B is for Bowls and C is for Corn

Bowl \Bowl\ (b[=o]l), n. [OE. bolle, AS. bolla; akin to Icel. bolli, Dan. bolle, G. bolle, and perh. to E. boil a tumor. Cf. Boll.]
1. A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately hemispherical), to hold liquids, etc.
Brought them food in bowls of basswood. --Longfellow.
2. Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous liquors; hence, convivial drinking.
3. The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold.
4. The hollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

I did follow up the bottles with some bowls. These are
1 1/4 pound used for soup, stews, or ice cream. well, whatever you fancy. Oatmeal, cereal, a small salad.... serving or to eat out of.
They are indented on four side. I like the shape, although, I have trouble getting them all the same size. But hey- this is handmade stuff here if you want them all the same you can shop at____ or ________ or _________. But I will tell you everything taste better out of a handmade bowl. EVERYTHING!


Mark has been very happy with the rebuild on his wheel. He said, "It's like coming home." He and the wheel have had a few "moments" together and I think they are both very happy to be clicking along making pots together. It has been a week of rhythm - things just chugging along as they should. Isn't that what it is all about? The moments?





For grins, Mark has put in some corn over near the studio.
I planted some field peas, sunflowers and nasturtium to go with the corn. We don't know if we will get any corn to eat, but thought it would be fun to watch. Maybe next year we will plant it with eating in mind.
I am curious to see how the field peas do. Those might be tasty!

Bottle up!

Bottles:
Definition of bottle (noun)a container, usually made of glass, to hold liquid

How about clay??? Maybe to hold flowers or your attention???

I had full intentions of making either bowls or casseroles today.
Yea- I know- these are bottles.
They really are a favorite item and setting aside the issue, the clay just called out to be bottles.

I couldn't fight with destiny, so bottles it is.


Just keeping a eye on the garden- trying to stay one step ahead of the bugs. If I keep an eye out I "think" I can pinch their heads off before they bring their buddies over to munch for lunch!
Flea beetles! is there a good remedy for flea beetles?????
They are feasting on the eggplant. Those buggers are fast!

It's the simple things

This morning as I was walking up the driveway to open up the shop I spotted these great yellow flowers.

As I went over to look at them I realized they were just dandelions.

Yet- there were two very different types of the dandelions. One was of the variety I remember as a kid.

The other was a richer yellow with more pedals then the first. I had to pick them both. As I walked along looking and taking in how different they are I spotted the clover which is blooming a nice purple.I added it to my mix.

Close to the pond I spotted the small daisy and I had to add them to my growing weeds.Then the mind starts thinking about what makes a flower and what makes a weed.

I remember picking dandelions for my mother with the steams so short I could barely hand them to her.

Weeds she finally told me- these are just weeds.

At 4 or 5 you don't know what a weed is- is that good or bad.

Later I would figure out weeds were to be thrown out.

But today I thought- what a spot of inspiration these flowers are - yellow, purple ,white.

So instead of thinking weeds- I thought about how nice they would look in a bottle which was from the firing which produced so many seconds for us.

Was the pot also like a weed not to be enjoyed, but at some point thrown out like the weeds should be?

So today I enjoyed looking at these "weeds" in my little "weed" pot.

Why not join them together and enjoy them while I can.

The flower "weeds" will be tossed in a few days, but the bottle- with some grinding I might just keep it close by for other weeds of inspiration.

What's on your player?

The other day Jim , better know as Sofia's dad, asked me what music we listen to while we work.

After too many years of clay dust killing every CD or tape player we buy we bought
a subscription to Satellite Radio.
This has given us the option to listen to a variety of music.
It has also given us the option to listen to the NPR Radio talk stations which we enjoy.
So- during a given week we mix it up.

We listen to one station which gives a variety of older music and new.
I am enjoying the new Bob Dylan , and his son, Jakob Dylan.
They also play Cold Play, Gomez, Tracey Chapman, Barenaked Ladies, Beck, Counting Crows, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews................

Then there is the blues station.
Muddy waters, B.B. King, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, T-bone Walker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lightnin' Hopkin, Bessie Smith, Elmore James, Leadbelly, Buddy Guy, Albert King...........

Other days it might be Dianne Reams, Fresh Air and Talk of the nation.
Then, when I am out of the room, Mark goes for Outlaw Country.
Or some of the louder rock stations-

Our one rule is NO RAP!- Sorry Rap Fans I just don't get it.

There are days when the music stations are all hitting zero!
Or the talk radio is all hitting zero-
But this gives us choices.
After making pots for 26 years we have listen to just about anything we can find.
Neither of us can work with a TV in the studio. That is just a NO!
You can not watch Tennis or basketball and throw. It just can't happen.
So what do we listen to? What ever suits us at the moment. Depending on what we are working on.

