Just about friends

Like most hobbyists of a certain age, I discovered the hobby through the pages of Just About Horses.

Back then, I was all about the horses.

I spent countless hours obsessing over the horses in each issue.

The people were secondary.

I wanted to do the things they did.

I wanted to own the things they made.

I wanted to be a part of their group.

I wanted to be them.

A couple days ago, I received this year's copy of Just About Horses.

It is filled with pictures of model horses.

All of them are fabulous.

Despite that, now the horses are secondary.

What I really notice - what I really care about - are the people behind those horses.

I absolutely love this feature about my friend, Kylee, who truly has made her dreams come true.

Ditto this nice profile of one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Nichelle Jones, who I've been lucky enough to meet in person a couple times.

I also enjoyed the articles by Dani Boiko, a talented young tackmaker I met at BreyerFest...

and Lynn Cassels-Caldwell, who painted Winter Games and has been a longtime supporter of NaMoPaiMo.

This vintage custom article was a gold mine of happy friend feelings. It was written by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig, who was part of the Jennifer Show staff in both 2016 and 2019, and features work by my friends, Eleanor Harvey and Lesli Kathman.

And, yes, I still want to own a Lesli horse!

Local hobby kid, Syd Stocker, is the subject of the Collector Q&A...

and my friend, Meredith, who sent me this magazine, is mentioned as the judge of one of Breyer's online photo shows.

From cover to cover, this magazine is a celebration of not just model horses, but the people behind them. I am so happy to be part of that group, to be one of them.