Family Break

I am back after a brief hiatus from blogging. I had a really good excuse to take a break.

My girl flew in from Connecticut for a few days! This year she got her turn on the tire swing, since the area is now "poison ivy free". We were pretty chill this visit. No huge plans. Just hanging out together.

We took a drive out to the Town Creek Indian Mound in Mt. Gilead, NC and learned a little history about native american life in North Carolina. 

The historical site depends mostly on state funding for operations and maintenance. Sadly, the information building and some of the exhibits are looking tired and worn. 

Danielle and I still enjoyed our visit. We had a picnic lunch on the grounds before heading out to Pinehurst to do a little shopping.

Jeff wheeled out the smoker on Sunday and barbecued some tasty ribs. We had a great feast which included sweet potato salad, caprese salad, and grilled figs with goat cheese.

and did I mention wine?

Sadly, on Monday, I had to drive Danielle back to the airport. Saying good bye is so very hard. The only thing that takes the sting off of it, is that we head north in August and we will have a few days together again.

Prior to the girl's arrival, I worked furiously to finish a whole mess of pigs. In between the piggy banks, there were couple of carved vases... because I can't live on pigs alone. 

Yesterday was spent sanding pots and loading the kiln for a bisque firing. Once that's done, we will glaze and load her up again. Vacation is officially over.

Whirlwind Week

What a week I have had! Last Wednesday Danielle arrive in North Carolina. Just in time for a heat wave. Despite temperatures creeping up to 100 degrees, we had a great time and didn't let it stop our plans.

 I had been wanting to visit Old Salem since moving south. It seems it always takes out of town visitors for me to take a day off and explore my new home state.

Danielle attracts cats everywhere she goes!

 Technology meets the past. An Old Salem employee, dressed in period clothing, looking at his smartphone during his lunch break. I snapped this photo while waiting for a table at the Old Tavern.

Saturday was "take your daughter to work day". I had a some orders that needed to be finished so Danielle came to the studio and tried her hands at the wheel. She was a little frustrated because she is a perfectionist. She really did a good job for her first try and with some practice I think she has some potential.

Sunday was the day we had to say good bye. Jeff took us to the airport. Danielle flew off to New York and I got on a plane to Boston. I was able to find a flight that left fifteen minutes after her. We flew the same airline and our gates were next to each other, giving us a little more time together. I arrived in Boston to rain and a very chilly 52 degrees. From there I hopped on a bus to Dover, NH, where my sister's car was waiting for me. She and my niece had taken a bus to Boston a few days earlier and were now in Alaska. I located her car in the lot, found the hidden key, and drove to her home in Wolfeboro. It all felt like a covert operation! The next morning I went straight to the rehab nursing home to visit my Dad. It's great to spend time with him and despite being very thin, he is looking pretty good.

The other bonus of being here is spending some time with this little cutie. It had warmed up enough by early afternoon to join my niece Kayla, and great niece Arianna, for a lake front lunch on the deck at Wolfe Trap Raw Bar & Grill. Arianna and I both had the clam roll... you can't beat fried clams in New England!!
Today I spring my Dad from the nursing home for a couple of hours and take him to an appointment with his orthopedic surgeon. It looks like it will be a perfect day to stop for ice cream afterwards. I don't think they will miss him at the nursing home if I keep him out tad bit longer.

Childress Vineyards

As I am looking through the photos that I took during the short time Danielle was here, I can't believe how much we squeezed in. Last Sunday we didn't have any plans and at the last minute decided to take a drive to Lexington, NC and tour Childress Vineyards.

The weather was perfect, and the vineyard is beautiful.

We took the tour, then did a tasting at the bar...

after that it was time for lunch on the lawn, accompanied by piano music. Most weekends they have live music in the afternoon.

 We were back home by 6:00 pm, just in time to enjoy a Cilantro Rita martini on the porch.

Danielle and I really needed this time together after the long winter and the pain of losing my mother, her memere.

A Visit to Brookgreen Garden

What a great few days it has been! Our Monday road trip to Brookgreen Garden, Huntington Beach, and Myrtly beach was a blast. Luckily we left early in the morning, because we had a flat tire on the way... and of course the tire couldn't be plugged and I had to buy a new one. We recovered from the set back and didn't let it get us down!