Some days we listen to nothing- just the birds outside or what ever little creatures have joined us in the studio.

How about you? What is on your favorites right now? We are always up for something new- we did not get stuck in the 70's or 80's- although I still like the Police, but you can keep the Talking heads and please NO Stairway to Heaven. It is my nightmare that one day when I am old someone will put this on a player that loops over and over, dressing me funny and parking my wheelchair at Walmart.....




In about 6 weeks these blueberries will be coming in as fast as we can pick them.

Putting the mudbox to work

Mark finished up the mudbox on Tuesday and we, I should say, he put it right to work. He is very happy to have his wheel back and set up for production items. His mudbox was in need of a few repairs before the fire, but after the fire it really needed to be repaired. We are now in the place of having almost all the damaged equipment repaired or replaced.

We knew it would take at least or about a year to feel as if we were truly back to work and I say it has.

Yesterday as I was throwing I had one of those Zen moments where the wheels were turning, the music on and pots were jumping off our wheels. It felt good.

Wedding Tiles/Magnets

I promise last wedding picture- but if you look on the table you will see the gifts for the guest.
Katie put the wedding tile/magnets in a nice small bag and tied them to the back of the piece filled with Jordan Almonds which also held the place cards for the name of each guest.

They were a big hit!



Now- let's go make some pots!

Pots and Pig

I know it is time to get back to work and I have started throwing this morning.
Yesterday after traveling home and unpacking, washing clothes and playing catch up we were worthless! We watched some Dr. Who instead.
We are big Dr. Who fans in this family.
We use to watch back in the 80's with the kids when it ran on PBS on Saturday afternoons.
Now Joel and Katie are big fans and have us watching the new series which is great!
Katie had a groom's cake made for the friday night rehearsal and if you know Dr. Who you know he travels in a phone box called the Tardis- you will have to look this up. The cake was a 3-D of the Tardis. Joel was so surprised and we all loved it.

On Friday we set up a tent in the side yard of the B&B for the rehearsal dinner. We brought our own tables and our
ez-up 10x 10 the food. ( like setting up for a show but no pots)
We worried about rain, but after a bit of a warm and muggy day the clouds gave way to sunshine.
The evening turned out great with rope lights and tea candles.
The pig picking was tasty and a treat for Katie's family. Most of which had never seen a whole pig done up on a grill.
It was a great evening for the families and the wedding party.
I would not be a potter without putting some of our pots on the tables.
We used a variety of vases with flowers from our friends at Dirtworks pottery.
Our daughter showed unknown talents by arranging the flowers for me.
With some seashells we have gathered from trips to the beach we made nice center pieces for the tables.
Pots and pig how could you go wrong?

A Wedding 2009

Joel and Katie Heywood
May 17, 2009

Pots in the Hops

Just a quick firing

We loaded up the electric kiln on Tuesday for a quick bisque firing yesterday.

Well- we noted that the kiln was only 800 degrees by 5:30-

We thought did we do all the turn ups?
Isn't it usually 1,000 to 1200 degrees by now- yes we thought.

Now for some paper and a pencil- we never track the eclectic kiln any more.

We noticed we were only making 140 degrees an hour.

Humm everything is on high let's push it on.

7 pm still climbing slow as molasses.

8 pm still only 140 degrees an hour.

10 pm and we have slowed to 115 degrees an hour-

at 11:30 we finally hit 1700 degrees.

We look up charts on line and fingered this was a hot cone 08.

We usually take the kiln to 1750-1756

So today along with concentrating on the upcoming wedding, we will be unloading and taking a look at reasons why the kiln decided to crawl to the finish line.

We just rebuilt this kiln last June-July- In fact just finished it a week or so before the studio fire.

So it has new wiring and has been working just fine-

something loose maybe?

Or my sister tells me Mecery is in retrograde........

I remember it like it was yesterday....

Happy Birthday Joel.
And, because I am your mother, I remember it like it was yesterday- no details for the public here!
Best wishes always.
With Love- the parents.

PS- your gift will be late-as per the family tradition.

What am I working on?

I promise I am still playing in some clay.
It does not seem that way in the past month, but I still have my hands in the mud.

Last winter my sister from Raleigh asked me to work on a tile project for one of her customers.
I jumped at the chance to work with her.
We had talked several times about working on something together and this would give us that chance.

She will be doing all the art work for the tiles and I will be making and transferring her art work into clay.


The past week plus I have been carving tiles to work out how I will do the design. This also will give me tiles I will be able to use to test the glazes on.
I have done a lot of glaze testing on small one inch tiles to work out the colors we would like to use. I am now at the point where I need to see if the colors work as well when used on something larger.

I am at the point where the tiles need to dry completely out. This should put me back on the wheel and then back to the tiles after a gas firing.








This was the first tiles for test and we thought they were fun put together- long
legs!

