Adding to our happiness is the fact that our clivia finally bloomed! It obviously loves it’s new location and wasn’t at all happy in a dark log cabin… even though I took it outside each summer. I am really enjoying a sunny and bright house, where plants and humans can flourish. Maybe I can now have a Boston fern that survives the winter.

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We are fortunate enough to have an intern from East Carolina University this month. She took photos and a video of the process. It’s been great to have an extra set of hands around the studio. You will be hearing more about intern Liz in future posts.

This video is glazing one of the smaller sinks. The big sink was a real pain, and didn’t go as smoothly. I probably would have to edit out some of the colorful language in that video to keep the blog’s PG rating!

The kiln was loaded by 6:00pm. I bricked up the door while Jeff switched out a burner that was giving us trouble. Our day was done by 7:45 pm. Jeff lit the first burner at 7:00 am this morning. We are hoping to put her to bed by 8 or 9 pm today. We are so anxious to get the studio moved to the new house. It’s so much easier to live and work in one location.

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The power company was cutting back trees along the Pottery Highway. About a half mile from our house is giant stand of bamboo. Jeff stopped and asked the tree guys if he could collect some of the bamboo they cut. The said, “Help yourself!”.

Jeff went right to work creating tea and water scoops of various sizes. He also made us some cool new chopsticks. He designed the chopsticks after some that he used in Japan. They are square and much easier to use than the round ones. I don’t seem to have a photo of the chopsticks.

He is training the handles to stay in position. Once set, he plans to re-wrap them with copper wire in a neater fashion.

Can’t wait to see what he does with the giant stalks!

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The sea foam green bathroom is now painted a light gray. I bought two identical shower curtains from IKEA. I was able to make a window curtain for the shower window and a curtain to cover the “knee hole” under the sink. Eventually we will replace the vanity with a more modern one, but for now I think the curtain is an attractive way to hide the basket of cleaning products that is under there. We are still searching for a light fixture for over the mirror. Luckily there is a ceiling light and it works just fine for the interim.

 The kitchen transformation is amazing for us! All that is left to do is to put up a couple of pieces of trim around the window. I am having a little trouble adjusting to no cabinet doors on a few of the uppers. I keep trying to close them and I am constantly rearranging because I feel it looks a little cluttered. Jeff loves it. We still have the doors, and they are sanded and ready to paint if we change our minds. I painted the backsplash wall aqua to break up the vanilla.

We have temporary knobs on right now. Jeff is making wheel thrown, stoneware knobs. We haven’t decided on the color yet. Right now we have one glazed in shino. We are leaning towards our nuka glaze.

I went right back to work yesterday making pots and getting ready for the next show. We head to New Hampshire in three weeks for the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair. We will be doing the first four days of the show, you’ll find us in tent five, booth 521.

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 I took a much needed break from the rehab center this afternoon. Not only did I need a break, but my Dad was looking like he could use a nap. The good weather and the tourists have descended upon Wolfeboro for the 4th of July weekend. The only route between my sister’s home and the rehab center is directly through Main Street. Traffic is bumper to bumper due to the multiple stops for pedestrians on the many crosswalks. I am sure the restaurants, shops, and galleries are very happy to see the multitudes.
                      
 My sister’s home is like an oasis. She lives in what once was a vacation lodge that has been turned into four apartments. Right now all the residents are women, each with a variety of cats and dogs. Both the humans and the pets are very friendly.

I will head back the rehab center around 6pm. Hopefully the traffic will have eased, and five minute drive won’t take twenty-five minutes. I can tuck Dad into bed and come back to this oasis and enjoy a glass of wine on the deck.

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 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.

 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.

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Today’s selection is a sweet little bowl made by Kari Therrien. I met Kari in NH when she was a BFA student at the NH Institute of Art. The mug is a NEW acquisition. It is a collaborative mug from the “250 Mugs on the Wall” exhibition at the NC Pottery Center. Hitomi Shibata did the deco work, Josh Floyd added the handle… I have no clue who threw the body of the mug. It is my new favorite.

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