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.