May I Have Your Autograph?

There are very few things that I want signed. One that I most definitely do is the book, A Wrinkle in Time. I read that story to every class I ever taught. (It's my favorite book and has been ever since my 5th grade teacher read it aloud to me.)

After I finished reading it aloud, I'd pass the book around for my students to sign.

That book is on a shelf upstairs in my library and every time I open it (I still read it) the memories of reading it with kids that I loved never fails to make me smile (and sometimes even cry.)

Getting a portrait model signed by the owner or rider at BreyerFest has never appealed to me. But, there are times that I do want a model signed, and it usually centers around friends.

Signing Anne's horse that is traveling with Elecktra around the country is one of those times. I think this model will be very special to Anne when it comes home for good.

I started holding Happy Trails, a pony party/live show, in my home in 2018 to celebrate my retirement. It is for vintage models only, and I decided to have a signing party pony (vintage, of course!) for every year the show is held.

The 2018 model was a vintage Running Stallion, one that had no breaks but was not in very good condition.

I spray painted it gold, put it on the snack table, and asked everyone who came to be sure to sign it before they left. (I signed it, too.)

In 2019 I again spray painted a vintage mold, this time a Family Arabian mare.

Like the Running Stallion, she was in poor shape but had no chips or breaks. I was lucky that Action Stan signed her, too!

In 2019 I was surprised at a Great Lakes Congress show to be named Most Valued Member of the Year for having researched and written GLC's 35 year history.

Jamie Rott, GLC president, me, and Liz Cory, GLC treasurer.

The award is a gold Othello traveling trophy; each year's awardee gets to sign it and keep it with him or her for a year when it is then passed on to the next Most Valued Member of the Year. It was fun reading who had signed it in the past and I enjoyed adding my name to it.

In 2001, a group of us who had gone to BreyerFest together a couple of times signed Stablemates for each other and for friends who couldn't come.

The signatures of Andrea Morden Moore, Jessica Swaney, Stephanie Clift, and me plus BreyerFest 2001 are on it.

I think we sent one to Cristine Holt, Tara Oliver, and Kathy Bateman if I remember right.

A chance to have Peter Stone sign my model in person? I won't pass that up!

I remember standing in line at BreyerFest in 1991 so that he could sign my gold charm Secretariat.

It was the first time I had ever been in his presence and I was pretty excited to get his autograph on my model. 

In 1997, Kathy Bateman and I attended Stones' breakfast at BreyerFest and attendees received a woodgrain drafter that was signed and numbered on the belly.

As far as I can remember, that is all the signed or autographed models I have. (I am not including numbered special runs, etc. in that count.)

Speaking of Peter Stone, I am actually working on a project with him. It  has nothing to do with Stone Model Horses or Breyers. It does involve literacy, a cause that I have supported all my life. 

More on that to come in a future blog post so stay 'tooned!