Wandering thoughts..

The blog is showing a lot of pottery.  I DO live a life outside of pots.  If all goes well, soon I will have my bike and things will be changing.  In the next few months there will be some decisions to make.  Some I will have control over, others I will not have control over.  Some things are back to square one of a year ago--housing??  Job??  School??  Why??  What??  I really want to laugh out loud a lot more, and to sing out  to my heart's content.  I've not been able to do this for a long while.
 
I feel awesomely HIGH in 2 things that I do...volleyball is one and pottery is the other.  I think it's because these things are tangible; that I can decide to improve in little steps: serve every ball over; serve every ball overhand; go after everything that I can without injuring someone else or myself; push myself off the ground using my right leg with the knee surgery; go after a hit at every set no matter if it's on the net or low or bad; try a soft block; stuff a ball at the net, etc.

In pottery? Make wonderful pots that I love!

These are different than handling loneliness and sadness.  I try to be good to others; to curtail negative criticism;  to have a positive attitude.  These are spiritual things; important things; heavy things:  my quality of life is improved when I send only good and peace out from my center.

making notes

Usually after each pottery session I write notes and set goals for the next session--right now it's all about basic shapes and forms, but I will need to study a lot and branch out into finding my own niche, a decorating style or form style all my own. Some of my pottery friends are quite accomplished..I wish to imitate them...but I need to find ME in all of this. I know I'm not the feminine potter of thin porcelain dishes..but I'm not the heavy handed potter either...something in between. As with other creative endeavors..it becomes a MADNESS! There is so much more to explore and learn! And back at the studio I have more pieces to put handles on and build into teapots. I challenge myself to wedge 10-12 mounds of clay and to turn them into something within an hour or so on the wheel. Yesterday I was running out of time and globbed 2 mounds together..I threw a huge serving bowl...today I took a look and the bottom was too thin; so I lumped it all together and will turn it into something else next time. That is the next step...TO GO LARGER and see how large a mound I will be able to control, shape and form.

decorating

Wedgewood blue engobe...on greenware...these still need to bisque fire. After that I need to decide what to glaze over it!

My first teapot

Snow nite lites

Ceramics II

Ceramics II means throwing like production work and studying glazes. I did these pieces the first day, on the second day of class I cleaned and trimmed the pieces and pulled handles.

After attaching handles I threw the bowls--small enough for a little icecream after dinner!

The third session was at an open lab and I threw these..larger bowls and other mug shapes. Today I tried plates...hmmmm...who needs plates anyway, when you have all these bowls! I don't think plates will be a one session thing! While I was at the studio I got the call to go squiding..it was FREEZING and I only had a sweatshirt on. Now I'm too tired for homework!  Well, I will have to make the glazes for these too!

New Year's Eve

I began the morning with a few hours of volleyball, then ventured to the Bainbridge Pool for a family swim..Lillys, Nix Places, and Franklins.  After a couple of hours we headed home to meet some family and friends for the evening.

Jeff and Donna, Cecelia and Justin and kids, Kawika, Thelesa and family were over. We didn't seem to have ACTUAL plans, but the sketchy-ness did NOT detract us from celebrating heartily. The kids played, dressed up and watched DESPICABLE ME.  The gals and I jammed on the ukuleles--4 in all and sang some oldies and some new stuff! The guys were looking at kayaks and dog breeds on the laptop.  Justin had gone razor clamming (I love that!) so everyone got to try those breaded and fried to perfection. Jeff and Donna brought their crepes maker and after crepes Beeker and Thelesa went out after a bit to fetch the Hall family fermented grape makings for punch for toasting and their new Michael Jackson dance game, plus the Glee karaoke. Just before 12 we turned on the TV to watch midnight from Times Square, then at the Seattle Needle and everyone hugged and kissed their significants. I was texting friends and family. Around 1:30 a.m. I was hungry and Justin was willing to do ham and eggs over easy on top of rice--he loves to cook! After that, I went to bed. An hour or so later I heard everyone singing glee songs via microphone..I am a fan of the music! I listened for a bit and turned over to try and get some sleep.
So I am up and going and little girl is up too. The rest of the fam is sequestered in their beds, annoyed at the little one knocking on doors, wandering the halls with the electric toothbrush running in her mouth, dressed in her Christmas outfit, tap dancing loudly on the floors!! Some of the options for today include more volleyball (2 invites for the Lillys), I am glad to tag along, but if we stay at home to take down Christmas, my knees would be appreciative! I love the game, but would like to live to play another day and remain injury free!  Then there is a meal at the Nix and Jenny Place.  Monday it's back to college.  Yukh!

Making crepes for New Year's Eve

Crepes

The crepe fillings included a chicken enchilada, or you could choose a sausage and gravy ( a la SOS variety), and a ham and cheese.

Children were required to choose from those before having the sweet stuff: bananas in caramel rum sauce, fresh strawberries slightly sweetened with sugar and a tad of balsamic vinegar, and the third was the elusive berry--cranberry? boysenberry? blackberry? No matter, it was ALL GOOD!

The judges results

The Bestest of the crepes was the banana in caramel rum sauce, made by Jeff and Donna-- as evidenced in these pics. At the second batch we exiled the kids..this should be a special for the adults! And everyone who ate these slowed down to savor each bite!!