First the pottery news -- a glaze firing was unloaded yesterday and here's a glimpse of the work that came out of the kiln.
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| Mugs |
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| More mugs |
 | | Thirty of these mugs are going to Sourdough Mercantile at the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage. Will start a new batch of mugs soon for other people and places. |
| Even more mugs -- 35 in all |
A variety of other forms were fired as well:
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Covered jar or tall vase, goblets, tumblers
candlestick |
Tomorrow I'll continue glazing, with plans for another glaze firing this week.The remaining pieces include berry bowls, plates, and accessory pieces, but no more mugs, goblets, or yarn bowls until the next throwing cycle in September.
A message to our nieces and nephews: if I've not yet given a baby birth plate to you recognizing the birth of one of your children, please send me the pertinent information (child's name and date of birth) so I can create a plate for your little one. Yes, I do these plates for other folks, too, but I think I've overlooked some of the family births and want to correct that. A reminder of who is without a birthday plate would be helpful. Thanks.
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| Yarn bowls -- altered in the firing |
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| Covered jar, serving bowls, toothpick holders |
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| Serving bowl, goblets, tumblers, mugs |
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Keith is pushing for personalized dog dishes, so you may be seeing some
of those before long, too. When I reminded him that I'm using an
English porcelain clay, he assured me that the dogs certainly deserve a
nice porcelain, too.
That's the pottery update. If you're also interested in seeing what else is going on around here, continue reading for news and views.
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A former West High student was visiting Alaska after being out of the state for over twenty years. He stopped by a few days ago with his beautiful family and it was fun to reconnect. Thanks for coming to say hello, to introduce your family, and for the beautiful orchids, Sub! Glad you saw McKinley, too!
We recently had Noah and Ben with us for a week while their folks were on a successful caribou hunt. What a fun week! I uploaded two videos to show you "crazy as a loon" in action, but no one I know would wait around for those videos to play, so I'll tell you about them, instead. One showed Ben fishing from the raft and many loons coming over to cheer him on with persistent calling; the other showed Keith training dogs from the raft and loons gathering to watch and comment on the retrieval of dummies from the lake. There were as many as 12 loons gathered for the training show one day last week and it sounded as though each and everyone had some advice/comment. Noisy -- but a sound that I love, so I consider it great entertainment for all. Hope our lake neighbors like the loon calls, too.
Recent photos:
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| Ben bonding with Cedar |
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| Noah practicing trailer skills |
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Thank you, René, for teaching us to identify
male and female pumpkin plants | | |
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| Sailboats were built and are ready to launch for the competition | | |
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| Oops -- we forgot that retrievers fetch sailboats |
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| Shooting practice with Grandpa |
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| Chickens are doing fine |
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| Pet goats are doing well |
While on a quick trip to Anchorage we checked on Sara's family and friends, feathered ad fuzzy ones.
All seen to be doing well. Also heard first-hand reports from our Anchorage grandsons about their opening day of school. They loved it!
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| A nice wind on the lake is good for it |
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| The meadow is planted and grass is growing, thanks to Keith | | | | | | |
That's it for tonight. Will let you know when there's another glaze firing completed. An open house in the studio this fall is being planned. Would November be a good month for that?
