Tag Archives: Vermont

Vermont. Part Two

Posted on November 6, 2013 by | Comments Off on Vermont. Part Two
Last time I promised you pottery.

Kristen lives very near Two Potters Nathan and Becca, and she has even helped with a firing of their massive kiln.  Their place was one of only two places I knew I needed to see while in Vermont.  (the other was King Arthur Flour if you were wondering.)

I follow them on Facebook and read their blog.  I can't believe I finally was able to see the place in real life AND meet Becca and Nathan.  I was very lucky, for only a week earlier Becca was a little busy bringing Zoe into the world. :)  (She is beautiful.)




The shop.


Standing in front of the massive kiln shed with the gorgeous studio in view.




Not a bad view for sipping coffee and waiting for a kiln to cool...






Carefully numbered bricks for resealing the door before firing.




Unfortunately I was so impressed by the shear size of their workspace I didn't take any pictures giving you a feel for it.  (If you go to their website you will see the entire building process and the impressive result!) 


I love seeing how diffrent potters arrange their wheels.  Both Nathan and Becca throw standing up.  Definitely the best way to take care of your back and something I have been considering.

Becca's set up.
(Don't you love that sweet table, and getting the pedal at just the right height makes a big difference!)



Nathan's wheel.


And Nathan's view.  Pretty inspiring if you ask me.


My purchases...It was hard choosing!  The tumbler is one of Nathan's from the wood kiln and the plate shows Becca's vegetables from the electric kiln.  (I have several other pieces I have purchased that match.)



This sweet bowl comes from the wood kiln as well.


Nathan and Becca are every bit as hospitable as they seem on their blog. I was just thrilled to meet them and see all that they have accomplished!

..................

So another day was spent in Brandon, VT.  I took so few pictures here.  

But I absolutely love this cemetary.



And the reason for the visit to this sweet town was to stop at the Brandon Art Guild.

I discovered before my trip that Stacey Stanhope is a member and would be a highlighted artist while I was there!  She has very little internet presence (meaning no website but she does pop onto Facebook occasionally with pictures of her recent work.)  But I have managed to pick up a mug...and was sure I would do a little shopping while at the gallery.

I did do quite a bit of GIFT shopping (no pictures of those of course.)  But this sweet yunomi came home with me.




And I decided this plate would be a gift from my brothers.  Thanks guys!


From Brandon we headed to Middlebury and the search for the elusive Heady Topper!  (If you are a beer lover you may know what I am talking about!)


(This picture is to see if my little brother still reads my blog.)


Middlebury, VT





And since I did a little shopping (including a half case of Heady Topper that needed to be kept cold!) my packing required some flexibilty and imagination.


See ya Vermont!  Until next time!!!





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Ah. Vermont!

Posted on October 30, 2013 by | Comments Off on Ah. Vermont!
Where do I start??


I haven't been on a solo trip for YEARS.  Like maybe 20 years.  Greg and I enjoy visiting new places together, and except for easy local visits to family I just haven't done much on my own.  For a long time.  Now with an aging dog with horrible anxiety issues I just never felt ready to tackle it.  But this year I turned 50 and my brothers decided it was time that I did something just for me and they sent me the cash meant ONLY for a train ticket to Vermont. 



"...adventure funds; not clay funds, artist space funds, paint the doghouse funds or Greg's Beer Supply funds!  These are Adventure Funds."

My family knows me well enough that once given the funds earmarked for a trip I would finally make the move and DO IT.  And I had been talking all year about the possiblity of going to Vermont on my own, on the train, to attend the super secret 50th birthday party of my good friend Kristen of Gilead Fiber Farm.  And I would get to see the farm!

And.  I mean.  VERMONT.  IN THE FALL.

So as the birthday plan would go, Kristen would know I was coming.  By staying with her we avoided her making big farm plans that would keep her in her neighborhood while the super secret arrangements were being made.

