As I’m sure many of you are aware, Clayton (of Iron Kingdoms Aventures) and I lined up a 35 pt test game on Vassal. I was originally going to run a list pretty much along the lines of the one I ran last Monday night (see the last Road To Templecon update), but at the last minute I felt whimsical and thought to myself, self, I thought, why don’t you goof around with some new stuff? Well, I was so darn persuasive with that argument, that I put together a list with a bunch of models I’d been considering but never played before:

Rahn
- Phoenix
Arcanist
Magisters (2)
Snipers (2)
Eiryss
Narn
Dahlia/Skarath
Stormfall
Nayl

Clayton, for his side of the deal, slapped the following on the table:

eDoomshaper
Mulg the Ancient
Troll Axer
Slag Troll
Thumper
Champs (5)
Chronicler
Fell Caller

I won’t go into detail on the game, I wasn’t taking notes, but some random thoughts before getting to the snake:

• Mulg, when sent into a forest to deal with Eiryss, is wasted if he can’t get Pathfinder to get back out of the forest. Dead Axer means no Pathfinder.
• Walking light warbeasts into LOF for two Snipers and a unit of Stormfall, when Rahn is there to TK the beast backward to allow for back arc shots, results in a dead beast with a pincushion’d rump.
• I achieved more in this game with the unit of Stormfall than I have in the last four games with the Battle Mages. Yeesh.

This would look cooler if Trib were in the current Vassal module... heh. Protectorate, Pirate and Nyss models substitute for angry pointy-eared xenophobes

Now, Dahlia and Skarath. There’s been much talk on the forums about how they’re not worth 10 pts considering how fragile Dahlia is, how debilitating the companion rule is, and how the points you spend on the two take away from points you could be spending on beasts to feed your warlock.

Well, I’m looking at running them with a Warcaster, so taking a fury resource slot isn’t an issue. Also, Dahlia and Skarath received an update today; drop in points to 9, and 1 extra ARM on Dahlia.

While Skarath may pretty much be a Corrosion turrent nowadays, he does the job well (seriously 10’ boostable POW12 sprays…) and while they may not be the right choice for a Hordes list thanks to their taking away from points that would otherwise fuel the Warlock’s Fury, in a Warmachine list I think they have potential.

Ponderings on Dahlia & Skarath in a Retribution army, and with Rahn in particular:

• They’re not taking resources away from the warcaster
• They provide a Heavy warbeast that can effectively operate outside of the warcaster’s control area
• Against Hordes, Dahlia’s Entrancing Rhythm spell can be quite effective in screwing with charges. Heck, Haunting melody does as well, if she can get within 8” safely.
• There isn’t exactly an abundance of spray effects in the Retribution. Skarath provides a new tool
• Rahn’s Force Field protects Dahlia from errant AoE’s
• Rahn’s Telekinesis can turn targets around, reducing the need for Dahlia to boost to hit with Entrancing Rhythm (meaning she can upkeep Haunting Melody, cast Entrancing Rhythm, and still have 1 Fury as a safety net for transferring)
• Retribution have a lot of anti-warjack tricks, but anti-warbeast stuff is slim pickings. Entrancing Rhythm’s another tool
• Serpent Strike looks very nice on high defense glass cannon models like Narn and the Mage Hunter Assassin

The models Kidd painted for me for the painting exchange are works of art – I can’t express how awesome they are, and I’ll be taking better pics of them when I bring them home (they’re on display at the store this week). They’re definitely coming to Templecon, and I can say with some surety that they’ll be featuring in some of my lists.

One of the joys of playing at one of the awesomest FLGS’ this side of the Pecos, and being part of a playgroup full of players that are more awesome than some things that are quite awesome, is that when I yell “Hey! Who wants to do a Secret Santa painting exchange?”, I get results like this: 

So here’s the drill: Everyone gave me something they wanted painted. I then randomly distributed models among the participants. Everyone had three weeks to paint the models, and return them to the store, under threat of losing the model painted for them, and a subtle combination of derision and leg-breaking from the other participants.* 

Behold, the end results! 

Brun & Lug, painted by Moonova

Biker Chick Calandra, painted by HankRaab

 

Calandra, painted by CaptainSpud

 

Trencher Chaingun, painted by Gorilla

 

Covenant of Menoth, painted by Thornail

 

Dahlia & Skarath, painted by Kidd

 

Drakhun, painted by TheGreatGaspy

 

Gun Mage Captain Adept, painted by Gdaybloke

 

Goreshade, painted by Crazyboy

 

Grenadier, painted by Cantor

 

Gudrun the Wanderer, painted by X

  

Mule, painted by Orcasaurus

 

Nephilim Protector, by CygnarWarlord

 

IK Ogrun, by Valrus

 

Renegade, by Killraven

 

I want to extend a special thanks to everyone who participated, who jumped on this with enthusiasm and took the spirit of the event to heart, doing their best and having some superb results to show for it.

