Fresh Florida Clams

We decided to drive up the Cedar Key again today. We had a relaxing time perusing the art galleries, looking at all the birds in the waterways, and visiting the museum. On our way out of town we picked up some fresh clams to have when we returned home.


This boat was called Miss Clarabelle. We saw lots of boats in the water too. The Cedar Key area is great for kayaking, sailing, and fishing.


Here's a Confederate Salt Kettle outside the museum. This area was the main producer of salt used as a food preservative before refrigeration was available. The kettle could produce 150 bushels of salt per day by boiling sea water.

This log cabin was a residence in town, it looks very old and the chimney looks like it's made of local limestone. I wonder what stories this building could tell.


I had a comment from Kittie of The Block about what type of vase would be good for long stem lilies. Kittie said she used a heavy pitcher which is a good choice for long stemmed flowers. Often vases are nice looking but are too light-weight for heavy flowers. I like to make a heavy vase which is more stable and less likely to tip over. I also thought of a flower brick being a good choice for long stemmed flowers. I've always wanted to make one, but never have.


Having arranged flowers for years I've always wondered how a flower brick can be adequately cleaned on the inside with a top that can't be removed? You know the slimy buildup that sometimes happens on the bottom of the vase from deterioriating leaves and stems. I might have to make a flower brick with a top which is removable. I started out with a few sketches for flower bricks, but somehow made something completely different.


I made this tall vase 12 x 5 inches with the sides curving in so when the flower stem is placed in the vase it keeps the flower upright and doesn't lean over. Both the vase and the starfish look better in person, my photo doesn't do them justice. I picked up a few tiny white starfish in a shop today and am wondering how they'll look attached to the vase after it's fired.

I didn't add a top section with grids or holes which a flower brick usually has. I think the vase will work well for long stemmed flowers as it is. It's tall and heavy enough to hold the flowers upright and curved middle sides will hold the stems in place. I envision this rustic style vase in a creamy white glaze with the white starfish, a tone on tone look, that way the color wouldn't compete with the color of flowers placed in the vase.


We got some fresh clams from Southern Cross Sea Farms on our way out of town to have for dinner. Along with the clams we had some Cuban bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, (like me), and some Alice White Lexia wine, which has a taste similar to Gewurztraminer. Comments and suggestions are welcome.