Carolyn Genders Workshop

You know how I'm drawn to using colored slips in many of my pottery pieces. I noticed there's a workshop with Carolyn Genders at Lander's University in Greenwood, SC so I signed up. Carolyn is teaching her methods for making colorful vessels and forms for the first time in the United States. Carolyn is well known in Europe and the UK for her ceramic pieces and has been a ceramic artist for 30 years.

Her work is handbuilt, primarily coiled, and her surfaces are painted with vitreous slips (engobes) or burnished terra sigillata slip. Carolyn is a Fellow of the Craft Potters Association of Great Britian. She is author of 'Sources of Inspiration' 2002 and 'Pattern, Colour & Form 2008, both published by A&C Black. I'm looking forward to slowly 'slipping' (pun intended) back into clay. This post is part of the Mud Colony what's happening in the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Stoneground Shrimp

The other evening I planned on making my old standby, shrimp curry, but decided try something different. I sauteed fresh ginger and red onion and set it aside. Next I added sauteed baby bello mushrooms and set them aside. Then I added sweet red peppers and snow peas and sauteed those till they were soft, again setting them aside. I peeled and de-veined one pound of shrimp and sauteed them till they were just turning pink. I added 1/2 lemon squeezed, 2 tablespoons of a good coarse stoneground musturd, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of dried ground chipotle pepper, and 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro.

I turned theheat up high and tossed the mixture till it was well blended and served it with some long grain brown rice.  Stoneground mustard may sound strange but the addition was just the twist needed to raise these shrimp to a another level. Try it you might like it. As always ingredients minus the shrimp can be used in a purely vegetarian dish to the same delight.

Today's post was to be titled, Oh Dear Deer, but my photos were all blurry.The content was heavy for the up coming holiday weekend. So my dear readers look to the future for my view of certain socioeconomic times of our day. Meanwhile enjoy the holiday weekend. Suffice it to say that today too many folks labor beyond what is considered to be human in today's society. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Still Looking

My kind and gentle readers, did you think I forgot about you? I haven't, I've thought about you quite often. I don't have access to the internet at our campground so I've been reading about a book an evening. The stoneware cider jug above is in the campground visitor center. Interesting how cider is spelled.

Regular posting and commenting from me will resume after the 30th of this month. We're still looking for a new home. Above are two more jugs in the campground visitor center. I guess the thick portion would keep a liquid cool in the jugs, what do you think?

One evening it was actually cool enough to have a camp fire. That's Gary tending the fire with our RV and my car nearby.

It's rained nearly every day sometimes torrential, like last night. One morning it was warm enough for this red spotted purple butterfly to land and gather up some heat in it's wings to fly off. He stayed still long enough for me to get real close. The same morning a huge hornet's nest dropped out of a tree. later a squirrel carried off half the hornet's nest to his own nest. The next morning the squirrel came back for the other half. So many times I am amazed at how smart animals are. I suspect a hornets nest is good insulation and padding for a squirrel's nest. Who knew squirrels recycle? Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Crabby Confessions to a Happy Paper Towel Day

Perhaps it's the stars or the meteorites or the moon but I've been a bit crabby. If you asked Gary he'd say a lot crabby. Gary said he now knows why I've been crabby. He says it's because I haven't had any clay to work on. He is partially correct for sure. Working with clay I can get lost in no thought at all and all the irritations of life melt away. I do miss my old studio and being able to work there. Funny I am now really appreciating what I had now that I don't have it any more.

I confess we have been seriously looking for a new place to live. I thought we'd have found a place by now.  I thought I'd have something to share with you all. But alas that has not happened. Either the home is too expensive, too old, needs too much work, too steep a lot, or it's in North Carolina which isn't favorable for us tax wise. Not to mention all the houses we've looked at have been one's I've found. What do real estate agents do these days? Why can't they find us a place. They are all so busy with their meetings and appointments which have nothing to do with real estate.

We even bought a few power ball tickets thinking if we had a little more money we could find a place we really liked. I feel guilty even telling you all this because there are so many folks who don't have homes and have no prospect of having one. Woe is me.

Tomorrow we're moving to a state park where we won't have internet or phone access at our camp so that will limit my looking for a new home. I've stocked up on a few novels to read but since I am a fast reader I may run out of books. I feel like I am spinning my wheels and getting no where fast. Then there is more rain predicted and driving in it is very stressful when you aren't familiar with the road.

