Ok friends I have a few free-minutes this evening. Lots to share, but I’ll keep it brief.

First off, I had another wonderful time chatting to the great folks over at the Civil War Home Chatroom on Sunday night. I did my presentation on “J.E.B. Stuart: The Christian Cavalier” and I think I did a pretty good job at presenting a side of the general that some may not have been familiar with. I tried to use plenty of letters and recollections from family and friends in order to paint a more personal portrait. The dialogue that was generated was great and I enjoyed the discussion that followed very much. You can read the transcripts of our chat here. I want to thank ks, basecat, and shotgun once again for having me.

Second, I took the wife on a romantic day-trip down the road to James Madison’s Montpelier. It was even better than our trip to Monticello the weekend before (perhaps because the ONLY child present was ‘still in the oven’). For those of you who aren’t aware, Montpelier is undergoing a major restoration project and is a huge construction site. There are still plenty of tours and attractions and we did go through the house and photograph the contractors working. The grounds are still spectacular and the museums are small, but nice. The estate was bought by the wealthy duPont family who modified the mansion from 22 rooms to 55. When the last heir died, she donated the estate with the instructions to restore the property to its original splendor. The James Madison Foundation has spent the last few years painstakingly removing the duPont’s modernisms, while returning the plantation back to its original 18th-century appearance. I’ve added some new shots over on my Photo Album page.

Third, I completed two long-format feature articles, one for the January issue of Civil War Historian, and another for The Free Lance-Star’s Town & County. One is a Top-10 list guaranteed to generate some feedback and the other is on Mort Kunstler’s upcoming release. Unfortunately, both of these projects are ‘top secret’ and I can’t share any more details until the editors give me permission following their release. (Stay Tuned)