We arrived at the garden at 2:00 and stayed until they closed.

I think this was my favorite... The Fountain of Muses by Carl Milles. Photos above and below.

While we strolled the gardens Danielle and I commented on how much my mother and father would have loved to visit there. I felt like my mother was there in spirit. Smiling down on us.

My Girl

Thank you to everyone for your condolences and expressions of sympathy on yesterday's post. It always amazes me how supportive and encouraging the blogging community is. I truly appreciate you all.

Today I am super excited. Danielle is coming to North Carolina for four days! I will pick her up at the airport this afternoon. Originally our plan was to take a road trip and spend a couple of days in Savannah, GA. We were hesitant to make hotel reservations last month, when we realized my mother was failing. Last week we decided that since we probably couldn't stay where we had planned, and that I hadn't been home for two weeks, maybe we would take a day trip or two. We are planning to head out early on Monday and drive to Brookgreen Garden in S. Carolina with a stop at Myrtle Beach. It will be a lot of driving in one day and it will be an adventure. We don't have any set plans for the rest of her visit, but I do know we will sip martinis out on the porch.

Do you remember that I am a potter? It's been so long since I touched clay that I almost forgot! This shino piggy bank was from the last firing in April. The simple shino pigs are always my favorite. You can find this little guy in my Etsy shop.
Have a great weekend!

An evening at the vineyard

Saturday evening we went out to Zimmerman Vineyards, in Trinity, NC, for their monthly Saturday Music Series. The weather was spectacular. We enjoyed a picnic and music on the patio that overlooks the vineyard.

 The vineyard dogs are always a hoot. This little guy thought the mounds of monkey grass made a perfect bed for lounging.

 These grapevines were in bloom and the owner took a group on a vineyard walk so we could smell the blossoms and have the opportunity to ask questions.

It was such a great weekend and  I was very sad to bring Danielle to the airport in Sunday. I don't want to rush away the summer, but I can't wait until we are in New England in August so we can be together again!
Now it's back to reality and work. Jeff and I are getting ready to wood fire with our friend Ouida in Carthage. Unfortunately over the weekend we had to deal with some electrical problems, one of which included our electric kiln. Jeff took it apart and cleaned some contacts and it still wouldn't turn on. After messing with it for two days we made the decision to unload it and bisque fire in the gas kiln. The electrician is coming out today and we are hoping that the household problem has something to do with the kiln not coming on... but something tells me it's sheer coincidence that both happened at the same time. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this won't be an expensive fix.

Girl Time!

 Danielle is here for the weekend! Last night we grilled pizza and Jeff made us Omija Berry Martinis. Omija berries are native to Korea and I think China. He brought back a bottle of the juice in a concentrated form. The martinis were delicious, as was the pizza. 

We finished the evening with yummy cupcakes from Cake J'adore in Greensboro. Today we are off to Southern Pines for a shopping and lunch. It feels so good to take some time off and spend it with my girl.

Where does the time go?

Happy Birthday to my beautiful baby girl!

age two

Who has grown up to be a beautiful young woman...

thirty something :-)

I think this may be the first time we haven't gotten together to celebrate her birthday, either on the day of or close to it. She is the one thing I miss about living in New England. 

Feeling Nostalgic on the 14th of February

I am feeling a little nostalgic since it's Valentine's Day. I mailed Danielle a little surprise box but she won't get it until Friday night. She is in Dallas this week for Pfizer's annual convention... here is where I get to brag a little... there was an awards banquet at the convention and she won a trip based on her 2012 sales and for one of her products she was #3 in sales for the U.S.! I am one proud Mom.

I love going through old photos. This is Danielle with two of her cousins in 1992. This photo makes me laugh because there is the glass of chardonay on the table and these kids look like they are having too much fun. The two younger girls are my sister Anita's, l to r - Stephanie, Kayla, Danielle. Alicia must have been napping. The partying must have been too much for her.

Luckily Danielle rarely reads this blog. She absolutely despised this prom hairstyle and would cringe to see it here! I thought the photo was appropriated for Valentine's Day. Danielle and Jason are still together, sweethearts since high school.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Shino Always Comes First...

