find!

Steff Bodamer (left) takes a picture while Yvonne Rott listens. Here's Ardith's big white horse, again.

Kristina Lucas Francis and Dawn Sinkovitch were my seat mates on the couch.

Liz Isham Cory, Liz LaRose, Jamie Rott, and Donna Connors. (See that pigeon? Nancy's husband, Don, who passed away a few months ago, raised homing pigeons. His decorating mark on their home was pigeons.)

Nancy Kelly listens as Dawn presents.

Both Nancy and Kristina were taking notes throughout our presentations.

Nancy shares her pieces. (You can see that large Thunder better in this photo.)

JoEllen Arnold asked Kristina to hold her pieces while she talked about them. (I took over note taking for Kristina so she could.)

This piece belonged to Keith Bean and is very special to Jo Ellen.

Jamie Rott loves Breyer's Running Mare mold. She found this unusual dapple grey mare on eBay.

Yvonne Rott, Jamie's mother. (What fun to share a hobby!) I think this is a raffle piece that she won at this past BreyerFest.

Steff Bodamer loves Breyer's Fighting Stallion. She showed us her chalky one and one that her father gave her that "started it all." (I have one of those and had brought it to share, too!)

Liz Isham Cory used to work for Breyer and edited Just About Horses, Breyer's magazine.

She had been given many of the white bisques that Hagen Renaker sent Breyer when they were starting the Classics and Stablemate lines. Two of them were with her (Sesepe which Breyer did not use, and the SM Draft horse.)

Living room displays finished, we then moved into the kitchen and dining room areas.

Donna Connors presents. At the table on the left is Michelle Oviatt, another long time model friend of mine. She did not bring anything to share, but it was fun getting a chance to see her again.

Donna is holding a piece carved from wood that was her father's. He kept it on a shelf, and she used to push a chair up, stand on it, and then lovingly pet the horse. Her dad gave it to her years later. (Jo Ellen Arnold in red, Nancy Kelly and Steff Bodamer on the right.)

I brought circus ponies! JoEllen wanted to buy my large Friedman Leahy as she collects circus ponies, too, but it's not for sale.

JoEllen and Linda Shawhan listen as Kristina begins her show and tell.

Her awesome green Nataf! 

In the light of the room (it was a dreary, drizzly and foggy day outside) he looked more grey than green to us, but she assured us that he was, in fact, very green in good light.

Jamie Rott, Liz Isham Cory, Steff Bodamer, Donna Connors, and Nancy Kelly (still taking copious notes!)

Paul Francis, Kristina's husband. I had not met him before Saturday, and he is a really nice man.

He loves Hagen Renaker's Dead Bird and has the one that belonged to John Renaker.

Linda Shawhan had a beautiful Animal Artistry Arabian with the golden saddle.

Liz LaRose told a story of her original collection of Hagen Renakers breaking when the shelves collapsed and her mother surprising her by gluing ever single one back together!

Liz had brought the bay Zara that Ellen Hitchins and Simone Smiljanic had had a tiff over. There are only four known bay Zaras in the world, and three of them were at our gathering!

Several collectors, including Liz LaRose, invited us to handle their models. "In this crowd, I know it will be okay," she said.

Next up? Miscellaneous photos to wrap it all up.