I look forward to coordinating another one of these in 2010. Merry Christmas to all of the WarmaHordesers at The Hobby Kingdom, and to the rest of you out there in the blogosphere!

* There was, unfortunately, one individual who didn’t provide his miniature by the deadline. There was talk of judicious application of a Teraph, but he did manage to bring his completed model in to the store the day after the deadline. No physical injury was inflicted in the end, though there was certainly mockery and derision.

  

Murder Majesty first DVD (2 discs Digipak) low special price of $ 17. 99 (available here). Prices will increase once the DVD is released (5 / 12) so make sure you enter your copy today. Also available is a DVD / t-shirt package that includes a Black Dahlia Majesty t-shirt and DVD in Digipak 2disc for cheap pre date of $ 26. 99 (available here). Fans can also go HERE to get a widget to post on your social networking sites. The Majesty Black Dahlia Murder The widget has …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0me8E3wwUqE&hl=en

It feels like forever since I last posted, but if you keep up with my flickr account, you probably realized that I have been working on a very special project. Before I go on, I hope everyone had a great week. Also, some items that I’m going to show you’ll probably recognize them from my last post. But don’t fret, it’s a completely different style. Just goes to show you can use them in many different environments. Anyway, the special project I have been working on was a memorial for Dahlia Elide (Hayden Palmira) who passed away not too long ago. I hope all of you keep her family and her in your thoughts.

trilogy remembers

For the memorial, I was very honored when Gattina Dumpling and Izzy Berenyak had asked me to put it together. I know I wanted something pure and humbling, but modest in color. I want to thank my veeeeery good friend Zedellbee Zuhal for inspiring me and helping me decorate this calming haven.

*Wall textures – Made by Stein Shilova

*Couch; 6 prims – sofa067 1.1 Leather (Made by Yasuki Beck via ++LP2 interior++)

*Chair; 14 prims – Easy Chair – drobak* -

*Lamp; 5 prims – blonde* Stockholm 1961 Lamp – Tall

*Table; 4 prims + shadow – *atmosphere works* table-D*004

*Potted plant; 6 prims – [[[nocc.]]]pompommum flower green

*Candles; 2 prims each – ++LP2++ Xmas candle S & L

*Book; 2 prims – +mudshake – vintage book “summer at tiffany”

*Tea cup; 2 prims +spoon – *ARGRACE* Tea cup & *ARGRACE* Tea Spoon

*Boxed plant; 5 prims – d-lab-cp-02-01

*Frame; 1 prim – (NO) Swirly Pink Frame (Modified by me)

*Antlers; 4 prims – some antlers (Put together by me, free antlers by Kermit Rutkowski via xstreet)

*Wall print quote; 1 prim – Made by me (Originally in Dahlia’s first life pick)

*Rug; 1 prim – [ARIA] Milena bedroom rug

*Luggage; 36 prims – m.fox – (Avery Collection)-luggage pile (grn) (No longer available)

*Bookshelf; 13 prims – \\Urban_Decay\Garden_Ladder_Bookshelf\ (Via xstreet)

*Stove; 12 prims – -RC- Hillbilly Woodstove

*Tea pot; 4 prims – (iTuTu)enamel  tea pot

*Ladder; 3 prims – Rstep-ladder (Made by Robinn Magic via Chabinns!!)

*Tree; 3 prims – [LIG]  FLOWERS – Apple Tree-A

*Crates; 6 prims each – Traks Apple Crate-Linked & 1

*Pots; 1 prim each – Kinokoko – Flowerpot(BROWN)&(OLIVE)&(CORK)

*Apples; 1 prim each – apple & apple S & green apple (Made by robita Jawetz via mini HUG)

*Boards; 2 prims – Made by me

*Dirt piles; 3 prims – Made by me

*Shovel; 7 prims – Shovel Spade (Made by Papertrumpet Smit)

*Flowers; 3 prims each – sachi somestock _Blue 1 & Pink 1 & Yellow 1 (Made by mikatsuki Matova via forest feast)

*Pot; 1 prim – Kinokoko – Flowerpot(BROWN)

*Potted flowers; 2 prims – (iTuTu) flowers&plants 11

*Light beam; 1 prim – Made by Talia Jiang

*Pergola;7 prims – (Made by Zedellbee Zuhal despite it says me)

*Trellis; 5 prims – (Made by Zedellbee Zuhal despite it says me)

*Ivy; 2 prims each – Ivy <<corner>>02 & 03 (Made by Nocco Oldrich via [[[nocc.]]])