TWELVE hours on the train.
(I won't whine becuase the idea of driving north on I95 is oh SO MUCH worse.)

But 12 hours is a long time.  The last 2 were killer.

It was rainy when I left DC (there were flash flood warnings the entire time I was gone.)  And still wet and dreary when we went around NY. 



I tried to get some knitting done....


But once we hit Massachusetts the rain had lifted and the colors were just too fantastic.



I arrived in Randolph VT after dark with Kristen (and her loyal dog Max) to meet me and whisk me away to dinner.  (On my brothers.)

I just had so.much.fun.  It was glorious.

Here are pictures. :)



We spent the day out and about (avoiding the neighbor hood to keep the big secret...)

I got alpaca kisses. :)




The party was a total success!  Secrets kept!


Morning chores.  (Actually a mix of days...)

I milked a cow!!  (But not very well!)




Kristen was surprised that the usually reserved llamas came so close.  I think the hay was calling!





Iris the (very vocal!) cashmere goat.



Atlas (on the right) and his mom.


Knitting break!


Ginger


Lotus and Leah, guardian llamas.  This is coyote country....




Yea, that's the spot!  Ecstasy!




Moving huts to the new pasture.  And I didn't just watch and take pictures...I moved one too.


Good Morning All!




Boo


My buddy Fred.


And next post....POTTERY!





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Here comes the heat!!

Posted on May 31, 2013 by | Comments Off on Here comes the heat!!
Lots of fiber and clay happening down here in Virginia.  Despite the rising temperatures... (it was bound to happen eventually right?)

Remember the haul from Maryland Sheep and Wool?   Many of you fell in love with the two twists on the far left....




Now they are a 3 ply (Navajo plied...meaning there is some color separation...) light worsted yarn!  A three ply this thin is pretty good for me.  (That's a nickle for scale.)



Meanwhile my friend Lynette is working on items for her show in August.  I spin wool for her sculptures...and this 8 oz will become a beehive.  The colors are perfect!  We were excited to find it at Maryland.


My latest blanket.....


And I had an exciting visitor.  No pictures of course but Hannah McAndrew was in town!  She was on the long journey home to Scotland after her show with the St Croix Valley Potters in Minnesota.  She was very interested in a blanket so we made a swap.

This plate is BIG, 15 inches across and much more golden than it looks in this picture.  I love it!  And I know Hannah will enjoy her wool throw in chilly Scotland. Thanks so much Hannah!


And I have finally found my groove again in the clay studio.  It was slow going at first.  Even though I have been throwing pots for over 7 years I still often struggle with some of the basics.  I am so thankful when it starts to flow again.


I am working on getting a kiln load dry and ready to bisque in the next 2 weeks.  All those little bowls on the top two shelves of the drying rack have to be in Vermont before the end of the month!



I am SO GLAD that my little AC unit seems to be working ok in my studio.  Not nearly as efficient as the split system I had in my studio in Charlottesville.  I should have taken it with us since the buyers are simply using the space as a garage.  It is definitely cooler then the 90 degree air outside but the humidity still seems high.  Drying is going slow...

So potting, weaving, spinning and sweating on those morning walks with Layla.


She LOVES her air conditioning.

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Keeping Busy

Posted on February 7, 2012 by | Comments Off on Keeping Busy
Still working away.  The yard got a good layer of mulch last week.  It's amazing how hiring someone else to do a job like that relieves a girls back!  Met with the realtor and the sign should appear this week....

Had a nice weekend in Fredericksburg.  It was the monthly First Friday Art Open House, so spent Friday and Friday evening working on my latest weaving project (wool, to be felted into a nice heavy wrap) and talking.  There was ALOT of talking and visiting.






Came home today (Monday) and hit the studio.  I've got alot of work to accomplish in the next month or two.  A special project for a friend in Vermont (more on that later as it transpires!) as well as stock for Fall.



I'm reading a great book by Kate Morton, "The Distant Hours".  Think that will be the evening for me!

