1954 Chevy Gets New Home

Our 1954 Chevy, five-window, single-wheel (kind of a rare option), flatbed truck got a new home this weekend. Perhaps you recall seeing it in our garage while Gary was working on it. He had requisitioned my roll around drying rack for all the parts. The guy who purchased our truck plans on completing the restoration and then signing up the truck to be used in movies. He lives in Orange County and he said some of the jobs he's gotten have given him $900 a day as a driver of his old cars in various movies. Perhaps we shouldn't have sold the Chevy. But we don't have a car trailer and don't live close enough to Los Angeles.

Fremontodendron californicum
California Flannelbush, a California native plant,
be sure to look at the texture on the leaves

By the way the color of the truck is Ocean Green, the original color for this truck. It had eight layers of paint on it and there were traces of the Ocean Green as the bottom one. We're glad we sold the Chevy. Kind of sad though, Gary never even got to drive it around the block after he got it put back together. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Over the past month or so Gary has been laid off, then called back to work, then reduced to a three days of work per week, now he's being paid hourly instead of his regular rate of pay, what a roller coaster. Another reason for my post about (bullshit) White Feather.


Gary is fast becoming an experienced studio assistant. Last week he helped with the barrel firing. And yesterday, Gary helped me with this window box vase. Remember this window box vase, Crowded City? Well when I placed it in the bisque load a couple of weeks ago, I leaned over to put something else in and the brick I was using as a stilt, fell against the side and knocked off a couple of the end sections. Thank goodness I was the one who broke the piece. This piece was a crowning achievement in porcelain hand building for me. It has 17 pieces I had to keep together and get them to stand upright all at the same time. I didn't have the heart to dispose of it, so I decided to fire it anyway to see how it would do in the bisque load. Glad I did, it made it through just fine.

Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr'
a clumping bamboo with variable stripes

A day or so ago I was thinking of sawing off the projections all the way around, but decided to just saw off the opposite end pieces to match those I broke. Since I was ill last night, Gary used the dremel tool and sawed off the pieces for me. Today, I'll take it to school and glaze it. I've still got a bit of sanding to do, but that won't take long. Gary called this vase, Blades of Grass. One of my fellow classmates said the same thing. I may glaze it with a green color, perhaps green to black satin matt glaze. I could just see a vine house plant growing in this window box and the vines growing out and around the ends.

Gazania rigens
Treasure Flower, native of Southern Africa

This morning I took a walk around the yard. I observed so many plants in bloom but, as I got close to each plant, I noticed there's even more to see if I'm really observant and take the time to look closely. So I've sprinkled in a more than one plant today for you to enjoy.