*Tree branch; 5 prims – (iTuTu) Roost

*Small garden; 4 prims – (Made by Zedellbee Zuhal despite it says me)

*Flowers; 3 prims each – sachi somestock _Blue & Pink & Yellow (Made by mikatsuki Matova via forest feast)

*Boulders; 1 prim each – light boulder05 & 04 & 03 & 02 (Made by Guu Nishi via HOC Industries)

*Table; 16 prims – The Tea House Table – ver. short1(Fifty Linden Friday) (Made by Turnip Sorbet via Turnip’s Homes and Stuff)

*Chairs; 10 prims each – GRANDMA!**ROMANTIC-CHAIR PINK & YELLOW

*Basket; 2 prims – Kinokoko – Wicker Basket(Square)

*Laid flowers; 7 prims – Adjunct Home – Carefully Laid Daisies

*Scissors; 4 prims – -RC- Swinger Sewing Machine Scissors(m/c)

*Jar; 3 prims – fri. Leaf in a Jar

*Potted plants; 6 prims – [[[nocc.]]]pompommum flower yellow

*Beaker; 5 prims – BP*Beaker /ASUPARA/1

*Chandelier; 6 prims – *LOTTA_Chandelier-mini(bz)

*Pulley; 10 prims – (Made by Zedellbee Zuhal despite it says me)

You can visit this in world at Trilogy (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Combeynot/220/197/599/) today! I hope everyone has a great weeked and don’t forget some Christmas posts and Vain Inc. spreads are coming your way soon. Happy SLing everyone. <3

-Trash

Girls

Simone

Sylvia

Virginia

Tabitha

Ada

Helena

Lucille

Ellen

Dahlia

Rosemary

Celia

Paloma

Olive

Beatrice

June

Magdalena

Mina

Nola

……har jeg opplevd en Dahlia imperialis i blomst. Så vidt jeg vet er dette verdens største georgine. Under optimale forhold kan den strekke seg over 6 meter. Kjøpte den fra Frankrike tidligere i år. Er svært fornøyd med handelen bortsett fra at jeg ikke bestilte hvit, men originalversjonen lyslilla/rosalilla. Må nok sende en ny bestilling om ikke lenge!

For første gang…..

…..er jeg blitt eier av Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’, et lekkert, stripete gress, og en Tacca, muligens chantrieri. Ønsket meg lenge. Tacca har jeg flere ganger gått forbi fordi jeg har tenkt at den får jeg aldri til. Står igjen å se…

…..har jeg plantet en palme og Canna i sumpforhold. Palmen heter Sabal minor og står så nær dammen at den ved høy vannstand vil stå i vann. Sies å vokse på slike plasser i naturen, så får vi se, da… Har også nettopp lært at Canna (iallefall noen) tåler å vokse i og nær vann. Canna er meget voksevillig her i landet, og regelmessig må jeg tynne ut gruppene.  I stedet for å kaste overskuddet, plantet jeg noen nær dammen. Ja, så får vi se da…

……har jeg sett og kjøpt en Albizia julibrizzin ‘Summer Chocolate’ og Rhus glabra. ‘Summer Chocolate’ er et fantastisk vakkert, løvfellende tre som lenge har stått på ønskelista! Rhus glabra er også staselig, men har den uvane å spre seg velvillig med utløpere. Derfor er den plantet i skrinn jord nær et tre ved navn Schinus molle hvor få planter overlever. Schinus utmagrer jorda for næring med sine aggresive røtter. Håper Schinus kan holde Rhus i sjakk. Schinus molle og slektningen S. terebinthifolius gir forresten rosépepper som mange kjenner fra krydderhylla. Ganske godt. Selv om rosépepper ikke har botaniske relasjoner med ekte pepper (Piper nigrum m.fl.), våger jeg påstå at jeg har dratt “dit pepper’n gror”. Tro meg, det er ikke så ille!

For første gang…..