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AWOL

Posted on January 23, 2012 by | Comments Off on AWOL
I've been trying to organize my thoughts for a blog post (and instead tinkered with the lay out....what do ya'll think?  If I could just figure out how to center the top photo...)  and have had as much luck as I have had trying to organize my life!  The last few months have been crazy and disjointed.

Greg has started his new job in Fredericksburg, and is very happy.  He's in a sweet rental in town, on the river and just 10 minutes from work! We had a mover bring him the essentials, bought a new bed and a new recliner.  And now over the last few months I've taken load after load of boxes, (and a loom and fiber...and guitars and amps....) just trying to declutter our house to put it on the market.  How can two people have so much???  It's not Layla.  Her one box of toys is very compact.




While visiting Greg in Fredericksburg I make sure to spend time in my new studio at LibertyTown.





It feels good to be back, surrounded by friends and so much support, ideas always in the air and shoppers too. :) As you can see I've moved my largest loom into the studio. I always plan to sit down to work and never seem to get to it. Setting up at LibertyTown comes with an attendance requirement. So my plan is to get alot more weaving done in the coming year! I'll sell my pottery here too. But still throw pots in a home studio....wherever that might be. Clay just needs so much babysitting.  What I am doing now requires so many steps it's wonderful to have my clay just steps away, to have space for pots in different phases and the ability to fire my own kiln.

While in Charlottesville I am working hard to pack and declutter and update. Our kitchen is so tiny we thought some simple improvements would help a prospective buyer to BECOME a buyer.  So the old countertops were replaced with a newer and more "hip" color (then the wood look alike formica) and now we have a dishwasher!  Of course it was not without it's issues.  The FIRST countertop was delivered in a pouring rain....I did not notice that it was cut a mirror image of what is was meant to be.  And then, of course, there was the VERY dead rat....



I plan to spend this week CLEANING and packing away odds and ends...oh, and shredding the 5 boxes of old credit card bills and cancelled checks that date back to 1989!  (4 large garbage bags and counting...you can't be too careful these days...) I may make my self imposed deadline of February 1 to get this house on the market yet....

Know anyone looking to move to Charlottesville?  Three bedrooms, 3 full baths, big fenced yard and a beautiful studio with AC and heat all located within walking distance of the Charlottesville Music Scene!  And no rats.

Of course I've managed a few trips to Juniper Moon Farm, usually with the excuse of dropping off pots or picking up my own farm product. Some of their beautiful mill spun cormo and FRESH EGGS. They are so beautiful!


Susie bought these calves recently off Craigslist!  Another step towards keeping down the sheep and goat parasites....and they are awfully damn cute. Jefferson, Madison and Monroe.


It's been a struggle to make time to throw pots.  First there were The Holidays. Plus when I'm here it is only for a few days at a time and I'm working on the house. And I've not been able to focus.  But now I have a deadline, Empty Bowls in Frederickburg  this Saturday.  I have been working on bowls, a project for a friend in Vermont (more on that later!) and a couple of commissions picked up through the Fall Fiber Festival show I did last year in October.   Tomorrow morning I will load a bisque, aiming to be unloading and packing a glaze by Thursday night.






I surely miss having my hands in clay!  It's so much calmer then the chaos in the house.  I worry about what the year has to hold for me studio wise.  I've come to the conclusion that once the house is on the market the hardest work will be done.  I will just concentrate on keeping it clean (!) and throwing pots.  The more I can pack away the better.  I am doing one show for sure in October and am debating a second one in September....But once the house sells (please God sooner then later) I can't be sure how long I will be without access to a studio to fire my cone 5 pots.....worry, worry, worry.....

So there you have it!  On paper it does not seem like much.  But mix in a bit of lost motivation and a bit of overwhelmed What should I do first???? and it begins to look like more.

Thanks to all of you for sticking around....I hope to fill you in on things a little more often then just 1 time a month!


Now.  BED.

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