Mother's Day 2009

May 9th 1972-2009

There it is do the math- Happy Anniversary to us.

On this day in 1972 a couple of hippie kids with two of their friends climbed into my 1956 VW bug and drove to North Carolina and got married.
It was that simple-
This morning we are still here 37 years later and I am rich beyond imagination.
As we woke this morning I thought of what I have.
All my riches-
I married a man who cares deeply about me and my family.
I live in the country, on the family farm; it is wonderful and beautiful here most days.
We have two grown children who are good people that contribute to society, have jobs, pay their bills are good citizens. They are both in healthy relationships, with people who care about them.













I have friends; I have met many, many people living here in Seagrove who have traveled to my door looking for pots and potters.
I know potters from around the world.


I know potters who live in my world here and through out North Carolina.
And I get up daily and make something out of clay-
So- keep your diamonds, you’re Cadillac and your yacht and I will keep my life with as is.
Happy Anniversary!

Reception North Caroilna Pottery Center May 2009

Nice pot by potter and teacher Dan Finch of Dan Finch pottery Bailey NC.
About Dan:
While studying for his BA in Industrial Arts and Masters in Liberal Studies, Dan Finch was exposed to clay. Having worked the land on the family tobacco farm, it was only natural for him to be attracted to the medium. Continuing his pottery education at the Penland School of Crafts, in the mountains of North Carolina, Dan was influenced by Mary Law, Cynthia Bringle, Don Reitz, Jane Peiser, and Bob Turner.
Extremely diverse, Dan throws miniature pots for children during demonstrations, 10-foot tall pots and 30 pound bowls in stoneware, and delicate pieces of porcelain.
As past Director of the North Carolina Pottery Center and former President of the Village of Yesteryear at the North Carolina State Fair, Dan is continually involved in promoting pottery throughout the state.

This show is to showcase the work of the many potters in the Eastern Part of North Carolina who have learned to make pots by studying with Dan Finch.

If you get to Seagrove stop in and take a look around.


Tonight it was a packed house with folks enjoying some time together while taking in some pots and grabbing a bite to eat.

I walked outside and found fellow potters and friends Jared Zimmer and Mike Mahan.
It was a nice evening to take in a chat with a beer.

It was a moment of insanity

What was I thinking?

I am mother of the groom- all I needed to do was to get a dress and secure a place for the rehearsal dinner.

I did get my dress.

And as of Monday, thought we had a place for the dinner.

The woman who should have put us on the books did not.

Yep- less then 2 weeks out I found out I had 50 people and food for 50 people and no room to put them in.

And- this is a Hampton Inn, I expected more. Maybe that was the problem- I expected them, her, to act professionally and I found out that was not her style.

The first red flag should have been the unreturned emails back in January.Then the unreturned phone call - and then the unreturned email.

But I went on anyway- like a lost puppy- and continue to hound her until she returned an email.I thought I had her and the room.

She failed to write us in the book and then went on to book the room for someone else-

They offered us the lobby----------------

with a clean up fee----------------------

We declined and are now moving rooms else where.

Hampton Inn- I expected better.

Now to the good part.

The people at the B&B where the wedding will be called another B&B and they are taking our 50 people and our catered dinner.

NC Barbecue with the trimmings!

They are setting us up with tables and chairs at their pool area.

We have even booked into their B&B for the weekend.

( insert cheers here!)

Now the other insanity- we booked a show for this upcoming weekend.

Yea, I know- we thought we could make it.

I contacted the Rosedale yesterday and let them know we would not be there.

The director called me laughing.

She said," you thought you could do a show the weekend before a wedding???????"

Yea- I did- but we will not be there.

So apologies to anyone who planned to see us there- we will be here and open.

So come on by.

Mark is working on the mudbox- putting the wood together.

Be very, very quiet - there is a baby on the pond...

You have to look close to see the baby gosling running next to its parent.

We watched out the kitchen window as the parents kept a close watch over this one gosling.

It has been awhile since we had anything hatch and make it this far.

With ducks the turtles will snatch the babies one by one until they are gone.

I hope since this one is bigger "it" will make it.

Note the color is almost a grass yellow- maybe that helps keep other predators away.

Watching it run was too much fun!

Today we watched as they all swam across the pond.

Now that they have hit the water let's hope the turtles are all full.

It's like watching glue dry

Rebuilding the mudbox is slow work. All the details have to come together.
We build to last! Unless there is a fire- then we rebuild to last!
The metal is now covered with plywood and then a sheet of plastic is cut to fit. This in now glued to the plywood....and we wait.







Meanwhile- I am working on the wedding tiles that came out of today's kiln. One more kiln to fire and I will have the rest glued by the end of next week.
Why the end of next week?
I have to order the right size magnets.
I ordered one size too small and they need to be "just right."

I am watching this beauty open new flowers each day. I counted 10 as I walked across the yard.

So pretty!