Family time...

Bow Lake, Strafford NH

The fair is over for us and now it's time for family and friends in beautiful New England. We have been fortunate to enjoy good weather. Mostly sunny days, with little to no humidity. Today we will pick up my Dad and take him to Wolfeboro, NH to stay with us at my sister's home. It will be nice to have a few days together.

Almost There...

We are down to the wire to head to NH for the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair. Yesterday we closed early and headed over to Lowe's for paint and replacement lights for our booth. We spent the evening painting the booth walls. We finished just as it was getting too dark to see. Luckily, by daylight the paint job wasn't too bad. Jeff always reminds me that booth set ups are like theatrical sets... they don't need to be perfect like the walls in your home. Not only is this show for juried members of the League of NH Craftsmen only, your booth is judged each year and that has an affect on your placement the next year. Each year awards are given to the best booth displays. It's all subjective and we take it with a grain of salt.

We ordered new business cards this week. Ours are duo cards, Jeff on one side, me on the other. Last year I had a wood fired oval on my side. I loved the pot but it really didn't translate well to a business card. It was dark and rather dull. This time I switched it up with a little more color. I am really happy with it.
Tomorrow we hit the road... the plan is to spend the night in Hazelton, PA and finish the trip on Thursday. Once we are on the road I can finally relax and enjoy the adventure.

Back in the 'Grove...

...and now to get back in the groove of work!

It feels so good to be home. My one week trip was extended to two. My siblings and I decided it would be a good idea for my parents to have some extra help for one more week. I am still a little nervous about them being alone but they have a nurse coming everyday to change the dressing on my mother's leg, and my sister is going to visit them mid-week to cook dinner and see how things are going.

The view from the balcony of my parents apartment

Living among the senior population for two weeks was quite an experience. It was interesting to get to know the cast of characters that live in their building. I have two aunts and an uncle that also live there, thus giving me ample opportunity to hear all the gossip. They refer to other residents with nicknames like "The Reader", "The Black Man", "The Egyptian" and, "The Chinamen". They evidently don't care about being politically correct! There also was Marie who thinks she is boss of her floor, and the group that hangs out in the lobby for half of the day, waiting for the mail. If you choose to have lunch in the dining room, beware that it's very territorial. Sitting in someone else's seat could get you the evil eye. I told my brother that the next TV reality show should be "The Real Seniors of Dover".

It wasn't always easy to be there. My parents can be difficult and extremely particular. There were times when I had to step out on the balcony and take a deep breath. Despite the stress, I am happy to have spent this extended amount of time with them. The highlight of the day was pouring my Dad and me a glass of wine each evening. He was never a drinker aside from a whiskey and ginger ale on holidays, or an occasional beer in the summer, so it surprised me when he said he would like to have a glass of wine each night. I am sure he needed it as much or more than I did.

The BEST part of being in New Hampshire was seeing Danielle. She came up one weekend and we celebrated her birthday. My sister came with her grand daughter and we had a great time together. Birthdays are much more fun when you have little ones around!

Now it's time to shift gears and get back to work. Jeff is teaching pottery at a private school in Greensboro this week, so I will have the studio to myself and there are lots of pots that need glazing.

I am slowly getting caught up with my blogging buddies. I haven't had much time to comment, but do know that I will get around to reading your posts.

five years...

"The Kiss" Father and Son

It's hard for me to believe that it's been five years since John died. I have stopped counting full moons, but I never stop thinking of him. This week I have been reflecting on the last few weeks of his life. Aside from the day to day and night to night care, we had wonderful visits with family and friends. I think these photos, taken by John's brother Joe, are a peek into the moments we shared. We enjoyed meals around his bedside, laughed, reminisced, listened to, and played music.

John made the choice to die in his own way.

I think he made a good one.

uke playing - Jimi Hendrix style

sugar buzz...

Danielle brought Anita and me wickedly delicious cupcakes from Sugar in E. Haven, CT. 

and brother Paul and sister-in-law Harris, finally get their wedding gift just shy of their 2nd anniversary...