……fikk jeg smake frukten av Acca sellowiana (de små på bildet). Hadde en busk i et par år, men den bar null og nix inntil jeg lærte at den behøver en partner eller flere. Acca har både hann- og hunndeler i blomstene, men bestøver likevel ikke seg selv. Frukten var en svært positiv smaksopplevelse. En bok om eksotiske frukter beskriver den på følgende vis: “Parfymert lukt og en veldig krydret, frisk, syrlig smak – som en mellomting mellom ananas, jordbær og guava”. Jeg sier bare: GOD! De store fruktene på bildet kalles cherimoya (Annona cherimola). Samme bok skriver: “Deilig smak med et hint av både jordbær, banan og ananas, samt en anelse vanilje”. Jeg sier: UTROLIG GOD! Husbonden døpte den til bruspulverfrukt. De som husker barndommens bruspulver, kan forestille seg smaken. Fruktkjøttet er som myk sorbet, og smelter i munnen. Yummi!

For første gang…..

……har vi anskaffet en svær eltemaskin. Industriutgave. Den skal benyttes til brødbaking og såntno’. Til huset hører en eldgammel, tradisjonell, vedfyrt bakerovn. Fra nå av tenker vi å benytte oss mer av muligheten til å bake brød i friluft. Ovnen har plass til noe sånt som 20-30 brød i slengen. En STOR eltemaskin er derfor nyttig. Men før jeg kan bruke den må et rom ryddes, et arbeidsbord lages + et eget bord med hjul til den blytunge eltemaskina. Den lar seg vanskelig flytte uten hjul!

Og sist, men ikke minst; for første gang skal jeg opereres i et kne. Den store dagen er 18. desember om ikke noe kommer i veien, f.eks. svineinfluensa. Lever jeg lenge nok, blir vel ikke dette siste operasjon heller. Det er nok av legemsdeler som kan behøve en overhaling. Om jeg synes det er møyen verdt, da.

Avrunder med å beskrive planten ved foten av Dahlia imperialis, som kanskje noen blir nysgjerrige på. Den heter Salvia involucrata – en av de prektigste salvier jeg kjenner. Vrælende farger er som mange vet, helt i min gate – på blomster, vel å merke.

Ha en fargerik og velgjørende søndag!

Macro photo of a beautiful Dahlia.

Our new Harmony Border Dahlia Series should be of interest to

Harmony Border Dahlias

gardeners wanting to combine dahlias in borders without having to stake them.  These four beauties have great blooms and the plants remain compact and upright.

Remember a few.. Days ago when it was still all about being so skinny you could be tossed across the lawn with a funnel on your head like a lawn dart.. Or when your so skinny your arm could be used as a pool stick? Now, do you ever notice that now in music genre’s it used to be rap it really was.. But now it’s more metal.. You gotta look, the bigger guys and gals.. Not that you want to come up and just bang them but im saying.. Look at pop icons.. If you’re not stick skinny on stage then you’re torn up by the press.. OMFG SHE GAINED A POUND IS THE STAGE GONNA FALL OVER?! Well no, of course not, there is so much pressure on these people to perform it’s funny. But now as I go through these genre’s more and more.. Call me what you want but im a metal head, anyways, you look on the stage and you see these “fluffy”  guys on their and their just loving life, just doing what they want, when they want to, it’s about just making people go crazy and just love the tunes.. It’s not a beauty contest! It’s about the art. Personally you look at some of those guys up there, they put themselves through shit but they are there for the fun.. Im really glad 50 cent can bench 3 dudes and flatten a penny with his ass checks that’s really cool in all and i’m glad Oli Sykes can make a girl so excited she dumps the 2% fat special ordered not to hot not to cold mocha all over her, seriously dudes, props all around. I just really have to give it up I really have to give it up to people who can put themselves out there and say hey world I am who I am, fuck you, im about what I like to do, I look this way, maybe im not up to your “standards” but im doing what I wanna do. That takes talent, for that I take a bow to you all. Anyone who can get on camera and not be afraid to take off their shirt for kicks has greatness all over them for how judgmental this generation can be.

Some years we can cut dahlias until Thanksgiving.  This year we are not so fortunate.  Heavy rain a few weeks ago took its toll and the plants never really recovered.  Here is what part of our garden looked like in September.

In the next few days we will begin bringing our dahlia mother stock back into the greenhouse to prepare them for making new cuttings for next spring.

After sunrise at the pier last Saturday (see previous post) we headed to Hereford Lighthouse in North Wildwood. What makes the sight unique is the flowers that surround the building, now past their prime. It was November after all, so I was surprised to find this pretty dahlia. On our way back to Cape May we stopped at a random commercial fishing marina. We managed to shoot a few pictures before seeing the ‘NO TRESPASSING … Property Under Surveilance’ sign and a man with a walkie-talkie gave us the boot!

