Back at the wheel

It's poor form to build a cottage just for the hell of it. I've designed this little mud lair around the needs of a lady who grows good food and answers to Margaret. She'll creates opportunities for massage out of thin air. In this particular instance, she made an ambiguous claim about the link between sun and skin cancer, with sunscreen in hand. She followed it up with a pouty face and indicated through interpretive dance that her elbows don't bend in a way that allows her to rub her own shoulders. My elbows bend as far as an owl can turn it's head, but hey, I'm my own man.


In the end, Karma worked in my favor, as Margaret offered me a weekend's stay at her parents' house near Richmond, Virginia. Her mother happens to be a potter. She's a twig of a lady, but with enough energy to fill the void between any polar bear and the closest wild banana tree. She got me seated at a wheel, threw me some clay, and let me loose. I made 8 pieces on Saturday (shown below). On Sunday they had dried enough so that I could "tool the foot" of each. I am in eager anticipation of my next chance to visit, so I can glaze and fire.



Mrs. Krome has been a production potter for 34 years! This blue glaze is what people want, sales have indicated.



A snapshot of the family. Mr. Lukens is also a hell of a guy. He imparted upon me all kinds of stories from his youth, from his 3 years living on a sailboat to his time out West, and bits and pieces of what living is all about (namely, having a prize-winning beard).