Better late than never!

fall travels

This sweet little teapot came out of the kiln yesterday. Jeff made the pot and I did the carving. It is a commission for my sister who is giving it as a wedding gift. There are also two cups to go along with it. I like how the ash glaze works with the carving and the best part is that there is no slip involved, so no risk of the dastardly peeling thing that has been going on.
Today we are heading to New Hampshire for our annual October trek. On Friday we will teach a raku workshop at Hillsboro-Deering High School and then it's off to my sister Anita's in Wolfeboro, where Jeff will teach another raku workshop on Sunday. Danielle will drive up from Connecticut on Saturday, to join us all for a family dinner. Anita and I share a birthday, four years apart, so it's a tradition that we celebrate together. I am glad that my move to North Carolina hasn't changed that. The workshop gigs are what makes the traveling possible.
Catch up with y'all later... it's time to pack my suitcase.

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 Warp Tuesday!

Yes, it's none other than potter Gary Rith, when he was living in NH and a member of the NH Potters Guild! Gary does this thing called "Time Warp Tuesday" on his blog. Jeff found this file oh his computer the other day while we were getting some documents together. Right away I said, "E-mail it to me, it will be the perfect post for Tuesday!" The guild used to have a featured potter each month in the "Potluck" newsletter. Gary was the "Winter 2004" potter. Gary now lives and makes pots in Etna, NY. We have never met in person, but we have all these connection to people and organizations that we both have been members of.

When you are done reading here be sure to head over to Gary's blog and see what he is up to on "Time Warp Tuesday".

The long ride home

I had great time in NH, but it sure feels good to be home in Seagrove. We took two days to drive home and took a slight detour to pick up Jeff's wood fired tray that was in Strictly Functional. It was a nice change of scenery, I had never been to Lancaster, PA before. It was really cool to see the Amish driving their horse and buggies alongside all cars on the road.

This is the outside of the Lancaster Creative Factory, where Strictly Functional was on exhibit. Jeff and I were drooling over the great work spaces within this facility!

One of the plusses for this road trip was that gas prices were down from our last trip in August...

Less than $3.00 a gallon in Virginia!!!!

The other great deal was that lobster was only $4.99 a pound in NH, so we HAD to pack some in a cooler and bring them home.

Our potter friend and neighbor, Phil Pollet joined us for the feast. A great time was had by all!

Now it's time to get back to pottery. The Celebration of Seagrove Potters is one week away and we need to get one last firing in.

family

My trip to New Hampshire is coming to an end. We are hitting the road today. This has been the most fun trip home for me, since the move to North Carolina. It's probably the most time I have spent with my sister since we were kids. As I have mentioned before we share a birthday. This year we celebrated two weekends in a row. This past Saturday, my parents, along with my brother and sister-in-law came to Wolfeboro for a family dinner.
We are a loud, noisy, French Canadian, family that is always talking over each others conversations... I think Jeff may be ready for some peace and quiet in Seagrove...

My great niece putting pony tails in my mother's hair... I don't think she would have let me do that when I was a kid. As you can see, Memere wasn't happy about me taking a photo and she would be mortified if she knew it was posted on my blog!

We actually were a small crowd this year, none of our kids could make it for dinner, although some of Anita's came later when they got out of work. The only missing sibling was my brother who lives in Alaska.

quick... blow out the candles before the house burns down

 

 

... and I opted to dye the dog black instead orange :-o

Raku with the Kids!

Our raku workshop with the kids at Hillsboro-Deering High School finally happened today after a delay due to the hurricane. It was a great group of kids that was really excited about the day...

 This is a pot created by a student who participated last year, but wasn't in the advanced ceramics class this year. He asked the teacher if he could make some pots and fire with us. We were happy to have him come back and take what he learned last year, one step further.

 fire & flames!

and look, even Santa came to the firing!!

Happy Halloween!

BWAAHAAA!

 

 

This is what happens when you leave me alone on Halloween

 

After a walk through the cemetery across the street, I turned my sister's big pumpkin into a vampire cat jack o' lantern...

 

 

 

Maybe I should dye Rosie orange and black for trick or treat... 

she's eying me nervously.  Happy Haunting to All!

post Sandy update in the 603

I am happy to report that here in Wolfeboro, NH, we weathered the storm quite well. The power only flickered a few times, and there was a minor roof leak near the chimney. I was quite worried about my daughter in CT. since she lives on the Quinnipiac river, near the mouth of Long Island Sound. Her neighborhood had an evacuation notice but she and her neighbors opted to stay put. Thankfully at high tide the water didn't cross the road as predicted but it did flood the entire park across the street. I grabbed this photo from her facebook page...