'Trespassing at the Shipyard' © Denise Bush

'November Dahlia' © Denise Bush

Last weekend was quite an eventful, among many social gatherings with friends and family, I found 2 hours on Saturday morning to mingle with amazing gardening enthusiasts. I got to go to Green Elephant Plant swap in Redmond where group of people trade/give away extra plants, tubers and many gardening tips.

Jim Eichner organizes Green Elephant plant swap four times a year in Redmond. People gather extra wooded plants, divided perennials, tubers and swap. It is sort of tailgate party where we open up our car trunks, put stuff out on display. Towards the end of trade extra plants, shrubs, bare roots, tubers go into the big free pile. 
I had my inhibitions at first but it turned out great! I went with 7-8 pots of strawberry, Golden oregano, lupines, geraniums and Shasta daisies. Well, strawberry babies were everywhere and looked like everyone was trying to get rid of them I put all my stuff into give-away pile and glad to have found takers for oregano, geranium and lupines. I came home with mint, stone crop, hen & chicks and giant Dahlia tubers. OMG – Dahlia tubers were a steal, a nice gentleman was unloading them by wheelbarrows into free pile. These tubers are expensive – that’s like $40-$50 in free stuff right there!!!
Taking the advice from other gardener, I planted mint into container and not in the garden.

Dahlia tubers that I scored…

There were at least 50 people trading plants, it was cold, chilly and pouring heavily – a true rain or shine experience. It was my very first swap and I was totally amazed at the generosity and openness of everyone. No one left empty-handed and some brought non-plant items like birdbath, planters and cookies to keep it fun and interesting.

Here’s website for more information – http://www.holycrossredmond.org/greenelephant.htm

This is one for the flower-lovers (you know who you are, and aren’t).

A year or so ago, a simple raised bed appeared in the parking strip a few blocks from my house. Good soil went in, things were planted, I didn’t go past for a while, but when I was out for a walk the other day, we’re talking almost-mid-November here, I almost fell over when I saw this.

What are they feeding those things? The good stuff, obviously.

My cosmos are long gone, at least I think they are – maybe I should look again! These ones are not only still blooming, they are forming new buds even as the evening temps dip toward freezing.

Massive orange dahlias abound:

Guess I’m not the only one who plants stuff and forgets what it’s called (this was attached to one of the massive dahlia stalks):

I loved this tattered but still-glowing zinnia, its charms a bit faded but still cheerful on a cold fall day:

My sunflowers are long gone too, and yet here are these, still standing proud and topping out at probably 11 ft. How they survived the previous night’s wind storm, I have no idea.

Well, mostly survived:

This gardener chose not to rip up the entire parking strip, just a small patch of sod for the raised bed. But man, you can fit a lot of loveliness in a small space if you get it right. I can’t wait to see what they get up to next year!

Just one house over, strange things are growing in the lawn…

We are happy to show you our latest design made by Clayides. You may have seen the Dahlia pattern before. It is simular pattern which you will find in a lot of flowers and traditional carpets.

With a background in traditional floor ornaments, Claydies has used geometry and reflections to interpret rugs in a new way. Using the motive of the Dahlia flower, hence the name of the rug.

Tine explains “We got hold of Karen’s old compass and a bunch of coloured pencils and played around with simple geometric forms and reflections. In this way the motif of the Dahlia was created and we believe that the rug has now achieved both a classic royal and a modern funky appearance”.

The Dahlia rug is both decorative and will bring some colour into your home.

The Dahlia rug is part of the New Danish Modern collection – all Danish designers and all produced in Denmark.

Other products designed by Claydies:

Blueclay bowl

Grass vase

True feelings

Jolynn & Tim are amazing people to photograph. Not only do they look great (see below!) but Jolynn is always laughing and knows just how to make Tim feel comfortable, who in turn brings a stern strength wherever he goes. Also, did I mention that they planned a gorgeous wedding? There was a small ceremony on the Endless Bridge of the Guthrie theater, with an amazing view of the stone arch bridge and the Mississippi river. We played around the Guthrie for a bit afterwards, and then their reception was at Peking Garden in St Paul. Even though Jolynn had told me that they were going to have 12 courses of amazing food, I couldn’t believe how tasty the food was (even the sea cucumber!) Jolynn changed into yet another dress for their first dance, and the night was over all too soon. Thanks for choosing me to document such a laugh-filled and intimate day.