The last Saturday of 2007 ...

... and I couldn't have spent it in a nicer way. For the first time in almost 6 weeks I whiled away some happy hours at Clayworks!

My mission was to determine if I could still throw, after so long a time. And I can. Well...I can throw as well as I could before. (translation - not too well yet) But it was all good. I'd intended to just throw & throw and throw. But all I had on my shelf was some old Helios, and no one with a key to the clay closet came in today. But I managed to make a half decent honey pot for Concentrix. And I tried my hand at Ron Philbeck's Knob n' Alls (did I spell that right, Ron?) Don't have the hang of it yet, but today's mission was to just get used to the feel of the clay in my hands...on the wheel...once again.

It was so good to see my Clayworks friends again! Sooz was there...and Elaine...and Ju Lan...Ann and Hara. Met a new gal named Tish who does some really nice stuff. After my time away for the holidays, it was like coming home. It's hard to describe the feeling of family that fills that studio. so I won't try to put it into words. Nothing I could write would do it justice.

Once home, I couldn't stop playing with clay. (See "addiction" in Websters.) I got to thinking that I know so little about how glazes work on porcelain. And I'm not sure how that clay body will work with the cave critters. Will it be too pristine? Too white?

The best way to find out is to do more test tiles. And since I got a bead tree from Mike (co-worker/co-songwriter) for Christmas, I decided to make pendants for my test tiles.



Have to send thanks out to Denny Meadows for the clay board I use at home! And the weird tools are all I could dig up since I forgot to bring my usual tools home. But the battered tea ball and old Christmas light worked nicely. (Recycling, right?)

This, however, was the tool that made me smile. In my last Clayworks class, our handbuilding instructress, Amy Sanders, suggested we save all those faux credit/membership cards that come in the mail to use as clay tools. I put this one to good use.



Once I get around to decorating these test tiles, I'll post some pix. I used to love making jewelry but never made my own pendants. Might hold some new appeal, might not. It's all about experimenting for me these days. And that, I think, is what keeps folks young. (Sorry AARP. *wink*)

The Loon

Here at Storybrook, we live on one of four ponds in the Grove Park neighborhood - Williams Lake, Linda Lake, Delta Lake and Grove Park Lake. We see all manner of waterfowl and wildlife...quite remarkable, really, as our house is but half a mile from WT Harris Blvd, one of the busiest thoroughfares in Charlotte.

Hawks feel quite at home here. Barred owls are frequent visitors. (I love to find their feathers!) In the Spring and Summer we see Great White Herons, Blue Herons, kingfishers, and --of course--Canadian geese and mallards. We've had beavers in the pond, an otter, and one morning just a few months ago, there was a buck in the backyard.

But news spread rapidly around the 'hood when a loon took up residence on Linda Lake. Now, I have never seen a loon. Not up close and personal...nor from afar. Apparently it's quite rare for one to visit a small pond. I'm told they prefer larger bodies of water. So when the news came via email from Mary Kay (our Neighborhood Association maven) I was delighted. I couldn't wait to take my walk and maybe catch a fleeting glimpse of The Linda Lake Loon! Seriously! I've been hearing Katherine Hepburn's quavery voice "The loons, Norman, the loons!" in my head ever since I heard the news.

Sadly, an email received yesterday morning informed me that the loon had been found, injured, on our street. Apparently it "crash landed" on the asphalt. Not sure why.

The good news is that the Linda Lake Loon survived. It was taken to a waterfowl rehabilitator where it was determined that the worst of its problems were abrasions from the bad landing. They are keeping it under observation for 3 days to make sure it didn't sustain any internal injuries. Once they are convinced that the Linda Lake Loon is fully recovered, it will be released back into the wild.

But not at Linda Lake. The loon will be set free near a larger, friendlier body of water.

I'll have to wait for my first glimpse of a loon. But I'm so glad that this little fella (it's a "he") has another shot at life.

Fred's sick. Stalwart soul that he is, he made it through Christmas. But on Chrismas night, the Stoic Story fell prey to the insidious respiratory/sinus sludge that is tallying up new victims every day in Charlotte, NC.

I had it. For three miserable weeks. Not Not NOT fun.

So prepare yourself. Stock up on Echinacea. Set aside a few good books and magazines in case the Echinacea fails. Buy stock in Kleenex. Buy stock in Musinex. And if you're not already coughing, light some incense and repeat your preferred protective mantra. Do it over and over and over again.

May Resistance be with you.

( no pictures here. You wouldn't want to see 'em)

Christmas at Storybrook

At Storybrook, Christmas Day means taking in the traditional Christmas Day movie. This year it was "Charlie Wilson's War." I highly recommend it. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts were wonderful, but Philip Seymour Hoffman was cinematic magic! Has to be a Best Supporting Actor nomination there.

Then we do dinner. This year it was pasta with marinara sauce. All organic...right down to the olives. It was quite tasty, but it only served as the appetizer for "The Present Opening Ritual". That's where the Kent sisters come in. Elf is our middle name.



Everyone at Storybrook KNOWS... There can be no "Present Opening Ritual" without a suitable libation. I bring out Grandma Bee's antique goblets (Early American pieced glass) for the wine. When I do, it feels like Grandma is celebrating with us.



Fred toasts Grandma. And so does my sis, Cinder.



And then the Present Opening Ritual moves into high gear! Fred looks a bit like Sweeney Todd opening my gift.



It's a ball made by Terri Shipley, a resident artist at Clayworks. The words "have a ball" are all over the piece. Fred wrote a Concert Song for "Raggs" with that title...I thought it was the best set of lyrics he's ever written. And so he just HAD to have this piece for his studio at Concentrix.