When I talked to her this morning the water had already receded and the next tide was not expected to be as high.

It's another no school day, which means our raku workshop is postponed until Thursday. It also means that my sister (a middle school French and Spanish teacher) is home again and we get to spend more time together! We were just saying that it feels like Christmas vacation with all of us hanging out together in our p.j.'s until noon time!

Unfortunately, as you all know, other parts of the northeast have not been as fortunate. The devastation we have watched on the news is horrible. I hope those less fortunate than me have a safe, warm place to go to, and that their lives will return to normal soon.

Waiting on Sandy...

Jeff and I have perfect timing when it comes to fall travel. Last Friday we hit the road for New Hampshire to do three raku workshops. Last year we were here in October to experience 2' of snow and massive power outages. This year it's a hurricane!

Jeff was able to do yesterday's workshop, in Wolfeboro, NH, without a hitch. Tomorrow's workshop is kind of iffy... it's at a high school... school is cancelled today and maybe tomorrow as well. We decided to stay put at my sister's home in Wolfeboro for another night, rather than head to our friend Roni's home in Strafford (which is closer to our workshop location). Strafford always seems to lose power and Wolfeboro rarely does.
I have no complaints about spending an extra day with my sister. If you are going to ride out a hurricane, why not do it in a comfortable New England farmhouse, in a picturesque little town!

We have plenty of hurricane supplies... batteries, flashlights, candles, cheese and crackers, and plenty of WINE!

do you believe in elves?

 Sometime in the early 90's, when I was living in Wilton, NH, I found these great mushrooms growing in my yard...

I watched over them for a few days and eventually the large one, fanned out to create a flat top. When I went out with my camera to photograph it again, lo and behold, there was an elfen creature relaxing on the top!

Moments later he jumped down and tried to hide in the shade underneath...

I never again had mushrooms that beautiful growing in my yard, but occasionally I did catch sight of the elf in the garden.

Look who I met at the fair today...

It's Suzie, aka Smartcat!!!!!

Oh what fun to meet blogger buddies in person. Suzie has family in NH and has made the League of NH Craftsmen Fair a near annual visit. I think we could have talked for hours, if it wasn't for the fact that I needed to be selling pots! She is planning to return one more day to the fair (it's way too big to take it all in in one day) and I hope that we get more time to visit. I still need to have my annual fair ice cream (or two!) so maybe she will join me, and we will have more time to chat.

... in business news, sales picked up a lot today with the cooler weather settling in. We are confident it will continue. In between selling pots, we are having fun catching up with all of our artist/crafter friends. I truly love North Carolina, but it does feel good to be "home".

we are back in the '603!

We always get on the road later than planned, so why would this trip be any different? We left Seagrove around 5:30 on Wednesday, drove to as far as somewhere in PA and slept for a few hours. Around 5:30 pm we arrived at Mt. Sunapee Resort in NH. The great thing about this show is that they give you quite a bit of time to set up. We unloaded the trailer and got the walls of the booth up by 8:30 pm. We could have stayed all night to set up if we wanted to, but we were exhausted, and needed to check in with the folks we are staying with (more on that in another post).

This is about as far as we got on Thursday night...

We worked from 9:30 until 4:00 today, leveling the walls (the joys of an outdoor show), and touching up paint that got nicked up during the trip. At 4:00 we needed to quit and get ready for the annual Living with Craft Exhibition Awards. I somehow was asked to present the NH Potters Guild best in Ceramics Awards... which meant having to clean up and look presentable for a swanky wine and cheese affair.
The gates open at 10:00 in the morning... the first of NINE days, smiling and selling pots... we plan to be there at 8:00 am to finish getting those pots on the shelf... and right now, I am enjoying a glass of wine, and the fact that the room is cool with only a fan running. I wish we could spend the month of August in NH, and the rest of the year in beautiful North Carolina.

this is our reality.

Our deadline for the League of NH Craftsmen Fair at Mt. Sunapee Resort is looming. We have pots growing all over the yard, trying very hard to dry in this humidity, and get into the bisque kiln tomorrow...

 Not a single spot is spared, not even the giant trash receptacle...

or the two outdoor grills...

pots even grow in the garden here...

 then there are the pots that are getting glazed...

and a kiln to be unloaded... and loaded again to be fired once more before we leave on August first.

aside from the pots, we grow tomatoes too.

 after all, we do have to eat.