Anybody that has spent any time with Shino knows that she's the prima dona glaze, and always goes on first. If not she may get angry, blister, and it's not a pretty sight.

Because of her temperament, it means that I often have to do a lot waxing over shino and then applying a second glaze color. I dip these bowls, rim first into the shino, and when dry wax the rims and handles. I don't have to be too concerned with the overlap on the interior of these because the blue gloss glaze won't be affected much by the shino underneath.

The square plates were dipped entirely in shino, then I wipe the glaze out of the interior, leaving traces of the shino behind. I like to leave traces because the green gloss glaze will sometimes get a red blush over shino and I like that variation. I also have to wax the entire rim because it can create carbon trapping and I don't want any weird color variations on these rims. It also means that I won't have to think about which edge I will pour the interior glaze off. I have experimented with carbon trap designs using wax without much luck... but I am sure if I didn't want it to happen it would, so to play it safe... I wax the entire rim.

I am going to let the wax dry overnight. Tomorrow I will finish glazing the interiors and get the kiln loaded. We need to fire on Monday so that we will have some new work for the Treasures of the Earth exhibition in Shelby, NC.
While everyone else is watching the Super Bowl, we will be busy in the studio glazing some "Super Bowls". I hope everyone else is having as much fun as we are!

homeward bound...

Wednesday afternoon we packed the car, hooked the trailer back up and headed to New Haven, Connecticut to visit Danielle and Jason. The next morning we headed for Union Station and took the train into NYC. Jeff and I were so excited, neither one of us had been before!

The plan was to go to Soho but first we walked 5th Ave. and then over to Times Square.

 Trump Tower - we loved the trees growing on the side of it.

 Times Square

 and more Times Square... definitely sensory overload

A fashionably late lunch and drinks on the sidewalk in Little Italy... drinks in the afternoon always seem like a special treat! Our bar bill was more than the food :-/

Soho was fun and way less jammed packed with people than Times Square. At the end of the day we took a cab back to Grand Central Station (the cab rides are an adventure, in and of themselves!) to catch the commuter rail back to New Haven.

Tonight we will be back in Seagrove. I miss Sophie kitty as well as my bed.

family, food & fun

I think this might be the world's largest fiddlehead!

Inside the aviary at the NC Zoo.

I had such a great weekend with Danielle and Jason and I really hated to see it end. We spent a day visiting potteries and a day at the zoo. Evenings were spent eating great food (thank you Jeff for slaving over the smoker all day to provide us with the most awesome barbecue!) and enjoying refreshing cocktails on the porch. Unfortunately I hardly snapped a photo all weekend.
Today it's back to making the pots. We fired another bisque yesterday and hopefully the glazing will get done today, and the gas kiln fired tomorrow. We are running low on inventory! Aside from having a fun weekend with company, we also sold quite a few pots here in Seagrove.
Can a weekend possibly get any better than that?

pig invasion

This morning, I woke up to this...

PIGS in the living room!

When Jeff came to bed last night he said he brought the pigs that didn't make it in the bisque kiln inside... I thought he meant inside the STUDIO. We had some heavy rain and thunderstorms and these piggies were on ware boards next to the bisque kiln that we fired yesterday. The kiln is under a shed roof attached the log cabin we live in. Jeff was afraid if the winds picked up, the rain could reach these little guys. It made sense to bring them in the house, he would have had to walk through the rain to get them into the studio. It wasn't the first, and it certainly won't be the last time, that various stages of pottery invades our living space!

Aside from finishing some beer mugs this week and getting a load of pots ready to be bisque fired, I haven't done much pottery work. Danielle and Jay are coming for the long weekend so I have been getting some overdue spring cleaning done. I am so excited for their visit! They are arriving on Friday and we are planning to visit potteries on Saturday and a trip to the zoo on Sunday. 

They are also bringing their new dog Lewi...

When we visited them in Connecticut, in March, they had just lost their beloved boxer Bizzy. They hadn't planned to get another dog so soon but Lewi just sort of came to them. Lewi is a year old and he has already had three homes. He is much calmer than Bizzy and loves to ride in the car. Since it's a holiday weekend they couldn't find anyone to care for him so he is taking a road trip too.

Hopefully Sophie won't be too freaked out...