There were presents for the animals too. Mira is mere inches away from catnip soap bubble and a laser toy. But she, silly kitty, doesn't know it.



For me, the most memorable presents were these. A picture of Cinder and Wayne dancing at Wayne's son's wedding. (Sis can sure cut a rug!)



And Fred's many bluebird gifts. Fred knows how much I love bluebirds. They are harbingers of happiness, and he made me very happy with his many bluebird themed prezzies. These words of wisdom sum it up nicely.



So Merry Christmas y'all! And Happy New Year! And may we ALL carry the sky on our backs in 2008!

More Eve in Erwin

Every year, we make the drive to Erwin, TN to share some holiday cheer with Fred's family. This year, Troy outdid himself on outdoor decorations.



Even the family dog was there to greet us at the door!



(The real dog was tucked away, warm and cozy inside the back bedroom. We were treated to an appearance from Rooster BA twice throughout the evening...only for a few minutes tho' as he's very excitable, especially in the midst of 20+ people. The BA in his name stands for "Bad Ass.")

Everyone was dressed appropriately for the occasion.



And the kids had a great time.



If you've ever wondered where kids get their boundless energy, my great-niece Brooklynn provides the answer.



Brooklynn also discovered how to make movies with our camera. (Something I had yet to figure out.) So we now have a plethora of 2-5 second shorts of the evening. :) This was a frame I particularly liked from one of them. Warm fuzzies...with the emphasis on fuzzy.



It was a wonderful visit, as time spent with Fred's family always is.

Christmas Day at Storybrook comes next. But first there's a movie to see (Christmas tradition) and spaghetti to be made.

Christmas Eve

Yesterday, Sis, Wayne, Fred & I did our last minute Christmas shopping. Callie & Onyx found one of their presents early. A bottle of Catnip Bubbles with a loose top spilled half its contents on the kitchen floor. Although I cleaned it up as best as I could (can't have cats at the Emergency Vet on Christmas) the addictive scent obviously remained.



They aren't grooming, they're gluttoning. Catnip vics.

That's all for now. We're headed to Erwin, TN in just a few minutes to spend today with the Story clan. Three hours up, three hours back down, and about six or seven hours enjoying family inbetween car time. The CRV's loaded down with packages, some including coffee mugs. And there are hand built candle plates for all the women in Fred's family. Hmmm. I wonder who made those?

Our Night

The dishes are in the dishwasher. Fred is lounging in the recliner. Another Concentrix Christmas party has come and gone.
As always, it was a good one. In fact, in was one of the best ones. Karin & Mike came early. We wrapped presents for the kids...always the best!



The Team Member of the Year Award went to everyone. We had a banner year and every one was a part of it: Debby, Anthony and Mike.

Fred was too. The Team gave him an award for Head Coach of the Decade,



We all had Secret Santa gifts. Mike drew my name and gave me my ho ho ho.



A bead tree. However did you know???

It was a wonderful evening. It always is. Christmas at Concentrix...at Storybrook. Can't get better than that!

Yellow Chinese Horse

One of the more familiar cave drawings from Lascaux is the Yellow Chinese Horse...



This one was of the very first test tiles I did and I finally got around to glazing it after experimenting with the smaller tiles and the yunomi/pinch pots. The yellow slip darkened quite a bit in reduction but I was expecting that. Also, the holes I'd made to hang the piece with filled with glaze. Hopefully a sharp drill bit will make them functional once again.

Eventually my goal is to make a mural sized piece. (This guy is about 5" x 9") Most of my testing is leading up to that. But it will be awhile before I do much playing in clay, now that the holidays are upon us. I'll be returning to the wheel in January too when I take Ron Philbeck's Intermediate class. It's about time I learned how to throw some new forms - plates, pitchers, etc. So the cave art may go on hiatus for a short while.

It's also about time I start some serious domestic duties around my house. The Concentrix Christmas party is one week from tonight and Storybrook needs a thorough cleaning. So off I go!

They're Ba-ack!

The Cave Critters, that is. And me too for that matter.

The Monday after Thanksgiving, the Respiratory Crud Bug found me. Hence it's been awhile since I've posted here. It's also been awhile since I've been felled by a virus and I quickly discovered that I... a good patient...do not make.

I missed work! I missed the loading of the gas kiln! I missed the UN-loading of the gas kiln!!!

But I flatly refused to miss the Clayworks Holiday Sale on 11/30 and 12/1. How could I miss seeing all the amazing work created by so many of the fine folks I've met at ClayWorks? Addict that I am, I naturally purchased things: one of Kit's gorgeous plates, another plate by Ron Philbeck (who will be my teacher in January) and a handbuilt piece made by Elaine Spallone, a good friend and a lady whose work and spirit I really admire. I'll use all three pieces to serve my guests at the Concentrix Christmas party at our house on 12/15.

The students had a display too. Susan's cat plate and Buddha were both on display, and looked wonderful!

I also got my first look at the pinch pot pieces that came from the gas kiln. The lioness kept her stark lines through the firing.



The bison, on the other hand, did not. It almost looked as if the underglaze lines melted into the cup, giving him a muted look. At first I wasn't crazy about it. But he's grown on me.



These photos don't really do them justice, but I was very pleased with the way the parietal images married with the the pinched form. Certainly I'll be exploring this combination in the months to come. And I'm beginning to learn how different glazes interact with one another, seeing ways I can incorporate what I'm learning to better achieve the look of rock.

I'd write more, but I'm off to pinch another pot! :)