WillowAK Pottery

Hello, again.  I did say that my next posting would focus on pottery. A friend, Diane, sent some beautiful photos this morning of one of my mugs in use at her cabin, and the photos also show the beauty of a table runner made by another friend, Joan.    My inspiration for the week.  Thank you, friends! How nice to see WillowAK pottery in use and appreciated! And how nice to know Hatcher Pass is offering blueberries and bouquets! Have a good week! ~ Carol

As one who always considered "back to school" a very significant event,  I am now feeling that public education, as I have experienced it, will never be the same. How difficult a scenario these days for students, teachers, staff, administration, parents, families, and communities. So many people are working diligently to do what seems best, in a cloud of uncertainties. Where is a magic wand when it is needed?  Maybe I should just go back to the pottery studio and get into the swing creating with porcelain once again. Yes, I have been saying that would happen for some time, but it has not happened. With birch leaves yellowing and falling; families and educators wrestling with schooling options; and unpredictability interfering with decisions regarding travel, health, social interaction, economics, careers, and more, this may be the time for "back to studio." Fortunately, the summer has offered some benefits and pleasures, such as Zooming regularly with family and fri...

Mid-June, and we're still living the "stay-at-home" lifestyle for the most part. We are able to do so and it seems the right thing for us to do. Zoom helps, but it will sure be nice to see family in person! Summer is definitely here. Loons have returned to the lake and have eggs in their nest; the many trees Keith planted all survived the winter, and the lawn's coming in nicely; the dogs seem healthy and energetic;  I've experimented with sourdough baking, knit a lot, and made and fired a kiln load of pottery; the raft is launched and being used, and we're enjoying a stretch of beautiful weather with looooong sunny days and stunning sunsets.  Even more importantly, family and friends seem to be healthy for the most part. That's the news close to home. No, not all is wonderful. High on my list of "deplorables" are pandemic, racism, politics, crime, pain of all types, and recently, mosquitoes. I remain grateful to those who are doing...

(Although today is June 13, I just found this post written April 8, but it was never actually posted.  So, up it goes now, with a June post soon to follow.) It's been a while since I've touched clay. Considering all that's going on in the world, making more pottery has not seemed like something I should be doing, but the winds may be shifting here, soon. I've sorted paperwork in the house,  thrown out every non-working pen, sharpened every pencil, knit some fun little mug mats with Arne & Carlos patterns, baked more than usual,  read some good books and watched fine movies, cleaned some windows and mirrors, and the list goes on. All short-term projects. I could handle them. Pottery, however, is a process, not a short-term project, and until now I have hesitated.  I do miss it, however, and it may be time to return to the studio. Social distancing is easy in Willow, and I'm comfortable with using technology as a communication tool. The news, which I listen ...

I am sitting in our living room while 57 dog teams and their mushers, about a mile away, are soon to start their exciting and challenging trip to Nome. The snow on our deck is deeper than I am tall. Can't see the lake.  Can't see the opposite shoreline. Can't see the road at the end of the driveway. Crazy. And, the snow is still coming down. We do have guests who needed to get to the Community Center for the restart, so Keith and his friend John Deere blew snow in the morning to make that possible, and he continued blowing snow throughout the day. Our guests headed out and hopefully arrived safely at the restart to carry out an Iditarod-related responsibility. Yes, I am opting to watch on TV this year. KYES, channel 5.  Yesterday it was MN State Hockey Tournament viewing, which was awesome; today it will be Iditarod viewing, which will also be great. The experience of being at the restart in person is special, but after having done that many years since 1973, my preference ...

Seems like a good day to post, while Keith spends the day moving snow.  Lots of snow! Beware...when snow slides off metal roofs, and move it quickly if you can! Bisqueware washed and ready to wax, glaze, and fire again. A new family of people pots; previous ones now live elsewhere. Bacon cooker and gravy/sauce bowl with attached saucer. Experiment with commercial slip and silicone molds. Spoon rests? Jumping salmon, sauce dish with saucer, and forest of firs. Heart bowl, bacon cooker, another heart bowl. (Valentine's influence.) Squirrel in the nut bowl (look closely), vase, and pastel chalk rub. Apple baker sitting within a picture frame. Stoneware soap dish. Large serving bowl on pedestal. Mugs waxed and ready for new glaze to arrive and be mixed...a special project. In process. . . you'll see these again later, looking a little different. The people pots now glazed and ready for adoption. And a m...