Helton Creek Falls & Joe Pye Weed

 Yesterday Gary took me to Helton Creek Falls not far from our home.

The falls include some slick rock which swimmers like to slide down. If you do so be sure to wear thick jeans since thinner cotton isn't adequate protection for the hind quarters.

We took Helton Creek Road to get to the falls. The forestry road includes several creek crossings.

I've been after Gary to take me to see the Joe Pye weed before it goes to seed. All the while Gary has been asking me, "Who is Joe Pye?" Joe Pye was a New England Native American healer who purportedly used this weed in his healing to cure fevers. All along the roadside the Joe Pye weed was in full bloom.

Also in bloom were native phlox, probably Phlox glaberrima. The butterflies were enjoying both of these blooming plants.

Along the road to the falls are several private residences. We stopped to admire the stone work surrounding this mailbox. I fired a bisque over night with some of my canisters and other work. Later today I'll be glazing. I'll check the weather before I fire the next glaze load. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Flower Garden & More Canisters

The brown eyed Susan's, Rudbeckia hirta, are finally coming into their own. They bloom later in the summer.

Here's what they look like as they are beginning to open. I just love the wrapped petals around the center on the one at the bottom.

 Here's a single plant, they are prolific bloomers and they make excellent cut flowers.

Here is a single phlox, Phlox paniculata, flower. These are a tall variety of phlox. They come in a variety of colors and I plan to add more colors as the years go by.

Here is the whole plant with blossoms. You might wonder why I use botanical names. Too many common names are shared among plants and if you want a specific plant hardy to your location it's best to be sure of the botanical name to be assured you're getting the correct plant for your location.

Here's my flower garden I planted this Spring from 3 inch pots. The plants are filling in nicely. Next year I'll add more in the blank spaces. We used ground cover cloth and bark which keeps almost every weed out of the garden. My idea is to have cut flowers to enhance my pottery booth at the farmer's market next year.

Yesterday I made three more canisters. These are a few inches shorter than the other two. More size reduction in height and width still needed for salt cellars. Tomorrow's project I guess.

Gary went to the shooting range with his Jeep club yesterday. A guy came up to him and said "You sell pottery at the farmer's market don't you?" Gary said yes. The guy said "I bought a plate from you and I just love it". You never know where you'll run into customers and collectors. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Shades of Green

There are many different shades of green and I like using variations of green in my garden. This is variegated yucca. I hope it blooms this year. It get's a tall stalk of white flowers from the center when it does.

This is Japanese golden forest grass. It looked a bit peak-id yesterday when I got home. I hope it can survive in this spot. Perhaps it needs more shade.

 This is a garden phlox and I confess I can't remember which one; will have to look it up.

I'm sure you've heard of spinach and artichoke dip. This is collard greens and artichoke dip. I get a can of greens and a can of artichoke hearts and drain them well. I then squeeze the greens in my hand to get even more moisture out of them. Then I chop both up and I mix in two heaping tablespoons of sour cream and some hot sauce. It's really good. I get the collard greens because they have the most vitamins of any of the canned greens.

I buy these Food Should Taste Good gluten free chips for my dips. Gary doesn't like olives and he likes them. Try them if you can find them; you might like them too.

Lots of folks admire my muses (perhaps totems) but I think some don't know what to do with them. They are for reflecting upon like my meditation bowls. Being in Baptist country perhaps I should call them prayer bowls. I guess I'm a little bit outside the box in what I make with clay.

I did make some green at the farmer's market yesterday. I sold a set of dinner plates, a pair of wall tiles, another wall tile, and a tea bowl and maybe a few other items I can't remember. It's exhausting getting up so early (4:30 am) and being out of doors till 1 pm and then packing up. I'm lucky I have Gary to help me I don't think I could do it all by myself. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.