Wednesday, July 25, 2012

You are way back here or

You are really off the beaten track.
Yes, we are and we like it that way.
Many times as folks drive our 1/4 mile driveway that winds its way through the property, past the pond and then up the hill to the pottery they come in as if they have sailed the ocean blue.
"Boy", they will say, "you are really back here".
Yes, we are and we tend to get the more adventurous types, people who are not afraid of the path less traveled.
When we first opened in 1982 we were one of the first shops off the highway and it was not unusual for us to get even more people. I think back then folks were not as worried about their cars. Cars did not cost the price of a house and we saw all sorts of cars in all sorts of conditions. They were in for the adventure.

Granted we do have a long driveway and, yet, to me it is not that long or difficult to navigate. For the most part drivers will pull over to make room for others to pass. Our policy is to pull off if it is us and there are several places that make it easy to do so.
Now the real issue in this post is POTHOLES.
You can not have a long dirt driveway without them, they just come with the territory.
We tried to start an adopt a pothole program where you can send money to maintain your pothole, we will even name it after you,but no takers on that one.
We do admit to at times being lax about getting them taken care of but we are on it now.
Hollis- this one if for you. Mark said he would rather be digging for clams.Note- hat

     
Having the right equipment, weather and materials helps with the process. There has been just enough rain to help, cooler temperatures in the mornings to get out and work, and time.

Looking good- chewing up and getting rid of the potholes.
Would you like to take a guess at the cost of gravel? (or gravels as they say here).
Don't ask it is a bit like just throwing money down a (pot) hole.

I am working on some bowls for the small gas kiln, in for a penny, in for a pound......
I wonder what Mark is going to do with this one.

We are about through making pots. I am loading a bisque, waiting for pots to dry and rolling more tiles.
Chow!
M

20 comments:

Julia said...

The only thing better than potholes is a good old fashioned washboard after someone's driven a dirt road in the rain! The kind where you think your brain is going to vibrate right out of your head no matter how slow you drive?!?

And I LOVE the heavy equipment. You know how partial I am to backhoes and tractors and the like. :)

Shortstuff said...

Oh, I see you HAVE been working on the road. Great job!! Good talking to you.

Dennis Allen said...

Spent 3 days earlier this summer patching the in-laws 3/4 mile drive.Thank God for tractors.

Michèle Hastings said...

gravels! i hadn't heard that one yet. :-)
I had a long driveway of crushed stone for many years... every spring, after the snow melted, we had to rake the stone off the lawn and back onto the driveway (thanks to the snowplow). Every two years or so we had to get a dump truck load to replenish it, it wasn't cheap.
... it just doesn't seem right to spend money on rocks and dirt!

Hollis Engley said...

So I'm guessing Mark didn't turn up any freshwater clams while flattening out the road. Too bad. Must have been digging in the wrong spot. And I do like the hat.

cookingwithgas said...

ah- Hollis- the hat- he wears that hat a lot. Good memories. I will tell him to dig deeper for clams.

cookingwithgas said...

Julia! I know- what is it about farm equipment!? I want a backhoe!

cookingwithgas said...

Hey sis- have fun!!!!!!

cookingwithgas said...

The other MH- I prefer spending money on clay dirt....
and Dennis- a tractor does help!

Linda Starr said...

I know how expensive that gravel is, especially for your long driveway. I know those dump trucks aren't cheap to run or fix when they break, having had a few of them.

Alex Solla said...

Fixing a driveway is right up there with making sure the driveway is plowed on the worst days in winter... someone MIGHT just show up that day. Gotta be open. We put an awful lot of work into being open some years. Love seeing the pots flowing out of your studio this summer. I can almost smell the mud from here.

smartcat said...

Ah yes,,,,driveways. When I still had my back house I had a half mile long driveway. I used to describe it as something you would find in a bad horror movie. Fortunately, no one came to our house except invited guests. Mud Time had to be seen to be believed! Now I have a nice gravel and coarse sand driveway...new this year to our present house. I love it so much that I take pictures of it!

I love seeing the pots happening...looking forward to results. Your kilns always look so enticing!

Gary's third pottery blog said...

pretty faceted bowls just like a pretty faceted driveway!

jim said...

we had a long driveway once (not that long though) and i liked the country life. never fixed it though. the answer to the arkansas traveler when he asked when one might fix his leaky roof (my roof leaks now too)... when it's a'rainin' it's too wet to fix it and when it's not, it's just as good as any man's roof.

Mrs. G. said...

Tell Mark he looks very manly on that roller thing. I miss your place (and you both).

Lori Buff said...

Do you laugh when people talk about a simpler life in the country?

cookingwithgas said...

Lori! You made me laugh out loud!
Yes- seems most of you are driveway savvy.
Thanks for your comments- you all make me smile.
And Mrs. G- I miss you and some days have to tell myself you were really here.

Laurie said...

Great pics of Mark & the drive! Last time I checked, gravel was HIGH... they said the price of gas was factored in to the hauling... makes sense, & is why we still haven't bought any!

Quietly Otaku said...

Ah potholes are such a problem, we have a short drive! Gravel is still expensive though no matter the length of you driveway

cookingwithgas said...

we are heading out this morning back on those potholes!