The Pitchers - so far

Just brought this one home on Thursday so he missed the parade above.  

Christmas 2010 is over

It's one of those perfect days when the "weather outside is frightful" and it's nice to cozy up inside with the fireplace blazing and let the day just develop as it may.  Maybe I'll start my book I got for Christmas, or throw some pots or watch a movie or make a big pot of soup.  

After getting home from our Bond's Christmas get together at Jeff's house yesterday, I spent some time in the studio.  I really liked where this piece was going until I blew a hole out its side and had to crash the whole thing.  I think I'll blame it on the effects of the wind and snow howling outside the studio.

We've gotten about 8 inches so far I'd guess.  It's hard to tell because the wind is blowing pretty hard and moving the snow around quite a bit.  

I decided to try some carving on a piece I'd thrown a few days ago.  The best tool I could find was a kitchen paring knife until Rick brought me up a rather nice woodcarving knife after I was done.  I'm eager to try it with another piece.  

Here are a couple of pieces I made a while ago and are waiting for the first firing in my new kiln.  

The lighting wasn't very good here to see the hand made roses and leaves on this piece.

Here's Rick trying to shovel a path one handed.  He can't get a glove over the brace on his right hand which is still recuperating from wrist surgery, so he keeps his hand in his pocket, holds the shovel with his left hand and kicks it to break a path.  He managed to feed the birds and squirrels but didn't bother to blaze a trail all the way down the driveway to the newspaper box, assuming he would find it hadn't been delivered.  (I hope newspaper delivery people don't risk their lives delivering our local rag on a day when the biggest news is the storm raging outside.)  

I'm glad that I'm still on vacation and don't have to even think about the things I "should" be doing. 

Christmas 2010, Monmouth & Belgrade Lakes

Relaxing in front of the fire Christmas night

Justin trying to show Jenika the new head massager.  It's wicked nice!

Chris and Sara - first Christmas together.

The Bond/Dale household

The "kids."

T

Christmas 2010 with Jason and Adriana

Stockings all hung by the chimney with care

Opening Christmas Stockings

Rick, me, Adriana, Jason

Adriana and Jason

Playing Apples to Apples: Rick, Jared, Sara, Justin, Chris, Adri and Jason

We had been hoping for a snowstorm while they were here but it held off until the day we had to drive them to the airport in Portland. Being from Los Angeles, they don't get to see much snow.

It was the first time Rick and I had met Jason's girlfriend, Adriana.  We really liked her and we had a great visit.  We had a big family dinner with all the boys, plus Sara and Keeley on Sunday.  On Monday I gave her an introductory less in throwing on the wheel and later we took a trip up to Farmington and showed them around UMF where Rick works, shopping at Reny's and Liquid Sunshine and then dinner at The Dugout.  On Tuesday we played a few rounds of Pictionary (Rick and I won the playoff round by the skin of our teeth!) and had dinner at The Liberal Cup in Hallowell.

Recent pieces

This piece has little feet under it so can be used as a serving platter for h'orderves or such. This piece was part of a benefit raffle for Grace and won by Sarah Strunk.  She seemed very pleased!

Some recent pieces - pre fired.  You can see them glazed and fired below.

I just made this one tonight. Hope to bisque fire it in my new kiln I just got yesterday.

My bounty from Malley's kiln last week.  Mostly done in spameraude.  

A couple of the pitchers seen unfired above.

This is a piece that August made and was going to throw out because the bottom  crumbled a bit. However, I grabbed it and thought I'd try some glaze combos on it.  I quite like how it came out.

Stock 

Last morning at camp for 2010

There are bluejays, chickadees, woodpeckers, - hairy – all flittering about.  I put out piles of sunflower seeds earlier – on top of the altar, logs, stumps, and built a little cairn by the fireplace and loaded that with seeds.  I even put some on top of the mushroom that grows off the altar.  I couldn’t unscrew the top of the actual birdfeeder so it is empty as is most of the squirrel feeder that I am unable to reach.  There have been nuthatches also, as well as mostly gray squirrels with an occasional exception for a couple red squirrels.  A flock of 4 very large crows (or ravens?) have been swooping in and landing on the altar to feed, but then flying off again realizing it’s only seed.  I see some creature ate the little mouse that I found dead inside the camp.  Perhaps Cobby who was here early this morning.  

A big fat turkey just walked right through the front yard.  I’m surprised he’s all alone but I don’t see any others.  Damn!  Didn’t even get a photo.  First time I’ve seen a turkey here though we used to get visits from some fat white geese that live on the stream.  They were about the same size as this turkey and it was entertaining to watch them interact with Cobby.

Then there’s a still.  One or two birds flitter around the perimeter but all is pretty quiet.  The dracaena is still thriving and an sporadic blossom on a geranium.  But mostly there are colors of autumn – yellows, reds, oranges, browns, and a definite chill to the air.   It was nice waking up to the bright sunrise shining on the colorful trees across the stream this morning.  The water was very calm and reflected the reds and yellows beneath a thin layer of fog. 

The propane level is at 80%.  If we turn off the pilot light, we should be able to relight it in the spring and go for several nights before needing a refill. 

A gray squirrel found the seeds on the cairn and then moved onto the next stash on a stump just a few feet away. 

And then the activity begins again with the bluejays swooping in, the chickadess shortly behind them, the nuthatches, crows, a hairy.  Bird tv.  Gotta love it.

We got camp closed down for the winter.  I still need to go back out and pour some antifreeze down the shower drain because we ran out before we got that far.  Hopefully the mice that come and go won't decide to nest in the bed or anything.  

"Columbus" Day

I slept in till about 10 this morning, got up to a nice fire in the fireplace and coffee waiting for me.  Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then we went for a little hike up French's Mountain

Came home and enjoyed some grilled cheese sandwiches on the deck and then went down and hung out in the hammock swings for a while.  Won't be long before we have to put them away for the winer.

Gorgeous fall day!!!