We plan on going to New Hampshire but didn't want to drive the motorhome up there due to the fuel costs and the risk driving in more traffic and getting into an accident. And there are the cats, what to do with them. Two of them are so old I hate to board them, not sure they would do well at all being caged up. Maybe we could rent a place but who wants to rent to someone with three cats. Well anyway this was just a short note to let you know what's happening behind the scenes. Blah, blah, blah. You can substitute an 'itch' after the b.

Oh Gary just opened up a package of paper towels full of quotes:

A good laugh is the sunshine in a home.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
There's a whole lot to be thankful for if you take the time to look.
No two gardens are the same.
No two days are the same in one garden.
The flowers of all tomorrows are the seeds of today.

At a moment's notice, it's gone from crabby confessions to a happy paper towel day. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Perseids Meteor Showers

Don't forget to check out the Perseid meteor showers tonight. Every day we have had rain and cloudy skies, please let the skies be clear tonight. Image borrowed from the net. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

It's the Little Things

These red orange mushrooms are about the size of a large pin head, the type quilters use to hold the layers of quilt together before quilting.

These mushrooms were growing out of the cracks in an asphalt driveway in the shade. I wonder how long it would take nature to take over what is man made if we all disappeared from the earth? Not so long I suspect. Notice all the moss and lichen growing on the asphalt. These little mushrooms were such a delight and so beautiful.

Then sometimes it's little things that get me down. I couldn't find the checkbook and my passport and it had me really upset. All I could think of was where in the heck did I put them with moving and traveling and all. Finally Gary located them in one of our filing boxes and all was well. Sometimes when things like that happen I begin to think what else will happen next.

It may seem like a bed of roses traveling and living in a motorhome but sometimes it's quite stressful with all the little details to keep track of and not having a home base. Then sometimes I get so excited at little things. Seeing the mushrooms in these photos here isn't as exciting as seeing them in person but I can remember how delighted I was at the time. I've got to remind myself to keep the mushrooms and the future in my mind instead of letting the stressful thoughts take hold. If I had my clay studio I'd work in there and all those negative thoughts would melt away. What about  you, do you ever get in a funk by little stressful things, or do thoughts sometimes get you down? Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Wounaan Rainforest Baskets

Our RV park has a lending library and magazine exchange. Gary picked up an Architectural Digest magazine and I've been drooling over historical architectural design and interiors. Initially I thought the two shapes above were pottery but I soon learned they're Darien rainforest baskets.

The baskets are coil constructed Panamanian traditional Wounaan rainforest baskets. Basket makers are inhabitants of the Darien Gap rainforest, a nearly impenetrable area of the Panama peninsula. It seems isolation breeds perfection. These baskets are examples of work made completely separate from modern civilization. They are constructed with materials available only from that region and dyed with local vegetable dyes. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Muskrat Love

Another day driving in the country near Lake Hartwell we saw a muskrat run across the road. Turned out we were on a dead end road. We turned around and on the way back we saw another muskrat running across the road.

There is so much wild life around here. You know I'd be making a sgraffito plate with bears and muskrats if I was working in my studio.


On the way home all I could think of was that song by Captain and Tennille called Muskrat Love. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Two Black Bear Cubs

The other day we were driving in the country and out of the corner of my eye I saw a very large black dog running across a lawn headed straight for my car. I swerved to avoid him and at the last minute he ran back up the hill. Gary said that's not a dog it's a bear. It was an American black bear.

At the same time I looked in my rear view mirror to see another bear cub running across the road behind us. There had been two black bear cubs in the front yard of someone's house and they were apparently running to catch up with their mother who we didn't see. I was amazed at how quickly the bear cub could change directions when he saw my car.


This morning Gary told me he saw on the news about a black bear in Colorado who dragged a dumpster behind a restaurant to tip it over to get the food inside. The news story reminded me of seeing the black bear cubs the other day. Animals are much smarter than we give them credit for I think. I was glad I didn't hit the bear cub. I need one of those bumper stickers which says "I brake for animals and birds". Earlier this week just by braking slightly I avoided hitting a crow which flew in front of my car. Images were borrowed from the net for illustration purposes. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Sol Y Luna

 Camarones flores

The other day we went out for Mexican food which I haven't had in eons. I hesitate to go to most Mexican restaurants as most times the food tastes like it's a frozen or fast food variety, but we found a good Mexican restaurant in Hendersonville off the beaten track, Sol Y Luna, Sun and Moon. 

Enchiladas verdes

I had shrimp wrapped with bacon and leftovers to take home. Gary had enchiladas verde.

Flan

We normally don't get dessert but we remembered having flan in the Baja so we decided to splurge. Oops, I tasted mine before the photo. Ha. White rabbit to you all. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.