Replenishing

Our inventory of mugs is at an all time low. I spent the first part of this week remedying that situation. I really like making mugs. They employ all the fun parts of pottery; throwing, pulling handles, and for me, carving designs.

 Jeff took this photo of me working the other night. It gave me a good look at my new hair! I spent the last year growing out my hair color... what an awful thing to go through when your hair is long! I have slowly been having 3-4" cut off at a time to eliminate the two-tone look. Once the color was finally gone, I was left with mousy brown and gray hair. My niece Kayla is a hairstylist. While I was in NH she cut in some more layers and gave me just a few highlight to perk it up. They are subtle, and I won't have to be a slave to them.

Now back to pottery...

The mugs are done. I think I made 28. Now I am on to bowls and platters. The weather has been muggy (no pun intended!), hopefully I can dry them enough to do some trimming today.

Chiquita Classic Trophies

 The trophies came out of the kiln on Monday afternoon. They were fired alone in the kiln, in a neutral atmosphere. The glaze is just what they wanted. If it was up to Jeff, I think he would have picked something different, but the customer gets what they want!

Yesterday he delivered them to the golf club in Davidson, NC. They are all decked out in bananas for the event!

renewed love...

I did something this morning that I had not done in years...

I went to work in my pajamas. 

When I first fell in love with clay, I threw pots in my jammies most everyday. Then I would shower, get dressed, and head out to my "real" job. I had to squeeze in every second of clay that I could. The great feeling about this morning is, I didn't head out to the studio because I am under pressure to get work done for the next show, although I should feel that way. I went because the clay was calling me. I was excited to get a board of mugs trimmed and slipped so that I could pull handles later this morning. I believe that taking a three week break from making pots renewed my excitement and love. 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Fresh Basil and Arugula Pesto... and I am sharing the recipe!

Danielle and Jason are foodies... they subscribe to all the good food and wine magazines. Whenever I am visiting them in Connecticut, I go through their recent issues and try to snag some good recipes. Last night I made basil and arugula pesto. Jeff was a little skeptical of the combination, but I knew we would love it because we are big fans of both. Last night we had it mixed pasta, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, topped with garlic sauteed shrimp. The photo is our lunch today, we slightly warmed the leftover pasta (no shrimp - we ate it all last night) and shared a tuna sandwich, served up on our new Tom White plates that we acquired at the League of NH Craftsmen's show. The rerun was just as tasty!
Here is the recipe:

1/3 cup pine nut, or almonds (I used almonds, the pine nuts were too expensive where I was shopping)
Toast the nuts in dry skillet, until lightly browned, let cool. Pulse in a food processor until finely ground.

Add approximately 1 1/2 cups fresh basil, and 1 1/2 cups fresh arugula to the processor, along with 2-4 cloves of fresh, chopped, garlic. Add about 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt (I use Himalayan, that's just our preference).

Grate 1/2 cup of good parmesan cheese, add to the food processor and pulse to combine.

Slowly pour in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, pulsing to incorporate. Transfer the pesto to a bowl.
The recipe said to incorporate a 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese to the pesto. I forgot to buy the ricotta but had fresh mozzarella. I mixed the mozzarella in with pasta and fresh tomatoes before serving.

The recipe makes about a cup of pesto, use about a 1/2 cup for one pound of pasta... but if you are like me... extra pesto is always a good idea!

Bon Appetit!

Jeff's Gone Bananas

Jeff has been working on a commission for the Chiquita Classic, a golf tournament in Davidson, NC. These trophy vases are quite large, and thrown in two pieces. He hand carved the logo on each one... he has a steadier hand than I do!

He has a little more work to do on the face detail, and then he will apply blue slip to the logo. I really admire Jeff for taking on this commission, I would have run the other way!

Studio Potter - December 1997

I have a collection of Studio Potter magazines, stored in plastic bins. Every so often I reach in and randomly take one out to read. Last month my random choice featured Seagrove potteries in 1997...

 Jugtown

 Dover Pottery

 David Stuempfle

 Westmore Pottery

 Neolia Cole (Sanford, NC)

Ben Owen

Sculpture Garden

 One of my favorite things at the League of NH Craftsmen Fair is the sculpture garden...

 Joe DeRobertis's Dragon Fly was the most popular sculpture in the exhibition. His metal work is amazing. My favorite bracelet was made by him... a little sculpture for your wrist.

I really liked this family sculpture and I can't even remember who the artist is. I believe he is a newly juried member.

 Ceramic Bells

 View from the sculpture garden to the newly juried members tent

It feels good to be home at last. Two weeks is along time for a homebody to be away. I am feeling anxious to get back to the clay side of this business.

Connecticut

Jeff and I have been visiting with Danielle and Jay in Connecticut since Saturday night. On Sunday we took a leisurely walk along the Branford Trolley Trail. The trail meanders through the marsh where you can see lots of birds, deer, and thousands of fiddler crabs.

 ducks and reflections

 crabs

 Danielle and Jay have an upper level that over looks the water. The perfect place to enjoy late day cocktails and watch the boating activity. Their home is like a retreat in the city.

The last few days have really felt like a vacation. We experienced some great restaurants, walks through the city, and the beginning of New Haven Jazz week...all in the great company of Danielle and Jay. Today we head back to North Carolina, sad to leave my girl, but anxious give Sophie kitty a squeeze and to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Wolfeboro, NH

Jeff and I spent a couple of days visiting my sister Anita in Wolfeboro, NH on Lake Winnipesaukee. Wolfeboro claims to be the oldest resort in America.

 Downtown is filled with shops and galleries. There are town docks so you can even arrive by boat. We have been very lucky with weather. The day I wandered around town, was the only day of rain so far.

Since my brother-in-law's passing this spring, my sister has moved to an apartment. I am sure she will miss the big colonial on Main St., but her new place has a beach and dock on Mirror Lake, and across the street is Winnipesaukee. I think she will be very happy there... I know we enjoyed our stay!

Jeff talked us into a family photo... minus our two brothers. My parents are 86 years old. I was glad to be able to spend a couple of days visiting with them. I am fortunate to still have both of them in my life.

Later in the day we packed the car (again) and headed to Connecticut for more fun with my girl.

Friends at the Fair

 The best part of the fair is catching up with my NH potter friends. I also got to see Suzie (aka the blogger smartcat) again this year, what a treat!

Martha and Wendy worked in the information booth all week

 Andy Hampton, the sweetest, nicest potter. Beautiful work and a booth with a BRICK floor and bamboo walls! 

Paul Haigh, Wiley Hill Mudworks. Awesome pyromaniac. This was his first year at the fair. Below are his new lighted pedestals...

I wish I had time to take more photos of friends and their booths. Time just got away from me.

Time to chill...

I think this is the longest, blogger, social media, break that I have ever taken. It sort of felt good to disconnect. The League of NH Craftsmen's Fair is over for us, but still goes on until next Sunday. Today was a day to chill. I visited my Mom and Dad in Dover, NH and enjoyed a relaxing evening with our friend and hostess, Roni Brown, at her lovely home on Bow Lake.

Before dinner, Roni and I decided to go for a quick cruise around the lake on her boat. It was the perfect way to unwind after four days of smiling at people and talking up the pottery.

We always look forward to great lobster prices in August... $3.99 a pound!!!

We had a feast tonight after our boat excursion. Lobster, corn, potato salad, and tossed salad, enjoyed with a bottle of white wine at Roni's dining room table, overlooking the lake.

I will blog more about the fair, once I have decompressed. Right now it's family and friends time!